List of project ideas:
- Develop a PC based Scope
- High Temperature Semiconductor Characterization System
- TBD
PC Scope
Advisor: Prof. DCHopkins
Team: 2 or 3
Technical Background
Consider that an oscilloscope consists of a cabinet, a power supply, numerous controls and a CRT display. Modern storage oscilloscopes costing $2K or more do away with the CRT display and use a color liquid crystal display. Such scopes have internal memory storage and microcomputer control. Most of what is needed for such digital scopes is already available in either a desktop or laptop PC computer. Indeed, all that is missing is the circuitry to sample a signal, store it into memory and send it to the PC. It should be possible to design such circuitry that could be made for $100! While it would be possible to write Windows-based software to generate scope displays, such software already exists in programs such as National Instruments Labview. A small subset of Labview could be used to provide a very professional scope display.
Primary Goal
Develop ultra low cost visualization instrument for analog signals (oscilloscope)
Problem Statement
The design project is a PC Oscilloscope. Specifically, it is the hardware external to the scope, and software in the PC to communicate with the hardware and display the results. The hardware must buffer and scale signals, sample signals, digitize them, store them, and send them back to the PC for processing and display. For the application of a student scope for undergraduate lab experiments, the bandwidth could be limited to 1 MHz without serious compromise.
This is a very valuable project in that it requires and combines several disciplines to arrive at a solution. It is very well suited to a team of three or four individuals. Here is a listing of the project pieces required.
1. Circuitry must provide observation of analog signals, preferably with very high impedance and wide bandwidth so that the signals being observed are not seriously affected. Scaling might be auto-ranging, or user selected.
2. A clock must be provided to determine the rate of signal sampling, and the samples stored.
3. The sampled data must transferred to a PC via some communication link.
4. Software must exist in the PC to determine the parameters of data acquisition and data syncing.
5. Finally, software must be available that will take the sampled data and display it much as a conventional scope would.
Tool for Quick Electromagnetic Characterization of High Current Interconnects
Advisor: Reuven Koter, Eldre Corp; Dr. DC Hopkins
Team size: 2-3
Technical Background
The interaction of high current, electrical
interconnects conductors with themselves and surrounding ferromagnetic material
affects the ac impedance and current flow patterns. Increased impedance causes
greater resistance, which increases power loss (increasing heat and lowering
efficiency), and causes greater inductance, which increases overshoot voltages
and slows system response time. This is a problem when supplying power to high-speed microprocessor systems or high power motor drive systems
Primary Goal
- Develop a software tool to provide quick
electromagnetic characterization of a high current interconnect system.
Problem Statement
- An interconnect manufacturer has potential
customers that design their own bus-bar configurations and, consequently,
over design to compensate for their lack of technical expertise. The
interconnect manufacturer finds it difficult to demonstrate a better
solution because the potential customers have a lack of interest or
sophistication in understanding.
- The interconnect manufacturer needs information
to
- capture the customer’s attention,
- demonstrate shortcomings in the customer’s
designs, and
- demonstrate a better solution.
- Customers expect the interconnect manufacturer
to supply an electromagnetic map and electrical characterization of a
proposed bus bar solution.
- The interconnect manufacturer’s competitors
supply an electromagnetic characterization to potential customers as part
of a typical sales package.
- Potential customers need a quick response to
product inquiries.
Objectives
- Develop a software interface for collecting user information
- Develop a means to quickly simulate a given interconnect structure
- Target information to customers’ needs and understanding
- Warehouse information to support a future library resource
END