Conference Session

Instrumentation in Education

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Akram Hossain, Purdue University, Calumet (Tech); Mohammad A. Zahraee, Purdue University, Calumet; Hamza Kadir, Purdue University Calumet (College of Technology)

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

. It waits and collects a set of 6 bottles. When six bottles arecollected, it feeds the set of bottles to the master screw conveyor at once. The master screwcontinuously runs at a high speed (RPM of the motor = 240 RPM). If the pocket which is createdat the junction of these two screws is not perfect during handing over, the bottles cannot pass andmay be crushed or shattered. The scenario is portrayed by Fig.1 below. Fig.1: A perfect pocket formation at the junction of the two screw conveyorsThe screw conveyor on the left hand side is the slave screw and the screw conveyor on the righthand side is the master screw. The slave collects the bottles before feeding it to the master screw.In the above figure, at the junction of the two

Conference Session

Computer-based Measurements

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bridget M. Smyser, Northeastern University; Kevin McCue, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

groups in open lab times or to arrange for groups to borrowequipment for measurement outside of lab. Student topics were varied and showed a great deal ofcreativity, as shown in Figure 1 below. Page 25.655.9Sample of Student Topics for Term ProjectsMeasuring decibel levels around the T (subway)Determining which vendor’s coffee cups kept coffee hot the longestMeasuring the pressure produced by adding Mentos to Diet CokeDetermining the critical radius for heat flux through an insulated copper pipeQuantifying the effect of drafting on bicycle velocityDetermining which fan produces the largest wind volume per kW and per dollarProducing a human

Conference Session

Projects in Instrumentation and Control

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Akram Hossain, Purdue University, Calumet; Tanima Zaman, Purdue University Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

should always be taken under consideration, (1) the screen must be able to holdoperator’s attention with maximum display clarity and (2) the design must allow a person withno training or little experience to be able to successfully operate a machine.In this paper we are focusing on a few fundamental factors critical to HMI touch-screen displaydesign. The objective here is to provide design guidelines to accomplish an effective HMI whichwill enable its operators to operate in a very user friendly way with maximum operationalsimplicity.Screen LayoutProper screen layout is very important for a good HMI display. Generally, a human operatorscans an HMI screen, as any other regular screens, starting from top left corner to right and thendown the

Conference Session

Embedded Control and Instrumentation

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Y. Hung, Auburn University; Victor P. Nelson, Auburn University; Clint S. Cole, Digilent, Inc.; Alex Wong, Digilent, Inc.

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

his role as one of the developers of the bachelor’s of wireless engineering program at Auburn University, which is the first of its kind in the U.S.Mr. Clint S. Cole, Digilent, Inc.Mr. Alex Wong Page 25.788.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2012 Instrumentation for an Embedded Control Systems Design Course Incorporating the Digilent Electronics Explorer Board ABSTRACTAuburn University’s Electrical and Computer Engineering curricula include a junior-year,laboratory-intensive course on embedded control systems design.[1

Conference Session

Computer-based Measurements

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Farid Farahmand, Sonoma State University; Saeid Moslehpour, University of Hartford; Harika Kuppuru P.E., Sonoma State University; Swathi Matsa, Sonoma State University

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

in various dimensions, includingdistance lecture delivery or remote instrumentation to teach laboratory-based courses 1-3.Over the past several years a vast number of systems have been developed to provide remoteaccess to laboratory instruments in order for students to conduct online experiments. In fact,today, almost every major instrument has the remote access feature. Web-based experimentsallow students to interact with real testing equipment without the need to purchase redundantinstruments or dedicate large lab spaces. Another major advantage of online experiments is that,as many researchers have pointed out, it allows students to complete hands-on activities on theirown time, resulting in higher level of involvement and overall

Conference Session

Embedded Control and Instrumentation

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dale H. Litwhiler, Pennsylvania State University, Berks

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

interconnections. The students designed their own assembly code to read the systemsensors and control the water level to a variable, user-determined set point. The required codecomponents were developed throughout the semester as each peripheral of the microcontrollerwas discussed. The process control served as a culminating project for the course. This paperpresents the system hardware and example student software. Course curriculum is also presentedand discussed.IntroductionMicrocontrollers are used extensively in process control applications. Courses in process controloften use microcontrollers to implement various control techniques. 1 Low-cost custom-builtprocess control trainers can be utilized to demonstrate many processes. 2,3 The

Conference Session

Computer-based Measurements

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mohammad Rafiq Muqri, DeVry University, Pomona; Shih Ek Chng, DeVry University, Pomona; Furqan Muqri, University of Texas; Aceela Muqri, VCU School of Medicine

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

interface will be used to correlate specific EKG findings with pathology of theheart and selectively demonstrate the diagnosis of certain cardiologic health screening andassessment parameters.This learning and teaching module 1 can be instrumental in progressive learning for BMET andEET students, by enhancing their understanding of clinical EKG instrumentation, parametersextraction and their relationship with differential diagnosis of the patients. It will give them aform of intellectual development, enhancing their skill-set, and challenging their creativity.This paper thereby serves as an interesting way to expose engineering technology, health careand medical students to this fascinating topic and gives them exposure to EKG instrumentation,and

Conference Session

Instrumentation in Education

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yacob Astatke, Morgan State University; Craig J. Scott, Morgan State University; Kenneth A. Connor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Jumoke O. Ladeji-Osias, Morgan State University

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

online courses reached 4.6 million students in 2008 [1].The 17 percent growth rate for online enrollments is significantly higher than the 1.2 percentgrowth rate of the overall higher education student population during the same time period [2].A follow-up report published in 2011 [3] , and other papers [4] , [5], [6] seek to address andprovide answers to some of the fundamental questions related to the nature and extent of onlineeducation. Some of the questions addressed in the report are, whether retention of students isharder in online courses, if the learning outcomes in online courses are comparable to face-to-face (F2F) courses, whether faculty acceptance of online education has increased, or the impact

Conference Session

Projects in Instrumentation and Control

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Asad Yousuf, Savannah State University; Mohamad A. Mustafa, Savannah State University

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

course students will be able to:1. Form a company and a team to write proposals to win engineering design projects2. Present their design orally as well as in writing using necessary engineering Page 25.286.3 documentation.B. Student Design TeamsAnother important aspect of capstone design course is the way in which students interact whilecompleting their design projects. The ability to function as a member of a team is considered bymany educators to be an essential skill of today’s engineers. Many educators provide teamoriented capstone projects to help students learn how to function effectively as a team memberbefore entering the

Conference Session

Instrumentation Applications

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Trieu V. Phung, University of Houston, Downtown; Vassilios Tzouanas, University of Houston, Downtown

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

considered is a coupled tank apparatus that consists of two acrylic containers withidentical dimensions (14.2 cm long, 12.8 cm wide and 30 cm high). The tanks are named tank 1and tank 2, and they are connected through a 0.5 in diameter PVC pipe with a valve used toregulate the flow between the two tanks. The two tanks are mounted above a reservoir whichstores water (Fig. 1). Tank 2 is drained out (back into the reservoir). Water is pumped from areservoir into the first tank by using a variable speed pump, which is driven by an electric motor.Water levels in the tanks are measured by using two ultrasonic level sensors that perform as anelectrical signal 4-20 mA, which is proportional to the height of water. The level controller intank 2 will adjust

Conference Session

Instrumentation Applications

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Corey Jamail Davis; Wayland L. Hickman; Vassilios Tzouanas, University of Houston, Downtown

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

, and profitably their manufacturing operations. To be able todesign and implement effective process control systems, we need to first understand what areand how the major components of a control system function. Process control includes a process,measuring devices (sensors), control algorithms (controller), and final control elements(controlled device). All these are combined in what is known as control loop. Different controlalgorithms and structures such as Feedback and Feed forward can be incorporated in a controlsystem. Likewise, different tuning methods can be employed. Ziegler Nichols and Cohen-Coonmethods. Different tuning methods result in different control performances.Project ObjectivesThe specific project objectives are: 1

Conference Session

Instrumentation Applications

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Masoud Fathizadeh P.E., Purdue University, Calumet; Joseph Edward Cody, Purdue University, Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

tracking system for the inventory. Tracking system cancollect data on daily basis and perform routines operations. This information can be used both forquality control as well as improving processes and logistics.This paper will describe: (1) Student participation (2) Construction of mobile robot, (3) the RFIDtechnology used for identification of items, (4) tagging and storage strategy, (5) tracking system and(6) overall performance of the robot.IntroductionRadio frequency identification (RFID) has been around for many years. In recent years RFID withimproved capability and reduced cost, which become more attractive for inventory and trackingitems in businesses and industry. A major push came when retailing giant Wal-Mart dramaticallyannounced

Conference Session

Instrumentation Applications

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lash B. Mapa, Purdue University, Calumet; Avanish Reddy Vancha, Purdue University, Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

. Page 25.399.2IntroductionIncreasing the standards of quality and improving the productivity is every company's goal.Design of experiments (DOE) is a scientific and statistical way of improving system and processperformance. DOE is an efficient procedure for planning experiments so that the data obtainedcan be analyzed to yield valid and objective conclusions. Many industries conduct surveys andwith the passive observations yields conclusions in terms of process improvement, but DOE aimsat the understanding of the relationship among the input variables and the output variables in aprocess and ends with an improved model of relationship between the variables (figure 1). Figure1 Schematic Model of a ProcessThe

Conference Session

Projects in Instrumentation and Control

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Radian G. Belu, Drexel University; Irina Nicoleta Ciobanescu Husanu, Drexel University

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

, production test, and manufacturing.Besides this, the major advantages of LabVIEW include ease of learning, using and debugging,the simplicity of using the interface (front panel of a LabVIEW program) particularly for a user Page 25.447.4with little knowledge of LabVIEW programming, modular development, complete functionality,available tools and resources, reliable performance and the capability of controlling equipment.There are four critical elements of the LabVIEW development platform11-13: 1. Intuitive graphical programming language 2. High-level application-specific tools 3. Integrated measurement and control-specific capabilities 4

Conference Session

Instrumentation in Education

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew M. Hoff, University of South Florida; Richard Gilbert, University of South Florida

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

objective inthis case was to explore the use of and extensions facilitated by an integrated instrumentationplatform. This platform permits students to perform bioelectrical measurements using their ownbodies as the subject of laboratory instrumentation investigations, also known as active orproject-based learning 1, 2.The instrumentation platform utilized components from Biopac Systems, Inc., including: anamplifier module suitable to explore surface potential signals as low as micro-volts, surfaceelectrodes to pickup such signals, apparatus to quantify skin response, respiration efforttransducers, and software to facilitate signal visualization, guide the student(s) through aprocedure, ensure proper calibration, and provide a format to encourage

Conference Session

Embedded Control and Instrumentation

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gerald Thomas Ruch, University of Saint Thomas

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

. Thus, the observatory can be controlledlocally from the control room, remotely in real time through a web browser, or unattendedthrough the observing queue. The multiple observing modes make the observatory extremelyflexible and available for a variety of uses.Project #1: Finding Celestial North Telescopes are essentially big cameras designed to take images of objects in space.Because the targets are often dim, the exposure times are long enough that the Earth's rotationmust be countered to keep the telescope pointed at a fixed location in the sky. The USTobservatory employs an equatorial mount in which one of the two control axis is positioned

Conference Session

Instrumentation in Education

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wei Zhan, Texas A&M University; Joseph A. Morgan, Texas A&M University; Jay R. Porter, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

that the NI website had free Modbus modules for LabVIEW. All these contributed to thedecision to use Modbus and LabVIEW in the course project. Modbus is an application layermessaging protocol that provides client/server communication. Page 25.1248.4 Figure 1. An example of Modbus network17 A typical Modbus network is showed in Fig. 117. A Modbus serial line Protocol Data Unit(PDU) consists of address, function code, data, and CRC (or LRC) as shown in Fig. 2. Figure 2. Modbus frame over serial lineThe other components of the project, i.e, the hardware design, software design, and