WEEK 14

Recheck the proposal before submitting to the supervisor. Send the softcopy of proposal to the supervisor to check for correction.


FYP Proposal

WEEK 13

As for this week, the preparation of FYP proposal is being proceed. for the proposal there are 5 chapter that need to includes:

1. Chapter 1 - Introduction
2. Chapter 2 - Literature review
3. Chapter 3 - Methodology
4. Chapter 4 - Conclusion
5. Chapter 5 - References

For the Chapter 1 there must includes:

• Introduction
• Background Project
• Problem statement
• Objective of project
• Scope of project

For the Chapter 2 there must includes:

• Introduction
• Type of algorithm
• Example of existing micromouse

For the Chapter 3 there must includes:

• Block diagram
• Flow chart
• Hardware and components
• Software

For the Chapter 4 there must includes:

• Conclusion

For the Chapter 5 there must includes:

• References

There a format for the FYP proposal that need to follow. Every chapter must be briefly explain.

WEEK 12

This week on Wednesday is the presentation day. The presentation will being held at Dewan gemilang at 3.00 p.m. All the FYP1 students have to arrive 15 minutes early for the registration. I already arrive at BMI at 2.50 p.m for the registration and to set up my place. As for my seating position is at number 36. While waiting for my assessor to arrive I set up my place with laptop and hardcopy of slide for the assessor. My first assessor is Sir Kamalulfaizin and the second one is Sir Abdul halim. Even though the assessor is late and me being nervous, everything is going smoothly.

the presentation is finished at 4.30 p.m early than been expected which at 5.00 p.m.

WEEK 11

Preparation of presentation slide

For the preparation slide, all requirement need to be include and all information based on the project need to be compact and easy to understand for assessor. There are 2 assessor for each FYP student. As for me the assessor I get is Sir Kamalulfaizin and Sir Abdul Halim. These 2 lectures are from electronic section. The presentation slide is then being check for any mistake and error by my supervisor.



FYP1 PRESENTATION

WEEK 10

FYP 1 briefing for Presentation:

This is a third briefing conducted by Madam Nulida Bt Ab.Aziz for the fyp student about the format of the slide, preparation for presentation and the name of the accessor for the presentation day. So for the format and content of slide include:

• Introduction
• Problem statement
• Objective
• Methodology
• Flow chart
• Gant chart
• conclusion

 During the briefing, student is being inform about the date and time of the presentation day will be held. Furthermore, student is also been inform about their seating position for presentation which being held in Dewan Gemilang on 2 Dicember 2015 at 3.00-5.00 p.m. This briefing is to help student to prepare themselves for the presentation day.  

WEEk 9

Methodology

Micromouse component parts:

1.  High Torque Bipolar Stepper Motor

High torque Bipolar Hybrid Stepper Motor capable of giving whooping 1.86Kg/cm of stall torque at 1.5Amp current (0.75A per winding) at 1.8 degree stepping angle. It is a most ideal stepper motor for your competition winning micromouse.

Specifications:

• Stall Torque: 1.86Kg/cm at 1.5Amp (0.75A per winding), 6V
• Stepping angle: 1.8 degrees / step
• Compatible Motor Driver: A3982 35V, 2A Stepper Motor Driver for Micromouse
• Compatible Wheel: Micromouse wheel 4mm Shaft
• Shaft: Diameter: 3mm, Length: 16mm
• Dimensions: Length and Width: 42mm, Thickness: 23mm
• Mounting: Four 3mm (M3) bolts 31mm apart on the corners
• Winding type: Bipolar
• Winding Resistance: 11Ohms
• Motor weight: 156gms

2.  LSM303DLHC e-Compass 3 axis Accelerometer and 3 axis Magnetometer Module

The LSM303DLHC is a digital 3 axis accelerometer and 3 axis magnetometer with I2C interface. It has full-scale acceleration range of ±2g to ±16g and full scale magnetic field range of ±1.3 to ±8.1 gauss. All the full scale ranges are user selectable. Module has on board low drop voltage regulator which takes input supply in the range of 3.6V to 6V DC. Board has two mounting holes. All 9 pins of the module are arranged in single line. LSM303DLHC’s I2C serial bus interface supports standard (100 KHz) and fast mode (400 kHz). It is most suitable for tilt compensated compass, quadrotor and robotics application. For LSM303DLHC application interface example available based on LPC2148 ARM7 microcontroller. LSM303DLHC has application example based on LPC2148 ARM7 microcontroller.

3.  L3G4200D 3 Axis Digital Gyroscope with Voltage Regulator

L3G4200D is a 3 Axis ultra stable digital gyroscope. It gives unprecedented stability of zero rate level and very good sensitivity over temperature and time. L3G4200D module features an on board low drop out voltage regulator which takes input supply in the range of 3.6V to 6V DC. Board has two mounting holes. All 9 pins of the module are arranged in single line. This gyroscope can be interfaced with the microcontroller over I2C or SPI interface. The L3G4200D has user selectable full scale of ±250, ±500, ±2000 degrees per second and is capable of measuring rates with a user-selectable bandwidth.

4.  A3982 35V, 2A Stepper Motor Driver for Micromouse

A3982 35V 2A Stepper Motor Driver is the most ideal driver for the Micromouse. It can drive bipolar stepper motor with full and half stepping. It has built-in logic translator which allows you to drive stepper motor by just setting direction, step mode and give clock to drive stepper motor. A3082 motor driver has 4 output LEDs connected at the output. These LEDs prove very useful for quick debugging. It is made from high grade double sided PTH PCB to give added strength to the connectors. A3982 motor driver has presetable chopper based current controller which maintains constant current even when step rate is increased. This improves motor torque at the higher step rate significantly.

Specifications

• Rating: 35V, 2Amp.
• Step type: Full step, Half step
• Control inputs: Step clock, direction, step mode, reset, enable
• Indication: Steepper motor output indication by 4 LEDs
• High grade double sided PTH PCB to give added strength to the connectors
• Chopper based current control for improved torque at high step rates

5.  Ball Caster Wheel Compact

Ball caster wheel is an omni directional wheel. This wheel can be used as neutral wheel for the robot.

Specifications

• Base plate diameter - 27.5mm
• Caster wheel diameter - 13.5mm
• Wheel height - 18mm
• Mounting hole - Three, 120° apart, 3mm or 1/8 inch diameter

6.  IR Transmitter and Receiver pair

This is the IR Transmitter and Receiver pair matched pair used in our IR proximity, White Line or Micromouse sensor. It consists of 5mm 940 nanometer wave length high power IR LED and photodiode having peak sensitivity at 940 nanometer wavelength.

Specifications

• IR TX RX size: 5mm diameter package
• IR LED current rating: 30mA nominal, 600mA pulse loading at 1% duty cycle
• IR LED wavelength: 940nM
• Photodiode peak response wavelength: 940nM

WEEK 8

Literature Review

Existing Design

1.  Egg Torte

            The “Egg Torte” micromouse designed by Kato-san won first place in Japan’s Half Sized Micromouse Competition in 2010. It is constructed on a printed circuit board which houses the microcontroller and can be seen in Figure 1. It runs on lithium batteries and operates using four motors, but only two wheels. It appears that one motor turns each wheel and the second set of motors is used to make the mouse run faster after the first mapping run of the maze.

            In demonstrations the Egg Torte travels at a visibly faster rate in long, straight segments of the maze. This design uses four IR sensors to navigate the maze: two looking forward and two looking out to the sides. The front two sensors look across each other to the opposite sides of the maze. By comparing the intensity of IR returned to either sensor, the mouse can determine whether it is travelling down the center of a path in the maze and whether there is a wall directly in front of it. The other two sensors seem to be looking at the walls to find openings where the maze branches away from the current path.

            On the underside of the mouse, there are two pads supporting the front and rear of the mouse to lower friction and prevent the underside of the circuit board from dragging on the ground. This mouse’s algorithm displays some impressively efficient features, such as moving diagonally through zigzags and rounding out its turns, narrowly missing the wall at the inner edge of a corner.

                                        Figure 1: The Egg Torte Micromouse

                  2.   Min7

            The Min7 is a micromouse design that won the All Japan Micromouse competition in 2011. Its design also uses a circuit board with embedded microcontroller as a chassis, but uses only two motors to power its four wheels. The design again uses a lithium polymer battery and infrared sensors, and Figure 2 shows the visor which is placed over the sensors to reduce noise. Weighing in at only 90 grams and having a 10 x 7.5 cm profile, this mouse can reach speeds of up to 3.5 meters per second, solving a maze at competition in four seconds. This design’s algorithm also employs corner cutting and diagonal movement techniques.

                                             Figure 2: Min7 Micromouse

WEEK 7

Literature Review

Rules and Specifications for the Competition 

Specifications:                 

  The micromouse must be self-contained and not use an energy source employing a combustion process. The length and width is restricted to a square region of 25 cm x 25 cm even if the dimensions change its geometry during a run shall not exceed 25 cm x 25 cm. The height is unrestricted. The micromouse should not jump over, climb, scratch, damage, or destroy the walls.                                

 Maze:                                 

  The maze comprised of 16 x 16 multiples of an 18cm x 18cm unit square. The walls were 5 cm high and 1.2 cm thick. Passageways between the walls were 16.8 cm wide. An exterior wall enclosed the entire maze. The sides of the maze were painted white and the top of the walls red. The floor of the maze was made of wood and finished with non-gloss black paint. The coating on the top and sides of the walls were selected to reflect infrared light and the coating on the floor to absorb it.                                                                      

 Time:                                  

  Each participant in the competition was given a time limit of 15 minutes to have their robot run through the maze. Within this time limit, a micromouse can make as many runs as possible.                                  

 Accuracy:                           

  The micromouse was able to detect and avoid collisions with walls. The robot needed to make 90 degree turns and be able to correct itself with proper alignment. The micromouse is evaluated based on the time taken to go from the starting square until it reaches the finish square (the center of the maze). Once the center is reached initially, the mouse needs to continue to explore the maze until it finds the shortest path. The total time is measured from the time the robot is first activated. The team whose mouse compiles the lowest.

WEEK 6

All the microcontroller have their input and output terminal so do mbed NXP LPC1768 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 microcontroller.

It is based on the NXP LPC1768, with a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 core running at 96MHz. It includes 512KB FLASH, 32KB RAM and lots of interfaces including built-in Ethernet, USB Host and Device, CAN, SPI, I2C, ADC, DAC, PWM and other I/O interfaces. The pinout above shows the commonly used interfaces and their locations. All the numbered pins (p5-p30) can also be used as digital in interfaces and digital out interfaces.

WEEK 5

The hardware equipment :

1.  Micromouse chasis kit

 

• Specifications

 Width: 9.2cm
 Length: 10.6cm
 Material: 1.5mm thick Aluminium
Chassis weight excluding nuts and bolts: 64gms
Compatible motors:

• High Torque Bipolar Stepper Motor 
• Medium Torque Unipolar Stepper Motor

 Compatible Wheels:

• Micromouse wheel 4mm Shaft

Compatible Batteries:

• Lithium Polymer 3Cell, 11.1V, 500mAh, 20C discharge Battery
• Lithium Polymer 3Cell, 11.1V, 800mAh, 20C discharge Battery 

        2   mbed NXP LPC1768 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 microcontroller

  

The mbed Microcontrollers are a series of ARM microcontroller development boards designed for rapid prototyping.

The mbed NXP LPC1768 Microcontroller in particular is designed for prototyping all sorts of devices, especially those including Ethernet, USB, and the flexibility of lots of peripheral interfaces and FLASH memory. It is packaged as a small DIP form-factor for prototyping with through-hole PCBs, stripboard and breadboard, and includes a built-in USB FLASH programmer.

The mbed Microcontrollers provide experienced embedded developers a powerful and productive platform for building proof-of-concepts. For developers new to 32-bit microcontrollers, mbed provides an accessible prototyping solution to get projects built with the backing of libraries, resources and support shared in the mbed community.

Features

·         NXP LPC1768 MCU

•    High performance ARM® Cortex™-M3 Core
•    96MHz, 32KB RAM, 512KB FLASH
•    Ethernet, USB Host/Device, 2xSPI, 2xI2C, 3xUART, CAN, 6xPWM, 6xADC,        GPIO

·         Prototyping form-factor 

• 40-pin 0.1" pitch DIP package, 54x26mm
• 5V USB or 4.5-9V supply
• Built-in USB drag 'n' drop FLASH programmer

·         

WEEK 4

Tittle project registration and submission have been confirm. I am already begin start the research about my project.

Micromouse

 A small robot mice that solve a 16x16 maze. The maze is made up of a 16 by 16 grid of cells, each 180 mm square with walls 50 mm high. The mice are completely autonomous robots that must find their way from a predetermined starting position to the central area of the maze unaided. The mouse will need to keep track of where it is, discover walls as it explores, map out the maze and detect when it has reached the goal. Having reached the goal, the mouse will typically perform additional searches of the maze until it has found an optimal route from the start to the center. Once the optimal route has been found, the mouse will run that route in the shortest possible time.

As for my project the micromouse will follow the line as a track and solve the maze. For this project my supervisor, Dr. Zulkhairi has provide me with the hardware of the robot and has handed to me the hardware on Friday morning.

WEEK 3

This is my most frustrating week because I haven’t yet find a good idea for my FYP. There are many application for the mbed micro controller that it make me hard for me to choose. Luckily for me Dr Zulkhairi have given me the project which is micromouse with the mbed microcontroller. I think it is interesting and there is not many student used this application for their project. For my project it is Development of Micromouse to solve maze using mbed NXP LPC1768 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 microcontroller.

WEEK 2

For the second week I have been seeking for the suitable lectures to be a supervisor and believe me it is not easy to find a supervisor because almost all the lecturers in electrical and electronic section has already been full. However at last I finally found Dr Zulkahairi as my supervisor because he has many experiences.

On Tuesday I meet up with Dr Zulkhairi to give my ideas which is rejected because it already been build. However he give a suggestion to me about the mbed microcontroller project ask me if I am interested. He then ask me to look up on website mbed to find an application for the mbed microcontroller.

WEEK 1

The Final Year Project (FYP) registration is begin. This is the time for FYP students to find their own supervisor.

So for the first week basically there will be a briefing of the FYP 1. The briefing was conducted at TTL 01 by Madam Nulida Bt Ab.Aziz and the attendance of all the student that are taking the FYP 1 was compulsory.

On the briefing, Madam Nulida Bt Ab. Aziz  have briefed us about: 

•       Introduction 
•       Objectives
•       Scope of projects  
•       Title selection    
•       Project Assessment    
•       Presentation day 
•       Submission date of project

Students may select the titles based on their own creative and innovative ideas or may choose the tittle  offered by lecturers (FYP supervisors).