Sonca Teng, Michael Hou, Kwang-young Lee, Aaron Marcano

Wirelessly Networked Faucet and Showerhead System

ENSC 440 Capstone Project Spring 2010

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Outline

1. Who We Are2. Motivation3. Project Overview4. Hardware5. Software6. Budget & Timeline7. Future Development8. Business Plan

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Outline

1. Who We Are2. Motivation3. Project Overview4. Hardware5. Software6. Budget & Timeline7. Future Development8. Business Plan

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Who We Are

The Team:CEO : SoncaTengProject Lead | Electronics Design | Wireless Development

COO: Michael HouSoftware Integration | Mechanical Design | Solidworks Modeler

CFO : Kwang-young LeeFinance Manager | Software Lead | LCD and Flow Sensor Programming

CTO : Aaron MarcanoSystems Integration | Lead Wireless System Developer | Team Motivator

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Outline

1. Who We Are2. Motivation3. Project Overview4. Hardware5. Software6. Budget & Timeline7. Future Development8. Business Plan

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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The Microflow Solution

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The Microflow Solution

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Video Demo - Introduction

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Outline

1. Who We Are2. Motivation3. Project Overview4. Hardware5. Software6. Budget & Timeline7. Future Development8. Business Plan

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System Overview

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High Level System Design

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Outline

1. Who We Are2. Motivation3. Project Overview4. Hardware5. Software6. Budget & Timeline7. Future Development8. Business Plans

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Faucet

• Start with generic Home Depot faucet as base

• Watertight LCD enclosure

• In-line flow sensor

• Controller / transceiver enclosure

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Showerhead

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Microcontroller

• Control All Other Components

• Low Power Consumption

• Easy to Program and Use

• CHEAP!

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Microcontroller

• Control LCD Module (I/O)

• Receive Input from Flow Sensor (Interrupt0)

• Control Wireless Transceiver (SPI)

INITIALIZATION

DISPLAY LCDCURRENT

VALUE

NETWORK VALUE

AVAILABLE?

DISPLAY LCDNETWORK

VALUEY

N

RESET OR START-UP

INTERRUPTFLOW

SENSOR

INTERRUPTTRANSCEIVER

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LCD Display

• 2 x 16 Character Display

• Controlled by the Microcontroller (4-bit)

• Controllable LED Backlight

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User Interface

• During Water Usage

• After 10 Second Delay

• Also Programmable for American Market:Fluid OZ, Gallon Display

Session: 233 mLNetwork: 14.79 L

Total: 4.33 LNetwork: 14.79 L

Session: 439 ozNetwork: 10.52 g

Total: 2.16 gNetwork: 10.52 g

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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)

Sub parts – Transceiver

• Wireless Transceiver– MiWi™

– Zigbee™

• Connected to Microcontroller via SPI

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Outline

1. Who We Are2. Motivation3. Project Overview4. Hardware5. Software6. Budget & Timeline7. Future Development8. Business Plans

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

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Further Applications

• Cooking

• Gardening, Lawn Watering

• Industrial Use, Leak Detection, Municipal Monitoring

• Suite management for Landlords

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Outline

1. Who We Are2. Motivation3. Project Overview4. Hardware5. Software6. Budget & Timeline7. Future Development8. Business Plan

Proposed BudgetPart Name Number of

Units Individual Cost Total Cost

Mechanical PartsOMEGA Flow Sensor (FTB2004) 3 95.00 285.00RONA Faucets 3 25.00 75.00Various Fittings, Hoses, Tubes, Clamps 1 40.00 40.00Electronic Parts MICROCHIP 16bit PIC (PIC24F16KA102) 3 2.00 6.00MICROCHIP RF Module (MRF24J40) 3 20.00 60.00MICROCHIP PIC Programmer (PICkit 3 ICD) 1 50.00 50.00MICROCHIP RF Dev Board (PICDEM Z) 1 110.00 110.00NEWHAVEN 2x16 LCD 3 15.00 45.00Miscellaneous Parts 1 50.00 50.00Taxes & Shipping 1 100.00 100.00TOTAL $821.00

Actual Cost - MechanicalPART SUPPLIER PIECES PRICE PER UNIT UNIT TAX SHIPPING TOTAL

MechanicalRONA 4IN FAUCET RONA 2 $22.98 CAD $5.52 $0.00 $51.481/4" Hose RONA 1 $4.54 CAD $0.54 $0.00 $5.081/4" Hose Clamp RONA 4 $0.68 CAD $0.33 $0.00 $3.053/8FNPT to Hose Barb Fittings McMaster 1 $9.45 US $0.00 $0.00 $9.45FLOW RATE SENSOR OMEGA.CA 3 $92.00 CAD $14.40 $12.00 $302.40ShowerHead HomeDepot 1 $17.49 CAD $0.00 $0.00 $17.49Showerhead Base HomeDepot 1 $15.47 CAD $3.96 $0.00 $19.43Vinyl Tubing HomeDepot 1 $4.49 CAD $0.53 $0.00 $5.021/2MIP to 3/8 Fitting HomeDepot 1 $3.49 CAD $0.00 $0.00 $3.49BR. Reducer HomeDepot 1 $4.49 CAD $0.96 $0.00 $5.45Plexiglass 3/8" thickness HomeDepot 1 $5.00 CAD $0.00 $0.00 $5.004" FAUCET HomeDepot 1 $22.98 CAD $2.76 $0.00 $25.74Hose Clamps HomeDepot 2 $0.66 CAD $0.00 $0.00 $1.32Teflon Tape HomeDepot 1 $0.69 CAD $0.00 $0.00 $0.691/4 Copper Coupling HomeDepot 1 $0.74 CAD $0.00 $0.00 $0.743/8 Copper Coupling HomeDepot 1 $0.84 CAD $0.00 $0.00 $0.84Braided Hose for Faucet HomeDepot 3 $6.99 CAD $4.75 $0.00 $25.72

Actual Cost - ElectornicsPART SUPPLIER PIECES PRICE PER UNIT UNIT TAX SHIPPING TOTAL

ElectricalZENA Network Analyzer Digikey 1 $147.27 CAD $0.00 $0.00 $147.270.10microF Capacitors Digikey 10 $0.08 CAD $7.80 $8.00 $16.55RF Transceiver Modules Digikey 3 $21.47 CAD $0.00 $0.00 $64.41PICKit3 PIC Programmer Digikey 1 $50.93 CAD $0.00 $0.00 $50.93PICDEM Z MotherBoard Digikey 1 $101.95 CAD $10.86 $0.00 $112.81RJ11 Programmer Cable Digikey 1 $11.32 CAD $0.00 $0.00 $11.323.3V Voltage Regulators Digikey 3 $1.82 CAD $0.00 $0.00 $5.4610microF Capacitors Digikey 5 $0.35 CAD $0.00 $0.00 $1.749V Battery Holder Digikey 3 $1.50 CAD $1.55 $8.00 $14.05PICDEM Z MotherBoard Return Digikey 1 -$101.95 CAD -$5.10 $16.52 -$90.53LCD Display Green NewHeaven Display 3 $16.00 CAD $0.00 12.16 $60.16PICDEM Z Board Connector Digikey 1 $20.86 CAD $0.00 $0.00 $20.86Diode 20V 1A Digikey 4 $0.46 CAD $0.00 $0.00 $1.84Radial Inductor 100uH 1A Digikey 4 $0.66 CAD $0.00 $0.00 $2.64100uF 6.3V Mini Alum Elect Digikey 10 $0.11 CAD $1.72 $8.00 $10.83New Switching Regulators Maxim 1 $0.00 CAD $0.00 $15.00 $15.00New Switching Regulators Maxim 3 $2.50 US $0.00 $0.00 $7.50The Letter Carrier Service Charge The Letter Carrier 5 $4.00 US $0.00 $0.00 $20.005V Linear Voltage Regulators RPElectronics 3 $1.25 CAD $0.00 $0.00 $3.75Double Row Header RPElectronics 1 $1.70 CAD $0.00 $0.65 $2.35Miscellaneous RPElectronics 1 $20.00 CAD $0.00 $0.00 $20.006-Pack 9V Batteries HomeDepot 1 $14.99 CAD $0.00 $0.00 $14.99

Actual Cost - Individual

Aaron Marcano Kwang-young Lee Michael Hou Sonca Teng$0.00

$100.00

$200.00

$300.00

$400.00

$500.00

$600.00

$700.00

Cost Summary

• Total:– $876.56

• $50 Over-Run• Shipping• Failed Devices and Their Replacements• Network Analyzer• Extra Showerhead Design and Implementation

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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

Timeline - Proposed

Timeline - Actual

Research

Evaluate Design and Op-timize

Project Proposal

Buying Parts

Function Specification

Hardware Integration

Progress Report Presenta-tion

Software Development

Design Specification

Written Progress Report

Demo Presentation

Document and Journal

Post Mortem

Jan-10 Feb-10 Mar-10 Apr-10

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Outline

1. Who We Are2. Motivation3. Project Overview4. Hardware5. Software6. Budget & Timeline7. Future Development8. Business Plan

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Future Development

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Future Work

• Custom flow sensors (high flow / high accuracy)

• Memory chip to store daily / weekly / monthly usage

• Flow management software

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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

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Outline

1. Who We Are2. Motivation3. Project Overview4. Hardware5. Software6. Budget & Timeline7. Future Development8. Business Plan

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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

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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

One More Thing…

Conclusion

The Verdict….

Questions

?

Bloopers