RC Boat Power and Signal Level Indicator Sanchit Anand, Vaibhav Mittal, Sho Harisawa ECE 445 Senior Design

You shouldn’t need a talking mouse to keep your RC boat safe

Requirements Indicate low battery levels Keep boat in range Track boat location

System Overview

Hardware Overview Developed In-House Bought off the shelf HM-10 BLE Regulator Comparator MCU Hardware Overview Developed In-House LM317 LM339 Comparator MCU (Atmega328) Bought off the shelf HM-10 BLE NEO6-MV2 GPS GPS Module HM-10

Micro-Controller Unit Works on input voltage of 3.3 V. ✓ Communicate using serial port. ✓

Data Flow

Data Format

Software Overview BLE backend Android app UI with Google maps interface

App Interface

Boat Battery Performance

Battery Level Comparator Notify user when the voltage goes below VREF. ✓ VRef(V) VIn(V) LED State 5 6 OFF 5.5 4.9 ON

Peak power consumption Communication Protocol Protocol Bluetooth low energy (BLE) Radio Frequency (RF 445 MHz) Data transfer Range 10 - 30 m 500 - 1000 m Peak power consumption 8.5 mA @ 3.3 V 100 mA @ 3.3 V Ease of integration Doesn’t require a receiver Requires a separate receiver

Bluetooth Unit Works on input voltage of 3.3 V. ✓ Transmit data from MCU to app.✓ Receive sensitivity of - 97dbm.✓

Bluetooth Range Test

GPS Unit Works on input voltage of 3.3 V. ✓ Update location with 1 Hz. ✓

Verification

Current consumption

Power Supply 3.3 V DC regulated supply.✓ 100mA current. ✓

Iout vs VIN Vout vs VIN

Practical Design Compact and small. ✓ Low power consumption ✓ Boat is well balanced.✓ Boat drives well in water.✓

Final Design

Strengths and Weaknesses Supports BLE Large consumer market (primary and secondary) Practical Design Cannot work indoors Low range of usage (Bluetooth limitation) Integrated design is complex

Future Development Change comparator design Get more data (Speed, Direction..) Bring boat back Add waterproof compartment to boat Improve GPS strength Different communication protocol

Ethical Considerations Abide to IEEE’s code of ethics. Responsible to environmental concerns ( no electric discharge). Safety standards (Battery safety, water proof).

Acknowledgements Yamuna Phal Michael Oelze Arne Fliflet Karl Reinhard Jacob Bryan Channing Philbrick

Thank You