Conference Session

Developing New Instrumentation

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Liping Guo, Northern Illinois University; Recayi 'Reg' Pecen

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

AC 2008-2550: STUDENT DESIGN PROJECTS IN A PROGRAMMABLE LOGICCONTROLLER (PLC) COURSELiping Guo, Northern Illinois UniversityRecayi "Reg" Pecen, University of Northern Iowa Page 13.1106.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Design Projects in a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) Course in Electrical Engineering TechnologyAbstractA Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) is a specialized computer used for the controland operation of manufacturing process and machinery. A junior/senior level PLC coursein a four-year electrical engineering technology institution mainly covers the followingtopics: PLC hardware components, developing fundamental PLC

Conference Session

Instrumentation and Measurement: Innovative Courses

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Marshall, University of Southern Maine

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

insight into the “laboratory based problem solvinglearning environment” that has been developed with financial and technical assistancefrom local industries. The discussion will also identify how the “need” for this type ofproject based curriculum became obvious. Four prerequisite courses are briefly describedbefore focusing on the project based capstone course. These four courses provide thestudents with the technical skill sets needed to succeed in the senior level capstonecourse. Accomplishments and outcomes from the student perspective, the Universityperspective, and the industry perspective will also be shared.Our advancing world of computer integration, process control, industrial automation, andtelecommunications requires technical problem

Conference Session

Developing New Instrumentation

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nicholas Dadds, USNA; Svetlana Avramov-Zamurovic, U.S. Department of Defense

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

AC 2008-1852: OBJECT CLASSIFICATION USING ROBOTIC MANIPULATORINSTRUMENTED WITH SENSORSNicholas Dadds, USNASvetlana Avramov-Zamurovic, U.S. Department of Defense Page 13.938.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Object Classification through Tactile Sensing Nicholas A. Dadds and Dr. Svetlana Avramov-Zamurovic United States Naval Academy Department of Weapons & Systems Engineering The goal of this project is to classify objects based on their individual characteristics.This project will span over two semesters in

Conference Session

Novel Measurement Experiments

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Byron Newberry, Oklahoma Christian University of Science and Arts

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

imentally Deter mining Mass Moment Pr oper tiesAbstractA project is presented that requires students to experimentally determine the mass momentproperties for a three-dimensional test specimen. The project begins by attaching the test specimen(a composite structure made from small wooden blocks) to a pendulum platform of known massproperties. The platform is equipped with an accelerometer to allow dynamic motion tracking.Multiple swing tests are performed and the dynamic response of the loaded pendulum is recordedusing a National Instruments data acquisition system. Using an oscillator model and Fourieranalysis, the students calculate both the damping ratio and the damped natural frequency of theloaded platform. Armed with these results and the

Conference Session

Contemporary Instrumentation Poster Session

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mustafa Guvench, University of Southern Maine; Joshua Ward, Fairchild Semiconductor; Robert N. MacKinnon, Yarmouth Water District

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

analytical modeling of semiconductor devices and sensors, and electronic instrumentation and measurement.Joshua Ward, Fairchild Semiconductor Josh Ward was a senior level Electrical Engineering student at the University of Southern Maine and was working as a Thin Films Process Technician at Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation, S. Portland while working on this project. He will complete his coursework and graduate from U.S.M. with a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering in May 2008. Upon graduation he expects to be promoted to Process Engineer at Fairchild Semiconductor. Josh’s interests are semiconductor device fabrication, CMOS integrated circuit design and automated testing.Robert N

Conference Session

Modern Software Measurement Techniques

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rafic Bachnak, Texas A&M International University; Ramya Chakinarapu, Texas A&M Corpus Christi

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

paper describes the activities in a microcontroller laboratory where students learnprogramming microcontrollers by carrying out experiments that provide a hands-onexperience with electronics hardware and instruments. The paper will also providedetails of a research project that involves the development of a prototype that takes in ananalog National Television System Committee (NTSC) video signal, generated by avideo camera, and data acquired by a microcontroller and display them in real-time on adigital panel. An 8051 microcontroller is used to acquire power dissipation by thedisplay panel, room temperature, and camera zoom level. The paper will present themajor hardware components and show how they are interfaced into a functionalprototype

Conference Session

Novel Measurement Experiments

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carlin Shaodong Song, USNA; Svetlana Avramov-Zamurovic, U.S. Department of Defense

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

AC 2008-1869: EVALUATION OF A PREASURE SENSOR FOR A TSUNAMIWARNING SYSTEMCarlin Shaodong Song, USNASvetlana Avramov-Zamurovic, U.S. Department of Defense Page 13.579.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 EVALUATION OF A PREASURE SENSOR FOR A TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEMINTRODUCTION The goal of this project is to develop a low-cost tsunami warning system for use inimpoverished regions where tsunamis pose a threat. This paper details the designprocess of a pressure sensor used for tsunami detection. We begin by first consideringthe desired sensor parameter and range of depth in which the experiment will beconducted. The signal conditioning circuit is incorporated

Conference Session

Contemporary Instrumentation Poster Session

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Robertson, Arizona State University; Barbara Rampel, Arizona State University; James Edwards, Raytheon

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

curriculum without massive restructuring.Maintaining educational relevanceEvery technology-focused educational group goes to great lengths to maintain thecurrency and relevance of its programs. The most common methods are: Receive advice from an Industry Advisory Board. The process works well, especially if meetings are held more than once per semester and the industry members carry their message into the class-room as guest speakers and act as hosts for company visits. Through conferences, research and applications-focused partnerships. Opportunities for hands-on experience and student involvement through internships and projects follow. Provide a series of short courses for industry. The issues are