Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
5 Solar RC Boat 49
 Nisa Chuchawat
Robert Whalen
Zhendong Yang
 Yamuna Phal design_document0.pdf
design_document0.pdf
design_document0.pdf
final_paper0.pdf
photo0.png
presentation0.pptx
proposal0.pdf
Team Members:
Nisa Chuchawat chuchaw2

Robert Whalen rwhale3

Zhendong Yang zyang60

Our project idea is to innovate the RC boat. Typically RC boats have terrible battery life and long charge times (8 min of use for 1.5 hours of charge). In order to circumvent this we propose to add photovoltaic solar cells to the boat. These PV cells will provide power to the boat motors while the user is playing with the boat. In case of cloud coverage, the PV cells will be a part of a comparison circuit so when the power produced falls below a threshold value, the PV cells are disconnected from the motors and the backup battery will be connected. Once the cloud cover goes away and solar power returns, the battery will then be disconnected with make before break logic to ensure constant power distribution. Therefore, we will be able to extend the playtime of the boat because we are only using the battery when the solar energy is unavailable. We will also have our input solar power connected to a regulator to get smooth power and boost converter to increase the voltage to the necessary level to power the motors. We then will expand on our RC boat solution by addressing the signal range problem. When playing with an RC boat, the boat is often driven out of range of the controller. This is annoying because it is hard to get the boat back without going into the water after it. Therefore we will implement an RF signal detector. We will accept the signal through an antenna and then have it processed and filtered and sent to a microcontroller chip which will interface to a zigbee. The zigbee will then communicate to the RC controller warning the user before the boat goes out of range (for example, with an LED) and that the boat should be turned around. There will be a frequency threshold, and we will give the user enough time to respond to the signal and turn the boat around. These two enhancements will allow longer use of the boat since the battery life will be extended and the range that the boat can go is monitored so it always stays within range.

Resonant Cavity Field Profiler

Salaj Ganesh, Max Goin, Furkan Yazici

Resonant Cavity Field Profiler

Featured Project

# Team Members:

- Max Goin (jgoin2)

- Furkan Yazici (fyazici2)

- Salaj Ganesh (salajg2)

# Problem

We are interested in completing the project proposal submitted by Starfire for designing a device to tune Resonant Cavity Particle Accelerators. We are working with Tom Houlahan, the engineer responsible for the project, and have met with him to discuss the project already.

Resonant Cavity Particle Accelerators require fine control and characterization of their electric field to function correctly. This can be accomplished by pulling a metal bead through the cavities displacing empty volume occupied by the field, resulting in measurable changes to its operation. This is typically done manually, which is very time-consuming (can take up to 2 days).

# Solution

We intend on massively speeding up this process by designing an apparatus to automate the process using a microcontroller and stepper motor driver. This device will move the bead through all 4 cavities of the accelerator while simultaneously making measurements to estimate the current field conditions in response to the bead. This will help technicians properly tune the cavities to obtain optimum performance.

# Solution Components

## MCU:

STM32Fxxx (depending on availability)

Supplies drive signals to a stepper motor to step the metal bead through the 4 quadrants of the RF cavity. Controls a front panel to indicate the current state of the system. Communicates to an external computer to allow the user to set operating conditions and to log position and field intensity data for further analysis.

An MCU with a decent onboard ADC and DAC would be preferred to keep design complexity minimum. Otherwise, high MIPS performance isn’t critical.

## Frequency-Lock Circuitry:

Maintains a drive frequency that is equal to the resonant frequency. A series of op-amps will filter and form a control loop from output signals from the RF front end before sampling by the ADCs. 2 Op-Amps will be required for this task with no specific performance requirements.

## AC/DC Conversion & Regulation:

Takes an AC voltage(120V, 60Hz) from the wall and supplies a stable DC voltage to power MCU and motor driver. Ripple output must meet minimum specifications as stated in the selected MCU datasheet.

## Stepper Drive:

IC to control a stepper motor. There are many options available, for example, a Trinamic TMC2100. Any stepper driver with a decent resolution will work just fine. The stepper motor will not experience large loading, so the part choice can be very flexible.

## ADC/DAC:

Samples feedback signals from the RF front end and outputs the digital signal to MCU. This component may also be built into the MCU.

## Front Panel Indicator:

Displays the system's current state, most likely a couple of LEDs indicating progress/completion of tuning.

## USB Interface:

Establishes communication between the MCU and computer. This component may also be built into the MCU.

## Software:

Logs the data gathered by the MCU for future use over the USB connection. The position of the metal ball and phase shift will be recorded for analysis.

## Test Bed:

We will have a small (~ 1 foot) proof of concept accelerator for the purposes of testing. It will be supplied by Starfire with the required hardware for testing. This can be left in the lab for us to use as needed. The final demonstration will be with a full-size accelerator.

# Criterion For Success:

- Demonstrate successful field characterization within the resonant cavities on a full-sized accelerator.

- Data will be logged on a PC for later use.

- Characterization completion will be faster than current methods.

- The device would not need any input from an operator until completion.

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