EECE 410L : Electrics Laboratory 1

Experiment 3

Experiment 3_Part I
Design of an Experimental Setup
Design and build an experimental setup to characterize an element using automated measurement techniques
by investigating different engineering tools and alternatives

American University of Beirut

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Experiment 3

Contents
I. Objectives .................................................................................................................................. 3

II. Problem Statement................................................................................................................. 3

III. Laboratory Facility Setup ..................................................................................................... 3

A. Hardware .............................................................................................................................. 3

B. Software Tools..................................................................................................................... 4

IV. Engineering Design Process ................................................................................................ 4

A. Define problem statement and Determine Requirements ................................. 5

B. Generate alternative Design Concepts ....................................................................... 5

B1. Functional Decomposition.................................................................................................. 5

B2. Alternative Function Concepts ......................................................................................... 6

B3. Alternative Designs................................................................................................................ 6

C. final Design concept Selection and Decision ............................................................ 7

D. Model/Build Design Subsystems .................................................................................. 7

D1. Variable Illumination ............................................................................................................ 8

D2. Automation of variable voltage ........................................................................................ 8

D3. Revision in Design .................................................................................................................. 9

V. Appendix: In-lab ....................................................................................................................10

A. Step1: Determining Requirements ............................................................................10

B. Step2: Generate alternative Design Concepts ........................................................10

C. Step3: final Design concept Selection and Decision ............................................12

D. Step4: Model/Build Design Subsystems ..................................................................13

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Experiment 3

I. OBJECTIVES

Students should learn how to:

• Apply the steps of the engineering design process to design an experimental
setup based on a given problem statement
• Evaluate different design alternatives and decide on a final design concept
satisfying given objectives and constraints
• Conduct experiments to properly characterize the parameters of an unknown
device
• Gain experience in proper analysis and utilization of specifications provided
by datasheets
• Use tools necessary for engineering practice such as laboratory instruments
and tools used in hardware and software implementation

II. PROBLEM STATEMENT

Sensotronix factory specializes in the fabrication of light measurement devices.

One of their main lines of production is light sensors. You work at the department
of quality control and testing in the factory. The department operates a laboratory
facility equipped with hardware and software devices and systems (refer to
“laboratory facility setup” section).
The production manager requested from your office to design and build an
automated setup that shall be used any time of the day to experimentally generate
a datasheet that characterizes the electrical properties of an LDR sensor operating
between 0 lux – 400 lux.
The lab also conforms to the international safety standards adopted by similar
electrical testing facilities. It is important to note that such production facilities
use different types of chemicals and flammable material.

III. LABORATORY FACILITY SETUP

The lab is equipped with the following items, and it is usually preferable to use
available lab resources in prototyping designs.

A. HARDWARE
• Standard electrical lab instruments (Power supplies, function generators,
oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, …)
• Standard electronic components (resistors, transistors, capacitors, Op-amp…)
• PCI data acquisition board (PCI-6251)
• USB data acquisition system (NI_USB_6251)
• NI myDAQ platform
• DAQ connection box (SCB68)
• Microcontrollers (16F84, 16F877, 16F887)
• Arduino UNO
• Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)
• Handheld Lux Meters (calibrated)
• Sensors: Phototransistor, Photodiode, LDR (photoresistor)
• Kerosene lanterns with variable intensity control
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Experiment 3

• Fluorescent lamps
• And, any other device that can be procured from the market

B. SOFTWARE TOOLS
• LABVIEW
• Microchip MPLAB
• MikroC for PIC programming
• CX Programmer for PLC programming
• Arduino IDE
• MATLAB
• Visual Studio
• Microsoft Office
• Cadence ORCAD software

IV. ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

Engineering Design Process

Define the problem and

determine requirements

Generate alternative
design concepts

Select and Decide on a

final Design concept

Model/Build the design

Test/Evaluate the design

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Experiment 3

A. DEFINE PROBLEM STATEMENT AND DETERMINE REQUIREMENTS

Deduce the design specifications from the problem statement and categorize them into
“MUSTs” and “WANTs”.

• MUSTs or “Demanded” characteristics: Objectives that are required to be met

contractually or that must be met for the design to properly function.
If treated as a WISH → failure of the design.

• WANTs or “Wished for” characteristics: Objectives that are desirable but not
crucial to the final design contractually or functionally.
If treated as a demand → design becomes more complicated.

Exercise 1 • Refer to in-lab exercise A-1

B. GENERATE ALTERNATIVE DESIGN CONCEPTS

After determining the MUSTs and WANTs from the problem definition, at least three
different alternative designs should be brainstormed and formulated.

Research-based approaches such as analogies, reverse engineering and literature are

useful and needed at this stage of the process to help identify new or unknown methods,
components, and alternatives. Noting that, when the system is complex, functional
decomposition can simplify the process of generating alternatives.

B1. FUNCTIONAL DECOMPOSITION

Functional Decomposition is the process of taking a complex process and breaking it

down into its smaller, simpler tasks (functions).

Decompose the design objective into a series of functions.

Automated System
for sensor
characterization

Function 1 Function 2 ...... Function x

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Experiment 3

B2. ALTERNATIVE FUNCTION CONCEPTS

A good design begins with a good design concept. You’re trying to solve a problem, and
your concept will lead the way and give you direction for your design decisions
(alternatives).

A design concept is the idea behind a design (not the details).

Find 3 different concepts for each function.

Concept Concept I Concept II Concept III

Function

Function A A1 A2 A3

Function B B1 B2 B3

Function C C1 C2 C3

Function D D1 D2 D3

B3. ALTERNATIVE DESIGNS

Combine function concepts to form at least 3 alternative design concepts.

Exercise 2 • Refer to in-lab exercise B-2 & B-3

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Experiment 3

C. FINAL DESIGN CONCEPT SELECTION AND DECISION

The design which fulfills all the specified criteria (MUSTs and WANTs) would be the
design of choice. However, it is very seldom that there is a clear-cut winner that satisfies
all the needed characteristics. It is then the responsibility of the designers to figure out
which characteristics are the most important.

One way to figure out the right choice, when there are many options, is constructing a
decision matrix.

Evaluate the selected design alternatives using a decision matrix (KTDA table) to select
the final design using the following steps:

• Step 1. Include the evaluation criteria (MUSTs and WANTs) in the matrix
• Step 2. Weigh the evaluation criteria (WANTs)
• Step 3. Cancel out the design alternatives that violates at least one “MUST”
• Step 4. Assign a rating to each design alternative according to how well it satisfies
a given evaluation criterion (i.e. WANT)
• Step 5. Calculate the overall value for each alternative.
• Step 6. Interpret the results to select a design solution

Exercise 3 • Refer to in-lab exercise C.1

D. MODEL/BUILD DESIGN SUBSYSTEMS

Identify your subsystems

Automated System
for sensor characterization

Variable Collecting and

Measure R Measure Lux
illumination processing data
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Experiment 3

D1. VARIABLE ILLUMINATION

Devise an experimental procedure to test the incandescent lamp characteristics, i.e., the
relationship between the lux generated and input voltage. The aim is to know the
voltage range that produces the desired lux range (10-400lux) and the current
consumption of the lamp at full power.

Vary the voltage applied to the lamp from 0 to 10V using the variable power supply.

• Measure the light intensity produced by the lamp using the hand-held lux meter.
• To ensure no interference from external light sources, the incandescent lamp
should be isolated while testing it.

Exercise 4 • Refer to in-lab exercise D.1

D2. AUTOMATION OF VARIABLE VOLTAGE

The external power supply used in experiment D.1 cannot be automated. Since LabVIEW
and NI MyDAQ was selected as a solution for automation of the setup, we shall investigate
what are the power supplies or voltage outputs available in NI MyDAQ.

The power source selected should meet the voltage and current levels needed to power
the lamp.

Check all the power sources available in MyDAQ. For each source, indicate the voltage
level, maximum current output, and whether it is a variable or a fixed source.

Exercise 5 • Refer to in-lab exercise D.2

As found, the output current from myDAQ is not enough to drive the lamp directly (which
is the case for many data acquisition boards or microcontrollers). To remedy this
problem, a power amplifier is needed.

A transistor can provide very good current amplification and could be used for this task.
A single transistor may work as a linear amplifier for this application; however, it will
waste a lot of power in doing so.

A transistor amplifier that dissipates too much power would require a big, expensive heat
sink to stay cool enough to function. An efficient amplifier with a large power rating is
needed instead. There is a class of power amplifiers that is very efficient, with efficiencies
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Experiment 3

of up to 95%; it is referred to as class-D amplifiers, or Pulse Width Modulated (PWM)

amplifiers (PWM_Appendix).

D3. REVISION IN DESIGN

Since a PWM circuitry should be designed, the design subsystems are revisited to include
PWM circuitry as a new subsystem while building the model.

Automated System
for sensor characterization

Variable Collecting and

Measure R Measure Lux
illumination processing data
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Experiment 3

V. APPENDIX: IN-LAB

A. STEP1: DETERMINING REQUIREMENTS

Exercise A.1

Deduce the design specifications from the problem statement and categorize
them into: “MUSTS” and “WANTS”

For the "Musts" list only the ones you can find in the problem statement.

As for the "Wants" fill all the rows in the table below.

“Demanded Characteristics” or “Wished for” Characteristics or

“MUSTS” “WANTS”
• •
• •
• •
• •

B. STEP2: GENERATE ALTERNATIVE DESIGN CONC EPTS

Exercise B.1

Decompose the design objective into a series of functions

Automated
System for sensor
characterization

Exercise B.2

Find 3 different concepts for each function

Hints:

• Check available lab facility resources

• Brainstorm new ideas
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Experiment 3

• Use web search

• Use manual appendices

Function Concept 1 Concept 2 Concept 3

Concept
A.
B.
C.
D.
Exercise B.3

Combine function concepts to form at least 3 alternative design concepts. (example:

A1+B3+C2+D3)

Design Alternative I
Design Alternative II
Design Alternative III
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Experiment 3

C. STEP3: FINAL DESIGN CONCEPT SELECTION AND DECISION

Exercise C.1

Evaluate the design alternatives using a decision matrix (KTDA table) to select the
final design.

Selected Design Alternative

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Experiment 3

D. STEP4: MODEL/BUILD DESIGN SUBSYSTEMS

Exercise D.1

Vary the voltage applied to the lamp and record the lux produced.

1V 2V 3V 4V 5V 6V 7V 8V 9V 10V
Lux generated

Record the current drawn by the lamp at 400 lux

Max Current (mA) = ?

Hints:

• Make sure the lamp is isolated properly.

• Wait around 5 seconds before taking the measurements
• Measure the current using the meter on the power supply display.

Exercise D.2
Record MyDAQ power supplies voltage/current specifications from the datasheet.

# DC Power supply type/form Fixed/Variable Voltage value Output

Current
1
2
3
4
5

Which of the above power sources can be used to power the lamp?