Design an Energy-Saving Device: An Engaging Module for a Laboratory Course

Joseph P Hoffbeck; Dan Moldovan

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Conference: 2023 ASEE PNW Section Conference
Location: Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington
Publication Date: April 6, 2023
Start Date: April 6, 2023
End Date: April 7, 2023
Page Count: 20
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--44767
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/44767
Download Count: 62

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Paper Authors

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Joseph P Hoffbeck University of Portland

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Joseph P. Hoffbeck is a Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Portland in Portland, Oregon. He has a Ph.D. from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. He previously worked with cell phone systems at Lucent Technologies.

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biography

Dan Moldovan

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Dan Moldovan is an electrical engineering PhD student at Arizona State University. His research interests lie in renewable energy integration and smart grid cybersecurity.

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Abstract

Full Paper

A new module for a sophomore circuits laboratory course is described in this paper where the students are challenged to design, build, and demonstrate a simple device of their choosing that has the potential to save energy. In addition to the technical objective of learning how to program a microcontroller, the objectives of the module are to give students practice in identifying real world engineering opportunities, connecting the class content to the real world, and understanding the ramifications of design decisions.

The module is designed to engage the students by inviting them to apply their programming skills to reduce energy use, which has beneficial environmental and economic impacts. The problem is open-ended so that the students can pursue a wide variety of different devices, which increases the chance that they will have a personal interest in the result.

The project provides the students with the choice of an assortment of input devices which can be read by the microcontroller including switches, potentiometers, and sensors that can measure sound level, temperature, humidity, motion, acceleration, and distance. The students program the microcontroller to monitor one or more of these input devices. When a given condition is detected, the microcontroller activates an appropriate output device, such as an LED, speaker, power relay for controlling AC devices, and/or text output.

The variety of available input and output devices allow a wide variety of possible energy-saving devices to be built and demonstrated. For example, a light sensor could be used to turn lights off when they are not needed. A temperature sensor might be used to determine when the hot water is turned on in a shower, and then after 5 minutes or so a flashing LED could remind a person to limit their shower time in order to save energy. Another possibility is to use the sound sensor to detect when a faucet is accidentally left running, and to notify an appropriate person.

The effectiveness of the module was assessed by a survey where the students were asked to rate the extent to which the objectives were met on a 5-point Likert scale from “Not at All” to “To a Great Extent.” The results of the survey show that of the three objectives, the students rated the module highest for helping students identify real world opportunities, and rated the module lowest in helping students understand the ramifications of design decisions.

Citation
Format

Hoffbeck, J. P., & Moldovan, D. (2023, April), Design an Energy-Saving Device: An Engaging Module for a Laboratory Course Paper presented at 2023 ASEE PNW Section Conference, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington. 10.18260/1-2--44767

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Full Paper

A new module for a sophomore circuits laboratory course is described in this paper where the students are challenged to design, build, and demonstrate a simple device of their choosing that has the potential to save energy.  In addition to the technical objective of learning how to program a microcontroller, the objectives of the module are to give students practice in identifying real world engineering opportunities, connecting the class content to the real world, and understanding the ramifications of design decisions.  

The module is designed to engage the students by inviting them to apply their programming skills to reduce energy use, which has beneficial environmental and economic impacts.  The problem is open-ended so that the students can pursue a wide variety of different devices, which increases the chance that they will have a personal interest in the result.

The project provides the students with the choice of an assortment of input devices which can be read by the microcontroller including switches, potentiometers, and sensors that can measure sound level, temperature, humidity, motion, acceleration, and distance.  The students program the microcontroller to monitor one or more of these input devices.  When a given condition is detected, the microcontroller activates an appropriate output device, such as an LED, speaker, power relay for controlling AC devices, and/or text output.  

The variety of available input and output devices allow a wide variety of possible energy-saving devices to be built and demonstrated.  For example, a light sensor could be used to turn lights off when they are not needed.  A temperature sensor might be used to determine when the hot water is turned on in a shower, and then after 5 minutes or so a flashing LED could remind a person to limit their shower time in order to save energy.  Another possibility is to use the sound sensor to detect when a faucet is accidentally left running, and to notify an appropriate person.

The effectiveness of the module was assessed by a survey where the students were asked to rate the extent to which the objectives were met on a 5-point Likert scale from “Not at All” to “To a Great Extent.”  The results of the survey show that of the three objectives, the students rated the module highest for helping students identify real world opportunities, and rated the module lowest in helping students understand the ramifications of design decisions.  

AU  - Joseph P Hoffbeck
AU  - Dan Moldovan
CY  - Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington
DA  - 2023/04/06
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Design an Energy-Saving Device: An Engaging Module for a Laboratory Course
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/44767
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--44767
ER  -