Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
71 Automatic Light Switch
 Andrew Kim
Ruize Sun
Sun Lee
 Eric Tang design_document1.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
presentation1.pptx
proposal1.pdf
video
#Automatic Light Switch

Team Members:
- Sangsun Lee- Sangsun2
- Andrew Kim- Akim229
- Ruize Sun- Ruize2


# Problem

Many buildings and rooms still use traditional, non-smart light switches, requiring individuals to manually turn lights on and off. Upgrading these switches to smart ones typically involves removing the existing switch and installing a smart light switch in its place. However, for people living in rented rooms or apartments, this option may not be feasible, as they do not own the property and are often restricted from making permanent changes to the electrical fixtures.

This limitation creates a challenge for renters or those in temporary living arrangements who want the convenience and energy-saving benefits of smart lighting systems without violating lease agreements or incurring high installation costs. Moreover, current solutions for retrofitting smart functionality are either limited in functionality, expensive, or complicated to install, making them inaccessible to the average tenant. As a result, there is a growing need for innovative, non-invasive solutions that enable smart functionality without requiring structural modifications to existing light switches or electrical wiring.

# Solution

The solution to this problem is to design a smart switch that can be easily mounted over the existing light switch without requiring any modifications to the electrical wiring or permanent changes to the property. This smart switch would fit seamlessly over the traditional switch, allowing users to control their lights both manually and remotely.

To enhance convenience, we will also develop a companion mobile app that allows users to control the smart switch wirelessly. This solution ensures that renters can enjoy the benefits of smart lighting without violating lease agreements, while also offering an affordable, non-invasive, and user-friendly experience.

# Solution Components

Subsystem- Voice Control:
We will be adding voice recognition modules on the STM32 microcontroller. The two main modules will be MP23ABS1 and STEVAL-MIC008A, which includes microphones and allows DSP solutions to implement voice control. We will also be using X-CUBE-AUDIO-KIT as the software expansion to code the DSP algorithm to recognize specific sounds in order to control the light switch. With the Voice Control, the user can ask the device to turn the light on/off.

Subsystem- Wifi:
We will be adding an ESP32 microcontroller or Inventek ISM43362-M3G-L44. This will act as a WIFI module that will connect the device to wifi, so that with the app, you can control the device from anywhere. Or just buy a wifi-enabled STM32 Board.

Subsystem- App:
Use an emulator to develop and test. We will be coding in Java to develop the app, which will contain a simple on/off switch that connects to the light switch through wifi, which will then send signals through the Wifi subsystem microcontroller.

Subsystem- Power Subsystem:
Use double AA batteries and a battery case.

Subsystem- Mechanical Subsystem:
We will design a box to cover the home switch. Inside the box, we will use Stepper Motor (NEMA 17) and Gear Transmission to control the home switch. The motor can be controlled by the app. We will design a gear and place two rods on the gear to clamp the switch. As the gear rotates up or down, the rods will move up or down, thus driving the switch to move up and down. If the motor does not have enough force to turn the switch, we will try to extend the rod as much as possible and use the principle of leverage to reduce the required torque.

# Criterion For Success

Our Solution can seamlessly turn the light on and off without any delay. Using wifi, can control the box from a far distance. Can control the box’s functionality of turning the light on and off by voice control.
Our idea is different from previous solutions because we are implementing a voice control, Wifi, and an app’s functionality, so that the user can seamlessly turn the light on/off with out any use of body movement, from any distance away, and with just the touch of a button in the app.

El Durazno Wind Turbine Project

Alexander Hardiek, Saanil Joshi, Ganpath Karl

El Durazno Wind Turbine Project

Featured Project

Partners: Alexander Hardiek (ahardi6), Saanil Joshi (stjoshi2), and Ganpath Karl (gkarl2)

Project Description: We have decided to innovate a low cost wind turbine to help the villagers of El Durazno in Guatemala access water from mountains, based on the pitch of Prof. Ann Witmer.

Problem: There is currently no water distribution system in place for the villagers to gain access to water. They have to travel my foot over larger distances on mountainous terrain to fetch water. For this reason, it would be better if water could be pumped to a containment tank closer to the village and hopefully distributed with the help of a gravity flow system.

There is an electrical grid system present, however, it is too expensive for the villagers to use. Therefore, we need a cheap renewable energy solution to the problem. Solar energy is not possible as the mountain does not receive enough solar energy to power a motor. Wind energy is a good alternative as the wind speeds and high and since it is a mountain, there is no hindrance to the wind flow.

Solution Overview: We are solving the power generation challenge created by a mismatch between the speed of the wind and the necessary rotational speed required to produce power by the turbine’s generator. We have access to several used car parts, allowing us to salvage or modify different induction motors and gears to make the system work.

We have two approaches we are taking. One method is converting the induction motor to a generator by removing the need of an initial battery input and using the magnetic field created by the magnets. The other method is to rewire the stator so the motor can spin at the necessary rpm.

Subsystems: Our system components are split into two categories: Mechanical and Electrical. All mechanical components came from a used Toyota car such as the wheel hub cap, serpentine belt, car body blade, wheel hub, torsion rod. These components help us covert wind energy into mechanical energy and are already built and ready. Meanwhile, the electrical components are available in the car such as the alternator (induction motor) and are designed by us such as the power electronics (AC/DC converters). We will use capacitors, diodes, relays, resistors and integrated circuits on our printed circuit boards to develop the power electronics. Our electrical components convert the mechanical energy in the turbine into electrical energy available to the residents.

Criterion for success: Our project will be successful when we can successfully convert the available wind energy from our meteorological data into electricity at a low cost from reusable parts available to the residents of El Durazno. In the future, their residents will prototype several versions of our turbine to pump water from the mountains.