Laurel Tree Charter School energy use visualization
The Lonely Protons' goal for this project is to provide Laurel Tree Charter School with an energy monitoring system that shows energy consumption in a way that was both interesting and understandable to students of all ages.
Introduction[edit | edit source]
The Lonely Protons is a group of two Cal Poly Humboldt Environmental Resources Engineering students in the Fall 2012 ENGR 215 design class. Our design project is to create a way for the students and faculty of Laurel Tree Charter School to be able to visually see their energy consumption at the school in a way that is understandable to students of all ages (K-12.) The solution decided upon by the Lonely Protons and Laurel Tree is to use a combination of arduinos and an intuitive optical colored display to express energy usage. Energy usage data will be obtained at the building source (breaker box) and sent to a micro-controller that will then use a color changing light source to illuminate a quartz crystal with colored light, thus indicating energy usage based on color.
Problem Statement and Criteria[edit | edit source]
The students of Laurel Tree Charter School had no clear means of monitoring their electrical usage.
| Criteria | Weight | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 97 | The project will be in a school; it is of utmost importance that it is safe, and that malfunctions or general operation not be harmful to students or physical items. |
| Show Energy in Interesting Way | 90 | It was determined that the project had to be visually interesting, or it wouldn't be utilized as much as desired. |
| Understandable By All Ages | 83 | The project also had to indicate energy usage in a way that anyone of school age could understand. |
| Achievable Within Allotted Time-frame | 77 | The alternative solutions developed showed The Lonely Protons that feasibility of the project was also important; if the project was not finish-able in the time frame allotted, the goal would not be met. |
| Durability and Maintenance | 57 | The Lonely Protons want the project to last for at least five years, and for any general maintenance to be perform-able by anyone with general knowledge and ability to follow directions given by the Lonely Protons. |
| Cost | 17 | Cost was listed as a low priority as The Lonely Protons could not exceed budget even if desired; however, time spent fundraising would distract from time spent on research and construction. |
Final Project[edit | edit source]
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Green Crystal Display - Low energy consumption -
Yellow Crystal Display - Moderate energy consumption -
Red Crystal Display - High energy consumption
Costs[edit | edit source]
| Material | Cost |
|---|---|
| Nanode v5 Kit | $39.99 |
| emonTx 433Mhz kit | $47.00 |
| CT Sensor | $23.15 |
| JeeLabs RFM12B Board | $21.95 |
| Fiber Optic Line | $26.00 |
| BB400T Breadboard | $5.50 |
| Electrical Wall Housing | $3.99 |
| Miscellaneous Hardware | $2.00 |
| Super Glue | $6.29 |
| Lamp Housing | $8.99 |
| Fishing Wire 8lb Test | $2.69 |
| Engraved Plaque | Donated |
| Surge Protector | Donated |
| 2 USB Cables | Donated |
| Quartz Crystal | Donated |
| Wood | Donated |
| Lexan | Donated |
| Total | $185.69 |
Discussion and Next Steps[edit | edit source]
The Lonely Protons[edit | edit source]
Team Members[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Norton, Josiah. (2012) "JosiahNortonACAD4.png" Nov. 12, 2012.