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]
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.