ICS2O-E Independent Study Projects (ISPs): Fall 2018

Independent Study Projects. Please read the philosophy of 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, possibly, a problem that needs a solution. Boyan Slat did at age 17 when he was in high school; four years later he was 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. Above all, remember this is your education. You can choose a path of little resistance, but who would you be short-changing?

You'll be expected to maintain the progress of your ISP so have your phone handy to at all times to capture the images of your journey. Be conscious of the fact that a two-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. Previous Year's ISPs

ACE
TITLE
DESCRIPTION
Atkinson, S
Digital Combination Lock
A 4-pin pad to enter a combination. An LED shows green for success; red otherwise.
Brady, A.
Motion Sensor Alarm
Connects a 555 to a PIR that, when triggered alerts a buzzer and LEDs.
Chong, M.
iPhone Portable Charger
A 9V battery is used to power an iPhone charger. Oscillating LED confirms functionality
Clark, Z.
Police Siren
Two 555s are employed to create a siren. The 555 is wired as a low frequency oscillator.
Gatcliffe, J.
Digital Thermometer
This device presents the ambient temperature on a 10-LED bargraph
Knight, J.
Digital Thermometer
I will create a thermometer that will acquire the temperature and display on 7-segments
Livingston, L.
Motion-Sensitive Illum..
This project lights a pathway for oncoming traffic, Uses a PIR and photoresistor,
Mah, T.
Binary to ASCII Converter
Seven bit binary input is decoded and displayed on a 16-segment display.
McIntosh, H.
Wireless DC Motor
A 555 and IR sensor will receive a signal from a TV remote to change the speed of motor
McManus, A.
Music Box
Circuit employs multiple 555s and resistor combination to place sound on a buzzer.
Robertson-Caryll, L.
10-Speed A/D Speedometer
A magnetic switch tracks rotation of a bicycle wheel and presents on a 10-LED bargraph
Tavares-Pitts, J.
555 Alarm Clock
A 555, light sensor and buzzer combine to alert the user to another exciting ACES class.
Thoburn, E.
Kitchen Timer
This device will have 10 switches to adjust time from 1 to 60 minutes with a progress bar.
Tisdall, K.
Flaming Fists
A pair of gloves that will automatically heat up in cold temperatures
Turnbull, R.
Digital Metronome
An adjustable metronome outputs a periodic tick on a speaker with LEDs.
Vretnar, J.
Binary Clock
ICS and other components will be used to create a clock that tells time in binary.
Wooton-Smith, N.
Scoreboard
The device is made up of buttons, 7-segment displays and ICsto keep score.
Betty, J.
Combination Lock Circuit
A circuit with one input which allows a lock to open and that input can be changed.
Bizzarri, P.
Decimal-Binary Converter
Entered number will be stored in a sequential circuit and rendered on a button press.
Buchan, J.
Square Wave Tuner
A circuit that feeds a square wave into a buzzer to create a perfect tunable pitch.
Cassidy, P.
Combination Lock Circuit
This project will be a combination lock circuit featuring a 12-button keypad.
De Aragon, J.
The Scale
A Force-Sensitive Resistor is employed to provide analog input to a digital display circuit
Guay, C.
Modified Alarm System
An alarm system with different modes (arm, night) which will (hopefully) attach to a door.
Jacobs, M..
High Frequency Sensor
A buzzer sounds when my circuit detects an audio signal above human hearing range.
Raman, S.
Door Counter Lock
Buzzer alerts an opened door with a lock, recording and displaying the count.
Shibley, J.
The Nybble Calculator
Logic-based adder/subtracter that uses analog and digital comps. Display of 7-segment.
Williams, L.
Magic Life Tool
A life counter that can starts at 20 and changes by 1s and 5s (also, first turn picker)

Grade Contribution to Final Mark
10
30%
11
S:M = 10%:30% = 40%
12
S:M:L = 10%:20%:30% = 60%

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.