Independent Study Projects. Please read our overview on why ACES pursue Independent Study Projects so vigorously. 2016-2017 TEI4M Independent Study Projects (ISPs) |
Independent Study Projects. Please read our overview on why ACES pursue Independent Study Projects so vigorously.
| Student ISP Design Progress | ||
|---|---|---|
| Saturday | 3D Print Jobs | CAD files to Mr. Elia |
| April 8 | 1 | 0 |
| April 15 | 1 (AE) | 1 (GC) |
| April 22 | 0 | 1 (PB) |
| April 29 | ||
| May 3 | ||
| May 10 | ||
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 in the hands of future ACES, for sale in the Dragon's Lair or beyond, reaching an even a broader audience.
| ACE | Short (4-6 weeks) | Medium (6-7 weeks) | Flex Circuit (2 weeks) | Long (8 weeks) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Armstrong, S. |
Magnetic Reed Switch |
DC/AC EL Power Supply. Electroluminescent (EL) Wire requires an AC signal to function. This project converts DC power from batteries to AC to power a length of EL Wire. | Pressure Dependent Resistor (PDR). As you push the PDR a strip of LEDS will light up according to how hard you push. Power: Embedded Solar (Distributed) SMD: Tiny84 |
Induction Heater. A copper coil heats up a piece of metal. CAD makes the container maybe. |
Bagga, P. |
Multi 7-Segment Display |
ACES' Development Board v2. This is a continuation of a project started in Grade 11 that allows rapid development of microcontroller-based projects. Allows for daughter-board options. | Dice Roller. The user presses a button on the page when then triggers the circuit. Probability is applied to result in a realistic outcomes for two die. Power: Embedded solar (Distributed) SMD: Tiny84 |
ACES' Development Board v3. This final version will address some of the shortcoming of v2. in addition to an FTDI connection to support serial communications and additional SMT peripherals (buttons,LEDs, etc) and additional SOIC ICs. CAD will be used to create a base of the platform. |
Blum, M. |
Solenoid Switch | Rotary Encoder Calculus Solver. Uses a rotary encoder to take the `a`, `b`, and `c` values of the quadratic expression `ax^2+bx+c` and then determines the first and second derivatives. (will attempt to do entirely in assembly!) | Reaction Timer Game. Will incorporate the 555, 4026 and shift registers to create a reaction timer game. Power: External SMD: Tiny85 |
3D Grapher. Using reciprocating motion, 16 servos will control "linear-actuating"-esque devices to represent a 3D graph of an object. Distance readings will be taken with IR support. CAD? |
Chien, G. |
Rotary Encoder | IR Light Switch. An IR remote that uses a motor (servo) that turns on and off the lights. Will use an ATtiny. | RGB LED Controller. An RGB LED with buttons will control the level of each colour. Power: Embedded solar (Distributed) SMD: Tiny85 |
Arcade Cabinet. A mini-arcade cabinet used to house a Raspberry Pi. The surface will be drawn in CAD. |
Davies, T. |
Mechanical Valve | Gray Scale Camera. The project will make use of a matrix of LDRs that will measure light differences to reproduce an image with large pixels. | Solar Power Graph. Makes use of a solar panel and possibly an LDR, a dynamic bargraph that will react to the incident power levels. Power: Embedded solar (Distributed) SMD: Tiny84 |
Automatic Locomotive Index System. I will develop a system that can track the basic location and identity of two trains and be able to distinguish the two. CAD will be used to mount a sensor on either side of the track to detect the trains. This system will prevent collisions. |
Elder, A. |
Stepper Motor | Arduino Laser Projector. A laser will be deflected by a pair of stepper motor controlled mirrors that will move so quickly it will create POV images. | Infrared Receiver. This page will have an embedded IR receiver that the tiny85 will receive and indicate which button was pressed on the remote. Power: Embedded solar SMD: Tiny85 |
Rotating POV Display. This will involve a 1D arrangement of rotating LEDs to create a PoV 360° display. CAD will be used to create a mount for the LEDs. |
Gane, O. (Tesla) |
Solar Panels | Flyback Transformer. I will use a flyback transformer to create plasma and perform various experiments in high voltage. | Induction LED Lighting. A set of LEDs will turn on in the presence of a large magnetic field in close proximity to the page. Power: Wireless Induction SMD: Tiny85 |
Turbo Jet Engine. A turbo-jet engine that will be able to create its own thrust while stationary. CAD? |
Goldsmith, J. |
Bluetooth | Discord Bot Alerter. A bot that monitors text from a chat application and wirelessly transmits an alert to a wristband via a vibration motor. | POV Demonstration. A potentiometer provides the input to enable the user to to control the delay between a sequence of LEDs. Power: External SMD: Tiny84 |
Hand-Controlled Quadcopter. I will reverse-engineer the communication protocol of a quadcopter and use a glove with flex/gyro/accel sensors to control it. CAD? |
Kingsley, M. |
Infrared Tx/Rx | Artificial Voice Assistant (AVA). A microcontroller that you can have a conversation with and can also do things around the room (turn on/off lights, state info, etc) | Subway Map. Using SMD LEDs the stations on the subway can be recreated on a flex page. Power: Embedded solar (Distributed) SMD: Mega328P |
Automatic Guitar Tuner. Stepper motor that attaches to a guitar tuning peg. CAD will be used to create a 3D printed motor head and tunes to the correct note. |
Leder, B. |
Neopixels | Rubik's Cube Solver. Takes a Rubik's cube and solves it using motors. Pretty sick says BSL :) | Solar Clock with Internal Battery. Uses a tiny85 and three shift registers to control four seven-segment displays. Power: Solar SMD: Tiny85 |
Unspillable®. A self-levelling platform controlled by two servos on a handle mount. CAD will be used to design the mount and handle. |
McCutcheon, M. |
USB Host Shield | NFC Lock. This project will develop an inexpensive, easy to retro-fit NFC (Near Field Communication) strategy to unlock a door using a wireless signal. | Compass. LED readout of a compass dial template on the page. Power: External SMD: Mega328P |
(May 16) Servo-Controlled Car. Focus on developing a rear-differential gearbox. CAD is used for the chassis of the vehicle. |
Miller, R. |
4-Wire 12V DC Fan | Portable N64. This project involves taking apart an N64 console, miniaturizing it as much as possible and reassembling it with a screen, built-in controller, and power supply. | Graphic Equalizer. This project entails cannibalizing a birthday a musical birthday card and using the output to display the signals using a microcontroller. Power: Embedded solar SMD: Mega328P |
Arcade Cabinet. I will be creating my own arcade cabinet using 2 Arduinos to drive the controls and an old desktop crt screen for the rest of the hardware. CAD is begin used to design the cabinet and EAGLE will be used to design the boards the controls go on. |
Noble-Curveira, C. |
Membrane Keypad | 3D Object Viewer. A 3D cube will be displayed on a Nokia screen with the ability to move it around. | Randomized LED Grid. Uses a charlieplexed LED circuit to render random sprites in reaction to a button press. Power: Solar SMD: Tiny85 |
Unspillable®. A self-leveling platform controlled by two servos on a handle mount. CAD will be used to design the mount and handle. |
Trevor, S. |
Mechanical Counter |
VU Meter Display. Will be a 3x14 Bargraph (wall mounted) that will double as a clock. | Induction. This page will include an embedded coil that will be used to power a circuit when enabled. Simple LEDs will confirm the results. Power: Induction SMD: Tiny85 |
DSLR Gimbal. This project is a hand-held rig that minimizes instability. CAD will be used to design the frame. |
| Grade | Contribution to Final Mark |
|---|---|
10 |
30% |
11 |
50% |
12 |
75% |
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.