Capstone Senior Engineering Design

Fall 2024 - Spring 2025 Project

Project Dream Big

Team Members:
Mr. Marcelo Maldonado (EE)
Mr. Dale Miljkovic (EE&CmpE)
Mr. David Shaw (CmpE)
Mr. Ivan Shouldice (EE)

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Chao Chen (CmpE)
Sponsored by: NearSpace Education

Summary
Create a payload for a 1/2-U satellite to be launched into low earth orbit (LEO) utilizing the pathways to space methodology. Complete three High altitude balloon launches to test the payload and provide outreach to the local schools and community.

Spring 2024 - Fall 2024 Project

Microprocessor in Loop Test Setup

Team Members:
Mr. David Nelson (EE&CmpE)
Mr. Austin DeLieto (EE)
Mr. Delbert Mulholland (EE&CmpE)

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Chao Chen (CmpE)
Sponsored by: Franklin Electric

Summary
Develop a microprocessor testing setup that interfaces MATLAB and Simulink with embedded C to quickly test software changes directly on the intended hardware. This will allow engineers to receive information from the microprocessor at a faster rate and send variable values into the microprocessor via USB.

Fall 2022 - Spring 2023 Project

IoT Gateway Phase II

Team Members:
Mr. Cody Fuelling (EE)
Mr. Ishrat Islam (EE)

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Chao Chen (CmpE)
Sponsored by: Franklin Electric

Summary
Design and develop an internet of things (IoT) gateway that will be plugged into the Franklin Electric Drive products for remote monitoring and troubleshooting. The product involves schematic and PCB design, power supply design, embedded software design, testing and validation. Design and build the next generation of the IoT device based upon learning from the 2021-2022 school year.

This is a multidisciplinary project with Computer Science team working on the web server and the mobile application.

Fall 2021 - Spring 2022 Project

IoT Gateway

Team Members:
Mr. Mohammad-Hafidh Abdul-Jaleel (CmpE)
Mr. Jacob Bushur (CmpE)
Ms. Yilei Li (CmpE)
Mr. Rishi Mitra (CmpE)
Mr. Carlos Rodriguez (EE)

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Chao Chen (CmpE)
Sponsored by: Franklin Electric

Summary
Design and develop an internet of things (IoT) gateway that will be plugged into the Franklin Electric Drive products for remote monitoring and troubleshooting. The product involves schematic and PCB design, power supply design, embedded software design, testing and validation.

Fall 2020 - Spring 2021 Project

5HP Line Voltage Dynamometer Retrofit

Team Members:
Mr. Matthew Gonzalez (EE)
Mr. Joshua Durham (EE)
Mr. Benjamin Edwards (CmpE)
Mr. Shehryar Azam (EE)

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Chao Chen (CmpE)
Sponsored by: Nidec Drive Systems

Summary
This project is a recommissioning of a 5HP dynamometer. This equipment was acquired at auction and is currently not in working order. Nidec Drive Systems (NDS) needs this dynamometer to be capable of testing motors at line voltages of single or three phase and logging all relevant data.

Fall 2019 - Spring 2020 Project

Tempus Credit Card Terminal

Team Members:
Mr. Taylor Dicks (EE)
Mr. Gilson Moh, Jr (CmpE)
Mr. Hong Nguyen (EE)

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Chao Chen (CmpE)
Sponsored by: Tempus Technologies

Summary
The Tempus Pin Pad project''s goal is to create a credit card terminal that can interact with a user to capture cardholder data via EMV or MSR in a secure manner while providing user interface via a standard tablet type device that can run custom applications. The tablet device would prompt the user to manually key an amount to charge. Once entered, the card reading devices would be activated to collect data from the user. The data from the reader will leave the reader encrypted (this is a function of the Magtek product). At this point, it should be delivered to the tablet peripheral to prompt the customer to confirm the amount and send the data to an XML REST webservice hosted by Tempus to achieve authorization. Upon successful authorization, a signature should be captured leveraging the device touch screen. This signature should then be uploaded to the server via another XML REST webservice hosted by Tempus. At this point, an approval message should be displayed on the screen. The entire solution should have a compact case with a tethered stylus and should be powered by a single power supply. As a long reach goal, a pin entry keypad that is external to the tablet could be implemented. This keypad should be tamper resistant and have the ability to use hardware to encrypt the credit card PIN number using a factory injected 3DES DUKPT encryption key. The PCI Security Council outlines stringent requirements for such a device that should be adhered to as closely as possible.

Fall 2018 - Spring 2019 Project

Trim Shop Skillet Muting

Team Members:
Mr. Keith Koch (EE)
Mr. Ben Schoolcraft (EE)
Mr. Hunter Bertsch (ME)
Mr. Ian Jones (ME)

Faculty Advisors: Dr. Hossein Oloomi (EE), Dr. Chao Chen (CmpE), and Dr. Donald Mueller (ME)
Sponsored by: General Motors

Summary
The current safety system at General Motor does not scan all areas within the hazardous zone for human presence or other obstructions. The goal of this design project is to increase scan coverage in the hazardous area to minimize likelihood of human or property damage, while causing minimal interruption in the assembly process.

Fall 2018 - Spring 2019 Project

Networked Audio Device Interface

Team Members:
Mr. Cole Duncan (CmpE)
Mr. Jason Horstmeyer (CmpE)
Mr. Bret Lengacher (EE)
Mr. Matthew Stallman (CmpE)

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Chao Chen (CmpE)
Sponsored by: AtteroTech

Summary
AtteroTech LLC is a leading competitor in the networked audio connectivity market, producing a large range of devices from wall socket inputs to 32 I/O control center devices. Currently, their many products support different audio endpoints, including Bluetooth, USB, ethernet, and audio jacks. To continue leading the market, AtteroTech plans on combining all of these connectivity solutions into one cost-effective and easy-to-use device, with special consideration for the conferencing call market. In order to deliver this product in a timely manner, existing IP will be merged to this single platform, while new developments in USB audio handling and DSP functionality will be introduced. These tasks will be completed in parallel by AtteroTech and the ECE Senior Design Team from PFW.

Fall 2017 - Spring 2018 Project

Kiosk Based Water Pumping System

Team Members:
Mr. Christopher Stratton (EE)
Mr. Cooper Hill (EE)
Mr. Phillip Oprie (EE)

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Chao Chen (CmpE)
Sponsored by: Franklin Electric

Summary
The goal of this project is to develop a working physical kiosk to meter dispensed water from a solar powered pumping system based on demand inputs from the kiosk. The system will interface with the Franklin Electric Fhoton product line to control the flow of water to be dispensed. The project will be conducted in partnership with an IPFW Computer Science (CS) Senior Design Team, who shall design an online virtual interface of the system. The solar powered pumping system will be provided by the sponsor for use during the project which currently has a single UART interface for wired communications (commanding pump speed). The hardware design by the team will include developing the hardware to communicate to multiple serial devices (pumping system, key-pad, display, pulse-based flow sensor, water level sensors, etc.). The sponsor's goal for the communication hardware is to plug into the wired interface of the current pumping system if practical and not constrained by physical size.

Fall 2016 - Spring 2017 Project

Integration of Wireless Technology for Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs)

Team Members:
Mr. Ben Schafer (EE)
Mr. Tyler Pottenger (CmpE)
Mr. Kevin Fox (EE)

Faculty Advisors: Dr. Carlos Pomalaza-Ráez(CmpE&EE) and Dr. Chao Chen (CmpE)
Sponsored by: Franklin Electric

Summary
This project aims to establish development and design of wireless communication between sensors and existing Variable Frequency Drives (VFD). The project also requires system to communicate data to a cloud server for remote communications. Related circuitry with these functionality will be developed and implemented. Overall, the scope of the proposed project includes electronic design, software design and optional mechanical designs related to design and 3D plotter implementation of related sensors using Franklin Electric Facilities. It is also required to energize the sensors via solar power similar to the VFDs in the system.

Fall 2016 - Spring 2017 Project

Prototype Cell Wash Base Unit

Team Members:
Mr. Kyle Featherston (ECE)
Ms. Gabriela Gutierrez (ECE)
Mr. Scott Trischler (ECE)
Mr. Bryce Hieber (ME)
Mr. Brett Luithly (ME)

Faculty Advisors: Dr. Chao Chen (CmpE) and Dr. Donald Mueller (ME)
Sponsored by: Zimmer Biomet

Summary
Allogeneic red blood cell (RBC) transfusion is the most common hospital procedure. Current blood bank processes require RBCs to be stored refrigerated at 1-4 degree C until the time of transfusion. Blood warmers and incubators exist today. These devices are typically located within the blood bank setting or in the operating room. However operating room based blood warmers typically warm blood in-line as it passes the device, or in a static chamber. The goal of this design project will be to design and develop a portable RBC incubation chamber with the ability to agitate two (2) RBC units at once for one hour while maintaining a programmable and selectable temperature between 37 and 42 degree C. The device must be able to clamp to an IV pole and minimize the required footprint to accommodate space for adjacent devices.

Spring 2016 - Fall 2016 Project

Prototype Intra-operative Red Blood Cell Warmer

Team Members:
Mr. Luis Bertran (ME)
Mr. Austin Gagnon (EE)
Mr. Peter Wirges (EE&CmpE)
Mr. Jonathan Wesner (CmpE)
Mr. Brandon Hill (ME)
Mr. Bradley Sordelet (ME)

Faculty Advisors: Dr. Hosni Abu-Mulaweh (ME), Dr. Bongsu Kang (ME), and Dr. Chao Chen (CmpE)
Sponsored by: Zimmer Biomet

Background: Allogeneic red blood cell (RBC) transfusion is the most common hospital procedure. Current blood bank processes require RBCs to be stored refrigerated at 1-4 degree C until the time of transfusion. Then the units undergo a rejuvenation process and need to be washed prior to transfusion. The current red blood cell wash devices are typically located within the blood bank setting or in the operating room as cell salvage devices. Cell salvage devices operate best with a low hematocrit input which is not conducive to transfused RBCs where the hematocrit is high. The current cell salvage devices also operate on direct drive principles which involve costly disposable parts. By using an indirect driving mechanism (magnetic fields), rotating seals can be avoided in disposable components.
Objectives: The goal of this design project will be to design and develop a portion of a base unit for a portable red blood cell washing device to work with an existing rotor design. The device must be able to drive a rotor through electrical circuits generating magnetic force. The device must be able to accommodate a rotor 8 inches in diameter and 2 inches tall. The device must be capable of accelerating at 40 RPM/s and hold a speed of 2500 RPM for several minutes before decelerating at 10 RPM/s. The device must be able to be fixed to a cart and rolled in the OR, ICU, patient floor. The device must remain stable and lock the rotor during operation. The device must be capable of providing feedback on the actual RPM of the rotor and adjust control accordingly.

Fall 2014 - Spring 2015 Project

Test Stand for Calibrating Strain Gauged Drive Shafts

Team Members:
Mr. Alex Yarian (EE)
Mr. Joseph Carnes (EE)
Mr. Isaac Larson (ME)
Mr. Curtis Coverstone (ME)
Mr. Darin Taylor (ME)
Mr. Aaquib Asif (ME)

Faculty Advisors: Dr. Nashwan Younis (ME) and Dr. Chao Chen (CmpE)
Sponsored by: Eaton Corporation - Clutch Division

Summary
Test stands for calibrating strain gauged drive shafts are currently being used by Eaton Clutch. This project is to design a test stand for calibrating strain gauged drive shafts for Eaton Corporation (Clutch Division) in Auburn, IN. A Test stand at this location will allow them to calibrate their strain gauges in-house instead of have to outsource this process. This test stand must accommodate multi-length and multi- diameter drive shafts, be able to apply a known variable torque, record and display outputs of strain gauges, and must be supported to eliminate bending influences during calibration.

Fall 2013 - Spring 2014 Project:

Wireless Monitoring and Control of a Two-Phase Cooling System

Team Members:
Mr. Richard Davis (CmpE)
Mr. Mohammed Duffuaa (EE)
Mr. Tony Pham (EE)
Mr. Nathan Spielman (CS)
Mr. Jacob Penner (CS)

Faculty Advisors: Dr. Chao Chen (CmpE) and Dr. Robert Sedlmeyer (CS)
Sponsored by: Parker Hannifin Precision Cooling Business Unit

Summary
Parker Hannifin's Precision Cooling Business Unit builds cooling units that utilize the heat of vaporization of a refrigerant in order to absorb excessive heat, commonly generated by higher powered electronics. The purpose of this project is to provide the current two-phase cooling unit with the capability of wireless monitoring and control through an Android-based computer tablet.
Specifically, through the user-friendly software interface on the computer tablet, one can specify the heat load and desired temperature, which will be wirelessly transmitted to the cooling unit. The control board on the cooling unit will adjust the fan speed and pump speed to reach the desired temperature. In addition, the control board will monitor various sensors (i.e., temperature sensors, pressure sensors, and flow meters) and wirelessly transmit their values to the tablet, which then displays the working status of the unit in real time. This allows users to conduct the control systems operation test and see how quickly and accurately the heat source temperature approaches the desired temperature.

Fall 2010 - Spring 2011 Project:

A Wireless Energy Custodian Network

Team Members:
Ms. Nusaybah Abu-Mulaweh (CmpE)
Ms. Renee Chandler (CmpE)
Mr. Edwin Chobot (EE)
Mr. Daniel Newby (EE)

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Chao Chen (CmpE)
Consultant: Dr. Carlos Pomalaza-Ráez (Professor of Radio Frequency Communications)
Sponsored by: ITT/IPFW Wireless Technology Center and IEEE Standards Education Committee

Summary
The main goal of this project is to design, build, and test a wireless sensor and actuator network for monitoring the energy usage of AC devices in a building or home environment. Each node in the network reads the energy usage of one or more AC devices/appliances and wirelessly reports the readings to a central server. The server displays the readings from these nodes through a user interface in real-time, in a manner that users can understand their electricity usage patterns and adapt their behavior to reduce their energy consumption.

Related Publications

Spring 2009 - Fall 2009 Project:

Software Defined Radio System

Team Members:
Mr. Ansel Aiken (CmpE)
Ms. Simer Dasson (CmpE)
Mr. Jeffery Tosch (EE)

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Chao Chen (CmpE)
Sponsored by: ITT/IPFW Wireless Technology Center

Summary
A Software Defined Radio (SDR) is a radio communication system that uses software for the modulation and demodulation of radio signals. The basic components of a SDR typically consist of an antenna to receive the signal, an analog to digital converter to digitize the signal, a programmable device to perform digital signal processing with software, and a digital to analog converter to convert the signal back to an analog form. The major advantage of a SDR is its flexibility. The functionality of the system can be changed by simply modifying the programming rather than changing the physical components. The IPFW Wireless Technology Center desires a SDR system that is capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving a signal from one computer to another with good signal quality. This SDR system should be space efficient and cost effective, and integrating as many components as possible onto a programmable device.

Spring 2008 - Fall 2008 Project:

Wireless Wearable Motion Sensor for Use in Medical Care

Team Members:
Mr. Scott Hendershot (CmpE)
Mr. Adam Hilton (CmpE)
Ms. Ma Oo (EE)

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Chao Chen (CmpE)
Sponsored by: ITT/IPFW Wireless Technology Center and IEEE Standards Education Committee

Summary
ITT/IPFW Center for Wireless Communications is requesting a wearable motion sensor system that can be used to wirelessly transmit and record signals with information about the motion of a person in need of medical care. The signals should carry enough information for the post analysis and possible characterization of movements. The wearable sensor system should be able to operate for long periods of time (possibly days) without the need to have the power supply replaced.

Related Publications

Fall 2006 - Spring 2007 Project:

Design of Automated Cut Guide for Orthopedic Surgery

Team Members:
Mr. Sean Campbell (EE)
Ms. Pavla Pletkova (EE)
Ms. Jenna Ross (ME)
Mr. Brad Stout (CmpE)
Mr. Jon Terrell (ME)

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Chao Chen (CmpE) and Dr. Bongsu Kang (ME)
Sponsored by: Zimmer, Inc

Summary
Orthopedic technology involving surgical cutting guides have consisted of manually altered components that require fine tune adjustment that could be tedious and time-consuming to correctly align in three dimensions. In this project, the multi disciplinary Capstone senior design group, in conjunction with sponsorship from Zimmer, Inc., will design, construct, and test a surgical instrument system which provides accurate positioning while maintaining ease of use. In this system, a surgical device will utilize automated means to provide accurate positioning of a cut guide, which can translate or rotate in various planes. Ease of use will be accomplished by providing the user with the ability to adjust the positions of the device throughout surgery with minimal manual input. With this system in place, orthopedic surgeons are provided with a simple, easy to use and accurate solution to aid in orthopedic surgeries.

Fall 2005 - Spring 2006 Project:

Child Localization Theme Park

Team Members:
Ms. Chinwe Aneke
Ms. Christina Hong
Mr. Justin Ebaugh

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Chao Chen (CmpE) and Dr. Carlos Pomalaza-Ráez (CmpE&EE)
Sponsored by: The IPFW Mastodon Park Project

Summary
The university has proposed to build a children's theme park with an underlying wireless localization system. The main purpose of the child-localization system is to be able to track and locate a child within a given range at certain times. The localization system will make use of a wireless sensor network and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems. In its simplest form, an RFID system consists of a tag and a reader. There will be about 14 mastodons (the official mascot of IPFW) located around the park. Before children go to the park, they will be given RFID tags which will contain data such as a unique tag identification number. Each mastodon will have an RFID reader interfaced with a sensor node. The reader will be able to read the information on the tag and send it to a control computer through the sensor node. Therefore, the control computer will be able to tell which child has visited what mastodon and the time of visit.

Related Publications