Weekly Minutes with Professor

Week 14: Monday, November 22nd, 2021 (3:15pm - 4:15pm)

Final Website & Report Updates:

Our final meeting with Professor Notash was scheduled for Monday this week for a final review of our report and website. John was unable to make the meeting due to a last minute emergency at work so his teammate Hunter took notes to share with John at a later time. Professor Notash viewed the entire report and website requesting the following changes to be made.

Report Updates Include:

Format all headers and chapters with correct spacing, also check “Summary” spacing for each chapter.
(p.5) Put (d) in italics from equation (1.1) that is in the first sentence after equation.
(p.14) Add reference [12] to the end of previous paragraph.
(p.17) Add “Design” to 2.1.3 header to delete both headers “Design Eng Req…” and "Design Eng Spec..."
(p.17-19) Remove bold font from “Periodic” (x2) and “random” in DER table.
Recommends 3 requirements in the DER for each section, instead of 5 or 4, for a total of 9. Choose 3 most important.
(p.20) Add “Design” to Table 2.2 in front of Eng Spec. Also fix last column since the (r) in "Member" goes to next line.
(p.27) Fix spacing (2.1.4)
(p.28) Update Total power value to say 21.34mW..
- Also make "Microphones" on top and "preamp" below it, then "power amp" on the bottom line, since there’s room, to get rid of “ / “ in the table. Do same for Battery row.
(p.42 -44) Figures 2.20 to 23. are form the Desmos app and do not need to be referenced.
(p.45) Table 2.5 - Make table smaller and decrease row width.
(p.47) The picture in Figure 2.25 can have the grid removed from background by using word “Format” background, to make it transparent.
Also site the picture in fig 2.25 which is from the book "Op-amps for everyone", already in reference list.
(p.58) Table 3.1 / Change headers to be in this order:
- Item / Vendor / Quantity / Unit Price / Sub Total
Have Biography for both os us state - “Currently Perusing Bachelors of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology, Specializing in Electrical/Electronic Systems Concentration.
- And for both of our Tech certificates change them to:
- For (John) - Technical Certificate in Audio Electronics
- For (Hunter) - Technical Certificate in Audio Visual Production
Ch4 Summary Spacing.
FRIDAY Nov 26th is deadline for submission.

Website Updates Include:

Make sure our Bio is the same on the report and website and add our pictures.
- Add pictures to homepage too.
(Weekly Presentation) page number from highest to lowest, (6 -> 1) .
(Proposal Ideas) page flip so the most recent is last on the page.
(Success Criteria) PDF's 2nd page is blank so delete it.
- Make sure it matches the one on the report if any updates are made.

Week 13: Wednesday, November 17th, 2021 (1:00pm - 2:55pm)

Website & Report Updates:

For our meeting with Professor Notash this week we went over refinements that need to be added and/or changed to the Website and Proposal Report.

Website Refinements Include:

- Remove animated and multi-colored backgrounds.

- Weekly Presentations, most recent first.

- Make Timeline end on last day of school, add number of days to each cell.

Report Refinements Include:

- Pay attention to line spacing in each chapters Summary.

- Get checked writing center or just anyone qualified.

- Equations always centered.

- Equation letters used in paragraph should be in italics.

- Template titles are just recommendations so the name can be changed, but stay relevant.

- Reduce Power Budget "Total" to 4 decimal places (21.3399), and add engineering notation to header to reduce number of zeros.

- Proposed Budget header "Item, Vendor, Qty, Unit Price, Subtotal".

- Makes success criteria like DER, keep main parts like engineering specs sheet, add pass/fail rate.

- Add flow charts to block diagram.

- Draft Report due Nov 19th, Final Report Document due Nov 26th, Presentation on Dec 3rd.

Week 12: Wednesday, November 10th, 2021 (1:00pm - 3pm)

Project & Website Updates:

During our meeting this week with Professor Notash we spent most of the meeting going over the documents and updates that were added to the website last week, along with a new set of tasks to complete for additional refinements to make to the website before it is launched.

Assigned Updates:

- Changing incorrect dates and words/wording to the minute with Professor page.

- No animated backgrounds on all pages.

- Confirm that each teammates contact information is up to date and add our pictures if we choose to.

- Add links to Purposed Budget document and add links of vendors website on the items names.

- Add Min and Max values on Proposal Budget.

- Double check calculations are our own for Power Budget and add the hand written calculations to our report.

- Add the year to the Time and Effort table. ex: (11/12/2021) - And see if there is a way to make the header stay at the top of the screen when scrolling.

- Break time line into two tables so it is easier to read.

- From here on out, type directly onto the Progress Log page (on WiX) instead of using the recently updated images, PDF viewer, or google slides. When we have time we can go back and re-type everything from the images to eventually get rid of them.

- Add Weekly Presentations.

- Add Draft Report before next meeting so Professor can inform us of any changes that may need to be made.

Additional refinements will be made and doubled checked as we add these updates throughout the site, including the Design Engineering Requirements document so it is also up to date.

Week 11: Wednesday, November 3rd, 2021 (1:15pm - 2:40pm)

Project & Website Updates:

In this week's meeting with Professor Notash we went over the tasks were completed from last Friday’s meeting (10/29). The Professor pointed out changes that need to be completed by the end of the day this coming Friday, these refinements are listed below.

Once complete we are to notify the professor by email.

Assigned Updates:

- Add a "Reference" tab as one of the main header tabs.

- Refine and define our Engineering Specifications document and adjust some of the pictures so they are aligned.

- Flip the Time and Effort table.

- Add Final Block Diagram (2 versions): one version as a two-way system and the other as a single-way system.

- Add a final column for the Success Criteria document to show check marks to verify completion.

- Add the revised Proposed Budget document and make the font size the same as the other documents.

- In the Progress Log, be more specific about each teammates contribution by adding their name next to the work shown or described

so, it's not as vague as to who's work it is.

- Make edges of all document images aligned, mostly referring to the Progress Log and Engineering Specifications and any future documents.

The professor also reminded us to maintain thorough communication so that proper coordination continues to be conducted between each teammate. Some parts of our design need to be completed individually and the knowledge gained should continue to be shared equally amongst each other so both team members have a good understanding of how their individual work relates to the design.

Regimented communication and coordination prepare us for our final proposal and demonstrates our teamwork skills and professionalism, to both the moderators and to our professor. A good reminder since the moderators will likely ask us questions randomly to verify our understanding of the segments that we may or may not have been assigned to.

Week 10: Friday, October 29th, 2021 (1pm - 2pm)

Project & Website Updates:

**This week's meeting was rescheduled for Friday at 1pm. but (as of 10/29) next week's meeting will be on Wednesday at 1pm.

Our team meeting with Professor Notash this week started by going over our second Proof of Concept test results. We discussed how the experiment was conducted in a different studio room at the East Campus studio facility, and how the noise floor was slightly higher in this room compared to the studio that we used last week, as explained in the progress log. Overall, the results were good and turned out to be similar to the previous weeks results.

We also discussed the design and simulations for the microphone preamp circuit, and the previous research that showed how applying a Bessel-type filter worked the best for preserving the shape of the passband signal and how the group delay @50Hz can be decreased by lowering the cutoff frequency by applying a 2nd order Sallen-Key high-pass filter. We plan on conducting more

simulations at higher frequencies for further analysis, but at the time of this meeting only the group delay @50Hz was simulated.

After discussing the progress log, we looked over the updates that we made to the website this week, and the changes/additions that need to be added. As requested by Professor Notash our team spoke after our meeting and organized a game plan for everything we wanted to accomplish by next Wednesday's meeting and emailed our plan of action to the Professor.

Week 9: Wednesday, October 20th, 2021 (1pm - 2:40pm)

Project & Website Updates:

We began this week's meeting by discussing our results from the proof-of-concept test that we conducted at the East Campus Sound and Music studio facility. The results were a good start overall, and we were able to prove the concept and achieved noise cancellation from 50Hz to 100Hz using only the transducers and a signal generator to test the concept. There was also a considerable reduction of noise from 150Hz to 500Hz, reducing around 10 to 30 SPL dBC. The data showed that once we reached the higher frequencies, around 1kHz the noise did increase substantially. Although the professor and our team were happy with the results, we discussed the need for further testing of different materials, as well as different thicknesses, and testing how the transducers perform when placed at different locations and offset from each other.

After discussing the test results, we went over the updates we made to the website and received good feedback overall. The professor did assign us a busy week of work though for our website next week. He wants us to try and complete the pages for Power Budget, Proposed Budget, Successful Criteria, Engineering Specifications, References, and update the Progress Log. We also discussed how we plan on conducting more proof-of-concept tests this coming week as well.

Week 8: Wednesday, October 13th, 2021 (3:00pm - 4:30pm)

Project & Website Updates:

**Meetings will now be on Wednesday's at 1pm instead of 3pm, until further notice.

In this week's meeting with professor Notash we presented an updated power point of our project based on the feedback we received from our meeting with Chris Smith the week prior. A refined version can be seen in this week’s progress log. Professor Notash expressed his approval of the refined power point which displayed our design more clearly and demonstrates Mr. Smith's suggestion for establishing proof of concept. We also addressed our concerns and solutions, that we're discussed during the meeting with Mr. Smith.

To note:

Mr. Smith showed concern in the amount of time it might take to make the design operational on both sides of a barrier (as we originally proposed). To clarify, he was concerned that making the design a 2-way system will add additional complexities and suggested that making it a single-way system (on one side of a barrier, instead of both sides) seemed adequate, due to the time variable for completing a project like this.

We also explained how our original design included building a DC power supply and a push-pull amplifier and that we were concerned if this might be too much for us to complete in time. He agreed when we asked if we should consider purchasing one of these parts instead of trying to build both and possibly jeopardize the entire project since both parts are vital for the system to operate efficiently.

After discussing all of our concerns, Mr. Smith recommended that we express these challenges, and our thoughts, to Professor Notash to see if there is a way to compromise and agree on a similar design but with some minor adjustments, since we agreed that it might be a good idea to purchase either the push-pull amplifier or the DC power supply, rather than building both of them, due the complexities of the overall design.

The conclusion of the meeting resulted in Prof. Notash giving us the approval to begin purchasing all components required for the original proposed design. Despite the concerns and challenges that were mentioned to the Professor today, that we learned from our meeting with Mr. Smith, any modifications to simplify the design is to be expressed to the panel of moderators at the time of our final proposal for their approval. This will allow us more time to evaluate the scope of the design phase and what we think we can accomplish by that time.

Updates and suggestions to the website were then discussed with the Professor such as renaming and switching the order of tabs, writing out the names of abbreviations, adding references when used, and making sure we show our calculations and to not just use the values from the manufacture's specifications, since we will need to figure out our own calculations for our design with respect to the components specifications.

Week 7: Wednesday, October 6th, 2021 (3:00pm - 5:00pm)

Project & Website Updates:

For this week's meeting with Professor Notash we presented the updates to our project, as well as the Design Engineering Requirements and the functions for the interface of the touchscreen as a diagram. We also discussed a few concerns regarding possible latency if using the ADC/DAC that comes with the DSP, and a possible solution by adding separate ADC/DAC components to the design and/or placing the reference microphone a few inches away from the barrier to make up for the added latency.

We also had some additional concerns with the overall amount of work that is required, due to the complexity of the system and given an "8 month" timeline. Some thoughts where whether or not to purchase either the push-pull amplifier or the DC power supply rather than designing both of them due to the added complexity of the project itself, also the possibility of removing one of the originally two, ref/error mics so that it will still work on one side of the barrier rather than making it adaptive for both sides of the barrier.

Due to these concerns Professor Notash requested that we speak with Chris Smith as soon as possible to get his feedback on the matter and report the outcome by email before our next meeting. We had a productive meeting with Mr. Smith that Friday and emailed Professor Notash his feedback the same day. We will be discussing this information in more detail during our next meeting on Wednesday 13th at 3pm.

Week 6: Wednesday September 29th, 2021 (3pm - 5pm) & Thursday, September 30th, 2021 (12pm - 1:30pm)

Updates & Project Approval:

During the meeting this week, Professor Notash gave the group preliminary approval for the Active Noise Control for Rigid Barriers project. He tasked the group with further elaboration of details regarding the block diagram, proposed budget, touchscreen interface layout, and gave examples of good Design Engineering Requirements. Professor Notash also assessed the status of the project website and gave suggestions for improvement.

Week 5: Thursday, September 22nd, 2021 (3:00pm - 5:00pm)

Proposed Ideas & Updates:

This week we had a meeting with Professor Notash to present three of our proposal ideas which included the ANC for Rigid Barriers, Self-Powered Water Desalination, and Sonar Water Depth Mapping Boat. The result of the meeting concluded with the professor deciding that our group focus on the ANC for Rigid Barriers and the Sonar Water Depth Mapping Boat projects.

The two chosen projects we were given a list of objectives to focus on for the weekend. We must update our website with the tasks required from the rubric. We also need to include additional functions and/or features that make both designs more desirable or needed in the industry, like an LCD screen for the ANC project and possibly a retractable arm for the ROV to pick up trash or debris. Any of the additions made should enhance the level of difficulty to the project while focusing on what might be desired from the user.

We must also carefully plan our exact method of approach so that our design can be seen as being a feasible one.

As of Sep 25th, our next meeting with Professor Notsash is scheduled for Wednesday 29th at 3pm, however we were also informed to plan for future meetings or questions to be by email since our updates to our website each week will now be graded for our work for the week.

Week 4: Wednesday, September 15th, 2021 (7:00pm - 8:30pm)

Proposed Ideas & Updates:

The Monday meeting with Professor Notash was rescheduled for Wednesday.

Prior to the rescheduled meeting, we continued our independent research and developed detailed block diagrams and flow charts of each. These new ideas were added to the project ideas document and we conducted research into materials/budget and possible means of testing each idea.

The Wednesday meeting with Professor Notash resulted in the elimination of all project ideas except for Self Powered Water Desalination and Active Noise Control for Doors. It was decided that these ideas would require further expansion and addition of details regarding sensors and control. At the time of this meeting the Sonar Mapping Boat idea had not been developed into the official list of ideas.

Week 3: Thursday, September 9th, 2021 (3:00pm - 5:00pm)

Proposed Ideas:

This week the group met several times via Discord to discuss issues with current project ideas, possible expansions, and the findings of our individual research. After our discussions we decided upon which specific ideas our individual research would be focused in order to efficiently spread the workload.

The group met with Professor Notash in the middle of the week in order for him to assess our progress. He provided the group with feedback on block diagram layouts, flowcharts, and expanding the level of detail of each proposal idea.

Week 2: Thursday, September, 2nd, 2021 (3pm - 5pm) & Saturday September, 4th, 2021 (2pm - 4:30pm)

Proposed Ideas (9/2):

This week the group met with Professor Notash in order to present the first round of project ideas.

After discussing the various details it was concluded that all ideas required expansion and elaboration and the Sleepy Driver proposal was dropped due to its similarity to an existing project.

General Update (9/4):

The group met a second time with the professor for a general progress report and discussion of work done. Automatic Pet Door and Automatic Curtains were also dropped.

Week 1: Thursday, August 26th, 2021 (12:00pm - 3:00pm)

Introduction to Senior Proposal:

In the first group meeting, Professor Notash gave an introduction and overview of the syllabus, preliminary schedule, and requirements for the proposal portion of the project. Along with showing various examples of past and current projects, the Professor highlighted the respective accomplishments and shortcomings of each group's work.

The group then discussed possible project proposal ideas. The idea for Adaptive Membrane Absorber was introduced and discussed in some detail.