Microcontroller Central is celebrating its first birthday, but you're the ones who can get presents. In celebration of our anniversary we're running our second MCC Micro Design Contest.
We've been discussing the Internet of Things (IoT) a lot lately, here on the site, so we thought it might be a good topic for the second of MCC's Micro Design Contests. We'll make it easy to enter. Tell us about something you would connect to the Internet.
OK, perhaps it isn't quite that simple. But pretty close. Here are the rules:
Post your entry as a comment to this blog, with the subject line "Contest Entry –" followed by the name of your proposed IoT device. Example: Contest Entry – Internet Thermostat. Please check out prior postings to make sure you have chosen a unique name and idea. Use the "Post Message" link under an existing comment in order to create your entry, not the "Reply" link.
In your entry, tell us what your device does and how it interacts with the Internet. For instance, does it let you monitor and control something via the 'net? Does it use information it gathers from its environment to stimulate information search on the 'net? Does it report information to someplace in the cloud? The more information you provide, the easier it will be to evaluate your idea. Example:
This thermostat allows you to set and monitor your home's temperature setting via a web browser, which also gives you access to a minute-by-minute history of the indoor and outdoor temperature as well as settings over the last year. You can command it to move from a maintenance temperature to a living temperature via an SMS message (Tweet "I'm headed home" to get the house to start warming up). Further, the thermostat automatically obtains and displays current local weather forecasts on its display and control panel. It can even respond to voice commands.
The first 100 entrants each get a $5 Starbucks gift card as a reward for their ingenuity and alacrity. Entries will be accepted until midnight (Eastern US time) March 11, 2013.
The top five entries (as selected by the MCC editorial team) will each be re-posted in a blog on March 18 to honor the proposals, to allow for any further elaboration the designer wishes to add, and to allow for questions, comments, and suggestions from the community. Community members can also vote for the entry they feel is most worthy by clicking the "Thumbs Up" Rate It button for the entry. Voting will close March 25 at midnight Eastern US Time.
The top vote-getter will win the grand prize -- an NXP LPC4357 evaluation kit with dual-core and DSP technology -- allowing him or her to put the winning idea into practice. The winner will be announced March 31, 2013.
That's it! Feel free to start posting your entries right here, or to comment on any entries that catch your fancy. The more interest an entry generates, the further it is likely to go in the competition.
Rich Quinnell 3/15/2013 2:17:36 PM User Rank Blogger
Re: Contest Entry - DSC Powered Solar Micro Inverter
Great, thanks for the additional explanation. It would be very handy to have each panel in a large array individually monitored and controlled. It also sounds like the design makes the panels modular in that one can be replaced without any impact on the others or on the array as a whole.
Re: Contest Entry - DSC Powered Solar Micro Inverter
Rich,
good question. Micro-inverters contrast with conventional string or central inverter devices, which are connected to multiple solar panels. The great advantage over the string version is that one solar panel, or even a complete failure panel, does not disproportionately reduce the output of the entire array. Each micro-inverter harvests optimum power by performing MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) for its connected panel.
The connection of micro inverter to the Internet (possibly through Wi-fi) has two applications:
2. Monitoring (efficiency, temperature, sun irradiance, failures, ...). Particularly useful where the solar plant is formed of several micro inverters (array).
raul 3/12/2013 9:27:08 AM User Rank Program Manager
Re: Contest Entry - Environmental Noise Pollution Analyzer and Monitor
Rich, I've heard of sound source triangulating systems installed in some cities and used by the police in order to identify gunshots and have a more immediate response to possible criminal activity. Your suggestion reminds me of that and I think it's possible to include this component into the system in order to try to identify sources of excessive noise or even gunshots in real time.
A project in the area of renewable energy: Using the LPC4357-EVM to implement a simple, but updated, micro solar inverter featuring:
Single-phase output.
Off-grid.
Non isolated.
Low to medium output power (> 500 W).
Basic plataform for testing MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) strategies.
Since the application requires intensive calculations, typically this equipment is built based on DSPs. I decided to use a DSC (Digital Signal Controller) based on LPC43xx with ARM Cortex-M4 core, since it has DSP instructions, including saturating math and single cycle MAC (Up to 32 x 32 + 64 -> 64).
The figure below shows a minimal block diagram for the solution:
The voltage produced by the solar panel is read through ADC0_0 input pin and elevated with a boost circuit that regulates the voltage output to 240V. The CTOUT_0 signal from LPC4357 SCT (State Configurable Timer) peripheral can be used to create a custom PWM output in order to control this step-up (through external low side gate driver). Next, four IGBTs in a full bridge configuration, generate the proper sinusoidal waveform to the load. Here, the four pins MCOA0, MCOA1, MCOB0 and MCOB1 from LPC4357 MOTOCONPWM (Motor Control PWM) unit provide the required dead time enabled complementary outputs. These pins are linked to external high and low side gate drivers. The IGBTs could be replaced by MOSFETs when using a switching frequency greater than 20 kHz. Finally, the LC output filter removes the harmonics. All pins mentioned above are available on J12 expansion connector. Some additional measurements are missing in the figure , such as output voltage for step-up and current from solar panel.
As the connector J12 does not provide all LPC4357 Ethernet MII signals, neither the board itself provides an Ethernet PHY IC, I plan to connect the micro inverter (for remote monitoring) with the IoT (Internet of Things) indirectly through the on board USB port (to PC with internet access). Future enhancements can include connection to the Grid, battery charging, higher power and isolation provided by high frequency transformers. The Cortex-M4 side of LPC4357 is responsible to entire control of inverter (including MPPT algorithms) and Cortex-M0 side performs user interface and communications (LCD, buttons, sound alarms and USB). The synchronization between the cores is performed using a message queue mechanism (inherent to the LPC43xx). The present design is an opportunity to bring together Control Theory, DSP concepts, Power Electronics, Data Transfer and User interface programming; as well as being an environmentally friendly application.
Karenfield 3/11/2013 7:25:58 PM User Rank Bit twiddler
IM enabled Coffee maker
My first reaction to reading about this invention was how effective a tool it would be to catch the "freeloaders" who don't bother to put a fresh pot of coffee on. Mean of me to expect the worst of everyone, right? But then i realized that this could be a fantastic tool for those single-serve coffee makers - it could be programmed to know your preferences and alert you when your perfect cup is ready. Now, to just figure out how to get it delivered to your desk. :-)
Rich Quinnell 3/11/2013 7:09:21 PM User Rank Blogger
Re: Contest Entry - Connected Distance Meter
Some parts of this sound like a motion detector for alarm systems, but I get the sense you have a broader application space in mind. I'm just not clear on what it is.
One thought that occurs to me is that motion detectors detect motion, but not position. So, this could identify where the motion occurred, which might be a help in post analysis (like for finding the mousehole).
Also, this can help in situations where motion is normal, but the range is limited. So, it could monitor, say, a luggage-handling system and not be bothered by normal movement, yet detect when a piece of luggage fell off the conveyor belt.
Rich Quinnell 3/11/2013 7:01:51 PM User Rank Blogger
Re: Contest Entry –Food Inventory, List & Date Log
I like that addition, although it requires discipline on the part of the users to update the system when opening something, unless you create an attachment that automatically scans everything moving into and out of the refridgerator. And in light of the discipline needed (and its usual absence) a quick and easy way to update the inventory list to ensure accuracy would be a useful feature.
Rich Quinnell 3/11/2013 6:55:37 PM User Rank Blogger
Re: Contest Entry - Environmental Noise Pollution Analyzer and Monitor
Interesting concept, and potentially very useful. I wonder if it might be possible to have the information from several of these devices be used to identify noise sources and triangulate on its location via high-precision timing. A GPS signal contains a high-precision clock and so it might be possible to time-tag the recordings and use post analysis to determine a time-of-flight for the sound and thus establish a range. Of course, this only works for a stationary noise source, and folks probably already know where that source is ...
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