Engineering Commons^™

Magnetic Design Web Application, Michael Brim

Electrical Engineering

The automated Magnetic Design Web Application, available at http://www.magneticdesign.org, generates the full design process of a power transformer, gapped inductor and toroidal inductor given design specifications provided by the user. Calculations are accomplished using Area Product, Ap, or Core Geometry, Kg, procedures. All design processes mirror the format used in Dr. Taufik’s Introduction to Magnetic Design lecture-notes. An administrative backend is provided where instructors can add or modify core design values to expand the array of materials used. The project aims to aid student understanding of magnetic design and course concepts while allowing instructors to broaden the scope of material …

Simulation Of Cal Poly Super System Simulink Model Using Insolation Variation, Jacob Kory

Electrical Engineering

This senior project focuses on simulation of the Cal Poly SuPER system using an insolation model. First, local and historical weather data is examined to determine the range of limits that the model will utilize. Then, the insolation model is constructed to fit into the existing SuPER model. The overall system is tested under a variety of insolation values to determine system performance of motor and static loads. Based on these simulations, several factors of the current model are discovered that limit the power consumption profile under off-peak load conditions. Finally, recommendations on improvements to the model are discussed

Analog Electric Guitar Distortion Effects And Headphone Amplification, Michael Alexander Jenkins

Electrical Engineering

The goal of this project was to create an electronic system which integrates popular audio processing effects as well as headphone amplification circuitry for use with an electric guitar. By implementing a system which fits natively inside the body of an electric guitar, the need for numerous external accessories relating to a standalone amplifier system is eliminated, improving device versatility and portability.

Ultrasonic Listener: Microcontroller Based Frequency Shifter, Troy Fredriks

Electrical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Fm Radio Receiver With Digital Demodulation, Nicholas Burnett

Electrical Engineering

This paper reports on the design, construction, and testing of an FM receiver. The design is split into two portions, the analog FM front end and the digital demodulator. The job of the front end is to down convert the RF signal to a frequency that is low enough to sample with an analog to digital converter. The construction of the front end is done using what is known as “Ugly Construction.” That is, all the components are soldered together floating over a ground plane.

The second portion of the design is the demodulator. The phase lock loop method of …

Single-Ended Tube-Based Guitar Amplifier, Joseph (Joe) Linn

Electrical Engineering

Since the advent of the transistor, the vast majority of designers and manufacturers of electronic devices have abandoned the vacuum tube. Compared to transistors, tubes are orders of magnitude larger, more power hungry, more expensive, less reliable, and dissipate much more heat. In short, transistors are superior devices for almost all applications. Despite this fact, many makers of high-end audio and instrument amplifiers continue to base their designs on tube technology.

Given all of their shortcomings, the obvious question is: Why bother with tubes? Proponents of tube-based audio amplifiers cite a certain “warmth” that tube circuitry lends to the sound …

Mixing Digital And Analog Audio Signals, David Robison

Electrical Engineering

I have been playing the drums for thirteen years. I started out on an electric drum set and then progressed to an acoustic set. I have always wondered what it would sound like to combine the two types of sounds and this senior project dissected that interest to its raw form. Delving into the problems and solutions of combining digital and analog audio signals intrigued me and thus, became my senior project. The design process included research into the analog and digital realms, computer simulations, and actual implementation successes and failures.

The signal path begins at the bass drum where …

Touch Screen Sound Controller, James Fenley, Jonathan Law

Electrical Engineering

The Touch Screen Sound Controller sets out to explore the use of a touch screen as a sound control interface for the disk jockey profession. In addition, the project aims to provide an alternate means of transferring audio data by way of TCP/IP communications as opposed to MIDI. By applying our method, a user may stream pulse-code modulated data from a server onto a client’s RAM via an Ethernet connection. A 32bit, 200MHz ARM9 microprocessor addresses data from the RAM and proceeds with executing DSP instructions from the user. The connection between the touch screen and the central microprocessor is …

Improved Commuter Rail Workstation Table Through Crash Energy Management, Trevor Ness, Brandon Baker

Mechanical Engineering

Workstation tables in commuter rail trains have been identified as an area for improving passenger safety during train collisions. The goal of this senior project was to create such a table using a composite sandwich structure designed to safely absorb energy. Testing of previous table designs was used to establish engineering specifications for the static loading, work surface durability, and impact performance requirements of the new table. Analytical and finite element models were used to analyze new concepts until a design was achieved that could meet all specifications. The tabletop developed consists of a crushable aluminum honeycomb core with fiberglass …

Adapted Paddle Launch Vehicle, Duane Menton, Erik Granstrom, Matthew Resendez, Shannon Crilly

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Edwards Lifesciences: Heart Valve Tension Validation, Lucas Fochler, Alex Mark, Shilpan Shah

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

The San Luis Obispo Children's Museum Energy Of Motion, Patrick Ligot, Brian Mich, Jaime Salazar, Erik Sanchez, Steven Azeka

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Design And Usability Of Social Networking Web Sites, Robert Pessagno

Graphic Communication

This study began by designing the layout of a new social networking Web site and putting it to practical use. A team of computer science students at Cal Poly developed this social networking site for their senior project, and called it Friend Riot. The new and innovative features that Friend Riot consists of set it apart from other popular social networking Web sites, but its interface was lacking a good design. When the new design was implemented, it was tested against the competition: Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects that Web design …

Determining The Optimal Material For Coffee Packaging: Oxygen Transmission Rates And Ink Abrasion Resistance, Laura Kiyoi

Graphic Communication

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of The Ability Of Rfid Tags To Withstand Distribution Of Fresh Produce In The Rpc Pooling System, Jay A. Singh, S. P. Singh, K. Desautels, K. Saha, E. Olsen

Industrial Technology and Packaging

This study focused on the ability of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags applied on reusable plastic containers (RPCs) to withstand repeated abuse due to physical distribution and storage environment related hazards. It also studied the effect of the chemical cleaning environments that RPCs are commonly exposed to in the pooling/rental systems commonly used to distribute fresh produce. RPCs are being successfully deployed in the US, Europe and Asia to ship fresh produce from growers to retailers. The increasing demand for traceability and tracking of fresh produce from ‘farm to fork’ requires these containers to be monitored and identified in the …

Laser Clean Room Re-Design: A Manufacturing Facility Re-Layout, Jennifer J. Siu

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Alcon’s Laser Clean Room fosters inefficient production practices, is outdated for its current process, and lacking in clear process/product flow. A facility re-design is applied to bring order, efficiency, and optimize flow in the laser production lines.

Deliverables include a new layout that decreases product travel distances and increases productivity as well as an implementation plan and cost/savings analysis. Major design decisions include downsizing the clean room, sorting to find waste and establishing clear process/product flows. The design was implemented within three weeks and results yield 29% reduction of product travel distance, 10.4 hrs/day saved from eliminated gowning time and …

Cable Time Estimation Database, Joshua L. Okerman

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

The use of time standards are the basis for a high efficiency system in the manufacturing environment. This project will investigate the process followed to design and develop a database used to calculate accurate cable assembly time standards used for scheduling at General Atomics. This project will then justify the use of the Cable Time Estimation Database, through an economic analysis compared to the current methods applied.

Assessing Living Arrangements In Residential Halls, Romel Penaflor Auza

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Hundreds of thousands of high school graduates head off to college each fall not knowing the environment they'll be living in for the next four years. The factors that predict success in the academic, social, and personal aspect of these freshmen students' lives revolves around one aspect that is often times overlooked. Freshmen students are subjected to the fast paced lifestyle of college and often times they need to feel “at home”. Their personal space becomes a matter that is important to them in relation to their success in the three aspects of academic success, social integration, and personal health. …

Preference Driven University Course Scheduling System, Heather A. Bellardo

Master's Theses

University course planning and scheduling is the process of determining what courses to offer, how many sections are needed, determining the best term to offer each section, assigning a faculty member to instruct each section, and scheduling each section to a timeslot to avoid conflicts. The result of this task has an impact on every student and faculty member in the department. The process is typically broken down into three major phases: course offering planning, faculty assignment to planned course sections, and course scheduling into timeslots.

This thesis looks at each of these phases for the Industrial and Manufacturing department …

Aircraft Data Collection System, Amy Kronsteiner, Danny Marx, Collin Heller, Nathaniel Garcia, Nicholas Riccobono, Scott Parks, Albert Liu

Biomedical Engineering

This report outlines the design and building process for an interchangeable testing device that collects aircraft performance data. Included is the project objectives, system requirements, management plan, design concept development, design details, manufacturing procedures, and project verification test plans. The device is a wing-mounted Pitot-static system integrated with an Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS).

Systems Engineering Analysis And Digital Communication Bus Design For The Cal Poly Super Project, Matt Marcus Camack

Master's Theses

With an expected lifetime of 20 years and an expected cost of $500, the Cal Poly Sustainable Power for Electrical Resources (SuPER) project needed a strong central design. This thesis looks at the work completed by students over the previous 5 years, with an eye on the future, to create the phase 2 design. Part of this new structure focuses on a distributed communication bus for monitoring system health and status. Instead of complex and costly computer or FPGA systems, the new system will run solely with microcontrollers. This reduces costs and will hopefully still be used within 5, 10, …

Http 1.2: Distributed Http For Load Balancing Server Systems, Graham M. O'Daniel

Master's Theses

Content hosted on the Internet must appear robust and reliable to clients relying on such content. As more clients come to rely on content from a source, that source can be subjected to high levels of load. There are a number of solutions, collectively called load balancers, which try to solve the load problem through various means. All of these solutions are workarounds for dealing with problems inherent in the medium by which content is served thereby limiting their effectiveness. HTTP, or Hypertext Transport Protocol, is the dominant mechanism behind hosting content on the Internet through websites. The entirety of …

Negative Conductance Load Modulation Rf Power Amplifier, Cody R. Neslen

Master's Theses

The number of mobile wireless devices on the market has increased substantially over the last decade. The frequency spectrum has become crowded due to the number of devices demanding radio traffic and new modulation schemes have been developed to accommodate the number of users. These new modulation schemes have caused very poor efficiencies in power amplifiers for wireless transmission systems due to high peak-to-average power ratios (PAPR). This thesis first presents the issue with classical power amplifiers in modern modulation systems. A brief overview of current attempts to mitigate this issue is provided. A new RF power amplifier topology is …

Pulse Density Modulated Soft Switching Cycloconverter, Jesse Timothy Adamson

Master's Theses

Single stage cycloconverters generally incorporate hard switching at turn on and soft switching at turn off. This hard switching at turn on combined with the slow switching speeds of thyristors (the switch of choice for standard cycloconverters) limits their use to lower frequency applications.

This thesis explores the analysis and design of a pulse density modulated (PDM), soft switching cycloconverter. Unlike standard cycloconverters, the controller in this converter does not adjust thyristor firing angles. It lets only complete half cycles of the input waveform through to the output. This allows and requires a much greater frequency step down from the …

Digital Signaling Processor Resource Management For Small Office Phone Systems, John T. Gilkeson

Master's Theses

Contemporary small office phone systems are specialized computers that connect a variety of phones within the office and to the local phone company. These systems use digital signaling processors (DSPs) to convert signals from analog to digital and vice-versa. Many different types of applications run on the DSPs and different businesses have varying application needs. Given the systems have limited amounts of DSP resources and growing numbers of applications for a phone system, an administrator needs a way to configure the uses of resources based on their individual business needs.

This thesis provides an overview of a system for configuring …

Standalone Antenna Demonstration System, Alexander James Hempy

Master's Theses

Antenna systems play a significant role in today’s electronic communications. They are essential for cell phones, satellites, radio, and radar among many other important applications. This paper describes the design, assembly, and operation of an antenna demonstration system designed to instill interest in the field of antenna design among high school and undergraduate college students. The system is portable, supplied solely by DC power supplies, easily reproducible, and includes rotational axes to illustrate antenna performance limitations and requirements. It provides a visual indication of wireless signal strength and demonstrates several antenna performance characteristics including polarization, gain and directivity, radiation patterns …

Monocular Vision And Image Correlation To Accomplish Autonomous Localization, Matthew Paul Schlachtman

Master's Theses

For autonomous navigation, robots and vehicles must have accurate estimates of their current state (i.e. location and orientation) within an inertial coordinate frame. If a map is given a priori, the process of determining this state is known as localization. When operating in the outdoors, localization is often assumed to be a solved problem when GPS measurements are available. However, in urban canyons and other areas where GPS accuracy is decreased, additional techniques with other sensors and filtering are required.

This thesis aims to provide one such technique based on monocular vision. First, the system requires a map be generated, …

Textured Hierarchical Precomputed Radiance Transfer, Harrison Lee Mckenzie Chapter

Master's Theses

Computing complex lighting simulations such as global illumination is a computationally intensive task. Various real time solutions exist to approximate aspects of global illumination such as shadows, however, few of these methods offer single pass rendering solutions for soft shadows (self and other) and inter-reflections. In contrast, Precomputed Radiance Transfer (PRT) is a real-time computer graphics technique which pre-calculates an object's response to potential incident light. At run time, the actual incident light can be used to quickly illuminate the surface, rendering effects such as soft self-shadows and inter-reflections. In this thesis, we show that by calculating PRT lighting coefficients …

Development Of A Meshless Method To Solve Compressible Potential Flows, Alejandro Ramos

Master's Theses

The utility of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for solving problems of engineering interest has experienced rapid growth due to the improvements in both memory capacity and processing speed of computers. While the capability now exists for the solution of the Navier-Stokes equations about complex and complete aircraft configurations, the bottleneck within the process is the time consuming task of properly generating a mesh that can accurately solve the governing partial differential equations (PDEs). This thesis explored two numerical techniques that attempt to circumvent the difficulty associated with the meshing process by solving a simplified form of the continuity equation within …

Modular Laser Combat System For Remotely Operated Vehicles: Bridging The Gap Between Computer Simulation And Live Fire, Thomas Edward Fulenwider

Master's Theses

In the emerging industry of small unmanned vehicles, pioneered by small businesses and research institutions, a suitable combat system test platform is needed. Computer simulations are useful, but do not provide the definitive proof of effective operation necessary for deployment of a combat system. What is needed is an affordable simulated weapons system that enables live flight testing without the used of live weaponry.

A framework is developed here for the construction of a simulated weapon using Free Space Optical (FSO) infrared communication. It is developed in such a way to ensure compatibility with a variety of platforms including ground …