Project for scholarship...

[surjo_dm]

8) hi everyone! i am completely new to this and would definately like to make new friends here. Basically i am from India(Bangalore) and have completed my first year in B.E Electronics and communication. I have my holidays now. i have taken part in a scholarhip programme according to which i will have to do a project that is kinda innovative in nature. the project must be research oriented and should have an application in everyday life. Well, i tried hard to find a project in the net, talk to friends, but i was not satisfied . Do any of u have any idea/proj in mind that can be done by a student like me?it would be of good help. i only have 1 month's time.
My e-mail id is <surjo_1@rediffmail.com>. Hoping for an early reply,
Surya :wink:

 

[tansis]

a project that is kinda innovative in nature. the project must be research oriented and should have an application in everyday life

That is a difficult task, and I do not know what projects you have rejected.

Have you considered a simple Theramin circuit for use as a non contact switch triggered by human proximity?
Lighting / appliance power switch / showers / wash basin / toilet flush / vandal resistant keypad for public telephones / door entry systems
Also has application in the security sector......
As for the innovation and research,
How small can you make the switch field, how close can two switches be and still function independantly

 

[Mosfet]

Always glad to make a new friend Surya.
Since you have completed one year of college level electronics no doubt you have many ideas about the range of electrical engineering. But your post offers no information other than you wish to have others do your thinking for you. Will you be giving your scholarship money to whomever provides your innovative research-oriented project?
Please read the post entitled "Sticky: Information in posts":
https://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/holtek-ht9032c-ic.2002/

 

[surjo_dm]

Well, thank u mosfet and tansis for ur useful advice. As mosfet rightly mentioned, since i am willing to get the scholarship, it is my duty to find a suitable project that i am satisfied with.
Yesterday, i was going through an electronics magazine and found the right catch that is innovative enough and has good applications (for blind people). The circuit uses a dual reflective sensor. u will get more info when u have a look in the file attached( Its a page from the Magazine).
What do u experts think about it? is it worthwile doing such a project that can impress the panel of judges responsible for the scholarship?
Do write and tell me.

However i do have some queries :?: regarding the circuit like,
1. What happens it the blind person moves into a crowd? we humans do give out IR rays. while using this circuit, wouldn't the blind man get confused which way to go since there are IR rays from all directions?
2. Will the IR rays of sunlight have any effect?
3. Can i modify the circuit by replacing the IR dual reflective sensor with something else that serves the same purpose but is free from the above drawbacks? If so, how?
4. Also, what further research can i do with it?
5. Are there any other applications?

I am still 18 years old and am sure the judges will drown me with such questions :? . Though i have found a project of some importance in real life situations, the above queries are hindering my progress . Do any of u have some useful advice?Do give a reply. I will be waiting to hear from u experts. Atleast that will build some confidence within me 8) .
Thanks for reading this long mail,
Bye, Surya :wink:

 

[Mosfet]

Great project, I'd give you a scholarship for it.
The device appears to transmit IR signals at a frequency in the hearing range.
People's bodies do not give off significant IR at 1k Hz.
Shading the receiver from direct sun light would certainly be a good idea.
Placing the receiver in a short tube would make it directional.
It also appears that separate IR emitter and phototransistor would be no problem.
If the device is held stationary the user might be able to notice a slight pitch change
detecting moving objects by the Doppler effect.
A switch to change to an optional microphone would also add a hearing aid.

 

[tansis]

I am sure you can cope with any electronics related questions the judges throw at you, though it might be an idea to have some input from an person who would use such a device on a daily basis.

 

[kinjalgp]

EFY July 2002!!!
An Indian electronics magazine.

"surjo_dm" you should not have scanned that circuit directly as the magazine people may sue you or the forum owner for violating the copyright law. And also it is the circuit by same author "Navman" or Pradeep G" who had problem with this forum late in 2002.

These are just words of precaution to keep the forum and its owner free from troubles.

 

[tansis]

You might want to substiute the HO-4R Compact Ceramic Reflective Sensor, (Sensing Range Upto 15mm) with the ITR-9901 that has a 4 inch range...

 

[Mosfet]

Simulation of the circuit seems to show it is optimized for a narrow band of frequencies.
My microphone idea might not be very good.

 

[surjo_dm]

Thank u all fo ur useful advice and giving so much interest towards making my project a success . Well, thanks to kinjalgp of reminding me my mistake. i will not repeat that again. Can anybody give some idea of making the circuit more simpler? tansis, i tried hard to find some info regarding ITR-9901 but was unable to do so. can u help me out ?

:?: i still could not figure out, what other applications can this circuit have? what further research can i do with it, once it is built, in the future?
any ideas?
Surya. 8)

 

[tansis]

surya,
I am still waiting for info myself from Micro Impex, you might want to consider building your own sensor, perhaps with more emitters....
Commercially available sensors for industrial and robotic use may provide some ideas for you also.
https://www.acroname.com/robotics/info/articles/sharp/sharp.html

Some thought might be given to the batteries,
does the user change them? if so how do they know when to do this or recharge the cell(s) without removing ? what methods can you use.

Tactile feedback to the hand rather than an ear piece perhaps?


Finally I cannot stress this enough,
Talk to a group of visually impaired people! Learn how the cane is used Spend the day blindfolded (no cheating) take a prototype with you.
What do they think of your device? would be my first question if I was a judge!

 

[Lalit]

in the same boat

Hi Surya,
I think I know what scholarship u r trying for.
It's KVPY, right.
I too am searching for a suitable electronics project.
Don't worry i won't copy ur idea.
Regards,
Lalit :lol:

 

[surjo_dm]

Hi everyone! and Hi Lalit . It was good to know that somebody of my age is also taking part in such kind of discussions and is learning from it. Yes, initially i was kinda confused which project to do and had nothing in my mind. It was only after i joined here recently that i decided to go on with this project(Electronic guard for the Blind). What do u think about it ?Do give a reply. What is ur project ? If u have any doubts, u can always share it here on this excellent platform. we will be there to help u out :wink: . The Members here r very helpful.
Anyways, guys i will be leaving for Chennai today and will be back only on Sunday. I am sure,when i return i will have a lot of suggestions for my proj. from u exerts.
warm regards,
Surya. 8)

 

[surjo_dm]

Hi ! everybody, i am back .
After searching in the net for some useful info, i learnt that there r already so many electronic devices for blind people to aid their movement. These devices use various techniques. One thing that is worrying me is how different is my circuit. Since, i still have little knowledge about circuits and am not exposed to all kinds of circuits and electronic components, i am not able to figure out some strong points to defend my project. An obvious question from the judges would be about its advantages. Sure, it uses an IR emitter and a phototransistor, and the componetnts r easily available, but can anybody highlight some other important advantages of this circuit.
And yes, tansis i did find a blind man and asked him about this project. He was pretty happy to realize that once it is made, he would have more freedom to explore the environment around him and would not have to depend on others.
Some things i realized from our conversation was
** How high should the circuit be fixed in the walking stick from the ground for its best use?
** What kind of protection will be neaded from sunlight and Mechanical damage?
Of course, thes r some thing on which further research can be done in the future, but having some knowledge in this regard would keep me in a better position.
These were some of the queries i wanted to get rid of.
Bye for now,
Surya

 

[Gene]

Would someone actually give you a scholorship for copying another person's schematics and repeating a list of advantages/disadvantages that were the thoughts of other people? It would seem to me that a scholorship should be designed to reward the winner for an inovative accomplishment. There is nothing inovative here nor is there any accomplishment.

There is nothing wrong with your idea - but you might want to consider it as a basic begining point rather than a total plan. Take the idea, make your own list of disadvantages, and improve/expand the basic plan into an impressive project worthy of the scholorship.

 

[surjo_dm]

hello, everyone!
I tried the HO-4R sensor in my circuit, but it proved to be a very weak sensor. Its maximum range of detection was only about 1'. Any ideas for a different sensor?
surya.

 

[Anushya]

hi
even i have the same question.can any other sensor be made use of?

 

[audioguru]

I think the IR refection from somebody wearing black clothing would be too low to be detected. The same with a black tree trunk, and maybe a dark brick wall.
It won't detect a hole in the ground.

Maybe the judges have already had students present this lousy project.

 

[Hero999]

An ultrasonic proximity detector would be much better. You can buy off the shelf ultrasonic proximity detectors that give a voltage between 0V to 10V depending on how near an obstacle is. All you'd need to do is connect the output to a voltage controlled audio oscillator (e.g. the NE566) connected to a pair of head phones and it would give a tone that would vary in pitch depending on how far your are away from an obstacle.

 

[ritika]

Can I Get The Pcb Artwork For This Project???