ESC472 Electrical and Computer Capstone Design Individual Final Reflection Catherine Kocia

Contents
1 2 Reflection Overview Graduate Attributes 2.1 Investigation 2.1.1 Beginnings of SMARTenna 2.1.2 Methods, Experimentation, Analysis 2.1.3 Individual Investigation 2.2 Design 2.2.1 Design Process Map 2.2.2 Methods and Approach 2.2.3 Areas for Improvement 2.3 Engineering Tools 2.4 Teamwork, Project Management and Communication Skills 2.5 Professionalism, Ethics and Equity 2.6 Economics 2.7 Lifelong Learning 2.7.1 Skills 2.7.2 Areas of Improvement 3 References

Reflection Overview

Throughout this project, I was able to develop upon many of the CEAB graduate attributes [1]. This reflection focuses my development as an engineer practicing design and how the skills that were acquired throughout this course will impact my future work as an engineer.

Graduate Attributes

2.1 Investigation
According to CEAB [1], investigation includes using appropriate methods, experimentation and analysis in order to investigate and solve complex problems. During our project, my group developed many skills in order to complete the following design challenge: Practice innovative, entrepreneurial, engineering design resulting in a functioning prototype [2]. In order to complete this challenge my group went through the following process, experimentation and analysis. 2.1.1 Beginnings of SMARTenna I was drawn to this course because I knew it had a large focus on the design and implementation of a prototype. As can be seen from my original credentials and vision, by background is in hardware design, and Im particularly interested in wireless communications and electromagnetics. I was fortunate to be part of a group who also shared similar interests in hardware design and wireless communication, as well as two members of the group were also very interested in pursuing control systems. After much deliberation, my group decided upon a project that we felt integrated our interests: the SMARTenna, an automated TV rotor system. The initial process we took to develop our project was mostly based on three prerequisites that were developed from the course syllabus and our interests [1]: 1) build something engaging in the design of structures and circuits, 2) incorporate control system and software design, and 3) tackle an entrepreneurially relevant project. I got the idea of doing a project on TV antennas during the introductory lecture in my radio and wireless systems course when Professor Hum was speaking about the conversion from Analog TV to Digital TV. These channels were transmitted over-the-air and they were free. The more I heard about this the more fascinated I became. When I spoke about this project to my group, it developed into the

idea of creating a control system to control the antenna due to the large interest in the group to pursue a control problem. 2.1.2 Methods, Experimentation, Analysis As we investigated further, we became encouraged by the fact that it did not seem like this solution had been implemented. We discovered solutions that involved rotors that were manually controlled as well as antennas that claimed to be directional and smart[3], but these smart antennas were usually indoor antennas which did not provide with as strong reception as outdoor antennas and also did not receive high ratings in reviews. From this, we began to brainstorm what the best way to prototype this control system would be. Looking at the teams design notebook [3], it can be seen that we conducted experiments with an outdoor TV antenna, an FM/AM radio alarm clock and digital transmitters and receivers in order to get an idea of what voltage levels, frequencies and signal qualities we could expect from radio and TV signals. These initial crude experiments proved to be very useful in giving the group a good idea of what type of signals we would be working with. The drawbacks were that it took us some time before we were able to get a signal that we could actually work with and our prototype went through many reiterations. This could possibly be avoided in the future if we instead researched the specific parts we need and custom ordered them. 2.1.3 Individual Investigation From these experiments we began to plan out our prototype and we split up our team to implement the different solutions effectively. Rezwana and I were in charge of the circuits and building the physical transmitter/receiver prototype, Rene was in charge of the control system and the motor design and Owen was in charge of examining how the solution could be implemented digitally using software algorithms instead of a hardware system. This process worked well for us because every group member was working on a part of the project that suited their strengths and interests as well as allowed us to work and make progress simultaneously all semester and just integrate everything together in the end. Overall, the experiments, simulations and planning (see design notebook [3]), proved quite effective and led to the completion of our SMARTenna design.

2.2 Design
Effective design includes the ability to design and create solutions to complex problems while taking into consideration technical standards, safety standards, environmental and societal factors [1]. 2.2.1 Design Process Map The initial design process that I developed was based on the engineering design model as outlined by the Massachusetts Department of Education [4].

The process designed by [4] had 8 steps that were repeated in a cyclic pattern. Consolidating with my group members, our processes where evaluated and we came up with a new design process based on the following six steps: 1) Requirements, 2) Research, 3) Outline, 4) Implementation, 5) Revision, and 6) Completion. It can be seen from [3] that we implemented these steps during the design of the prototype. The steps that we completed best were the implementation and revision stages. Looking through our process, this can be seen in the design of our circuits. The various aspects of our circuits were first researched and outlined. Then they were implemented in simulations, and revisions were constantly made in order to improve the response of the circuits. Only once the schematic gave the desired simulation results did we move on to prototyping. We prototyped many of our circuits first on a proto-board and only after they were tested and verified were they soldered permanently onto a PCB. Often times, many reiterations were made and the circuit designs were changed or modified as needed following our outlined process in an iterative pattern. 2.2.2 Methods and Approach Overall, I believe we followed our process map quite effectively. However, we seemed to focus a lot on research, outline and implementation. This is not surprising given the tight time constraints and my teams goal of completing a functional

prototype before the design critique. In the future, I would like to spend more time on revision and research. Many times we would first quickly go buy items and test them instead of researching and ordering specific parts (eg. 555 timer and motor). This approach has both pros and cons. First, by buying and testing the parts you can quickly find out what you have available right away in order to develop the prototype. Also with small circuits and motor components, the specification sheets are often not available and you can end up spending more time looking for parts that the store wont carry anyways. So this approach works fairly well if you want to make a quick prototype with parts that are available in stores close by. However, conducting more background research can save time in the long run, especially if you can order custom parts. We decided to take the former approach because we did not want to risk waiting for custom parts to arrive, especially under our tight time constraints. In my future work, however, I would like to spend more time in conducting research and re-evaluating my designs. 2.2.3 Areas for Improvement One area were we could have improved upon was in the consideration of safety and environmental factors. This was also one of the concerns that was brought up during the pitch. The focus of my group was to build the control system, not the rotor. Rotors are available and an assumption we made was that our system could be integrated into an existing rotor system. This was an assumption we made due to time constraints and we needed to focus our project to make it more manageable in a few months. It would have been beneficial to look into the safety and environmental concerns of current antenna and rotor designs to see if improvements could be made there as well. If we could improve upon some of the concerns surrounding current antenna and rotor systems (eg. safety hazard to birds, difficult to mount on roof, what cables are allowed to run on the roof), then we could make our product even more appealing to costumers. The CSA requirements were examined in [5]. Integrating them more fully into our prototype would be a future improvement worth pursuing.

2.3 Engineering Tools

The application of engineering tools includes the ability to create, apply and adapt using appropriate resources and techniques while understanding and incorporating any limitations in the design. During the design of our SMARTenna, we deviated and amended our design using various engineering tools in order to overcome the many obstacles we encountered. First we became hindered by the fact that TV frequencies are in the range of hundreds of MHz, but the oscilloscope could only measure signals up to 100MHz. To overcome this obstacle, we amended our design in order to grab the

signal after it has been down-converted to a lower frequency using a mixer. This new signal affected our simulations and using Pspice we re-simulated our circuits and designed new biasing circuits to work at the new frequency. However, working at the lower frequency allowed us to use the oscilloscope, but it also increased the wavelength of the signals. By increasing the wavelengths of the signals, this meant that making the receiver more directional would require a bigger reflector than would be needed with higher frequency signals. From here we continued to amend our design. This reiterative process of adapting our design strengthened our knowledge of radio and microwave circuits and working with measurement equipment at high frequencies. It also exposed us to the toils of hardware design. Many times the specifications that were given by specification sheets were not achieved in reality when the circuits were tested. Furthermore, even once the simulations achieved the desired results, the actual circuits had slightly different performances. This experience taught us that although simulations and calculations are a necessary tool in engineering design, testing and debugging play an equally important role in the successful implementation of a product. The design of our circuits taught us very valuable debugging and technical skills using oscilloscopes, logic probes, breadboards, power supplies and function generators that we can apply to future work both in academia and in industry. It also gave us valuable hands-on experience working at high frequencies and exposed us to the problems that occur that we did not realize just from running simulations and reading notes.

2.4 Teamwork, Project Management and Communication Skills

There are four members in the SMARTenna team. The implementation of this product was only achieved through the careful planning, coordination and dedication of all four members. We developed a multidisciplinary project based on our interests and goals. The first time we got together as a team we went through our interests and backgrounds and developed a project that would interest and excite all members of the group. The process of looking at every members resume and skills was very helpful in helping us choose a topic. Overall, we had a good group dynamic. We decided early on that we would have weekly meetings and everyone worked on certain tasks every week so that we were fairly consistent in making progress and not leaving anything to the last minute. This process works well and was also used over my PEY year at Sentinelle Medical. Every week we would have meetings called Scrum where we would update the group on the progress we had made, what we are going to do next, and any difficulties we are having. This method worked well for our group as well.

Another approach we took was that we divided the project up between the group members in terms of circuits, control, and digital simulations. This allowed every individual in the group to make progress every week and not be dependent on another group member. This facilitated the design process and we were able to successfully combine our respective parts in the end. During the weekly meetings, if someone was having difficulty, other members in the group would adjust their time accordingly. We were able to get good practice and feedback on our presentation skills from Orbis during the design critique and during the pitch. The feedback taught us the importance of selling the team members not just the product, as well as how much we should focus on market versus product versus idea. It also provided us with more insight into the business side of engineering and how industry perceives technology. These are all valuable skills I can take with me into industry.

2.5 Professionalism, Ethics and Equity

The Orbis design critique and pitch taught us how to appropriately market oneself in business versus to colleagues in your own field. My group spent a long time trying to figure out which technical content to present and which to leave out. From the feedback we received, we learned that our business models were not practical in business. From this feedback we were able to adjust our business model and I hope to continue to develop my business intuition in the future. Overall, all group members acted in a professional and ethical manner all term.

2.6 Economics
During the pitch we were criticized that our business model does not support successful business growth. Other questions were also raised regarding cash flow, installment costs, user monthly fees and initial start-up costs. These questions made us re-evaluate our assumptions and starting values that we used in our business model. This critique was very helpful as it allowed us to get real advice from entrepreneurs who have been successful in their endeavors. It also showed us that we were still fairly inexperienced when it came to business analysis and I hope to learn more and gain further experience in my future endeavors. The takeaway I took from the pitch was that the economics behind a business is just as important as the product itself.

2.7 Lifelong Learning

Lifelong learning addresses the ability to address ones needs both in education and industry in order to remain competent and effective in advancing engineering and technology [1]. This course has been effective at shedding light into what skills I am good at and where I need to improve my knowledge in order to become a more effective engineer. 2.7.1 Skills I have always enjoyed and been fairly effective in group work and I hope to expand on my teamwork skills in the future. The skills that I have learned during this course will be beneficial for my future career as an engineer. I have always been drawn to small companies and start-ups for their fast paced energy and innovation. The design critique and pitch in this course were very useful in exposing me to the type of business critique and scrutiny that small businesses must undergo before they can become successful. During the design critique, Orbis was very helpful in providing insight into how to better deliver a pitch in order to sell your product to possible investors. For example, make sure you focus on the idea and dont go too far into the details. You must find the line between going too much into detail so that the audience is no longer following to explaining in enough detail that the audience understands, and more importantly trusts in your competence as an engineer and a designer. Furthermore, during the pitch, a useful suggestion was to describe everyones role in the group so that the investors know who they are investing in and not just what. The knowledge and skills acquired during these interactions will allow me to make better entrepreneurial decisions in the future and more importantly prepare me for what type of questions to expect from possible future investors. I also gained valuable experience this semester in teamwork. I usually have a very direct approach to my team working style. I usually early on discuss expectations and goals of the group in order to ensure the team is working towards a common goal and hopefully preventing disagreements in the future. This approach seemed to work this semester and the group worked together and completed our goal of creating a working prototype. One thing I thought we did really well was we kept working all semester and we tried not to leave anything to the last minute. The approach we took to do this was that we had a weekly meeting with just the group members (not including meeting with Professor Foster every week). At this meeting we would set a plan for the upcoming week and everyone would have something to complete. After each meeting, one the group members would send out an email summarizing the meeting and the

individual tasks so there was no ambiguity. This method kept the group very focused and worked fairly well. I hope to continue to use the teamwork skills I developed this semester in my future work as well. 2.7.2 Areas of Improvement During the Dragons Den/ Pitch, I realized that if I wanted to succeed in a small business in the future I would have to improve on my knowledge of finance and business. The panel was a good arrangement of successful entrepreneurs that had experience working in small start-up companies. I found the questions addressed about the business model were the most difficult for me to answer. One of the members of my group had taken business courses and we used this as well as external research to design our business model and plan. However, during the pitch it became quite evident that our cash flow was not sufficient to allow a startup company to survive its first year. The experiences that the panel had with their own businesses allowed them to learn what profit margins work and dont work. I hope to improve upon my business intuition by working in industry as well as possibly taking some business courses during graduate school. The pitch allowed me to see that it doesnt matter if your idea is good or bad, if you do not also have a good and convincing business model it will be difficult to get investors. I hope to continue and improve upon the knowledge obtained in this course in my future studies and work.

References

[1] Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board. Accreditation Criteria and Procedures. Internet: http://www.engineerscanada.ca/e/files/Accreditation_Criteria_Procedures_2010.pdf, 2010 [April 20, 2012]. [2] ESC472 Electrical and Computer Capstone Design Syllabus [3] SMARTenna Team Design Notebook [4] The Official Website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework. Internet: http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/scitech/2001/standards/strand4.html, May 1, 2001 [Jan 14, 2012]. [5] SMARTenna Project Proposal. Internet: http://smartenna.weebly.com/, April 2012.