Here you can find a weekly summary of how the project is developing.
Here is our time line for the project. We will try and update this as the project progresses.
Time Line
| Time Frame | Work Load |
|---|---|
| October 2007 – December 2007 | Research |
| February 2008 | Survey for parts |
| March 2008 | Start building device |
| April 2008 – June 2008 | Writing application to interact with device |
| July 2008 – August 2008 | Complete building final product and complete testing and implementation |
| August 1st 2008 | Present Project |
July 29st, 2008
An updated copy of the final draft thesis had been uploaded to the site and can be found under the Documents tab. The thesis is now complete and is awaiting approval. The devices have been mounted on a demonstration board to simulate how they would be installed within the home. A presentation is being put together which will include a demo of the devices in action and an explimination of the thesis.
Please see the draft theis for further details on the work completed.
July 21st, 2008
An updated copy of the draft final report has been uploaded to the site and can be found under the Documents tab. The report is about 95% complet and only requires a few pictures to show the final products and a the addition of a testing and results section that will be completed in the next week.
The devices have been completed for both the Blue Lite light control product and the Blue Heat thermostat product. This includes both the hardware and software. The next step is to mock up the devices to simulate a home environment for testing and demostration. This will include mounting the hardware on a piece of dry wall to help beter demonstrate the products during the final presentation.
Please see the draft final report for further details on the work completed.
July 8th, 2008
A lot has gone on since our last update. An updated copy of the draft final report has been uploaded to the site and can be found under the Documents tab. It now includes the Introduction, Literature Review and Proposed Solution sections and the Implementation and Analysis section is about half way complete. The following has been added to the document:
- A description of the components and development tools used in the project has been added
- The Interface Design with prototypes and finished products
- Software flow charts which describe the programming logic
- Hardware block diagrams
- Information regarding the installation and running of the applications
There are two products that have been created so far to control both the lighting in your house and the climate control systems via Bluetooth. These two products have been called Blue Lite and Blue Heat. Blue Lite will be installed into a pre-existing light switch in the home and this will be demonstrated using a set-up light switch and light bulb. This will enable a user to turn on and off a light in their home from a remote device. The Blue Heat device will be installed in place of a pre-existing therostat and allow the user to turn on and off their heat and air conditoning and set the desired temperature using a remote device.
An application has been written for each solution which includes a graphical interface for both a Windows PC and a Java enabled mobile phones. More information on how this was accomplished and what the final product looks like can be found in the report.
The code for the backend of the applications was generated. The FlexiPanel Designer tool automatically generates C code which makes the controls and functions of the user interface accessible and changeable. An application was written in C using MPLAB which preforms the desired functions when the application is interacted with by the user.
The two applications each perform very different functions and are described in further detail in the report.
Next Steps
- Electrical schematics are being created and are almost finished which will intergrate the microcontroller with the two appliances we wish to control which are a house hold light switch and a household HVAC unit.
- Two electrictronic devices will need to be created based on these schematics. The final products will be fully functional prototypes which will be capable of interfacing with actual appliances in the home. Help from industry professionals in the fields of house electrical and HVAC are being used to ensure the product is safe and functional. We are expecting to have this phase complete within the next 10 days.
- The final step will involve testing the applications and preparing for the final presentation.
A draft copy of the final report will be supplied by Friday July 18th 2008.
June 12th, 2008
We began running through the tutorials that are packaged with the development board that allow you to begin the process of developing applications. The Flexipanel Designer software was used to create a simple user interface which takes user input, sends a signal to the bluetooth module and returns a response to the application.
The user interface was first created and then the backend code was generated. The software is remotly loaded onto the bluetooth module via a Bluetooth connection.
The goal of these tests are to become familiar with the process of developing applications using both the MPLAB IDE and the FlexiPanel Designer. Now that these fundamental skills have been learned, we have set forth the next steps we need to accomplish. To begin with, we plan to write a simple application which provides an ON and OFF button that will enbable a user to turn on and off an LED connected to the development board. To do this, we must do the following:
- Design and Create a user interface using FlexiPanel Design software
- Build the backend code using MPLAB IDE
- Enable the code to work on a mobile phone
- Build a simple circuit to interface with the module to turn on and off the LED
We plan to accomplish these tasks within the next several weeks, enabling us to advance the final product.
March 25th, 2008
The parts came in on the weekend from Digi-key so we can now begin the application development. Several pieces of software were downloaded and installed for this purpose, and include:
Microchip Inc. MPLAB IDE, is a free, integrated toolset for the development of embedded applications employing Microchip's PIC® and dsPIC® microcontrollers. MPLAB IDE runs as a 32-bit application on MS Windows®, is easy to use and includes a host of free software components for fast application development and super-charged debugging. MPLAB IDE also serves as a single, unified graphical user interface for additional Microchip and third party software and hardware development tools. Moving between tools is a snap, and upgrading from the free software simulator to hardware debug and programming tools is done in a flash because MPLAB IDE has the same user interface for all tools.
FlexiPanel Designer, is a free The FlexiPanel Designer is software to aid in the design of FlexiPanel user interfaces. The user interface may be specified and tested from within the design tool and then exported to a specific FlexiPanel Server. FlexiPanel is a generic technology for allowing one device (the FlexiPanel Server) to create a user interface on another device (the FlexiPanel Client). It provides a wireless universal remote control and monitoring facility for computer software and electronic products, eliminating the need for user interface components.
http://www.flexipanel.com/Docs/Designer.pdf
Both of these solutions should allow us to design and develop applications to be used on smart phones which will communicate with the bluetooth device. There is also extensive documentation and help guides and examples to help guide us through the development process.
March 18th, 2008
Today we ordered the parts from Digi-Key and they are expected to arrive in the next few days. We read the data sheets for the Toothpic bluetooth module with microcontroller and the bluetooth development board.
March 11th, 2008
Today we did extensive research into the components that would be required to build this application. There are three main components that will be needed to accomplish our project. These include:
- Bluetooth module with microcontroller
- Bluetooth development board
- Bluetooth enabled smart phone (iphone, htc touch, blackberry..etc)
We have chosen the product that meet our application-specific requirements.
Bluetooth module with microcontroller
Toothpick 2.0 Bluetooth Transceiver - The Toothpick 2.0 is a PIC microcontroller and LinkMatik (Bluetooth 2.0) radio combination, preloaded with Toothpick Services firmware providing FlexiPanel user interface server, wireless field programming and Toothpick Slave for optional external host control.
Toothpick Services Features:
FlexiPanel server – creates user interfaces on computers, PDAs, cellphones with no development needed on remote devices
Wireless field programming lets developers distribute firmware upgrades electronically
System services including: Bluetooth communications, interrupt and memory management, sleep-safe real time clock with daylight savings time / day-of-week calculator. More information about this product may be found at: http://www.rfsolutions.co.uk/acatalog/Toothpick_Bluetooth_Module.html
Bluetooth development board
The primary aim of the Bluetooth Evaluation Board is to allow evaluation of FlexiPanel Ltd’s Bluetooth products as easily as possible. It is designed to allow the developer to follow the tutorials and examples in the product data sheets. Additionally, the evaluation board can be used during development as a reliable, tested environment while troubleshooting. Power Supply The evaluation board may be powered by a reasonable smooth unregulated 5V – 12V DC power source via the 2.5mm center-positive connector. More information about this product may be found at: http://www.rfsolutions.co.uk/acatalog/Toothpick_Bluetooth_Module.html
Bluetooth enabled smart phone
There are several phones on the market currently that employ bluetooth technology. Most major high end phones are capable of working with this type of application.
Cost
Digi-Key Corporation is a registered carier of these products and the following table outlines the costs of the above devices:
| Device | Cost |
|---|---|
| MODULE TOOTHPICK 2.0 28-DIP | $145.92 |
| BOARD EVALUATION BLUETOOTH | $150.78 |
February 26th, 2008
Today we put up the web site for our research project. We uploaded the projects documents to download and view, added a forum to post questions and comments, created this blog where we will post our thoughts about the project and highlight how it is going, a related resources page and our contact information.
