Senior Design Project: Inclinometer and Speed Sensor
Engineering Projects That Showcase My Expertise
Senior Design Project: Inclinometer and Speed Sensor
A PCB designed to measure the speed and angle of the device with LED indication to notify the user on the status of the device. For this project, our sponsor kept the purpose of the device confidential, but we guessed it would be for drones or RC airplanes.
Design Guidelines
- The device must be mountable to an object and be capable of measuring the speed and angle of the object.
- Must be “credit card” sized.
- Must indicate the user via LED if the device is not within a configurable speed or angle range. Must operate within 0-100 MPH and +/- 45 degrees.
- LED must be visible from 100 feet away in broad daylight.
- Onboard 18650 battery rechargeable via USB or 9V barrel jack.
Technology and Components
- Microcontroller: ESP32 S3 was chosen for its large number of DIO pins and the large number of open-source design resources available.
- LED Indication: A red SMD high-power LED was chosen for its contrast with its surroundings and high brightness to power usage ratio. The LED blinked upon activation to be easier to detect in daylight.
- Photocell: A photocell was added to measure the ambient light. To conserve battery life, the LED was dimmed when it was dark outside via a PWM signal from the microcontroller.
- GPS Module: The device only needed to operate outside so a GPS module could get a signal and be used to determine the speed of the device.
Outcome
- The design was a success and we were able to deliver the PCB to our sponsor, although he never did tell us what the device would be used for.