Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
30 Power Outlet Quality and Submeter System
Nicole Viz
Roshan Mahesh
Soham Manjrekar
Surya Vasanth design_document1.pdf
design_document2.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
presentation1.pdf
proposal1.pdf
proposal2.pdf
video1.mov
video2.mov
# Power Outlet Quality and Submeter System Project

Team Members:
- Nicole Viz (nviz2)
- Soham Manjrekar (sohammm2)
- Roshan Mahesh (roshanm2)

# Problem

In the rapidly evolving field of power electronics and energy technologies, maintaining consistent and high-quality power distribution and energy usage is critical for residential and commercial buildings. Using submeters can help create energy savings, lower operating costs, increase building efficiency and reliability, and improve occupant comfort. Devices today have several drawbacks, however. They can be cost-inefficient, complex to operate and to read, and they may lack real-time insights. Additionally, they may not employ sufficient power quality monitoring. These shortcomings can lead to difficulty in meeting recent sustainability efforts, and as such, an innovative solution is needed.

# Solution

For our project, we’d like to design and construct an improved device that monitors power quality and acts as a submeter to its loads – a device that is cost-effective, has high-fidelity data acquisition, and operates with an intuitive user interface LCD screen. Our project will solve the problems listed above by combining a power quality monitor along with a submeter in a cost-effective manner that stores real-time data and loads the data to a database that can be accessed through a website. More detailed specifications are presented below. We’ve divided our project into the following subsystems: Microcontroller/Software, Sensors and ICs, and Power. Note: We’ve looked into the work of a group who did a similar project last year and discussed some of the issues they faced; portions of this work will hopefully build on that and improve upon them.

# Solution Components

- Microcontroller/Software
1. ESP-32 or similar
- Offers DSP
- WiFi and Bluetooth Connectivity
- Allows for expansion GPIO to add additional storage
- Low power draw
2. SD Card Module
- To save data in the event of power loss
3. Google Cloud hosting MySQL database or similar
- Any online cheap database management system
- Sensors and ICs
1. Voltage Sensing via Voltage Divider
2. Current Transformer (PA1005.070QNL by Pulse Electronics), measures current as well
3. ADE9153A
- Single Phase Energy Metering IC
4. ADE9430
- Power Quality Metering IC
- Power
1. 5V Li ion Battery (or can investigate other battery options if there are safety concerns with Li ion)
2. 3.3V Linear Regulator (to power PCB with IC’s and microcontroller)

# Criterion for Success

Our criterion for success is divided up into the following 5 categories: software, operation, power quality measurement, submeter measurement, and miscellaneous. These are our criteria for success:
- Software
1. Online database that holds data such as timestamp, voltage, current, power, time of harmonic disturbances/power outages/voltage changes larger than 5%
- Upload data to database every 15 minutes using WiFi/bluetooth
2. Displays waveforms of power outlet current and voltage
3. Displays whether or not there’s a power quality issue (for harmonic disturbances/power outages/voltage changes larger than 5%), the type of issue, followed by a notification
- Operation
1. Self powering our device for at least 24 hours
- Power Quality Measurement
1. Record harmonic disturbances 20 ms before and after
2. Record voltage changes larger than 5%, or power failures
3. Send this data to database when failures/disturbances occur
- Submeter Measurement
1. Measure voltage, current, power of electrical load
2. Have an LCD Screen displaying instantaneous voltage, current, power
- Miscellaneous / Stretch Goals
1. Keep construction costs as low as reasonably possible
2. Make device lean and visually tidy

Autonomous Sailboat

Riley Baker, Arthur Liang, Lorenzo Rodriguez Perez

Autonomous Sailboat

Featured Project

# Autonomous Sailboat

Team Members:

- Riley Baker (rileymb3)

- Lorenzo Pérez (lr12)

- Arthur Liang (chianl2)

# Problem

WRSC (World Robotic Sailing Championship) is an autonomous sailing competition that aims at stimulating the development of autonomous marine robotics. In order to make autonomous sailing more accessible, some scholars have created a generic educational design. However, these models utilize expensive and scarce autopilot systems such as the Pixhawk Flight controller.

# Solution

The goal of this project is to make an affordable, user- friendly RC sailboat that can be used as a means of learning autonomous sailing on a smaller scale. The Autonomous Sailboat will have dual mode capability, allowing the operator to switch from manual to autonomous mode where the boat will maintain its current compass heading. The boat will transmit its sensor data back to base where the operator can use it to better the autonomous mode capability and keep track of the boat’s position in the water. Amateur sailors will benefit from the “return to base” functionality provided by the autonomous system.

# Solution Components

## On-board

### Sensors

Pixhawk - Connect GPS and compass sensors to microcontroller that allows for a stable state system within the autonomous mode. A shaft decoder that serves as a wind vane sensor that we plan to attach to the head of the mast to detect wind direction and speed. A compass/accelerometer sensor and GPS to detect the position of the boat and direction of travel.

### Actuators

2 servos - one winch servo that controls the orientation of the mainsail and one that controls that orientation of the rudder

### Communication devices

5 channel 2.4 GHz receiver - A receiver that will be used to select autonomous or manual mode and will trigger orders when in manual mode.

5 channel 2.4 GHz transmitter - A transmitter that will have the ability to switch between autonomous and manual mode. It will also transfer servos movements when in manual mode.

### Power

LiPo battery

## Ground control

Microcontroller - A microcontroller that records sensor output and servo settings for radio control and autonomous modes. Software on microcontroller processes the sensor input and determines the optimum rudder and sail winch servo settings needed to maintain a prescribed course for the given wind direction.

# Criterion For Success

1. Implement dual mode capability

2. Boat can maintain a given compass heading after being switched to autonomous mode and incorporates a “return to base” feature that returns the sailboat back to its starting position

3. Boat can record and transmit servo, sensor, and position data back to base

Project Videos