Week 14 – Presentation Day

Objective for this week :

• To explain overall system of project
• To show and present the result final year project to assessor

Description:

• This week is the crucial week whereby on Friday (20/12/13) will be our campus Industrial Day where I will presenting my Final Year Project to my appointed assessor.
•  I need to present about the whole system for my project. To ensure both assessor and visitor understand about my project function, so I decide to explain by using flowchart because it can explain whole of the system. After that, I need to demonstrate project function which how the solar tracking working and monitoring system functioning. 

Week 13 – Poster

Objective for this week :

•  To design a poster for FYP presentation

Description:

Figure 1 : Poster for presentation

• For this week, I have to design the poster about whole project background to make people clearly about the project function (shown as Figure 1). In the poster, I put a few explanation about the project such as :
• Clearly the main objective
• Design the block diagram
• Flow chart about the function of my project
• Make a result and analysis
• Conclusion about this project 

• Poster is design to make sure the people look this project can understand how the project function. This poster consists of project introduction, project objective, methodology, result & analysis and conclusion. The result will describe about the value of power that generated from solar panel and also table solar panel angle . 

Conclusion :

• As the conclusion the poster is the most important thing to describe about our project. When the assessor read all the data and information on the poster it will give them satisfaction and just ask when they don’t know certain about the project.

Week 12 –

Week 11 – Visual Basic

Objective for this week :

•  To continue study on Visual Basic 2010

Description:

• 
  

Week 10 – Visual Basic

Objective for this week :

•  To continue study Visual Basic 2010

Description:

• For this week, i just focusing on continue study about Visual Basic.
• After doing some research for a couple of weeks, now I able to design an application using VB 2010.
• The application are shown on Figure 1
• Next step, I will continue my research on interfacing the VB application with the main circuit (micro controller).
• The next step will involve programming.

FIGURE 1 : Visual Basic Application for Monitoring System

Week 9 – Solution for motor problem

Objective for this week :

•  To test new DC Geared motor

Description:

FIGURE 1 : DC Geared Motor

• For this week, I need to solve the motor problem in solar tracking part. After referring to some of my lecturer (including my FYP advisor), I were advised to use bigger motor for my project. In order to support the weight of solar panel (around 2.7 kg) I need to used bigger torque. The torque of previous motor is 0.784 Nm ( click here ). 
• After do some research, I had found the suitable motor for my project on the cytron website, a DC geared motor with bigger torque ( 1.9 Nm) . ( click here ).
• This DC Geared Motor ( SPG50-180K ) is more powerful than the previous DC Geared Motor ( SPG30-200K ). It can stand the weight of the solar panel.
• Here I attached a working solar tracking testing video. 
• Testing Solar Tracking

Week 8 – Visual Basic ..

Objective for this week :

•  To study how to use the visual studio software

Description:

• In this week I will start working on the monitoring system part. For monitoring part, I need a software that can be programmed in order to display the data that transfer from micro controller. So, for my project, I will use Microsoft Visual Basic 2010 to display the value of voltage, current and power which measured from solar panel and also voltage from battery.
• Microsoft Visual Basic can be used to develop console and graphical user interface applications along with window forms or WPF application, website, web application and web services in both native code together with managed code for all platforms. The integrated debugger works as a source-level debugger and a machine-level debugger. Other built-in tools include a forms designer for building GUI applications, web designer and database scheme designer. Built-in languages include C/C++ (via visual C++), VB.NET (via visual basic.NET) and C# (via visual C#).

Week 7 – Identify problem

Objective for this week :

• To test the communication between the hardware and the software.

Description:

• This week, I tried to run the project to see if the software can connect to the hardware. For the first test attempt:

1. Micro controller able to communicate with all sensors, limit switches, switches, LCD  and motor.
2. Micro controller are able to detect the signal that trigger by the switches (2 limit switches, mode button and reset button).
3. Sensors are able to send data to the micro controller.
4. Motor able to rotate in the direction controlled by the micro controller.

• However, after a number of tests conducted, the motor can not stand the weight of the solar panel. The motor makes noise when it tries to rotate the solar panel. So I had to stop this test and find a solution to this problem.

Week 6 – Install all the parts to body frame

Objective for this week :

• To assembles circuit, motor and solar panel on the body frame.

Description:

Figure 1 : Wiring for Main circuit and
 Battery charger circuit

• This week I tried to assemble the circuits (main circuit and battery charger circuit), motor (for solar tracking system), sensors, limit switches and solar panel on the body frame.

• All wires should be connected at the right place and need to tighten all screws to prevent the connection from the dislodged.
• Test will be conducted next week.

Figure 2 : Project wiring

Week 5 – Testing MPLab coding !!

Objective for this week :

• To test the MPLab coding with the main circuit

Description:

• In this week, I test the measurement of the voltmeter and ampere meter  on the battery charger circuit. In theoretical, if we supply the battery charger circuit with 20V power supply, the main circuit must read the value of 20V, then display on LCD as 20V.
• The first attempts are fails. When I supplied the battery charger with 20V power supply, the main circuit did not read the value as 20V, but 19V and 15.51A!! (as shown in FIGURE 1). The maximum current I set on power supply is 1A but the main circuit read as 15.51A.

FIGURE 1 : Result from the test 1

FIGURE 2 : Result from the test 2

FIGURE 3 : Power supply

Solution

• For the solution, I need to do some coding adjustment so the main circuit can read a value and display the exact same value on the LCD.

Week 4 – Design Circuit

Objective for this week :

•   To build the circuit of this project

Description:

• For this week, I build the circuit of this project. Firstly, I need to designs 2 separates circuit consists on main circuit (PIC) and circuit battery charger + motor controller. To avoid wrongly connection, the circuits are constructed on bread board. After a few adjustments to the circuit, the circuit is tested and working properly then I sticks the design with the PCB board.

1.       Sketch the design on the PCB board.
2.     Drill and solder all the components.
3.      Test running the circuit with the program.

•  The hardware circuit is design by using PCB board. The circuit construct with follow the step above. Step starting from design circuit until test the circuit with the program development.
• Here I attached some pictures of the etching process :

FIGURE 1 :
 i) Sketch design on PCB ,
ii) etching using ferric chloride chemical ,
iii) Final product

• After etching process done, we need to drill holes so that we can assemble the components on the PCB. In this part, we need to soldering all of the component at the right place according to the circuit.
•  The assemble process are shown on FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 2 :
i) Assemble components (main circuit)
ii) Assemble components (battery charger circuit)
iii) Finish products

Week 3 – Study On MPLab Software

Objective for this week :

•         To study how to use MPLab Software :

o   to read data from sensors

o   to read output voltage and output current from solar panel

o   to read battery voltage

o   to display all above onto LCD

Description:

•  At the beginning, I tried to read the sensors read using ADC function (one (1) of the micro controller function). Then the data from the sensor will be displayed on LCD.

•   Since I did not construct the circuit yet, to test the coding, I had to test coding using PIC Controller Trainer kit. The sensors and LCD are attached to PIC Controller Trainer kit.

 PIC Controller Trainer kit

•   Before we burn the micro controller with programming, we must to test our programming for micro controller to make sure it can be compiling without error. We use MPLAB IDE software to compile this programming.

MPLAB IDE software

Sensors reading display on LCD

Conclusion :

• Since I managed to display the data from the sensor to the LCD, it make easier to me to display the output voltage and output current from solar panel and also the battery voltage on the LCD because the setting are the same.

Week 2 – Body frame.. DONE!!!

Objective  :

• -          Build a body frame

Description:

-              For this whole week, I just focusing on designing the body frame. For the body frame, I realized that I need to use steel to support the weight of solar panel (the weight of solar panel around 800 grams).

-              After satisfied with the design, I go to steel workshop to weld the body frame. These are the pictures of the project body frame:

Week 1 – New Semester !!

Objective:

•           To continue previous research
•          To design body frame for solar panel

Description:

•           This week is first week for this semester (S2 2013). Hence, I continue my previous semester research for this week.

•           Start to sketch a body frame design for my Photo- Voltaic panel @ Solar Panel. 

WEEK 14

• After doing some correction, I managed to complete my report on the proposal this week. So, I managed to submit a proposal on time.
•  I would like to thanks Mdm. Izanoordina for giving me some advise, guidance, and helping me for my Final Year Project 1 for this semester...

WEEK 13

• I continue to make proposal report and some additional research regarding on how to display the output voltage and current from the solar panels on the LCD in this week.
•  I met Mdm Izanoordina on Wednesday to show her my progress on proposal report so far. She asked me to correct some of my mistakes on literature review.  I will meet my advisor again next week to check my proposal. 

WEEK 12

By week 14, all students FYP 1 must submit their complete proposal report using a guideline from FYP Website. The guideline is about the marking scheme and assignment criteria So that, this week I continue work in my proposal report.

WEEK 11

This week I have continued to undertake research on my project. This time I was looking for information on how to display the output voltage and current from the solar panels on the LCD. I managed to complete with battery charger circuit this week.

WEEK 10

Proposal Presentation was held in this week.  I have prepared myself with a lot of preparation like studying and understanding about my project. and study more about the main component in my project. The presentation day is at Thursday (28 March 2013) at time 2pm till 5pm at Gemilang Hall, UniKL BMI. At that day, I was assess by two assessor during the presentation day.

WEEK 9

• I met my advisor on Wednesday to discuss on my slide handed previously. She had corrected some of my mistakes on certain slides and asked me to fix the incorrect.
• All working process were on hold for this week. 

WEEK 8

• This week, I just focus on the provision of slides for presentation. I met my advisor on Wednesday to discuss regarding the proposal report for this project and also the slide presentation.
• I started making draft for proposal report.

WEEK 7

• On the 7th week, I continue for testing the battery charger circuit. This time testing with power supply at lab. The result from this experiment is successful as sought.
•  I started making a draft slide for presentation.

WEEK 6

• Attending second briefing for FYP S1 2013. The information gathered from the meeting:

       -         Project Proposal Preparation 

       -         Proposal Presentation on week 10

       -         Final Report 

       -         Chapter 1,2,3

WEEK 5

• This week I am doing several researches about Monitoring system and battery charger for my project. I decided to use Visual Basic as monitoring system. By using information about battery charger from websites, i tried to built some circuits for battery charger using Multisim (simulation) and had found several circuit that can be used for my project.
• Started to buy solar panel and components.

WEEK 4

• With the help of information gained about solar panels from websites last week, I am making progress with continue my research about solar tracking system. From the research I had found information about single axis tracking system and dual axis tracking system.
• On consultation day, I had discussed with Mdm. Izanoordina about these two axis solar tracking systems.  She found that the advantages dual axis is more compare to the single axis system. So, I will use dual axis solar tracking system for my FYP.

WEEK 3

This week I start do a research about my FYP project. First thing that came out from my mind is to find the suitable photovoltaic or solar panel for my project. After do some survey on internet, finally I found a solar panel supplier company that has several type of solar panel can be choose. On Wednesday, I met my advisor to ask her opinion about solar panel. In the end, we had chose Solar Panel –Mono-crystalline (SPM020-M) with 20 Wp.

the company website : http://solarpower-mart.com

WEEK 2

• In this week, I choose Madam IZANOORDINA BINTI AHMAD to be my advisor of project.This week also is my first week meeting with my advisor. In this meeting, we discuss more about what we plan to do. So I need to plan it very well.
• I have chosen the title Development of Photo-voltaic Using Micro Controller 16F877A for my FYP 1..
• My advisor and I, we both agreed to do a consultation day regarding my project on every Wednesday. 

WEEK 1

REGISTRATION

•  Registration of final year project(FYP)
• Attend Final Year Project briefing at TTL G06 on Thursday at 2.30 pm.
• Find the lecturer to be my supervisor of project.
• Find the information and procedure about Final Year Project.
• Create a blog as a progress report for every week.