Independent Study Projects. Please read our overview on why ACES pursue Independent Study Projects so vigorously.
To my mind, the characteristics of a great project include such aspects as imagination, creativity, a degree of risk and, sometimes, even simplicity, to name a few. Check out the flashlight circuit 'board' this guy made out of little more that a piece of paper and a pencil? Simple, but inspiring.
Consider a problem that needs a solutions. Boyan Slat did at age 17 when he was in high school; four years later he is 
cleaning up the world's oceans. So, dig in, think, dream, research, and explore possible project pursuits. Be discerning: don't accept the first thing that comes along. You'll be expected to maintain the progress of your ISP on your web page to enable everyone to follow your efforts so have your phone handy to at all times to capture the images of your journey. Be conscious of the fact that a multi-page summary of your project will appear in your ER after Presentation Day for more permanent record of your efforts. You may wish to take into account the ISP Evaluation document that will be applied on your Presentation Day.
Also, don't underestimate the value of an enterprise/entrepreneurial aspect to your project that could see a number of units of your project for sale in the Dragon's Lair or beyond, reaching an even a broader audience.
Barkway, D. |
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RGB LED Tester |
Carson, R. |
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Voltage Divider |
Dolgin, J. |
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Tiny84 Dev Board |
Dreger, B. |
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nRF to LCD |
Fatola, F. |
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Decade Counter |
Kingsley, Z. |
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Volume Machine |
Lank, J. |
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LCD Equalizer |
Macdonald, C. |
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00-99 Counter |
Mazzuca, L. |
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NAND Gate Osc. |
McCutcheon, M. |
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OLED Equalizer |
McFarlane, O. |
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7-Segment Tester |
Parker, J. |
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Breathing LED |
Peterson, S. |
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Bicolor Matrix |
Pyper, E. |
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4017 Ring |
Rigby, A. |
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NPN Tester |
Vassos, N. |
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Voltage Division |
Watson, L. |
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555 Timer |
Wilkinson, F. |
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Battery Indicator |
Woollcombe, N. |
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7-Segment Tester |
For the bulk of your formal education you have been, and will continue to be, required to consume curriculum chosen for you by someone else. Fortunately (hopefully) you will put this knowledge and skill to good use in your future.
However, jumping through someone else's hoops alone does not, typically, secure future success. For that, you must demonstrate your own initiative, motivation, and passion. These qualities need to be cultivated and our Grade 10 hardware course is a perfect place to start. There is so much to learn and there are so many great projects out there that offer stimulating contexts within which to develop and refine your interests.
Barkway: This is a device that can be connected to a guitar to distort sound and change the loudness of it. CAD will be employed to design and print a case for the device.
Barkway: When the Netlfix Button on a remote is clicked, it turns on music, turns off the lights, and turns on dimmed lights. Will also include a designed platform to hold the circuits on a wall, and a connector between a servo motor and a stylus pen. Also turns on Netflix.
Design: 3D Printing
Communication: IR
Carson: A device that blocks electronics from receiving calls or Wi-Fi signals, housed in a custom 3D designed and printed case.
Carson: It will be a module that can be placed over a door handle so that you can open a door using your feet when your hands are full. It will also include a locking mechanism and an alarm that can be used remotely.
Design: 3D Printing
Communication: IR, BT
Dolgin: A 3D designed trash bin with placement tray. Once an ultrasonic sensor detects an object in the tray, it will lift the tray and place the contents in a larger reservoir. Another sensor is employed to monitor the available capacity of the bin and displays this result on a bargraph.
Dolgin: RF controlled two wheel rover design, able to turn right, left, travel forwards and backwards using a joystick or push buttons. Fusion will be used to design the body, case, and eagle will be used to design the PCB remote
Design: EAGLE PCB, 3D Print
Communication: RF, possibly IR
Dreger: This device employs a wireless keypad for activation/deactivation. The clock housing and remote case will be designed in CAD and printed.
Dreger: I will create two devices that use a GPS module to get the position then send that position, via a SIM card module to a phone or on the other device it will send the position to another Arduino with an LCD Screen via an nRF
Design: EAGLE PCB, 3D Print
Communication: RF
Fatola: Players have to match numbers on 2 7-segment displays with 1 7-segment display presenting a randomly-generated number from 0 to 9 at a certain speed. The speed depends on the speed which an object passes a through a pair of proximity sensors.
Fatola: This is a project where multiplication questions will show up on and LCD screen. Using an IR remote and buttons, both players must answer the question correctly. For every question answered correctly, 2 motors will lower some kind of piece (plastic, metal, etc) towards a pair of IR sensors. Once the IR sensors read the presence of an object, the previously red bi-color LED will turn green. The first player to accomplish this wins the game.
Design: 3D Print
Communication: IR
Kingsley: I will be designing a robotic claw in CAD and 3D printing it. Servo motors will be employed to move the claw, controlled by an Arduino.
Kingsley: I will create a music box, capable of making a total of 9 different notes and be controlling it with a remote control using IR. A case will be made to house the components of the music box and will have volume control as well.
Design: 3D Print
Communication: IR
Lank: This machine employs an Adafruit color sensor to determine the colour of a Skittle. A stepper motor will be employed to relocate the object to its correct colour bin with the help of 3D designed and printed parts.
Lank: A PCB will be designed to control a OLED display which takes readings from I2C weather sensors and displays them, making a mini weather station. I will have an outdoor case(containing sensors) wirelessly transmitting the sensor data to the indoor display.
Design: EAGLE PCB
Communication: I2C
Macdonald: This station will monitor temperature, air pressure, altitude, humidity and possibly other features. A 3D designed and printed case will house the station.
Macdonald: The Sensor Buoy will send different types of environmental data gathered by different sensors. The data will be sent using
Design: 3D Print
Communication: RF
Mazzuca: Ideally, the board would have two matrices (?) (1 per fencer) that will display the points each fencer has accumulated and when a fencer's sword has hit metal, The CAD aspect will be the employed to create the enclosure.
Mazzuca: Ideally, the board would have two matrices (?) (1 per fencer) that will display the points each fencer has accumulated and when a fencer's sword has hit metal, The CAD aspect will be the employed to create the enclosure.
Design: 3D Print
Communication: not sure
McCutcheon: A sound-reactive circuit that will divide up audio input (microphone/line in) into several different frequencies and then display it as a visual animation (matrix/bargraph).
McCutcheon: A machine that will draw on paper using a pen controlled by servos and steppers. it will use WIFI communication from the computer to send letters to the machine that will then print it.
Design: 3D Print
Communication: I2C, RF
McFarlane: Using EAGLE, a PCB will be designed that includes all of the visible steps incorporated in the culminating Grade 10 ACES project of the same name. This device gives the Grade 10s an opportunity to take their project to a polished level.
McFarlane: A mini rc car using a hobby motor and radio frequency to control it.
Design: Not Indicated
Communication: RF
Parker: An ultrasonic sensor mounted on a motor and housed in a 3D printed case. It will spin the sensor around to give the same effect as a traditional radar station with a connected siren.
Parker: I am going to try and recreate the famous Wii remote made by Nintendo. It uses IR as its main source of communications and a variety of IC's that control the readings for the movements. The different buttons will also be recreated using different push buttons to the same effect. A case will be 3D printed and a PCB could be designed if time allows it, but it may be soldered on a perma proto board
Design: SMT EAGLE PCB, 3D Print
Communication: IR
Peterson: An LED is tilted on a matrix under the influence of a signal from an IMU that uses a gyroscope and accelerometer. The software will use my custom LED Matrix library. A EAGLE-designed PCB will be employed and encased in a 3D-printed or friction-fit, laser cut housing.
Peterson: Multiple I2C devices that sense things such as humidity, temperature, air pressure, and oxygen concentration will be mounted on an EAGLE PCB and placed in a 3D printed case. These devices will send their readings to the Arduino via RF technology. Using processing, a graphic display of the various sensor readings will be made using serial data
Design: EAGLE PCB, 3D Print
Communication:Serial, I2C, RF
Pyper: This is a game in which a motor controls a claw that picks up objects. CAD is employed to make various parts, such as the claw.
Pyper: The project consists of a remote controlled robot desined like a spyder. the robot uses a camera to provide a live feed of what it sees.
Design: 3D Print
Communication: Bluetooth
Rigby: Switches are used to set a particular note before the master is set to play back the sequence. Notes are displayed on an LCD Screen. The project is housed in a custom case with the notes embossed on the shell.
Rigby: Use EAGLE to incorporate a circuit board and print a casing to hide the circuitry discreetly next to the blind.
Design: EAGLE PCB, 3D Print
Communication: Bluetooth
Vassos: It is the classic Simon memory game employing 4 LEDs that flash in a sequence that must be repeated by the player pressing buttons. If you fail to repeat the sequence, you lose. Housing will be designed with ViaCAD and 3D printed.
Vassos: Two players using two Arduinos from across a room can play pong against each other through RF communication. This game will be displayed on a matrix that each player will have. Appropriate housing will be designed and 3D printed
Design: 3D Print
Communication: RF
Watson: I am going to make a wire-cutting machine that will cut wire to a predetermined length. An LCD monitors the length of the cutting process and signals when it is complete. Some form of encasement will be designed. Time permitting, I will try to incorporate a stripping feature.
Watson: Will test the strength/Frequency of an ir connection, will use the Morland ShiftBar to display it. will be in a 3D design and printed case.
Design: 3D Printed Case
Communication: IR
Wilkinson: This device is a heart and BPM Monitor. The custom housing and sensor casing will be designed and printed.
Wilkinson: I intend to create a system which uses infrared communication to allow a user to draw on a graphic LCD screen. This will include a system similar to an Etch-A-Sketch where knobs are used as opposed to traditional directional controls. The screen and all necessary components will be encased in a 3d-printed housing(s).
Design: 3D Printed Case
Communication: IR
Woollcombe: I will create a door lock that is able to be locked and unlocked through the use of an RFID card. The door will employ a servo motor to manipulate a bolt. CAD will be employed to design a case.
Woollcombe: First, I am going to create a display using WS2812 Integrated Light Sources. The display will be around 1.4 m is length, and will be seven strips high. Then, I am going to use an Arduino Uno WiFi Rev2 to download, and display the real-time data on the display
Design: 3D Printed Case
Communication: Bluetooth, WiFi