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EET Senior Design Projects

Greenblade The Green Blade
Students: Mike Brown, Dan Gottschalk, Jason Hicks, Jason Ruffalo
Advisor: Dr. Richard Kelnhofer
Sponser: Texas Instruments and Tripp Lite

Many new age electronics, like home audio/video equipment and computer peripherals, draw power when they are in their standby modes. These components, called vampire electronics, can account for up to 13 percent of a household’s annual power consumption. The purpose of this project is to design a wireless control system capable of switching power on and off on multiple remote power strips to reduce the amount of standby power. Switching will be time and date programmable based on user entered inputs on the wireless controller. Energy savings through the use of this product will more than pay back the cost of the system in less than two years.

Remote Synchronization to WWV
Students: Cooper LaFond, Jacob Marsh, Frank Schramke
Advisor: Dr. Richard Kelnhofer

Remote synchronization to a time standard is often performed with either GPS or a calibrated time source. Both options can be costly and in some locations ineffective due to terrain and weather. GPS requires line-of-sight to several satellites which is not always possible in heavily wooded or mountainous areas. Calibrated time sources will drift without regular recalibration. An alternative is to use the National Institute of Standards and Time (NIST) radio broadcast of the national time standard. The most common NIST signal used is that of WWVB which is used to synchronize consumer “atomic clocks.” However, NIST also broadcasts its time standard on a 100 Hz subcarrier fromWWV in Boulder, Colorado.WWV is broadcast in the high frequency (HF) region; therefore, reception can potentially be much farther thanWWVB.WWV also provides audio information regarding propagation conditions, the time, and reference frequencies. This project’s goal is to design a radio receiver capable of capturing the national time signal and audio information on the 5, 10, and 15 MHzWWV broadcasts.

 

WAVE W.A.V.E. (Wireless Audio/Video Equipment)
Students: Joe Hessel, Chad Kubly, Steve Midcalf , Andy Oehlke
Advisor: Dr. Richard Kelnhofer

Project W.A.V.E. will enable users who own multiple entertainment systems the ability to quickly and conveniently switch between systems. This will be accomplished by designing a hub that accepts up to four audio/video sources (each source having standard RCA jack signals – two audio and one video) from entertainment systems and transmit the signal wirelessly to receivers that will be connected to the video monitors. Also, a switch within the hub allows for simultaneous output of one or two sources. The switch can be operated either manually through a human-machine interface located on the hub, or wirelessly via a remote control.

Team SOLAR golf cartTeam S.O.L.A.R.
Students: Anthony Delaney, Charles Kirby, Nicholas Smith, Justin Tracey
Advisor: Dr. Kishore Acharya
Sponsor: Global Solar Energy Inc., Tucson, Ariz.

Today’s golf courses offer no environmentally friendly way to supply energy to golf carts. The primary means for charging the batteries electrically is from a standard 120V power outlet.

With an increasing concern for today’s environment and the need for alternative energy, we have designed a system utilizing solar energy to charge the golf cart batteries while in use. In order for the consumer to get the most functionality out of the onboard computer, a scoring system is incorporated using Visual Basic. Data acquisition is utilized to display voltage and current levels produced by the solar panels on the onboard computer. This design will provide the user with valuable insight regarding the benefits of alternative energy.

Portable Party Power
Students: Richard Hamalainen, Fred Lueneburg, Gerald Reuter, Thong Vang
Advisor: Dr. Kishore Acharya

We live in a mobile, well-connected society dependent on iPods, laptops, cell phones, and PDAs. Electronic devices do not carry enough power for extended periods of time.When people stray from their home power outlets, there is a need for a moderate-sized power source to recharge electronic devices and also operate small120V appliances during outdoor activities. This mobile power mimics household AC power by using a battery bank capable of delivering up to 800 watts for 1 hour. This battery bank will be rechargeable via automobile auxiliary DC jack, or home outlet. This portable system will also have a solar panel to utilize green energy and be rechargeable without other sources of power.