Meeting notes

Weekly meetings are conducted between the group members and the advisor, Dr. Pearlstein. The meeting minutes are shown below

8/26/19

  • Getting ready for first Senior Project class
  • Solar panel charging an issue a non issue
  • LoRa vs 3G vs narrowband
    • LoRa might not be powerful enough
    • 3G might be expensive
      • As little as $8
  • Who’s in charge of what task:
    • Zach
      • Embedded system data collection and database upload
    • Adam
      • Hardware elements: sensors, PCB, circuitry
    • Matt
      • Database setup and website backend
    • Jake
      • Website frontend and integration
  • Requirements by end of semester:
    • Working hardware
      • Working parts but not all integration
    • Report
  • “Make things as simple as possible and no simpler”

9/6/19

  • Need to construct a type of base for hives to sit on.
  • Preliminary ideas:
    • Angle iron with plates on the corners and cross beams
    • Load cell feet connected to plywood base feet
    • Build in CAD and bring to Joe Zanetti
      • Aluminum vs Steel?
  • Research options for different embedding system
    • PsoC
    • Raspberry Pi
    • Arduino
      • Dr. P doesn’t recommend unless we make our own like Warren’s group did

9/16/19

  • Meeting with Joe
    • Joe has no issues with cutting anything
    • Has a few recommendations on what kind of steel to use
    • Bring detailed designs of specific parts back to joe for sign off before construction
  • Got temp/humidity to work with raspberry pi
  • Ordered an adc bc raspberry pi doesn’t have one
  • Discussion about which op amps to get
  • Using nb iot/lte
    • Possibly using the pyCom instead of the pi
    • Create a table to decide which is the best to use (not just cause cost)
      • Come up with final decision

9/23/19

  • Another meeting with Joe
    • Finalized design pretty much
    • Reached out to Zach’s contact to try and get the steel box tubing needed (donated hopefully)
  • FiPy board
    • Finalized our board to use (donated from Joel)
    • Decided on cat m1 over nb IoT
    • In process of getting LTE antenna from Joel
    • Sim card also in progress
      • Can use our own from our phones for now
  • Database
    • Don’t need a super robust db for prototyping but we should try and keep it as scalable as possible
    • Right now:
      • Using apache Kafka
        • Good at using small amounts of data from a bunch of sources
      • What’s the benefit?
        • Helps scalability?
      • Dr. P: keep it as simple as possible so maybe bypass Kafka
      • Using MongoDB 
      • Looking into Pybytes (built in for pycom)
    • Look into data caching potential
      • Dr. P: Probably not really necessary
  • In our design: quantify how many systems to be scalable
    • Quantify number of transactions a second to support
    • Justify all of our choices
    • Quantify the lifetime of a system and how much honey will be produced
      • The honey to apis system ratio over a lifetime
  • Load cell amplification
    • The load cell combinator we found could be a good idea but
    • Dr. P suggests local amplification for every load cell 100/1 gain or so
      • Possibly use adc converter on every load cell and then not have to worry about degreation 
  • P channel mosfet for switching power off to load cells from HIGH side
  • N-CHANNEL mosfet from low side (use pull down resistor so ground does not change)
    • Good one to order:PMV16XN
    • Ones here at school should be fine tho
      • FQP30N06L
      • From gate to ground, put a big resistor
  • Voltage regulator for 10V (given to load cells) down to 3.3
    • Regulator is gonna get hot
    • Might wanna use DC to DC converter or buck converter
  • Determine if we can use 5v excitation voltage for load cells
  • We will need a voltage regulator for solar panel.
  • Design a simulate things with Pspice
  • Design a circuit for using a solar panel(even if we don’t buy them yet)

9/30/19

  • For small amplifier
    • Proto advantage
    • Give them a part and they’ll create a “proto” chip to prototype it with
    • When doing pcbs, can put it right on
    • Dr. Katz’ company might be able to help
  • Second Presentation review
    • Give some of our requirements in project goals(give range of sizes for pallets)
  • PCB design
    • Keycad
    • Eagle
    • Digikey scheme it
  • Nmosfet switching circuit:

10/21/19

LTE modem issues

  • Can connect to microcontroller but cant connect to LTE anymore
    • Run out of data?
    • Antenna?
    • Lte modem just dead?
    • Try other board from Joel

PCB

  • Start creating the bones
  • Build around what we think we’re gonna create on the breadboard

Solar panel and battery

  • Voltage regulator between solar panel and battery
    • Keep the solar voltage around 5V
    • Low Dropout regulator
  • Solar panel goes up to peak 6.5V but battery works with 5-6V

Website

  • Have general overview
  • Steps are in place to finish by the end of the semester

Backend and AWS

  • Interfaced pybytes with Amazon to an extent
  • Working towards connecting to mongoDB to decide which is better

11/4/19

Completed Tasks:

  1. Link Database with Heroku listener.
  2. Built REST based compatibility for FiPy to send data via HTTP requests.
    1. Functionality for data to automatically be queried in database
  3. Created login page and visualization of data for front end web app.
  4. Began Eagle PCB.

ToDo:

  1. Debug i2c for temp/humidity sensor
  2. Pick up metal.
  3. Send PCB for fabrication.

For Presentation:

  • Have all completed parts seperately
  • Have printed pcb (doesn’t have to be all hooked up)
  • “Design complete”
    • Have all the software in place
    • Have all the hardware in place
      • Does Not have to be debugged
  • “Everything has to be in place”

Final Report:

  1. Requirements
  2. Specifications
  3. Use built in table of contents and stuff

Given a final report example to go off

11/11/19

  • LTE not working again
    • Hologram originally used Verizon but not its using AT&T for some reason
    • AT&T doesn’t support the FiPy
    • Trying to figure out how to correct it
  • Adam PCB
    • microUSB airwires aren’t routing for some reason
    • Voltage and ground
    • Look into mini usb instead of using microUSB
      • already have mini usb through hole part
    • Need to add capacitors between all VCC and ground

MINi usb through hole molex WM17115-ND
Oshpark is good for small PCB boards

1/29/20

Dr. Pearlstein Question to think about: if we get systems up and running, how long are we gonna be able to keep data? Would it be feasible to store data for something like 10 years?

Go over our website with Dr. Pearlstein

Goals for next week:

  • All
    • Presentation next week for ELC 496.
  • Jake 
    • Update website with missing notes
  • Jake and Matt
    • Sit down and meet about how the website and database will communicate
    • Create some system level block diagrams about how everything will work
  • Adam
    • Assemble, Test, and debug the PCB that has been made. See if it is working as intended or whether we need to redesign

TCF Saturday March 21st

  • Need to create a poster by then