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Cast-off Smartphone for Controlling Electronic Appliances

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Conference

ASEE-NE 2022

Location

Wentworth Institute of Technology, Massachusetts

Publication Date

April 22, 2022

Start Date

April 22, 2022

End Date

April 23, 2022

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

6

DOI

10.18260/1-2--42157

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/42157

Download Count

327

Paper Authors

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Kyle Robert Sawicki

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Bavesh Matapathi Northeastern University

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Bavesh Matapathi is a junior student in Northeastern University, majoring in Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science & Physics. He has done an internship co-op in Siemens Healthineers working in Biomedical Robotics. His interests lie in robotics, automation and computational sciences. His favorite pastimes include astronomy, learning langauges, and photography.

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Nathan E Israeloff Northeastern University

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Don Heiman

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Don Heiman, PhD, Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115
email: heiman@neu.edu; http://northeastern.edu/heiman/research/index.html

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Haridas Kumarakuru Northeastern University

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Haridas Kumarakuru, PhD, MInstP.
Assistant Teaching Professor,
Department of Physics,
College of Science,
Northeastern University,
Boston, MA 02115
Email: h.kumarakuru@northeastern.edu

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Abstract

Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency, or DTMF, is what is used by mobile phones to allow the automated transfer of information via pressing buttons on the keypad. Whenever a keypad button is pressed, two distinct tones are generated for both ends to hear, each with a different standardized frequency. This allows automated systems in call centers to process user input from specific button presses in order to perform a specific task. Our device aims to use this protocol in order to enable customizable smart home automation using an Arduino or similar microcontroller. Many people have old cell phones that they no longer use, and these can be put to use in this device in order to receive calls, and then send any of the subsequent keypad presses to an Arduino. A DTMF decoder is used to translate this audio signal into a binary output that depends on the button pressed on the keypad. This binary output can then be input into the digital input of an Arduino in order to interpret these presses in any way the user wishes, allowing a variety of smart home automation systems to accept a simple phone call as input. A simple example could be to attach this system to a switch/relay, and turning off the lights in a certain area of the house if you were to give the device a call and press the number 1 on your cell phone keypad. Another, more complex example could be to input a specific temperature, and have the Arduino interface with a thermostat system in order to set the temperature of the house to what was input on the phone. As relatively inexpensive components are used in this device, our aim is to allow easy access to DIY home automation systems for a low upfront cost, through repurposing old devices that are no longer in use. Additionally, the amount of use that can be gotten out of this device is only limited by the ability of the user, allowing them to create wireless smart home automations in any method they choose, rather than being limited to solely proprietary choices.

Sawicki, K. R., & Matapathi, B., & Israeloff, N. E., & Heiman, D., & Kumarakuru, H. (2022, April), Cast-off Smartphone for Controlling Electronic Appliances Paper presented at ASEE-NE 2022, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Massachusetts. 10.18260/1-2--42157

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