Week 1:
Brain-Stormed ideas for the project
Worked on Piezoelectric Energy generation
Started working on initial designs
Week 2:
Purchased required items; Piezoelectric Element, Full wave rectifier
Performed preliminary tests, results showed that idea was not feasible
Week 3:
Restarted brain-storming phase
Decided on current project idea
Performed preliminary research
Purchased required item; Ethernet Shield
Create pressure sensors for future testing purposes
Week 4:
Peer-Evaluated pressure sensors
Prepared slides for presentation
Researched different ways to connect Arduino to internet
Purchased required item; ESP8266 Wifi module
Week 5:
Established internet connection via Ethernet shield, resulting server able to send data over local network
Researched Wide Area Network connection to enable data to be sent over large distances
Attempted to connect Arduino to the internet via Wifi module for convenience of end users
Week 6:
Established Wide Area Network connection with stability issues unresolved
Still unable to connect to internet via Wifi due to poor documentation of component
Week 7:
Established Wifi connection via ESP8266 arduino module, however connection still unstable and trouble uploading consistently
Taking various measures to rectify instability of module
Created python server to test use of Arduino as client
Week 8:
Module instability still not rectified
Potential problem identified is power shortage issue
Purchased variable voltage regulator to attempt to fix issue
Added container to hold components for usability and presentability
Week 9:
Voltage regulator purchased not able to provide the required voltage
Added capacitors to attempt to resolve issue. Limited success. Only works with the Nano.
Attempt to connect Arduino to server proved difficult
Exploring different ways to send information from sensor to user
Obtained 3.3V to 5V regulator from the M&T lab, slight instability in module remains but generally performs well.
Week 10:
Downsized the container
Added switches to switch between programming mode and execution
Established communication protocol via Telegram. (ie. Arduino sends information from sensor to user’s phone via Telegram bot)
Created Graphic User Interface(GUI) for ease for use and control. Information is now being sent to a computer and then routed to the phone.
Added graphing module added to GUI.
Application mostly runs stably, but crashes when attempting to graph while routing information to Telegram.
Week 11:
Occasional trouble connecting Arduino to Wifi, but once connection, the connection is stable
Efficiency of application improved via multi-threading, further features such as more options for data processing may be added in future if time allows.
Started on poster and video
Week 12:
Created door sensor for demonstration purposes
Finished poster
Bugs found in application. Solved.
Added ID to individual pins to enable sensors of different types to be used simultaneously
Filming and editing video