Memorandum 

Date:               March 17^th, 2014

To:                  Professor David G. Michelson

From:              EECE 380’s L2D4 Group

Subject:          Update on Orbcomm design project

This week we were still familiarizing ourselves with the Orbcomm programming. The first two modules were quite simple and we have the satellite send an email. We also have the Orbcomm working in conjunction with an ADC. We were given details on what our project had to do and decided to once again divide the team into a software and hardware group. Keith, Colin and Rushil will be on software, while Milind and Martin will be on hardware this week.

Software

This week we have plans to continue learning about the Orbcomm system. This is an integral part of our project and we require more practice with the system. We will be focusing on the upcoming modules building on solid knowledge of previous modules. We were given the task of controlling sensors related to water. Our team has decided the best way to do this is simulate a buoy and have different sensors on the buoy giving out readings.

The challenges for this week will be integrating readings into the Orbcomm system and having it send an email with the sensor readings as a message. We will be planning to have this done by March 22^nd the Friday and planning an extra session in between our lab sessions since this project has a tight deadline we need to make sure we are on top of everything.

Hardware

This week we were given details on what we need to supervise and control through the Orbcomm system. We were told our project had to be related to water, and as a group we decided a weather buoy is something we would like to design. The buoy is applicable to BC’s geography and will have different sensors on it. We have a preliminary idea on what should be measured, including air temperature, pressure, and whether the sun is out or not. We also need to power the modem on the buoy using solar power which will need to be decided by the sun sensor. A list of parts required for this week so we are able to start constructing the buoy is listed below.

1. $10.29 – Pressure Sensor, 5 PSI: 2-37KPI, 2S MPP-02
2. $11.00 – Rain Sensor: Produch ID: 109193
3. $8.00 – humidity and outdoor temp sensor: DHT11
4. $10.50 – waterproof (water) temp sensor: DS18B20

Optional

5. 2 x $6.80 – 2 x Solar Panel, 5.5 V, 70 mA 79mm x 38 mm

This is a total cost of $53.59 and a good start to our design. This week’s goal will be to have the sensors working with the ADC and input into the Orbcomm.