Erik Cheever

Project ideas and information for engineering students

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I use this blog to post information that might be of use for students seeking project ideas. Many of the posts have links to interesting new technologies or products that might be useful for a project. Some of the posts are simply project ideas to prompt student interest. You can easily pare down the selections using the categories and/or tags below.
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Monthly Archives: June 2012

Some background information on wireless audio

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

Wireless Audio Design Alternatives Balance Range, Quality – Wireless Solutions | DigiKey Technology Zone.

Posted in Uncategorized.

Ram Pump (A gravity powered pump)

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

A ram pump uses gravity and inertia to pump water from a lower reservoir to a higher one. Build a demonstration model.

Posted in Uncategorized.

Some Energy Harvesting Development Systems

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

This page contains some links to development systems for use in energy harvesting systems: http://www.digikey.com/us/en/techzone/energy-harvesting/resources/articles/standards-drive-energy-harvesting.html?WT.z_sm_link=FB_ergyhartz_0627.  Come up with ideas of your own for an application.

Posted in Course Project Ideas, E72, E90, Energy Harvesting.

Wifi to servo or A/D

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

This device allows you to use wifi to control servo’s and/or read from A/D

http://www.makershed.com/BlinkRC_V2_0_p/mkbg01.htm

Posted in Course Project Ideas, E72, Product.

Decrease “vampire” power.

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

When devices aren’t plugged in but turned off they still take a small amount of power from an outlet.  Design a system that avoids this.

Posted in Course Project Ideas, E72, E90.

Use SolidWorks (or MATLAB) to generate a 3D Koch’s snowflake.

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

Use SolidWorks (or Matlab) to generate a 3D Koch’s snowflake (link)

Posted in Uncategorized.

Animation of Koch’s Snowflake in MATLAB

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

Animate the formation of a Koch’s snowflake, in MATLAB with smaller triangles gradually emerging out of the larger ones.

Posted in Uncategorized.

Sensitivity Analysis of Robot

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

The robot your built is more accurate at some locations than others.  Do a sensitivity analysis (this involves some derivatives) to quantify this sensitivity function.

Posted in Uncategorized.

Animate (in MATLAB) a model of your robot.

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

Make a MATLAB model of your e5 robot that animates the motion on the screen as the arm moves in the real world.

Posted in Uncategorized.

Make a SolidWorks model of your robot

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

Make a SolidWorks model of the robot you built during E5.  There are online models of servo motors.

Posted in Uncategorized.

Find interesting application for an interesting sensor

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

Find interesting application for an interesting sensor (compass, accelerometer, touchscreen, proximity…)

Posted in E72.

Dual Slope A/D

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

Build a dual slope A/D converter.  Quantify it’s performance.

Posted in E72.

Cardiotachometer – measures heart rate.

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

Build a cardiotachometer – a device that measures pulse rate.  The signal from the heart can either be from an ECG (electrical) source, or from a light source (measuring light transmission through skin)

Posted in E72.

Connect MATLAB and Solidworks

Posted on June 17, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

At the link below you can download a MATLAB toolbox that connects MATLAB to Solidworks.  You should be able to use this to control a SolidWorks object from MATLAB.

FiniteBusiness’ CADLab: Linking MATLAB and Solidworks.

Posted in Uncategorized.

Design and build a solenoid actuated valve

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

Design and build a solenoid actuated valve to restrict air or fluid flow.  Some info is here Solenoid Valve Basics.

Posted in Uncategorized.

Wireless Power Transmission

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

A background article (from IEEE Spectrum) on wireless power transmission.  Design and implement such a system.

A Critical Look at Wireless Power – IEEE Spectrum.

Posted in E90, Wireless Power.

Quadrotor with Wireless Power Transmission

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

Spectrum article about quadrotors that get power wirelessly.

Quadrotors Turned Into Flying Wireless Battery Chargers – IEEE Spectrum.

Posted in Wireless Power.

Carbon Footprint and Downloading Files

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

Research the carbon footprint tradeoffs of accessing files “in the cloud” (i.e., on a distant server), on a local server (i.e., on a server at Swarthmore) and on your personal machine.

Posted in Uncategorized.

A touch screen with dynamically alterable surface

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

Haptic display/keyboard uses microfluidics to surface.

Posted in Offbeat, Product, Uncategorized.

3D Model of Ericsson Cycle Engine

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

Use Solidworks to create working model (i.e., an assembly) of the Ericsson cycle engine in the lobby of Hicks.  Have it printed.

Posted in Uncategorized.

3D model of crank mechanism

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

Make a model of the crank mechanism from class  using Solidworks (make it an assembly so the parts move).  Print the model.

Posted in Uncategorized.

3D model of Hicks

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

Use Solidworks to create a 3D model of Hicks and have it printed.

Posted in Course Project Ideas.

Field programmable analog circuitry.

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

Anadigm® makes a field programmable analog array that allows for dynamic synthesis of analog circuits (much as an FPGA does for digital circuits).  This might be useful as a general purpose signal conditioner – or perhaps used with a genetic algorithm for analog circuit design.

Posted in Analog (high level), E72, E90, Product.

49$ Android Computer

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

APC has developed a 49$ Android computer.  This might be an interesting platform for an embedded system for somebody who wants to learn app development on an Android system.  It should have very powerful low level control of hardware and a very nice user interface.

Posted in Embedded Platforms, Product.

MSP430 LaunchPad

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

MSP430 LaunchPad (MSP-EXP430G2) – Texas Instruments Embedded Processors Wiki.

Posted in Embedded Platforms, Product.

Altera FPGA Embedded System

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

Do something with a small FPGA package (in a USB dongle).

Altera BeMicro Embedded Control Made Easy.

Posted in Course Project Ideas, E15, E72, Embedded Platforms.

Arduino

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

Arduino Home Page 

Posted in Embedded Platforms, Product.

Air bag helmet

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Erik Cheever | Leave a reply

Invisible bike helmet protects with air-bag shell.

Posted in Offbeat.

Categories

  • Analog (high level)
  • biomed
  • Controls
  • Course Project Ideas
    • E12
    • E15
    • E72
    • E90
  • Embedded Platforms
  • Energy Harvesting
  • Offbeat
  • Product
  • Sensor
  • Uncategorized
  • Wireless networks
  • Wireless Power

Tags

Analog Android biomed E12 E15 E72 E90 embedded energy harvesting info Internet of Things MATLAB offbeat Product Project Sensor wireless wireless power

Recent

  • Multiplier
  • Look ahead carry
  • Motor Control Ideas
  • Chain saw control
  • Find an application for an embedded radar system – an outdoor robot?  Automobile detection – speed sensing?
  • Make something interesting with Low Cost Digital Light Processor (i.e., projector).
  • Build a power meter for a bicycle.
  • MAX30101 Pulse Oximeter – Maxim | DigiKey
  • CC2650STK Texas Instruments | Development Boards, Kits, Programmers | DigiKey
  • Design an I2S to SPI bridge (electronics / audio / microcontroller)

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