DATE: March 30, 2014

TO: Dave Michelson, Ph.D, P.Eng.

CC: Siamak Moori, Yin He

FROM: Wayne Huang, EECE 380 L2B2

SUBJECT: Progress report for the week of March 24

This week our group began by discussing how we would construct the hardware portion of our project. We discussed various ways to implement our sensor and actuator and decided to create a wind speed sensor using a photo-interrupter and a servo that would raise a flag under predetermined circumstances.

Our group then finished the design of our system and split the project into different blocks that could be worked on in parallel with each other. We assigned Remy, Frank and myself to work on the software components, and Chris and Mo were assigned to work on parts of the hardware.

Our goal is to complete each of our respective blocks by the beginning of next week and begin integrating our system together. If this is successful, we will move on to test our system and aim to have our prototype ready for demonstration on Friday April 4^th. 

DATE:        March 24, 2014

TO:    Dave Michelson, Ph.D, P.Eng.

CC: Md. Ahmed, Dennis Liang

FROM:        Mohammad Amirian, EECE 380 Team L2B2

SUBJECT:     ORBCOMM Project Update – Week of March 17.

This week we were still having trouble with attendance and therefore agreed upon a method to make it work out if any of our group members were to miss a lab/ meeting. This method consisted of putting in an equal amount of lab time along with a short description of the info gathered/ learned.

On Fridays session, Two of our members were able to successfully accomplish the redirecting of emails from our gmail to one of their ECE accounts. Once this was done, using a Linux bash script, the messages were combined into a single text file.

On top of last weeks ideas, we also agreed upon having a wind direction sensor along with a sail actuator. We have also ordered a list of devices for mainly for our sensors and actuators.

We will have another update for you on Monday March 31st in regards to our progress for the ORBCOMM project.

I forgot to tell you guys last night that I finished the memo and sent a copy to the professor already, so that Remy had to write another one this morning.  I am so sorry about that, but as the professor received mine as well, I guess it is not a bad idea to post my version here as well.

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DATE:              March 16, 2014

TO:                  Dave Michelson, Ph.D, P.Eng.

FROM:             EECE 380 L2B2

SUBJECT:         Progress report for the week of March 10

This week is our first week into the ORBCOMM project.  A group meeting was held on March 12 to discuss the work plan for the second project and the attendance issue of Mohammad Amirian.  We decided to impose a more rigorous test procedure, and Mohammad Amirian promised to participate in project activities from now on.

In the group meeting, we shared what has been learned from the first project and brainstormed how we can apply past experience to improve the outcome of ORBCOMM project.  Below are the points that we agreed upon so far:

• The first integration test should be achieved as early as possible, and repeated tests have to be done to examine the system’s stability to ensure a successful demo
• Whenever time allows, activities in previous labs will be performed again to allow solid understanding of essential procedures and system structures

Also, Mr. Amirian explained his numerous occasions of absence from the last project.  He expressed his apology for not contributing as a team member and promised satisfying attendance and diligence for the ORBCOMM project.

DATE: March 17, 2014
TO: Dave Michelson, Ph.D, P.Eng.
CC: Md. Ahmed, Dennis Liang
FROM: Remy Savard, EECE 380 Team L2B2
SUBJECT: ORBCOMM Project Update – Week of March 10.

This week we began the ORBCOMM project and are slightly behind schedule. We had poor attendance last Friday and were unable to complete the lab. We aim to get caught up by Wednesday by (i) meeting this morning and (ii) working independently to ensure that we are all ready to move forward.

We also were missing last week’s team leader who fell ill; that is why today’s memo was delayed slightly.

In lieu of being unable to do the Flash File System lab on Friday, we began brainstorming sensor and actuator ideas for the project. Current sensor ideas include: an acoustic whale sensor, a radiation sensor, and a temperature sensor. Actuator ideas include a collapsible sail or active sea water collection chamber.

We will update you next Monday on our progress with Orbcomm.

 DATE:        March 10, 2014

TO:    Dave Michelson, Ph.D, P.Eng.

CC: Md. Ahmed, Dennis Liang

FROM:        Remy Savard, EECE 380 Team L2B2

SUBJECT:     Spectrum Analyzer Project Update – Week of March 03.

This week we wrapped up our spectrum analyzer project with satisfactory results. As you have seen, we are able to measure signals from -25 dBm to -70 dBm with excellent accuracy and resolution. The main objection that you had for us was about our user interface which can definitely be improved if budget allows for one further week of development in the future.

Today by 4pm you will receive our final project report closing out the spectrum analyzer project. We will begin work on the new Orbcomm project this week and look forward to applying the lessons of the first project on to this one.

As discussed, we will attempt to correct our attendance issues by sending out a formal request for a commitment to increased attendance to our teammate. If you have any additional questions you can either reply to this email or we can discuss it at our meeting after the briefing this morning.

We will update you next Monday on our progress with Orbcomm.

DATE:        March 02, 2014

TO:    Dave Michelson, Ph.D, P.Eng.

FROM:        Remy Savard, EECE 380 Team L2B2

SUBJECT:     Spectrum Analyzer Project Update – Week of Feb 24.

This week we resolved a major issue that was causing difficulties interfacing with the signal generator. We then assembled and tested the entire system and it functions well for signals with power greater than -23dB. We tested multiple Butterworth filter/amplifiers but had difficulty achieving gain in the region of 10MHz and are now going to try a simpler non-inverting amplifier configuration to help us reach our target input signal power of -60dB.

The issue holding us back was the presence of a series capacitor in the output of the signal generator. As a result, with no path to ground at the input of the peak detector, the circuit would not function properly. We resolved this by placing a 100 Ohm resistor shunted to ground at the input of the peak detector. The circuit now functions as desired.

Attendance this week was better overall and we narrowly missed our goal of not needing any last-minute lab time before presenting. As of now, we will still need to meet one more time in order to test the amplifier and ensure that our demonstration routine functions as expected.

This is the final memo for this project. The prototype will be documented and ready for demonstration on Wednesday morning at 8:00am.

 DATE:        February 24, 2014

TO:    Dave Michelson, Ph.D, P.Eng.

FROM:        Mohammad Amirian, EECE 380 Team L2B2

SUBJECT:     Spectrum Analyzer Project Update – Week of Feb 24.

In the week of reading break, we were able to meet and work on the full spectrum analyzer circuit. Due to a setback with our IF filter, we were put further back in our schedule but still managed to stay ahead of our goal. It was clear that our main focus was to design a fully functioning precision peak that would work when connected with the rest of the circuit.

Many different topologies were implemented and yet there were problems with all of them.  There were issues such as oscillations and no output or very weak output when connected to the rest of the circuit. After many attempts, it became obvious that any more time spent on developing a fully functioning peak detector would only stop us from achieving our other objectives and so it was decided that a regular peak detector would suffice for our purposes.

The rest of the circuit is on par with the requirements set for us. We are looking at another two sessions of lab time to fully meet the requirements and even manage to add some extra functionality. We have also managed to start our report earlier than expected.

For the upcoming week our main priority is to fully implement an amplified signal from the output of the IF filter going into the peak detector. On top of that, we also want to add some extra features to the software component and to reduce noise in our circuits. Another update regarding our progress will be provided next Monday (March 3) morning.

DATE:  February 16, 2014

TO: Dave Michelson, Ph.D, P.Eng.

FROM: Remy Savard, EECE 380 Team L2B2

SUBJECT: Spectrum Analyzer Project Update – Week of Feb 10.

This week we encountered major setbacks on our peak detector and IF filter interface, but are still ahead of schedule. Our week became focused on accurately characterizing the IF filter and peak detector circuits as well as understanding why they did not function when used together. We were partially successful.

We succeeded in characterizing the circuits and fine tuning the IF filter. It now responds with a very narrow passband. Our precision peak detector was not sensitive enough to pick up the pulse passing from the IF filter and the IF filter output may need amplification. We also determined ideal operating power for the IF filter and the precision peak detector.

Attendance was an issue for our team this week and caused significant setbacks. With one team member hospitalized and others missing, our team was only able to push ten man-hours into the project. We are attempting to make up time during our vacation this week.

Our plan for the upcoming week is to develop a precision peak detector in parallel with a basic peak detector and characterize performance with an amplified output from the IF filter. If this is successful, our project will be in a functional form and our work will shift to adding features to software and reducing noise in our circuits. We will provide you with another update on our progress next Monday (Feb. 24) morning.

DATE: 10 February , 2014

TO: Dave Michelson, Ph.D, P.Eng.

FROM: Wayne Huang, EECE 380 Team L2B2

SUBJECT: Project Progress Report for the week of February 3rd

This week we attempted to finish up the design and build of the separate blocks of our system. We had a few setbacks where the output of the blocks were undesired or their behaviour unexpected.

Our precision peak detector was implemented using a lm-6172 op amp. The initial output was not what we expected with the value of components we calculated. The output signal was either very noisy or there was a large amount of loss. We deducted that this was caused by the inherent capacitance of the breadboard, and had to tweak the values through trial and error.

We decided to construct our IF bandpass filter using four crystal oscillators in series, without any capacitors. This gave a desirable frequency response with a very narrow band, so we left it as just the crystals in series. Upon further observation, there was a very steady rise in the response at a much later frequency. We will have to test to see if this will cause problems for our system and have though about using a low pass filter as a solution.

We created a basic display in LabVIEW that shows a signal input into the MyDAC and was able to test it by displaying a waveform from the function generator. We attempted to test if the display would work as intended in our system, but we were unable to functionally connect the blocks of our system together.

In the coming week, our goal is to connect all the blocks of our system together, work out any abnormalities and problems, and have a very basic spectrum analyser working.

DATE:               February 3, 2014

TO:           Dave Michelson, Ph.D, P.Eng.

FROM:           Christopher Dunn, EECE 380 Team L2B2

SUBJECT:        Spectrum Analyzer Project Update Highlighting the Week of Jan. 27

    This past week, we made significant forward progress in the project. You will be pleased to hear that we are currently ahead of schedule and on budget. Our main focus last week was the peak detector, the software, and the development of our mathematical models. Our team is showing good communication and a shared vision for the project, with each member contributing equally and enthusiastically.

    We constructed a basic peak detector and tested it with a function generator up to 3.3MHz, which is the maximum capability of the function generator, but we will have to do further testing with an RF signal. We also constructed a precision peak detector, using an LM6172 op amp, but it does not perform well and may need significant modification.

We programmed and tested a ramp generator, and we successfully read test signals from the MyDAC analog input. We also made a very narrow and effective bandpass filter with the crystals provided, which we will use going forward, and we measured and recorded the losses in each of our RF components.

    This week, we will focus on refining and tuning our circuits and putting it all together. We expect to have a working prototype by the end of the week, and we’ll have another update next Monday.