Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
17 Integrated Brushless Motor Exploration Platform
 Alex Roberts
Jason Vasko
 Michael Gamota design_document1.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
grading_sheet1.pdf
presentation1.pptx
proposal1.pdf
# Integrated Brushless Motor Exploration Platform

Note, project changed marginally from initial idea. Original idea post is [Multiple Motor Stimulation Hardware Investigation Tool](https://courses.grainger.illinois.edu/ece445/pace/view-topic.asp?id=76583)

# Team Members:
- Alex Roberts (asr9)
- Jason Vasko (jrvasko2)

# Problem
Exploring topics in motor control requires at least a moderate knowledge of electronic hardware systems. Even when using commercial off the shelf motor drivers, microcontrollers, power regulators, and power supplies still need to be connected to the motor driver, which can cause confusion for people without a working electrical engineering knowledge. This makes it difficult for students in disciplines other than ECE, such as mechanical or aerospace engineering, to experimentally learn about motor control.

# Solution
We propose a single integrated device which is usable with minimal electronics experience that allows the user to test motors with different motor control algorithm parameters at different speeds. The board will act as an educational tool to allow people interested in topics such as field oriented control, or 3-phase power system in general, to operate brushless motors and explore control algorithms with as few external connections as possible. Our project integrates the microcontroller, sensors, power regulation, and motor drive circuitry required to spin a brushless DC motor into a single board. It will only require the user to connect a computer over USB, the 3 phase wires of the motor, and two simple power connections (one to a 12V wall adapter for logic and sensing power, and the other to a benchtop supply used only for motor bus voltage). On the computer there will be a GUI application that allows the user to control the motor, modify the motor control algorithms, and measure motor performance. Ultimately, the system will serve as a single platform for learning about brushless DC motor drivers and control algorithms with as few external tools needed as possible.

# Solution Components

## Control Subsystem

The control subsystem is responsible for driving and/or monitoring all other subsystems. It will periodically read data from the sensory array, monitor the health of the power subsystem, and generate PWM signals for the motor drive subsystem. It will also communicate with the PC app, updating the GUI periodically and allowing the user to set motor parameters such as speed and PID controller coefficients. This subsystem includes:
- System Microcontroller (STM32F446RET6)

## Sensor Array

The sensor array is responsible for recording data related to the motor’s operation and the overall health of the board. This subsystem includes:
- Current and voltage sensors for the three-phase signals driving the motor and to monitor health of the voltage regulators (INA230AIDGSR) - We will use shunt resistors to use this same IC for both voltage and current monitoring.
- Physical encoder to measure motor angle and speed (PEC11R-4220K-S0024) - We will use a 3D printed jig that the user attaches the motor to during operation. The motor shaft and encoder shaft will then be connected using gears attached to each, so the motor shaft position can be measured using the rotary encoder.

## Power Subsystem

The power subsystem is responsible for generating the needed voltages for components on the board such as sensors and the microcontroller. A small 12V DC wall adapter will plug into a banana jack on the PCB, which is converted using a buck regulator to our logic voltage of 3.3V. We also require the user to connect a benchtop power supply which will provide motor bus voltage directly. This avoids needing to integrate a complex, multiple hundred watt converter into the board, which would be unrealistic given the timescale of this project. This subsystem includes:
- Adjustable switching buck converter to convert the 12V supply to 3.3V to power the microcontroller (TPS562201DDCR)

## Motor Drive Subsystem

The motor drive subsystem is responsible for generating the AC waveforms supplied to each phase of the motor. To do so, we will use gate drivers and half-bridges connected to the motor bus voltage coming from the benchtop power supply. This subsystem’s primary components are:
- MOSFETs for the half-bridges for each phase (IRFI1310N)
- Half-bridge gate driver ICs for each phase (DGD05473)

# Criterion For Success

We consider the project a success if it satisfies the following criteria:
- User should be able to control motor speed and/or position through a PC app GUI connected to the board via USB.
- User should be able to set and change motor driver parameters such as PID coefficients.
- User should be able to see aspects of the motor control algorithm performance on the GUI, such as motor speed and three-phase voltages and currents.
- User should only require four external connections to use the device: a wall power connection, a benchtop power supply, a usb connection to the laptop, and the motor phases.

Wireless IntraNetwork

Daniel Gardner, Jeeth Suresh

Wireless IntraNetwork

Featured Project

There is a drastic lack of networking infrastructure in unstable or remote areas, where businesses don’t think they can reliably recoup the large initial cost of construction. Our goal is to bring the internet to these areas. We will use a network of extremely affordable (<$20, made possible by IoT technology) solar-powered nodes that communicate via Wi-Fi with one another and personal devices, donated through organizations such as OLPC, creating an intranet. Each node covers an area approximately 600-800ft in every direction with 4MB/s access and 16GB of cached data, saving valuable bandwidth. Internal communication applications will be provided, minimizing expensive and slow global internet connections. Several solutions exist, but all have failed due to costs of over $200/node or the lack of networking capability.

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