SENIOR YEAR DESIGN CLASS AND PROJECTS
Senior Design 1 (EE4103)
The fall semester senior design project is designed to take the student through
the entire engineering design process. Students "interview" with faculty
sponsors for positions on design teams. Each team which is formed is to build
the same item -- in recent years a function generator and a +/- 15V power
supply -- to a set of specifications. Each team must submit designs which
meet the specifications, and approved designs are selected both on the basis
of feasibility and minimizing the use of the same design by more than one
team. Students go through reviews, status reports, testing, and redesign
processes, keeping in mind supply schedules and budget limitations. In the
final part of the class, the students are required to package and provide
documentation for their products, as well as promote and sell the product at
a "sales fair" held during the last week of classes.
Senior Design 2 (EE4203)
Although officially scheduled in the spring, the major senior design project
work often begins in fall, in order to formulate preliminary designs, parts
lists, budgetary needs, etc. Students, alone or in pairs, may work on any
project of interest to them and one of the faculty, as long as the project
is feasible both in time and the knowledge of the students involved. Some
recent design projects advised by Prof. LoPresti are described below.
Fiber Optic Network Layout Optimization Software Application
(Christopher Smith, 1995/1996)
The project required the development of a software application which determined the optimal combination and configuration of the components in a new fiber optic transmission line under a number of physical and budgetary constraints. For
long-distance lines to be run through a large number of existing stations, the number of potential component combinations increases exponentially. The software package developed eliminates the majority of these combinations based on a set of engineering design rules, budgetary constraints, and component
specifications, and tests the remaining few for the optimum configuration, where the optimal system was deemed to be the least costly. The algorithm which was
developed solved the problem in approximately one minute of real time for systems of up to 20 stations in length. This project was sponsored by LDDS/WorldCom for use in its headquarters in Tulsa.
Prototypical Frequency Division Multiplexed Optical Local Area Network (LAN)
(Dirk Schoellner, 1995/1996)
A small point-to-point optical network was constructed to explore the nature of frequency multiplexing in optical communications systems. Three light sources
(red, amber, green) were optimally coupled into a multi-mode fiber, each source modulated by a characteristic carrier frequency. The output from the fiber was processed to provide collimated light to a wavelength filter composed of a voltage-controlled liquid-crystal-based resonator sandwiched between partially reflecting mirrors and crossed polarizers. Proper control of the voltage applied to the cell selected one of the input wavelengths, which would be passed on to a dedicated receiver circuit.
Laser Sign
(Richard Jueschke, 1996)
The objective of the project was to spell out TU by redirecting the light from a single laser diode system in a rapid yet controlled manner. Light from the laser was split into two arms, each arm responsible for the drawing of one of the letters. Stepper motors controlled the horizontal and vertical deflection of the light in each arm and projected the beam onto a distant screen. The control circuitry was required to coordinate the actions of the four motors, reset the motors to the correct starting position, provide adequate drive current to the laser as well as current protection.
Fiber Optic Cable Attenuatometer
(Sanida Divanovic, Anisa Celjo, 1995/1996)
The purpose of the project was to construct a testbed for measuring the attenuation of a prescribed length of multimode optical fiber. The optical input was provided by a laser diode system. Part of the input light was split
from that coupled into the fiber to provide a reference power for the processing circuitry. The output light was coupled to a separate photodiode and passed on to the processor. Circuitry was constructed to calculate attenuation via simple equations, while internally compensating for calculated coupling and reflection
losses.
Single-mode, Non-destructive, Passive Fiber Optic Cable Power Attenuator
(Sakid Ahmed, Brett Wilburn 1995/1996)
The objective of the project was the design and development of a non-destructive, passive, single-mode fiber optic cable attneuator that will provide up to 50dB of attenuation over the wavelength ranges typically utilized in optical communication systems. Macrobending and microbending methods were investigated, and two distinct prototypes were constructed. Restrictions on weight, size, and ease of use directly impacted on the design process. The project was sponsored by LDDS/WorldCom, a telecommunications corporation headquartered in Tulsa, for eventual use by its field technicians performing
fiber quality inspections.
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