Electrical Engineering (2nd)
These projects are at the endpoint of a two-semester sequence. They are functionally complete.
Power Source System
Sponsor: Ingram Readymix Inc.
Student Team: Andrew Gilbert, Niraj Regmee, Justo Lorenzo, Lawrence Brubaker
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Rich Compeau
In accordance with environmental regulations, the Ingram ReadyMix concrete plant is responsible for testing water leaving the property for possible pollutants. This project will use a rainfall sensor to detect the first rain event of the month. Once the sensor is triggered, an alarm signal will be sent to the main base via Wi-Fi. The signal will start an automated process that will sample the outflow rain water for the required chemicals.
ID Card Access System
Sponsor: Texas State University Ingram School of Engineering
Student Team: Evan Bell, Carly Inselmann, Taylor Moralez, Natalie Ownby
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Ray Cook
The ID card access system will use an existing card reader system to verify whether a student has completed the required trainings to use specific equipment. This system will be used in the Ingram School of Engineering makerspace to ensure proper use of equipment and increase student safety. If a student has the proper training they will be able to power the machine on, if not, the machine will remain disconnected from the power source.
Programmable Tone Generator
Sponsor: FlexRadio
Student Team: Hayley Boynton, Simon Konrad, Luke Banda
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Karl Stephan
FlexRadio has requested a programmable tone generator (PTG) to assist in testing of their radios. The scope of the project is to design a system capable of producing a signal with a specified frequency from 0 to 20 kHz, while incorporating a manual option to switch between two amplitudes. The device will have both audio and serial ports for the desired output connection. The team will begin by designing a circuit to complement a PIC microcontroller. Once the printed circuit board is completed, the team will program the PIC microcontroller to produce a single sine wave output. The final product will be a valuable asset for testing handheld and commercial radios.
Keysight IoT Courseware
Sponsor: Keysight Technologies
Student Team: Garrett Warmke, Michael Harmon, Cody Luehlfing
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Harold Stern
This project will utilize Keysight’s IoT development kit to create a smart water management system for livestock consumption by using multiple sensors connected through XBee ZigBee devices and Keysight’s U3800A board. The U3800A board will relay real-time sensor data to a cloud platform via MQTT through the on-board Intel Edison and will send out notifications when any given data is outside the desired range. The sets of data will include water levels of multiple holding containers, water and ambient temperature, humidity, and pH. This water monitoring system is designed to reduce the amount of the user’s time and resources spent checking each individual water site.
Smart Power Supply for Solar Car Battery Pack
Sponsor: Nate England
Student Team: Anthony Sherrow, Preston Iloka, Rosa Espinosa, Steven Bradley
Faculty Advisor: Mr. Lee Hinkle
This project involves the design and implementation of a smart power supply for the purpose of charging the battery pack system Texas States Solar Car will be using. This smart power supply will be able to monitor the current and voltage the within 1.5 second delays and determine the stage of charging the battery pack is in. Since the Sun is not always out the vehicle will need a charging unit running off a 120Vac in order to operate due to the system will be entirely electrical. Isolation will be implemented in its design to ensure the cars bar system to charge safely and as to not damage the cells whether they be lead acid or lithium based.
3D Tube Bender
Sponsor: RH Systems
Student Team: Caden Sanders, DaNae’ Winston, Jayce Jones
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Khan Tarik
The current tube bending industry demands lightweight and cost-efficient designs of complex shape with little deformations. Our project will introduce a cutting-edge 3D tube bender that implements techniques from roll bending and rotary draw bending. With ability to design the control system, power system, and code, we have control over the details of the machine. Our designs will allow for less money used on pre-fabricated parts or services.
HexiMed
Sponsor: NXP Semiconductors, Dr. Kevin Kemp
Student Team: Vanessa Yanez, Franco Justo, Kelly Carranza
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Semih Aslan
The HexiMed system is an IoT connected medication reminder that sends alerts to a patient by integrating a set of sensors using a Hexiwear device and docking station. The system seeks to improve medication adherence by establishing an organized medication schedule. In addition, a medication log will update in real-time the exact date, time, and medication consumed which can be easily accessed by a physician, caregiver, or patient through a data cloud.
2.5MW Test Bay Improvements
Sponsor: Younicos Inc.
Student Team: Martin Ramirez, Vanessa Garza, Chris Georgoulis, Nhan Pham
Faculty Sponsor: Mr. Lee Hinkle
The goal of this project is to design and implement a web user interface for engineers at Younicos Inc. with the ability to remotely control breakers. The web interface will display the breaker’s status and log its data, such as current, voltage, and power, into a database every two seconds. The implementation of this system will allow engineers at Younicos to perform faster testing in their facility while upholding high safety standards.
3D Printed EMI Shield
Sponsor: NASA
Student Team: Daniel Valle, Robert Castorena, Isabella Collins, Josh De Long
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Maggie Chen
One of the largest logistical concerns in spaceflight is sparing, carrying several spares of critical parts, which increases launch mass. The objective of this project is to explore 3D printable materials that have the electrical and mechanical properties necessary to replace the parts currently being spared on campaigns, to reduce the weight of sparing to within 5% of launch mass. For our particular application, we’ll be testing the viability of conductive 3D printing filaments as EMI absorbers at a range of 800MHz to 6GHz.
Arduino Antenna Analyzer/ HF Antenna
Sponsor: Texas State University
Student Team: Thomas Cowden, Israel Fava, Jeffrey Jang, Jose Lopez
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Cecil Compeau
The Arduino Antenna Analyzer / HF Antenna project will help the Amateur Radio Initiative progress into new bandwidths at the Ingram School of Engineering at Texas State University. A high-frequency antenna array will be chosen and installed between the roof and the 5th floor patio of the RFM building. The custom-built antenna analyzer will help individuals fine-tune the antenna system by measuring the input impedance and displaying the Standing Wave Ratio (SWR). The antenna analyzer will be a cost-effective solution amongst competing products in the market.