System for Next-Gen Wireless Devices

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Sponsor
Duration: Fall 2018 - Spring 2019
Team Name Next-G
Adviser
Client
Team Members:
  • Thomas Parks
  • Zouning Dai
  • Shuhan Zhang
  • Hui Xie
  • Problem Definition[edit | edit source]

    Background[edit | edit source]

      With the widespread of wireless communication devices, there is an ever-growing demand for portable, low-cost, and easy to use devices that are capable of evaluating the electromagnetics performance of antennas or wireless devices/systems. Conventional measurement systems are very accurate but, in meantime, they are also bulky and expensive. This limits their use in field measurements, in classrooms, as well as in everyday life.

    Deliverables[edit | edit source]

    • 1: Design a simple system to test antenna.
    • 2: Ensure the portability.
    • 3: Ensure enough frequency.

    Specifications[edit | edit source]

    • Design an antenna characterization system for next-generation wireless devices to visualize the properties of an antenna system in an easy way and provide educational material to explain these properties to non-specialists.
    • The device should test and show the impedance, total efficiency of antennas real time. At the same time, it should be portable and low-cost.
    • We decide that the impedance and total efficiency to be our major measurement, if got more time, we may measure parameters as well. For the first three months, our major task is to assemble the prototype then test and improve it.

    Design Considerations[edit | edit source]

    Theory[edit | edit source]

    The Diagram above illustrates how we will generate a signal with an antenna with known values, as seen on the left, and use our raspberry pi to measure and acquire the data from our unknown antenna for characterization. Characterization can either take place on the receiving raspberry pi itself or the computer can characterize the antenna. The computers main purpose is for visualization of our data.

    Current design[edit | edit source]

    Current design

    Project Learning[edit | edit source]

    Raspberry pi.jpg
  • The Raspberry Pi provides the functionality to create and measure waveforms. There are open source projects that can be found on the web for this functionality.
  • There is a potential to incorporate various antennas for us to measure
  • The Raspberry Pi also makes it easier to communicate with a computer, which we may need to use to process/visualize the data we collect
  • We are now in the design phase involving the raspberry pi. We will begin work on bypassing the Raspberry Pi’s antenna for our own, and creating a matlab program to take inputs for given measurements and output characterized visuals of our antenna using Frii’s Equation.
  • Explorer Board.png The Digilent Explorer board did not meet requirements of our system. The board used could only generate a 4MHz signal, meaning if we wanted to design a useable half-wavelength antenna we would need at least 38 meters of material. The oscilloscope is also only capable of measuring a signal up to 100MHz, because of this the Explorer board is not suitable for our goal.
  • Provides built-in analog waveform generator and oscilloscope
  • We could use the oscilloscope to compare our generated analog waveform to what we would be measuring on the antenna.
  • This would allow us to characterize:Impedance,Efficiency,Bandwidth,Gain
  • ADC .jpg MCP3008 devices are successive approximation 10-bit Analog-to-Digital (A/D) converters with on-board sample and hold circuitry. The MCP3008 is programmable to provide four pseudo-differential input pairs or eight single-ended inputs. Differential Nonlinearity (DNL) and Integral Nonlinearity (INL) are specified at u00b11 LSB. Communication with the devices is accomplished using a simple serial interface compatible with the SPI protocol. The devices are capable of conversion rates of up to 200 ksps. The MCP3008 devices operate over a broad voltage range (2.7V - 5.5V). Low-current design permits operation with typical standby currents of only 5 nA and typical active currents of 320 u03bcA
    3.1.png VNC is a graphical desktop-sharing system that uses the Remote Frame Buffer protocol (RFB) to remotely control another computer. We could use it to remote control the raspberry pi.


    Final Design[edit | edit source]

    Simulation Signal Test[edit | edit source]

    NG plot.png This is the figure of testing simulation signal. We use the explore board to simulate an analog signal with 100mV and 100mHz. Then we plot the digital signal of it with raspberry pi. The T in the figure is the time of one period in signal. We could use it to check the frequency and circuit.

    Experimental Progress[edit | edit source]

    NG 4.1.png This is a very high demand for our system, so for testing purposes we are switching out the 2.4GHz antenna for a low frequency ferrite loop antenna.

    Total System Connection[edit | edit source]

    the system of doing simulation signal test
    the system of testing loop antenna

    Data analysis[edit | edit source]

    Data analysis

    Future plan[edit | edit source]

    • In the future we will use the data we have to solve for gain, power and distance.
    • Then, We will also focus on the further analysis with additional hardware. If possible, we could also get a basic polar plot of antenna in dB linear scale.
    • After all of this, we will try this system on a high frequency antenna and cancel the analysis we don not need.

      Validation[edit | edit source]

      Task Name Start Date End Date Duration Status Assigned To Comments
      System for Next-Gen Wireless Devices 09/11/2018 04/26/2019 164d Completed N/A
      confirm the project content and meeting with client and instructor 09/11/2018 09/12/2018 2d Completed N/A
      Prepare for the project 09/13/2018 09/19/2018 5d Completed N/A
      Make sure the equipment with client 09/20/2018 09/24/2018 3d Completed N/A
      Change the equipment to raspberry pi 09/25/2018 11/05/2018 42d Completed N/A
      Delivery Window for Raspberry Pi 10/01/2018 10/15/2018 11d Completed N/A
      Design bypass of raspberry pi antenna for external antennas 10/01/2018 10/15/2018 11d Completed N/A
      Raspberry Pi readings to external code / Friis Equation development 10/01/2018 04/12/2019 132d Completed N/A
      Find ADC first and test the circuit 10/16/2018 11/27/2018 31d Completed N/A
      Buy ADC: MCP3008 and bread board 10/16/2018 10/31/2018 12d Completed N/A
      Connect the Raspberry pi and the ADC to get some data 11/01/2018 11/05/2018 3d Completed N/A
      Improve the circuit 11/07/2018 04/02/2019 146d Completed N/A
      Solder the wires to the SMA connector 01/10/2019 01/10/2019 1d Completed N/A
      Find the code and the software of Raspberry to plot the diagram 01/11/2019 01/18/2019 6d Completed N/A
      Install the software of the Real-time data dynamic graph 01/19/2019 02/01/2019 11d Completed N/A
      Figure out the problem of the dynamic 02/01/2019 03/08/2019 36d Completed N/A
      Input signal and output the virtual dynamic graph 02/08/2019 02/14/2019 5d Completed N/A
      Figure out the noise of the dynamic graph 02/26/2019 03/08/2019 10d Completed N/A
      Spring break 03/11/2019 03/15/2019 5d N/A N/A
      Find the problem that ADC is too slow to catch the antenna signal 03/19/2019 03/19/2019 1d Completed N/A
      Decide to perform Plan B 03/19/2019 03/20/2019 2d Completed N/A
      Make a DIY antenna 03/21/2019 03/26/2019 4d Completed N/A
      Test the antenna and find 100 turns is the best choice 03/26/2019 04/02/2019 6d Completed N/A
      Solve the code of plotting curve 04/02/2019 04/12/2019 9d Completed N/A
      Test the whole system with the new antenna and code 04/15/2019 04/23/2019 7d Completed N/A
      EXPO DAY 04/26/2019 04/26/2019 1d Completed N/A

      Team Information[edit | edit source]

      Biography Discipline
      Thomas Parks Thomas Parks.jpg

      Thomas is a fifth year Electrical Engineering student, from Boise, focusing on electromagnetics and communications systems. When not busy with schoolwork he serves as president of the University of Idaho's Quidditch Club.

      Hometown: Boise,ID

      Graduation Date: May 2019
      Future Goals:
      Email: park2887@vandals.uidaho.edu

      Electrical Engineering.
      Zhangshu Han
      Shuhan Zhang.jpg

      My name is Shuhan Zhang. I am a student major in Electrical Engineering. I am from China.

      Hometown: Suzhou,CN

      Graduation Date: May 2019
      Future Goals:
      Email: zhan4190@vandals.uidaho.edu

      Electrical Engineering
      Zouning Dai
      Zouning Dai.jpg

      Zouning Dai is a transfer and senior student, from China, he is interested in power system.

      Hometown: Suzhou,CN

      Graduation Date: May 2019
      Future Goals:
      Email: dai2290@vandals.uidaho.edu

      Electrical Engineering
      Hui Xie
      Hui Xie.jpg

      Hui Xie is a senior in Electrical engineering looking at graduate in May 2019 from the University of Idaho. His hobby is basketball and computer game. The most favorite of the project has been learned the code for raspberry pi and wire connected. After graduating he plans on going to study Master's degree.

      Hometown: Wuxi,CN

      Graduation Date: May 2019
      Future Goals:
      Email: xie2909@vandals.uidaho.edu

      Electrical Engineering

      Additional Documentation[edit | edit source]

      Project Schedule

    • Project Schedule
    • Project Portfolio Links: Client Interview File:Client-interview-transcript.pdf