WEEK 1

Final Year Project - Semester 2

Title : Discussion with project supervisor.

Introduction

This week is the first week for all students FYP 2. So, for the first week most of the students FYP2 should consult with the supervisor of the project to update them as the first week. Then, ask your supervisor about reporting guidelines for FYP 2 progress.

Objective

1. To manage weekly project activities.
2. To update any matters that have been made for FYP 2 to my supervisor.


Procedure

The main objective of this discussion is to update any progress that has been made for FYP 2 to my supervisor. This discussion is about 2 FYP assessment to be made ​​within the expiry date of submission, report format, content and other reports, to fulfill requirements of the subject within a framework of a given date, the gantt chart will be created to make it as a and guidelines to ensure all tasks completed on time

Conclusion

As a conclusion for the first week, the all information needed for the evaluation of FYP 2 was recorded and the tasks related to the FYP 2 will be referred to in that gantt chart until the end of the deadline for FYP 2. For the next progress, the topics to be discussed are research projects specifically made ​​for FYP 2.

                                           

WEEK 13

Title : Proposal Report for Final Year Project 1

Introduction

This week is the last week to submit a report of the proposal project and also the last week to update the blog or logbook. All the requirements needed on this week have been prepared before. Failure to submit the project proposal report and update the blog or logbook to the supervisor will have an impact on the overall mark for this subject FYP 1. This is because the assessment done by their supervisors without involving other instructors. The deadline for completing this assignment is on 13/12/13 ie before at 5.00 pm.

Objective

1. To documentation all the idea and information of the project  in a report.
2. To ensure all the assessment criteria is achieved perfectly.

Problem Encountered

All the requirement that needed in implementing a report project has been made and meets all the required assessment criteria which means the first and second of the objective is achieved perfectly. However, a bit of problem occurs in make the report project, it is to compress the information that already have, to be a good report of project proposal. As a solution, the guidelines for project proposal that prepared by FYP committee will be made as a guideline in making the report .

Project Description

The entire criteria that needed in making the project proposal report will be fulfilled by referring the proposal presentation assessment that given by FYP committee. Below is a copy of the documents that given:-

                                                 Figure 1 : Guidelines Project Proposal.

All the figures above is the guidelines to prepared the project proposal report .

Project Outcome

All task for this semester already done

WEEK 12

Title : Microcontroller PIC coding lerning

Introduction

Microcontroller PIC is the main controller of egg incubator project. Microcontroller is a subject that has been learned during the last semester. This week, I am more focused study on the basis of microcontroller coding. It's refreshing to learning more about the basics of coding.

Objective 

1. To understanding and learn about the microcontroller basic coding.
2. To refreshing previous study about microcontroller basic coding.

Problem Encountered

To learn microcontroller, we must have software MPLAB and Proteus. This is because the MPLAB software is used to write the coding and Proteus is to draw a circuit / hardware on a project with the intended to understand the functionality of the project when encoding implemented. The problem is my MPLAB software have corrupted because I lost the library file for MPLAB software.So I am do not able to

creating library file,defining library file,inclusion of library file into program and adding Functions to the Library.That is important in creating a coding when it compile the code.The problem is considered completed, when I reinstall the MPLAB sofware.

Project Description

Process of learning this week focused on how to program push button, LCD and interrupt learning using MPLAB software. This is because it is will be used in incubator projects that will be developed later.The first step I need to know how the connection. To be connected to the PIC Microcontroller, I can choose to make 'active high' or 'low active'. The sequel is as below.

Figure 1: Push Button connection circuit 

For active low, in normal conditions PIC port is high. When the switch is press, the ports of the PIC will be low.While the active high, in normal circumstances PIC port is low. When the switch is press, the PIC port will be high.

Second,LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is a device to display various character. Among these having dot matrix LCD controller is HD44780. HD44780 can be operated in 5x8 or 5X10 dot matrix. LCD's have some size by the number of characters. Among them are 16X2 or 20x4 character. 16X2 character LCD means it has 16 characters in line with 2 lines. LCD has 16 pins.

                                                        Figure 2 : LCD display  HD44780

Thirdly, interrupt is one of the special functions in PIC. Interrupt is used to place a significant program on reason for the occurrence a particular source. PIC16 has 15 interrupt sources. Selection interrupt address is determined by the number of INTCON, PIE1 and PIE2.

                                                    Figure 3 : Address and register for interrupt.

Project Outcome

The result that have already learning from this task is such as that shown below:-

1. Push Button

                                    Figure 3 : The result from Proteus software using Push Button

                                               Figure 4 : MPLAB software coding code.

      2. LCD display

  Figure 5 : The result from Proteus software 

                                  Figure 6 : MPLAB software coding code to display name and id

      3. Interrupt

Figure 7 : Showed on the Proteus ISIS program.

Figure 8 : The program coding for interrupt function

As a conclusion,refreshing study is important to ensure the project do not have a problem, when it's time for me to complete the project incubator.This is because to program the project  that proper functioning is the part of most complicated to implement.

WEEK 11

Title : Budget

Introduction

Every project will be developed requires a budget. The budget process is to collect all related costs with finishing a project. In other terms, it is adding up estimated costs for every activity performed by the individually to complete the project that is being developed accurate at the expected time. This week, the total cost of the project has been estimated to be listed and discussed in detail.

Objective

1. To estimate overall cost of the project.
2. To list cost of the entire material that will be used in this proposed project.

Problem Encountered

In the budgetary cost of the project, the difficulty is in finding quality and cheaper products. It is because usually quality products will be sold at a high price and to get the cheapest price, the quantity of goods that requires a a lot of each item purchased.Several initiative will be taken for the purposes to solve this problem i.e. survey a few stores that sell the cheapest product before buying that product.

Project Description 

To overcome the problems that face. Several solutions have been made​​, which is to find associated shops through the various websites. Moreover, with reference to my friends and lecturers, typically in finding the components of the project.As a result of suggestions senior students and lecturers, there is an online company that sells a variety of electronic components, electrical and others. The company is Cytron Technologies and to reference there is website for that company http://www.cytron.com.my.

Project Outcome

The result that obtained from this task is such as a table that shown below:-

                                          Table 1: Estimation on the overall cost of the project

The total cost to develop the project is about RM 311.9. It is still affordable to the consumer. However, there are some components that are not sure the market price because it needs to be booked. But it is still within the overall budget RM 311.9.

WEEK 10

Titles : Presentation Final Year Project 1 

Introduction

During this week  is a presentation week for all student taking the subject FYP 1/13. In this presentation, the student is required to prepare with provide a slide presentation for the project. Presentation project is important to ensure that project will be developed according to the criteria accepted by the desired assessor. The format for final year project presentation was provided to the students and they can make referrals based on proposal assessment criteria. The overall mark obtained by students is the average mark given by Supervisor and second assessor. This week, a preparation for presentation day will be made and discussed clearly.The proposal presentation will be held at Gemilang Hall and start from 2.00 p.m till 5.00 p.m. Students will be assessed by two persons of invited assessor from related department with the project title.

Objective 

1. To make some preparations before presentation day.
2. To making a PowerPoint presentation according to the assessment criteria that given.
3. To presented the idea of the project.

Project Encountered

The activity on this week there are some problems encountered especially content filling in the slide because there is a less information accurately obtained from friends and others. All the problems encountered in preparation of the slides can be solved by reference and discuss with supervisor Sir Ahmad Rashidi Bin Amran. The content that should be included in the slide is of assignments that have been made during this semester.The things that need to be made only extract all gathered information briefly, concise and easy to understand.

Project Description

From all the information gathered during the week before will be extracted in a way that is easily understood by the required assessment criteria. Every slide will be decorated to look more attractive because sometimes people will get bored when too many words are included in the slide. As a solution, some information will be described using SmartArt graphics visual  and  Microsoft visio for presenting information. Pictures are also used to make the slide more interesting. Below showed the proposal presentation assessment that must following by students:-

                                                           Table 1 : Assessment criteria

Project Outcome

My assessor for my presentation are Dr. Hafiz  and Madam. Hidayah. I had presented about my idea that is the Microcontroller Based Eggs Incubator complete with its methodology, problems statement and many more.The figure below is a slide that has been made for presentation day.

                                                            Figure 1: Presentation slide.

All the completed slides will be shown to the project supervisors before presentation day. As a conclusions, all tasks for this week completed perfectly and the power point presentation that has been made has been approved by project supervisor.

WEEK 9

Title : Literature Review

Introduction

At week 9, the study focused on a literature review of existing projects that have been in the market. This study is important, to ensure that project will be built on the right track, so that, it does not depart from the original objectives of the project. Results from this study will be used to improve project microcontroller-based egg incubator, in order to complete a project eggs incubator  better than before.

Objective

1. To gather information from the existing project as a reference.
2. To study about eggs incubator control system using microcontroller and other devices.

Project Encountered

This week, more study on literature reviews as reference material and to add the idea in designing the project. Actually, none of the problems encountered in this review, because it is just knowledge / guidance in developing an incubator project, so do not much of a problem encountered during the completion of microcontroller based projects egg incubator

Project Description

There are many egg incubators at market nowadays. They come with several features that differentiate their product with other. However, they use the same principle in creating their product. For example, Automatic Forced-Air Incubator  uses a light bulb to increase the temperature in the incubator, while, Mini Eco Eggs Incubator , uses heater coil for the same purpose. In this project, smart incubator makes the other eggs incubator as literature review in order to provide an automatic eggs incubator at low cost and easy to handle.
Below is 2 example existing project to be the reference :-

• Automatic Forced-Air Incubator

Automatic model with a capacity / load the eggs of 100 eggs, also can accommodate nearly 300 quail eggs. For operating an automatically diverting eggs for up to 8 times a day by the installation of electric motor, timers and relays. Using a thermostat brand products Caemz Italy known for its precision control of temperature up to 1 degree Celsius, clear digital thermometer displays the temperature of incubator operation, the blower fan is temperature resistant and moisture and heat lamps are easily replaced with 5 watt, low and save electricity.

• The Mini Eco

The Mini Eco holds 10 hens‟ eggs (or equivalent) and provides the fine temperature control to ensure consistent and reliable hatches. Temperature is monitored on a purpose built liquid-in-glass thermometer and although factory set, the electronic temperature control allows fine tuning of the temperature setting if required.

Project Outcome

Based on studies and observations that have been performed on two example project that Automatic Forced-Air Incubator and The Mini Eco. There are some advantages and disadvantages on both of this project. Therefore, all the advantages of existing projects will be used and any deficiencies will be corrected/improved. Below, there is little information about the features of the project to be developed and the project is already available in the market today.

WEEK 8

Title : Block diagram of project

Introduction 

The block diagram is created to identify the inputs and outputs that will be used in the project. It consists of a combination of all of the problems encountered and the information obtained from research with the best solution for the purpose. Block diagram is a diagram of a system in which the parts or functions are represented by block of connected the lines that show the relationship the block. At the end of this section, a complete block diagram.

Objective

1. To design the block diagram that exactly with the required specifications for this project.
2. To know the input and output of the project through a block diagram.

Problem Encountered

From the activities this week, it does not have much of a problem because the information used to make the best solution is from data collected before and it will not give any problem to develop a block diagram.

Project Description

The information gathered from previous research is compressed to achieve the main objective of the project is in an easy and efficient way to create an egg incubator project. Once the input and output are identified through previous studies. Thus, the result was the a block diagram for this project.

Project Outcome

The concept that will be used in Micro controller based eggs incubator is such as block diagram at figure 1 below :-