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

Instrumentation in Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David McDonald, Lake Superior State University

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

Engineering and Mechanical Engineering havedesignated options (concentrations) in which students take a prescribed cluster of courses. Theirfinal diploma then designates both the engineering major and the option specialty. ElectricalEngineering students can select from a prescribed set of courses that comprise a Digital,Robotics, Mechanical, Vehicle Systems or General Option. All five options require 11 credits.The Vehicle Systems Option is outlined below in Figure 1: Electrical Engineering VehicleSystems Option. Electrical Engineering majors are not required to take dynamics as part of theircore graduation requirements, but it is required for the Vehicle Systems Option

Conference Session

Instrumentation in Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Seema Khan, Sonoma State University; Farid Farahmand, Sonoma State University; Saeid Moslehpour, University of Hartford

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

limited IT support, and networking and programming knowledge, can easily setupthe IVLP and create LabVIEW-based laboratory modules as needed. Although, in order to runIVLP the user must have LabVIEW software, the remote student only requires the LabVIEWRun-Time Plug-in. This program is provided free of charge by National Instrument and it isautomatically downloaded when the remote client logs into the system.A key feature of IVLP is its modular architecture. Thus, as shown in Figure 1, individualcontents can be designed independently and located in different sites. The modular architectureof IVLP enables collaboration of multiple institutions with different resources in order to createthe suitable learning environment for targeted remote students

Conference Session

Instrumentation and Measurement Innovation

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dale Litwhiler, Pennsylvania State University, Berks

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

to determine its position andmotion.1 This information is used by the game to create very realistic user interactions with thegame. The Apple iPhone® and iTouch® devices also use accelerometers to determine theorientation of the device for use by applications such as games or just to rotate the display.2Some accelerometer applications are transparent to the user such as those used to detect freefallin devices containing spinning hard disk drive storage. When freefall is sensed, the hard disk Page 15.867.2drive read/write head is positioned to protect the storage device from the impact may beeminent.3Because of the prevalence of accelerometers

Conference Session

New Instrumentation Ideas

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Hergert, Miami University

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

the last ten to fifteen years. Feisel 1 notesthat distance education has dramatically affected laboratory instruction, allowing for remote dataaccess and instruction. Experiments can now be conducted at a distance of hundreds of milesfrom the equipment. These labs help guide future engineers as they learn how to collectexperimental data that guides in the design of products.Etkina notes, that the engineering lab is also “…an experiment that typically involves solving apractical problem or determining an unknown quantity by performing experiments. Studentsneed to solve these experimental problems using at least two different methods and then comparethe results. Often they need to perform additional experiments or make informed estimates

Conference Session

Programs Using New Instrumentation Concepts

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Layton, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Thomas Adams, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

individual strengths of these references to synthesize a complete, coherent, andbalanced approach to teach the operating principles of piezoresistive sensors. We use a “system-level” perspective and attempt to develop each topic to roughly the same depth of detail usingmathematics, physical principles, and engineering analyses suitable for our sophomore-levelengineering audience.Basic principles of operationWe treat our sensor as an input-output system, illustrated in Figure 1. A mechanical input(pressure, force, or acceleration for example) is applied to a mechanical structure of some kind (abeam, a plate, or a diaphragm) causing the structure to experience mechanical strain. Smallpiezoresistors secured to the structure undergo the same mechanical

Conference Session

Instrumentation Technical Session

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mohammad Rafiq Muqri, DeVry University, Pomona; Robert Alfaro

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

.” Theoretically, the ZigBee-enabled refrigerator, washingmachine, coffee maker, toaster, toys and other kitchen/home appliances can freely communicatewith each other. ZigBee applications include but are not limited to home and office automation,industrial automation, medical monitoring, HVAC control, security, and seismologic monitoring.ZigBee targets the application domain of low power, low duty cycle and low data rate requirementdevices. Figure 1 shown below is a block diagram of a ZigBee network with five nodes. Figure 1 ZigBee Based Sensor NetworkTypically a wireless communication system comprises of transmitters, receivers, antennas, and thepath between the transmitter and the receiver. In summary, the transmitter feeds a

Conference Session

Effective Projects and Experiments in Instrumentation and Control

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Asad Yousuf, Savannah State University; Tyler Schecklman, Savannah Technical College

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

sensors through the microcontrollers. Thesensor network environment is being applied in areas such as logistics, environmental controland controlling of devices at home [1]. As the use of the Internet has grown, businesses andhome applications have found that the Internet is a low-cost way for mobile users and permanentsites to connect to the business and home network. Clearly it is more cost-effective to connectover the Internet to a private network, than to pay for a leased line or lines to do so [2-[3].The home automation system as shown in Figure 1 consists of a home computer connected to theinternet that has an Ardunio Microcontroller attached to it. The home computer continuouslymonitors the Ardunio Microcontroller board interfaced to the

Conference Session

Great Ideas for Projects that Teach Instrumentation

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Farid Farahmand, Sonoma State Univeristy; Saeid Moslehpour, University of Hartford

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

LEGO for creatingarms and other moving parts.In this paper we also show how interested and more advanced student teams can developmore involved projects. We conclude the paper by showing student responses to thequantitative and free-form questions concerning the integration of Roomba.2. BackgroundAlmost all engineering programs require students to take at least one course inmicrocontrollers or microprocessors. Most of the engineering students are also requiredto take one semester of programming in their first or second year. However, the studentsoften find programming classes uninspiring, criticizing assignments as being too abstractand unrelated.1 Consequently, by the time they take microcontroller classes, many of thestudents often have a

Conference Session

Great Ideas for Projects that Teach Instrumentation

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Keller, University of Tulsa; Jeremy S. Daily, University of Tulsa

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

instrumentation and measurement typically have two objectives: 1)introducing the students to essential and modern engineering instrumentation and 2) developingthe ability of students to plan, execute, and analyze engineering experiments. The projectdescribed in this paper encompasses all of these objectives and introduces students to practicalaspects of control systems. The multi-week laboratory exercise requires the students to interfacewith laboratory hardware and modern instrumentation with only limited guidance from theinstructor. The self-guided problem solving approach to instrumentation gives students a deeperunderstanding of the nuances and complexity of developing and implementing multi-componentinstrumentation systems. Additionally, the

Conference Session

Effective Projects and Experiments in Instrumentation and Control

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chao-Chia Cheng, National Central University; Lee king-lien, Department of Electro-Optic Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan 542, R.O.C.; Chih-Hsiung Ku, National Dong Hwa University

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

one important optical property of materials. For liquid materials, it alsoprovides information to analyze liquids or mixed solutions, such as chemicals, foodstuffs, drinks,and pharmaceuticals. In general, the instruments to characterize the index of liquids weredeveloped according to the fundamental optical properties such as total internal reflection (Abberefractrometer)1, diffraction (grating)2, interference3, or deflection4,5, etc.Minimum deviation method (MDM) is one well-known and well-developed index measurementmethod since 1930.6-9 In this method, the index was deduced by the “minimum deviation angle”of the probe beam when it passed through the material under test. Such a material can be solid orliquid, but it has to be shaped as a

Conference Session

Effective Projects and Experiments in Instrumentation and Control

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Akram Hossain, Purdue University, Calumet; Md. Rasheduzzaman, Purdue University, Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

sequence of four courses. The studentlearning outcomes related to the Mechatronics concepts that have been added to the existingcourses are as follows: Page 22.915.2Students will be able to:1. Model and analyze performance of mechanical components2. Model and perform response analysis of mechanical systems using software tools3. Perform Simulink analysis of the servomotor transfer function4. Size an induction motor for a given load and motion trajectory5. Size a servomotor for a given conveyor belt application6. Perform time-response analysis of a Mechatronics setup by varying motor, load, gearbox parameters.7. Model and analyze performance

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 Technical Session II

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mohammad Rafiq Muqri, DeVry University, Pomona; Furqan Muqri, UT Southwestern Medical School; Shih Ek Chng, DeVry University

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

theimportant biological information is contained in the small fluctuating voltages associated withsynaptic events rather than absolute potential distance from ground. To allow sufficientamplification to see these fluctuating potentials without magnifying the absolute potentials onwhich they ride, the logical choice is to use a low-frequency filter to eliminate the direct currentpotentials. With low frequency filters, one can select Low Frequency Filter (LFF) cutofffrequencies of 0.1, 0.3, 1, 3, or 10 Hz, corresponding to time constants of 1.6, 5.3, 0.16, 0.05, or0.016 second. Even with modern digital equipment, the same LFF values work well withstandard scalp EEG frequencies. The most common setting is 1 Hz (τ = 0.16 s), which nicelypreserves most low

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

Conference Session

Effective Projects and Experiments in Instrumentation and Control

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Bowker; Saleh M. Sbenaty, Middle Tennessee State University; Mark Newton Johnson, Equipass ID

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

information from the chip and a simple forminterface for filling in any required information. The interface is divided into "pages" to reflect thedifferent areas of information stored onto the device.The ACG R/W module provides a dynamic link library (DLL) that contains standard methods usedto make calls to the device in order to perform a number of functions such as reading and writing tothe RFID microchip. These methods are specific to the ACG module, but are standard calls thatcan easily be adapted to any read/write device.RFID TagThe RFID Tag device that is being used for the current implementation of the system is the HITAGS2048 Transponder IC. A block diagram of the chip is shown in Figure 1.The memory of the RFID tag has a total capacity of 2048

Conference Session

New Instrumentation Ideas

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Abhijit Nagchaudhuri, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore; Madhumi Mitra, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore; Xavier Henry, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore; Dayvon Green, Morgan State University

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

engineeringmajors respectively,. This paper highlights the summer efforts and the subsequent studentlearning experiences during the fall semester involving this experimental platform. Futureeducational and research efforts to develop and use an autonomous water quality data collectionsystem for lakes, rivers, and bays are underway.1.0 IntroductionThe problem of water eutrophication has become very severe worldwide. The nutritive organicwastes resulting from land runoff, river inflow, or sewage discharged into the coastal areas withlow rates of water exchange often could lead to proliferation of the growth of excessive amountsof both micro and macroalgae.1 The water body impacted is termed “eutrophic” (nutrient

Conference Session

New Instrumentation Ideas

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Randy Buchanan, University of Southern Mississippi; Steven Bunkley, University of Southern Mississippi

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

support.By this time, the interested faculty and student had already identified the needed apparatus andmethodologies. Existing instrumentation was identified to perform the task, as well as a minimalamount of budget reserves to purchase ancillary items. The test apparatus design was modified tofit the existing instrumentation and available resources.Test ApparatusThe apparatus used was designed to utilize gravitational acceleration for consistent andrepeatable results. Several differing configurations were considered throughout the design andeven construction process. The final arrangement made use of two angle bars as guides for asolid rectangular mass, as shown in Figure 1. The mass can be freely lifted vertically along theguide rails to max