Senior design projects

This is somewhat of an idea page to collect possible senior design projects.

A literature search would be advisable for all of these projects. Contact the sponsor to see if existing literature has been collected or to make contact with others who may already be working on the projects.

Deep SDR

Sponsor

Amateur Radio Club

Majors

CS (AI), EE (DSP, hardware interfaces)

Problem

Identify radio transmissions using DSP and deep learning techniques. This is a fairly open ended project with undefined goals after stage 3. All stages should interact with the ARC for guidance and assistance with data collection. Stage 4 requires direct club involvement.

See also

Deep SDR

status

Brain storming

Stage 1

• Use GNU radio libraries or other tools to use SDR to record transmissions from various specific radio channels and save to permanent storage
  • store a short sample in IQ format of the start and end of transmission
  • store the entire demodulated audio sample (10s-5m per sample)
• Build an authenticated web interface for privileged users to browse and manage samples
• possibly design a cheap remote module that can be networked, crowd sourced, and/or distributed with a central data collection server

Stage 2:

• Use voice recognition to extract text of the speech in the sample
• Use parsing and AI techniques to identify the speaker from the text (call sign extraction) and label samples
• Build an authenticated web interface for privileged users to browse, manage, verify, and edit sample metadata

Stage 3:

• Use AI methods including deep learning to do radio (from IQ) and voice (from audio) fingerprinting of labeled samples
• Verify labels are correct
• Build an authenticated web interface for privileged users to browse, manage, verify, and edit samples and metadata
• Build a repeater bridge to query metadata or flag recent samples

Stage 4:

• implement various actions based on identification information (brainstorm possibilities)
• combine identification information with other SDR projects
• Build a web interface to assign actions to identities and view past action history
• Build a repeater bridge to activate actions for recent recognized and unrecognized identities

SDR radio direction finding

Sponsor

Amateur Radio Club

Majors

CS EE (DSP)

Problem

Locating authorized and unauthorized transmitters (sometimes known as "fox hunting") is a needed task. Software defined radio techniques combined with crowd sourcing and IOT devices allows for new methods. This has been well solved for HF radio but few good solutions exist for UHF/VHF. Existing code (in matlab, partially translated to julia) exists to solve this via Time Delay of Arrival methods, but it is neither a complete solution nor well tested.

See also

SDR distributed direction finding

Status

research; external similar implementations exist

Features required:

• Use an SDR such as the rtl-sdr dongle (~$20. 20MHz-1.7GHz) or the lime mini ($150-$400, 10Hz-6GHz) or one of several phased array SDR packages
• use DSP techniques to make data management between nodes realistic
• real time processing of data
• open source design and freely redistributable software to facilitate crowd sourcing (matlab not acceptable (hint: use Julia))

Optional features:

• Use a cheap off the shelf SDR and processor (such as the Raspberry Pi) to facility crowd sourcing of data collection
• Use any or all of the following methods: TDoA, doppler phasing, triangulation, method of least circles; note, some methods work better in specific circumstances
• Use online or offline network connectivity to coordinate data between nodes
• Locally process or centrally process data
• provide a (secure) website to show results
• select specific signals and correlate when other signals are on the same frequency (identify from content)
• accuracy limited by sample rate and synchronization issues

External resources including code implementing TDoA are available.

Dish rotor control

Sponsor

Amateur Radio Club

Majors

(CS) EE MAE

Problem

We have an existing 5ft diameter solid dish, some assembly required. To use this for satellite reception, it needs a physical mount with two axis (elevation, azmuth) digital control. Several open source designs exist for smaller antennas and can probably be used for initial controller design and gearing ideas, but will need a redesign due to the size of the dish. It may also be a good idea to couple less directional antennas with the narrow beam of the dish to make hunting easier.

Related projects

Portable Rotor (smaller scale project)

Status

related to the other rotor control project

Features required:

• interface to existing satellite tracking software (gpredict, others)
• must be mechanically sound, the dish is heavy and has a high wind load
• motors must be strong enough to overcome moderate wind load and track a LEO satellite at sufficient speed (roughly 9min horizon to horizon)

Optional features:

• portable -- easy assembly and disassembly
• self calibration using gps, compass, beacons, sun tracking, or other methods
• If permanently installed, must include methods to safe the dish in storm conditions, possibly automatically

Possible external resources:

• https://limemicro.com/community/open-satellite-project/

Drone based antenna maintenance

Problem

Amateur radio is dependent on antennas mounted in high places. One convenient but inaccessible high place is on tree branches. Tree branches lower than 30ft are easily reached with bean bags and fishing rods. Above 30 ft, aim becomes difficult and other branches may also get in the way.

Project

Build a drone that can mount, inspect, and possibly maintain antennas and antenna mounting hardware (pulley, rope) in trees between 30ft and 80ft up.

Majors

Aerospace, CS, EE?

Sponsor

Amateur Radio Club, Steven Dick

Status

None

Features required:

• Be able to carry a fishing line or paracord over a high tree branch and pull it down while dodging other branches, leaves, and the line itself
• Drone must be small enough to fly between close branches without getting tangled in leaves or crashing
• Easy control for a low skilled drone pilot, with possible automation assistance and/or HUD
• Easy navigation despite moderate (15-20mph) wind gusts at height

Optional features:

• Camera for close up inspection of mounted hardware
• Ability to rethread a previously mounted empty pulley with 1/8" dacron (paracord)
• Ability to cut down tangled lines and aged pulleys without damaging the tree

Airborne pollen identification

Sponsor

Steven Dick

Majors

Biology/botany, CS/CRCV, EE?, MAE? Optics?

Problem

Inexpensive commercial sensors exist that can identify chemical pollutants, and measure particulate pollutants, but a cheap readily available commercial sensor to identify specific pollen types does not seem to exist. (There are now several price unspecified restricted systems.) Several news agencies report on allergy triggering pollen levels, but it is unclear if these reports are seasonal predictions or actual measurements, and at best are vague and contradictory and describe large regions rather than being local. A sensor using a webcam or digital microscopy, or possibly laser spectroscopy and deep learning might be able to collect samples real time from the environment and characterize them by species (or common name or other broad categorization) in real time. Collaboration with biology will be needed for microscopy methods and sample identification.

Status

commercial products exist but are not well marketed or easily available

Features required:

• Collect airborne pollen samples in real time (using what mechanism?)
• Characterize, distinguish, and measure densities of pollen, dust, smoke, etc.
• Attempt to identify concentrations by species or other allergy related categorization

Optional features:

• Deep learning identification by sight
• laser spectroscopy
• long term sample processing (such as pollen rehydration) to collect controls

Handheld SDR radio

Sponsor

Amateur Radio Club

Majors

EE CS Club? (Amateur Radio license required for testing)

Difficulty

HARD, portions will require graduate level circuit design, although some software already exists for encode/decode, and some off the shelf hardware exists

External links

Bruce Perens blog

Elecraft KX3

https://github.com/m17-project

https://m17project.org

Problem

Several attempts have been made at using SDR base band technology and cell phone dsp processors to build an open source radio.

Status

several attempts exist; some commercial radios can be modified

Optional features:

• multiple mode encode and decode, including AM FM DFM APRS DSTAR Fusion DMR DRM codec2 M17
• battery life
• transmit
• scanning
• automatic signal recognition

Handheld SDR radio based on LIME

This project has been claimed by a group. Description moved to Handheld SDR radio based on LIME or shortcut handheld

Meshtastic

Sponsor

Amateur Radio Club

Majors

EE, CS

Problem

Build, use, distribute, program, and bridge meshtastic nodes for various purposes.

Status

multiple projects in progress, others not started

Meshtastic is a LoRa based unlicensed low bandwidth radio protocol available in multiple radio bands.

There are multiple possible software and hardware projects that this could be applied to, including:

• Handheld HT (voice requires >1.2GHz)
• Telemetry and tracking (races, pets, etc.)
• weather station
• web site for data collection and presentation
• bot interaction with meshtastic and bridging to other resources

This is not a specific project, but potentially part of larger projects, and includes many smaller projects that could be combined into a larger project.

Contact the Amateur Radio club for ideas and discussion. The club has multiple projects in progress and ideas for others.

Weather Alert projects

Sponsor

Amateur Radio Club, maybe UCF emergency management

Majors

EE, CS, MAE

Problem

Build hardware and software to collect terrestrial and space weather data and build hardware and software to distribute alerts

Status

multiple projects in progress, others not started

See also

weather alert project, weather station, meshtastic

This includes multiple projects and integrations between them. Goals are very open ended. Focus is on collection and distribution with no or minimal attempt at prediction or analysis. (Possibly summary and aggregation of data.)

Improved digital rotor controller

Sponsor

Amateur Radio Club

Majors

CS? EE, club

Problem

We have an existing Yaesu azmuth / elevation rotor controller with analog feedback. We have an existing digital controller to interface this to a computer, but it has multiple issues including calibration and setting retention, and a closed source design. We have an open source digital controller that is dated and works poorly. This system needs to be redesigned to use the existing analog components and modern microcontroller design.

Related projects

Portable Rotor

Status

multiple attempts in progress

This project is mission critical to the club and several other projects, so club involvement is required for testing and integration.

Required features:

• Interface with existing Yaesu analog rotor feedback and control (model info?)
• Interface with existing software (like gpredict)
• Retain calibration settings across power failures and/or automatically recalibrate automatically

Optional features:

• Flexibility to work with other analog rotors (future proof)

improved repeater controller with DSP and AI

Sponsor

Amateur radio club

Majors

EE, CS (DSP/AI bonus parts!), club member required

Problem

We have an existing repeater controller but it is limited in functionality and does not have the ability to interface to a computer. The club has made several designs for this, but none have been completed to date.

See also

Deep SDR

Status

brain storming, off the shelf product search

As this project is mission critical to the club, direct club involvement is required.

Required features:

• Mix multiple analog and digital audio streams based on mode settings and allow for audio level calibration between audio channels
• Use PTT, squelch, ctcss detection, and carrier sense digital inputs associated with related audio channels
• sub-audible PL tone generation, recognition, and filtering (DSP or analog)
• generate required FCC ID signals at specific legally required timed intervals
• real time control including watchdog timers and recovery
• Generate courtesy tones based on configurable mode settings and timings
• Echolink / IRLP integration capability via external computer
• reasonable protection from RFI (in and out)

Optional features:

• Generate specialized audio signals from digital input streams
• SDR integration for special processing
• Analog IF signal strength sensor and associated A/D access and event triggering
• voice fingerprinting (see Deep SDR)
• voice recognition
• (others in design plans)

Antenna sculpture

Sponsor

Amateur Radio Club

Majors

Arts, MAE?, Club member

Problem

Many consider antennas ugly, and even when they are not ugly, finding good mounting locations can be difficult.

Status

none

Features required:

• work with the club to select an appropriate antenna suitable for needs and the sculpture
• Possibly include in the sculpture a solar panel and battery so a radio and automatic controller can make the antenna system completely self sufficient
• The resulting complete structure must be weather proof

Optional features:

• height above ground

Applications:

• APRS digipeater / igate
• meshtastic relay node
• weather station