ENSC 440 Capstone Project
Spring 2010
Wirelessly Networked Faucet
and Showerhead System
Sonca Teng, Michael Hou, Kwang-young Lee, Aaron Marcano
Outline
1. Who We Are
2. Motivation
3. Project Overview
4. Hardware
5. Software
6. Budget & Timeline
7. Future Development
8. Business Plan
2
Outline
1. Who We Are
2. Motivation
3. Project Overview
4. Hardware
5. Software
6. Budget & Timeline
7. Future Development
8. Business Plan
3
Who We Are
The Team:
CEO : SoncaTeng
Project Lead | Electronics Design | Wireless Development
COO: Michael Hou
Software Integration | Mechanical Design | Solidworks Modeler
CFO : Kwang-young Lee
Finance Manager | Software Lead | LCD and Flow Sensor Programming
CTO : Aaron Marcano
Systems Integration | Lead Wireless System Developer | Team Motivator
4
Outline
1. Who We Are
2. Motivation
3. Project Overview
4. Hardware
5. Software
6. Budget & Timeline
7. Future Development
8. Business Plan
5
Motivation
Currently in California there are mandatory water
restrictions because voluntary conservation efforts
have proved insufficient
“no restaurant [..] shall serve drinking water to any
person unless expressly requested.”
City of Los Angeles Emergency Water Conservation Plan Effective 8-11-09
6
Microflow System Overview
• Water is a scarce resource, whether people choose
to act accordingly or not
• We choose to do something about this
• Help people see how much water they waste on a
day to day basis by putting the information in front
of them
• Guide people toward responsible water usage with
our solution
7
Microflow System Overview
• Two emerging groups in this world
– In areas where there is a genuine shortage of water and
there is a need for personal usage monitoring
– In areas where people are socially inclined to be (or appear
to be) environmentally consciencious
• With our proposed solution, we cater to both
groups
– We will now demonstrate how
8
Existing Solution
• Right now what you can do is run outside and
look at your water meter
–
–
–
–
Difficult to read a water meter
Very inconvenient and most would not bother
Is not viewable in real-time
Combines all water usage, including that which is not under your
control
• Ie. Usage of washing machine, flushing toilets, etc
9
The Microflow Solution
• The Microflow Solution
– A wirelessly linked system of faucets and showerheads around the
household
– Microflow faucets and showerheads are drop-in replacements to
be purchased right off the shelf next to existing units at Home
Depot or Rona
– Single unit will show you water usage in real time
– More than one unit: will wirelessly link and show a network total in
addition
10
The Microflow Solution
11
The Microflow Solution
12
Video Demo - Introduction
13
Outline
1. Who We Are
2. Motivation
3. Project Overview
4. Hardware
5. Software
6. Budget & Timeline
7. Future Development
8. Business Plan
14
System Overview
15
High Level System Design
16
Outline
1. Who We Are
2. Motivation
3. Project Overview
4. Hardware
5. Software
6. Budget & Timeline
7. Future Development
8. Business Plans
17
Faucet
• Start with generic Home
Depot faucet as base
• Watertight LCD
enclosure
• In-line flow sensor
• Controller / transceiver
enclosure
18
Showerhead
19
20
21
Microcontroller
• Control All Other
Components
• Low Power Consumption
• Easy to Program and Use
• CHEAP!
22
Microcontroller
• Control LCD Module
(I/O)
RESET OR START-UP
INITIALIZATION
DISPLAY LCD
CURRENT
VALUE
INTERRUPT
FLOW
SENSOR
N
DISPLAY LCD
NETWORK
VALUE
Y
NETWORK
VALUE
AVAILABLE?
INTERRUPT
TRANSCEIVER
• Receive Input from Flow
Sensor (Interrupt0)
• Control Wireless
Transceiver (SPI)
23
LCD Display
• 2 x 16 Character Display
• Controlled by the
Microcontroller (4-bit)
• Controllable LED
Backlight
24
User Interface
Session: 233 mL
Network: 14.79 L
Total:
4.33 L
Network: 14.79 L
Session: 439 oz
Network: 10.52 g
Total:
2.16 g
Network: 10.52 g
• During Water Usage
• After 10 Second Delay
• Also Programmable for
American Market:
Fluid OZ, Gallon Display
25
Sub parts –Flow Sensor
• Hall-effect Sensor
Attached to Turbine In
Stream
• Limited Flow Range
• Fixed Number of Pulses
Per Liter (or Gallon)
• N=2200 Pulses/Liter
(8300 Pulses/Gallon)
26
Sub parts – Transceiver
• Wireless Transceiver
– MiWi™
– Zigbee™
• Connected to
Microcontroller via SPI
Outline
1. Who We Are
2. Motivation
3. Project Overview
4. Hardware
5. Software
6. Budget & Timeline
7. Future Development
8. Business Plans
28
Software
• Initialization
– LCD
– Transceiver
– Flow Sensor
• Transceiver Mode
Transmission Format
• Source Address – Used to Identify Node
• Payload
– Format
• Water Usage Data
• TimeStamp
• CheckSum
Transmission Format
•
•
•
•
Message Received
Calculate and Verify Checksum
After Checksum, Check Format
After Format, Check Received Water Usage
Data
• If Same as Old, Ignore. If New, Update.
Potential Network Problems
• Lost Power, and Reset
– Transceiver Will Reconnect to Network
• Receiving Node Out of Range
– Indirect Messaging as Potential Solution
• Receiving Bad or Incorrect Messages
– Check Consistency of Data and Ignore If Bad
Potential Network Improvements
• Enhanced Network Security
– Encoded Message Using CRC and Encryption
• Increased Range
– Device Hopping.
Video Demo - Installation
Video Demo – Network Update
Video Demo – Test 1
Video Demo – Test 2 Simultaneous
Update
Video Demo – Accuracy Test
Further Applications
• Cooking
• Gardening, Lawn Watering
• Industrial Use, Leak Detection, Municipal Monitoring
• Suite management for Landlords
39
Outline
1. Who We Are
2. Motivation
3. Project Overview
4. Hardware
5. Software
6. Budget & Timeline
7. Future Development
8. Business Plan
40
Proposed Budget
Part Name
Mechanical Parts
OMEGA Flow Sensor (FTB2004)
RONA Faucets
Various Fittings, Hoses, Tubes, Clamps
Electronic Parts
MICROCHIP 16bit PIC (PIC24F16KA102)
MICROCHIP RF Module (MRF24J40)
MICROCHIP PIC Programmer (PICkit 3 ICD)
MICROCHIP RF Dev Board (PICDEM Z)
NEWHAVEN 2x16 LCD
Miscellaneous Parts
Taxes & Shipping
TOTAL
Number of
Units
Individual Cost
Total Cost
3
3
1
95.00
25.00
40.00
285.00
75.00
40.00
3
3
1
1
3
1
1
2.00
20.00
50.00
110.00
15.00
50.00
100.00
6.00
60.00
50.00
110.00
45.00
50.00
100.00
$821.00
Actual Cost - Mechanical
PART
Mechanical
RONA 4IN FAUCET
1/4" Hose
1/4" Hose Clamp
3/8FNPT to Hose Barb Fittings
FLOW RATE SENSOR
ShowerHead
Showerhead Base
Vinyl Tubing
1/2MIP to 3/8 Fitting
BR. Reducer
Plexiglass 3/8" thickness
4" FAUCET
Hose Clamps
Teflon Tape
1/4 Copper Coupling
3/8 Copper Coupling
Braided Hose for Faucet
SUPPLIER
RONA
RONA
RONA
McMaster
OMEGA.CA
HomeDepot
HomeDepot
HomeDepot
HomeDepot
HomeDepot
HomeDepot
HomeDepot
HomeDepot
HomeDepot
HomeDepot
HomeDepot
HomeDepot
PIECES
PRICE PER UNIT
2
1
4
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
3
$22.98
$4.54
$0.68
$9.45
$92.00
$17.49
$15.47
$4.49
$3.49
$4.49
$5.00
$22.98
$0.66
$0.69
$0.74
$0.84
$6.99
UNIT
CAD
CAD
CAD
US
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
TAX
$5.52
$0.54
$0.33
$0.00
$14.40
$0.00
$3.96
$0.53
$0.00
$0.96
$0.00
$2.76
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$4.75
SHIPPING
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$12.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
TOTAL
$51.48
$5.08
$3.05
$9.45
$302.40
$17.49
$19.43
$5.02
$3.49
$5.45
$5.00
$25.74
$1.32
$0.69
$0.74
$0.84
$25.72
Actual Cost - Electornics
PART
Electrical
ZENA Network Analyzer
0.10microF Capacitors
RF Transceiver Modules
PICKit3 PIC Programmer
PICDEM Z MotherBoard
RJ11 Programmer Cable
3.3V Voltage Regulators
10microF Capacitors
9V Battery Holder
PICDEM Z MotherBoard Return
LCD Display Green
PICDEM Z Board Connector
Diode 20V 1A
Radial Inductor 100uH 1A
100uF 6.3V Mini Alum Elect
New Switching Regulators
New Switching Regulators
The Letter Carrier Service Charge
5V Linear Voltage Regulators
Double Row Header
Miscellaneous
6-Pack 9V Batteries
SUPPLIER
Digikey
Digikey
Digikey
Digikey
Digikey
Digikey
Digikey
Digikey
Digikey
Digikey
NewHeaven Display
Digikey
Digikey
Digikey
Digikey
Maxim
Maxim
The Letter Carrier
RPElectronics
RPElectronics
RPElectronics
HomeDepot
PIECES
1
10
3
1
1
1
3
5
3
1
3
1
4
4
10
1
3
5
3
1
1
1
PRICE PER UNIT
$147.27
$0.08
$21.47
$50.93
$101.95
$11.32
$1.82
$0.35
$1.50
-$101.95
$16.00
$20.86
$0.46
$0.66
$0.11
$0.00
$2.50
$4.00
$1.25
$1.70
$20.00
$14.99
UNIT
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
US
US
CAD
CAD
CAD
CAD
TAX
$0.00
$7.80
$0.00
$0.00
$10.86
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$1.55
-$5.10
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$1.72
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
SHIPPING
$0.00
$8.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$8.00
$16.52
12.16
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$8.00
$15.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.65
$0.00
$0.00
TOTAL
$147.27
$16.55
$64.41
$50.93
$112.81
$11.32
$5.46
$1.74
$14.05
-$90.53
$60.16
$20.86
$1.84
$2.64
$10.83
$15.00
$7.50
$20.00
$3.75
$2.35
$20.00
$14.99
Actual Cost - Individual
$700.00
$600.00
$500.00
$400.00
$300.00
$200.00
$100.00
$0.00
Aaron Marcano
Kwang-young Lee
Michael Hou
Sonca Teng
Cost Summary
• Total:
– $876.56
•
•
•
•
•
$50 Over-Run
Shipping
Failed Devices and Their Replacements
Network Analyzer
Extra Showerhead Design and Implementation
External Funding
• ESSEF Funding
– Presented Idea To ESSS Execs
– Received $400. Used to Order More Parts
• Witen Fund?
– Provide Additional Funding for the Project
– Apply After the Project is Complete
46
Timeline - Proposed
Timeline - Actual
Jan-10
Research
Evaluate Design and Optimize
Project Proposal
Buying Parts
Function Specification
Hardware Integration
Progress Report Presentation
Software Development
Design Specification
Written Progress Report
Demo Presentation
Document and Journal
Post Mortem
Feb-10
Mar-10
Apr-10
Outline
1. Who We Are
2. Motivation
3. Project Overview
4. Hardware
5. Software
6. Budget & Timeline
7. Future Development
8. Business Plan
49
Future Development
50
Future Work
• Custom flow sensors (high flow / high accuracy)
• Memory chip to store daily / weekly / monthly
usage
• Flow management software
51
Future Work
• Use of switching regulators vs linear regulators
currently in use
•90% efficient vs 50%
•Reliability (heat generation)
•Halved battery power consumption
•Battery use efficiency with step-up voltage
regulators
• Further revisions to software to support
shutting off LCD backlight, and putting PIC
controller and wireless transceivers into sleep
mode
52
Outline
1. Who We Are
2. Motivation
3. Project Overview
4. Hardware
5. Software
6. Budget & Timeline
7. Future Development
8. Business Plan
53
Business Plan
• Immediately apply for provisional patent
• Conduct extensive market research
• Present at trade shows
• Speak to building developers, see what features are in
demand
– See if they would like to install these for demonstration run
• Contact retail chains such as Costco and Home Depot to
gauge demand
• Speak to incumbents, attempt to negotiate IP /
manufacturing agreement
54
What we learned!
• Communication is key
• Ask questions
• Talk to component manufacturers, they give great advice and
sometimes they give things for free
• Plan for the worst, because things won’t go as planned
• Suppliers may let you down (Ie PCB manufacturer), must have backup
plans
55
One More Thing…
Conclusion
The Verdict….
Questions
?
Bloopers