Preliminary Design Report

Christine Chiorando, [email protected], 904‐553‐2634                                   Ed Kallal, [email protected], 404‐429‐8178        Preliminary D...
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Christine Chiorando, [email protected], 904‐553‐2634                                   Ed Kallal, [email protected], 404‐429‐8178   

 

 

Preliminary Design Report APM (Automated Programmer Machine) The Programmers

Project Abstract  The Automated Programmer Machine (APM) is a control system for the Atmel and PIC programmers in the NEB Senior Design Lab. Each programmer will be identified with an RFID tag, which will be read by an RFID reader when checked in or out. The system will keep track of which programmers are checked out, who has each programmer, and how long each person had the programmer. The student will swipe their Gator-1 ID card with the provided card reader. These records will be stored in EEPROM. A USB port on the main console will allow the TAs to access these records through any terminal program. An LCD screen and a few push buttons will provide a user interface for the students. The APM will be similar to a vending machine, in that it will utilize DC motors and augers which will dispense a programmer when selected. When the student returns the programmer, it will be placed in a drop box which will be equipped with an RFID reader that will notify the system that the programmer was checked-in. This way, students may use the programmers outside of TA office hours. The entire system will have a battery backup in case of a power outage. 

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Christine Chiorando, [email protected], 904‐553‐2634                                   Ed Kallal, [email protected], 404‐429‐8178   

 

 

Table of Contents    Project Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ 1  Project Features/Objectives ......................................................................................................................... 3  Figure 1: Electrical Block Diagram ............................................................................................................. 3  Concept/Technology Selection ..................................................................................................................... 5  Division of Labor ........................................................................................................................................... 6  Gantt Chart ................................................................................................................................................... 7   

   

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Christine Chiorando, [email protected], 904‐553‐2634                                   Ed Kallal, [email protected], 404‐429‐8178   

 

 

Project Features/Objectives The primary objective of our project is to design and construct a system to automate the programmer check-out procedure in the senior design lab. The electronic components of the system are summarized in the block diagram of Figure 1:

 

Figure 1: Electrical Block Diagram  •

• • • •

Our system must be capable of identifying each programmer. o We plan to track the programmers with embedded RFID tags. o At least one RFID scanner will have to interface with the microcontroller. o Depending on the final mechanical design, an additional RFID scanner might be necessary to track programmers as they are checked in and checked out. o The RFID scanner(s) may require serial communication with the processor. Therefore, external serial ports may be required The system must be able to identify each student. o We plan to use UFID numbers because each student already has a unique UFID. o This requires interfacing a magnetic card reader with the microcontroller. Records must be preserved if the system is powered down. We plan to store the records on an external EEPROM chip. The TAs and professors must have a way to access the records. o They will do this from a terminal program via the USB port on the main console. o We will use an FTDI chip to interface the Atmel’s serial system with the sub port. The students will require a simple I/O system. We will accomplish this through a LCD screen and several push buttons. 3 

 

 

Christine Chiorando, [email protected], 904‐553‐2634                                   Ed Kallal, [email protected], 404‐429‐8178   

 

 



The entire system will include a battery backup; in the event of a power failure the students will be able to continue the check-in/out process as normal. • The project will make use of DC motors which will control augers, thereby dispensing the selected programmer at the student’s command. The programmer’s RFID will be recorded when the programmer is dispensed and then linked to the student’s UFID, which will allow the students to check-out a programmer when no TAs are present. The mechanical design of the vending machine-like dispenser and the drop box will provide additional technical difficulties since there are no mechanical engineers working on this project. In addition to the vending machine augers (and DC motors), there will be a drop chute allowing students to return their programmers without the TAs. This chute must be designed with an RFID reader to record each programmer as it is returned.

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Christine Chiorando, [email protected], 904‐553‐2634                                   Ed Kallal, [email protected], 404‐429‐8178   

 

 

Concept/Technology Selection   

We chose to create a TA interface via USB to make our system compatible with all computers (that have a USB port and a terminal program). The TAs will have access to the records for all programmers and all students through a terminal program. Here, the TAs will be able to add current students to the allowed list, remove old students, and place holds on current students. We chose to use the FTDI FT232RL RS232-USB interface chip due to positive feedback and positive previous experiences with the chip. We decided to dispense the programmers through vending machine-like augers. There will be one auger for the PIC programmers, and one auger for the Atmel programmers. While we have no prior experience with motor controls, this seems like the optimal dispensing mechanism. The technology has stood the test of time in vending machines, and the size of the programmers is consistent with the size of products that are commonly sold in vending machines. Students will communicate with our system through an LCD screen and a simple keypad (probably several push buttons). This will allow them to indicate if they are returning or checking out a programmer. They will also be able to verify that their return was recorded in the system. Since these communications are not complex, a simple keypad and an LCD screen will provide an adequate, cost-effective solution. We chose to track the programmers through embedded RFID chips. This popular technology has proven quite effective in recent years, and RFID is also a cost-effective technology. Students will be tracked through their UFID number since every student has a unique UFID number. Requiring students to swipe their UFID card eliminates the high possibility of fraud associated with using a keypad for students to enter UFID numbers. This should provide no inconvenience to students as they will always have their ID while on campus (as UF policy requires).

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Christine Chiorando, [email protected], 904‐553‐2634                                   Ed Kallal, [email protected], 404‐429‐8178   

 

 

Division of Labor   

The following shows a preliminary division of labor for the project.

Christine Chiorando

Ed Kallal

Preliminary Research

Preliminary Research

System Level Design

System Level Design

Preliminary Motor Driver Design

USB, RFID, Card Scanner Interface

Finalize Auger plus Motor Design

LCD, Student Interface, Data-Storage

Interface Motor Drivers with CPU Design

Interface Motor Drivers with CPU Design

Board Design & Population

Board Design & Population

Test/Debug

Test/Debug

Mechanical Design (Drop-Slot, Dispenser, Enclosure)

Mechanical Design (Drop-Slot, Dispenser, Enclosure)

Presentation, Documentation, & Meetings

Presentation, Documentation, & Meetings

 

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Christine Chiorando, [email protected], 904‐553‐2634                                   Ed Kallal, [email protected], 404‐429‐8178   

 

 

 

Gantt Chart   

Project formulation C+E Research C+E Order Initial Parts C+E System Level Design C+E USB, RFID, card scanner Interface - E Preliminary motor driver design - C LCD, Student interface, Data-storage - E Finalize auger + motor design - C Interface motor drivers with CPU design/PCB Layout - E+C Spring Break - C+E Populate PCB/Debug - C+E Mechanical Design (drop slot, dispenser, enclosure) + final report Final Demo Preparations Final Paper + Prepare for Harris Rotunda demo Demo in Harris Rotunda

Start Date 6-Jan-09 13-Jan-09 20-Jan-09 27-Jan-09 3-Feb-09 3-Feb-09 10-Feb-09 13-Feb-09 24-Feb-09 7-Mar-09 17-Mar-09 24-Mar-09 7-Apr-09 17-Apr-09 24-Apr-09

Allocated Time 20 16 12 7 10 10 7 17 12 0 14

Extension 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Idle time 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0

14 10 7 1

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

 

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Christine Chiorando, [email protected], 904‐553‐2634                                   Ed Kallal, [email protected], 404‐429‐8178   

 

 

 

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