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Electrical engineering senior design projects put the skills you've learned over the last four years to the test. These team projects exemplify the ingenuity and talent of MSOE students.
2008 Electrical Engineering Senior Design Projects
Night Sky: Multicolored LED
Aircraft Lighting System
Jeremy Fredrich, Michael
Gehlhar, Mark Ouwinga, Mark Whiting
Advisor: Dr. Stephen Williams
The Night Sky intelligent lighting system provides both primary and decorative lighting for aircraft cabins. Designed to empower aircraft designers, Night Sky enhances the in-flight experience by introducing mood and artistic lighting, comparable to many high-end architectural lighting systems available today. The lighting system uses high efficiency LEDs to produce a full range of white light resulting in natural lighting, allowing passengers to comfortably read, work, and relax. The Night Sky system is also capable of producing a full spectrum of colors providing accent lighting and entertaining animations for any occasion.
Electronically Controlled
Motorcycle Suspension
Nicholas Klotz, Robert Sweeny,
Anthony Knutson, Richard Scampini
Advisor: Dr. Stephen Williams
Many modern motorcycles lack an easily adjustable suspension system. Solving this problem would thereby provide the rider with a safer and improved riding experience. This is achieved by using a microcontroller to control a system of stepper motors that adjust the existing valve assemblies of a motorcycle's shock absorbers. Utilizing a 10 push button interface and LCD display the system will allow the compression and rebound to be adjusted over 20 positions. Doing so allows the rider of the motorcycle to quickly adjust the suspension without the use of tools or disassembly of the bike.
Wireless Pet Containment System
Nathan Graen, Brandon Rabe, Ryan
Sura, Nicholas Tillich
Advisor: Dr. Stephen Williams
Keeping a pet constrained is important to the safety of both the animal and people in the vicinity. Due to limitations in the functionality of existing products, an improved method of wirelessly containing a pet is desirable. The pet collar is comprised of a Global Positioning System (GPS) and a microcontroller. The microcontroller compares GPS location to a boundary that is set from a user-friendly interface on the collar. The collar takes corrective action if the animal crosses the invisible pet barrier.
Automated Line Painting System
(A.L.P.S.)
David Camp, Matt Drzewiecki,
David Holmburg, Mikulas Jandak, Bryce Washebeck
Advisor: Dr. Stephen Williams
Boundary lines are necessary for fields in many sports to ensure fair enforcement of rules as well to notify athletes, officials and fans of where the boundaries are. These lines need to be repainted frequently due to the grass being cut, athletes wearing them down, and from being exposed to the elements such as rain or snow. Unfortunately, current striping methods require a lot of time, money and human control get the job done. A.L.P.S. will improve each of those areas by implementing a buried wire system which the robot will track and thus automate the process of striping fields. A microcontroller will accomplish this by taking in readings from a set of four coils and then use that information to control the motors and paint application. This technique will eliminate the need to measure out the lines when painting a plain field, and will simplify the entire process.
RC Auto-Pilot System
Joe Bonniwell, Jacob Cretens,
Jacob Faust, Tom Slovachek, Dan Taylor
Advisor: Dr. Stephen Williams
Learning to fly a remote controlled airplane requires the guidance of an experienced instructor to avoid crashing and destroying the aircraft. It would be advantageous if there were an affordable solution which would replace the assistance of an instructor, and eliminate the high cost of damaged planes. Team Auto-Flight has addressed this problem by developing an inexpensive and easy to use auto-pilot system that seamlessly integrates with existing plane hardware. Control of the plane is managed by an on-board microcontroller based on inputs from GPS and orientation sensors. The system is engaged by the user via a switch on the remote control, providing a valuable safety mechanism for the inexperienced RC pilot.
Mobile Online Monitoring System
Matt Sipiorski, James Hagemann,
Bjorn Rogness, Steven Schumacher
Advisor: Dr. Steven Reyer
The telecommunications industry has numerous methods of monitoring various subsystems at cellular phone sites. While some of these monitoring methods are efficient, many are not. The Mobile Online Monitoring System (MOMS) is an efficient, cost effective solution to monitoring cellular site services and subsystems. These subsystems include monitoring of heating, ventilation and air conditioning, backup generator, liquid propane level, uninterruptible power supply and commercial power operation. MOMS will display the status of the subsystems on a remote Web page which will allow a technician to monitor cellular sites from anywhere the technician has internet access. While some problems at cellular sites require immediate response, most do not. The MOMS allows a technician to first access the situation by providing critical information of the cellular site's systems. The technician is then able to make better informed decisions when determining how to solve a problem; preventing a technician from having to make unnecessary trips to a cellular site. Ultimately, the MOMS increases a technician's efficiency and reduces costs of cellular site operation.
NetCom: an Internet-based Intercom
Tim Freiberg, John Lemmer, Nathan
Seipel, Andrew Timm
Advisor: Dr. Steven Reyer
Many communication methods today, while convenient, are still fairly complicated. Users may not have the technological background to use a computer or cell phone, or may have difficulty remembering numbers. Instead, the NetCom offers an easy, user-friendly way to communicate with up to 20 of your closest contacts via a simple, three-button interface and a volume control knob.
The NetCom user simply plugs into power and Ethernet cords, selects a user name from a personal contact list using the UP and DOWN buttons, and then presses the TALK button to begin talking to another NetCom user. The NetCom uses the Internet to directly connect each user with the press of a button.
RF Broadband Power Amplifier
Mario Carrillo, David Ibanez,
Tran Pham, Phanu Punyatrong
Advisor: Dr. Steven Reyer
With today's high speed communication systems and the importance of having extremely linear devices to maintain message integrity in the modulation process, companies spend a lot of money developing devices that meet this requirement, which translates into higher cost for these devices. Current medium power (100-500 Watts) broadband amplifiers with more than a decade of bandwidth can cost anywhere between $50,000 and $100,000, which is money well spent if the buyer's application calls for extreme linearity. There are, however, many applications that do not require such linearity, and purchasing a commercial power amplifier would be too expensive for their application. The Radom Corporation has charged us with the task of designing, building, and testing a more cost effective 400-Watt continuous wave RF Power Amplifier that operates between 30-500MHz, and which will be used for research and development.
Cardeck Playing Card Shuffler - Team
Five
Jonathan Dickman, Robert Grabow,
Clark Stremke, Corey Gadacz
Advisor: Dr. Steven Reyer
Playing card shufflers generally fall into two categories: expensive and good, or inexpensive and of mediocre performance. Addressing the need for a reliable, affordable card shuffler for home recreational use, Team 5ive has designed a playing card shuffler for the consumer market. The device is designed to shuffle a standard poker or bridge size deck of 52 cards thoroughly in less than two minutes. The device shuffles playing cards in a manner that will give the user a statistically random deck after one shuffle, and report the number of cards to the user. The CARDECK playing card shuffler weighs less than 20 pounds, occupies less than one cubic foot, and allows the user to insert an entire deck of cards without splitting it into two sections. This cards shuffler will provide hours of safe and enjoyable play at a cost of well under $1,000.
Ace2: PLC Controlled Model Train
Layout
Richard Ehlert, Jonathan
McIntire, Kristen Wellhausen, Sylvia Anne Wrate
Advisor: Dr. Steven Reyer
An N-scale model train layout, controlled by a programmable logic controller (PLC) provides a training platform for students. In the laboratory students will learn how to program the PLC in ladder logic and control the model train layout. The electromechanical energy conversion class will use the training platform to illustrate the electrical control of mechanical objects using touch screen applications, and a variety of sensors. Laboratory manuals are written for the classes and summarize what is available for the demonstration mode.