Experimental Project

Abstract

The project encompasses the conceptualization, realization and testing of a complete, functional technical system. This covers the initial idea, mechanical concept, electrical design, programming of software, measuring function and analysis of data. The goal is to give the participants a wide range of experiences in hardware and software, touching every aspect of R&D prototype development.

Objective

The goal is to give the participants a wide range of experiences in hardware and software, touching every aspect of R&D prototype development. The development will start from the ground up, using pre-fabricated components as little as possible. The participants are encouraged to come up with their own project ideas and pursue them with continual support from APS. With 10 ECTS, the nominal time requirement of this course is 250 h. The schedule is based on a trimester (January - April), but the bulk of the work can be performed independently.

Content

The project encompasses the conceptualization, realization and testing of a complete, functional technical system. This covers the initial idea, mechanical concept, electrical design, programming of software, measuring function and analysis of data. The goal is to give the participants a wide range of experiences in hardware and software, touching every aspect of R&D prototype development. The development will start from the ground up, using pre-fabricated components as little as possible. The participants are encouraged to come up with their own project ideas and pursue them with continual support from APS. Example projects will be available for inspiration and as templates and can be adopted instead of an own idea with as little or as many modifications as desired. Large parts of the project can be completed independently, using freely available software running on the participants’ computer and corresponding education resources. Some meetings will be scheduled for teaching and discussion and several hands-on sessions in the APS lab will be necessary for manufacturing and testing of the prototypes. The topics include • Conceptualization of an idea and planning the realization • Mechanical design of housing and mechanical components using CAD software • Manufacturing of mechanical components using a 3D printer • Electrical design of circuits and PCBs using ECAD software • Assembly and soldering of PCBs • Programming embedded software to run on a microcontroller on the designed PCB • Testing of the desired functionality and measurement of the electrical workings • Report of the process, the finished prototype and analysis of generated data

Resources