Electrical Conductivity Electrical Conductivity Test Device for Test Device for

Railroad CrosstiesRailroad Crossties

ECE 480 Senior Design Project

Team 9

Fathi Salem – Facilitator Julian Quick – Management

Paul Anselmi – Lab Coordinator Ahmad Nashriq Abdul Mutalib – Webmaster

Bradley Graca – Document Prep. Vikram Singh – Presentation Prep.

SponsorSponsor

Jack Hughes:

Senior Research Engineer

Chemistry Degree

Headquarters in Roanoke, VA

27 Thousand Miles of Track

Replace over 1 Million Ties Each Year

Project DescriptionProject Description Design A Conductance Measuring Instrument

Must Be Portable, Accurate, Reliable

Functional in Various Environments

Store Data For Further Analysis

Determine Affect of Conductivity of

Ties on Track Sensors

Design ComponentsDesign Components Conductance Measurement

Temperature Sensor

Humidity Sensor

Moisture Content Calculation

Compatible with

Real-Time Clock

Self Powered

Data Storage and Computer Transfer

Portable Device

Humidity and Temperature Humidity and Temperature SensorSensor

Accurately Measures Ambient Air Temp

Temperature Range From -40 to 85C

Humidity Range From 0 to100%

Interface to Microcontroller Using

Frequency Output

MicrocontrollerMicrocontroller

PIC18F4520 Microcontroller

A/D Conversion

On-Board Clock

16x2 Character LCD Module

Project Flow ChartProject Flow ChartGet Data?

Convert resistance value to digital

using ADC converter

Display on LCD :“Resistance = X ohms”

•Save resistance value•Save temperature value

•Save date & time

Input:Resistance, Temperature

Input From The User:“Save Data” Save Data?

Display on LCD :“Data Saved”

Input From The User:“Get Data”

Y

Y

N

N

Get Data

Save Data

XX.XX Ω YY.YY °K

Power SupplyPower Supply

Uses 9V Battery

Simple Audio

Amplifier Circuit

Multiple Selectable

Voltage Outputs

Low Current on

Probe Side

MemoryMemory Program Memory

Data RAM

Data EEPROM

USB Adapter (Peripheral)

•2MB program Memory Space

•32KB Flash Memory

•We will be transferring data collected each day to a USB flash drive

Real Time ClockReal Time Clock

•RTC Chip Provides Date and Time

•Powered Using Auxiliary Power Source Like Lithium Ion Cell

•Time To Be Used As A Stamp Next To The Sensor Data

DisplayDisplay

16x2 Character LCD Module

Design Constraints Design Constraints Usability

Used During Track MaintenanceUsed At Tie Manufacture

DurabilityRugged, Long Lasting

PortabilityPortable PowerMust Last Through A Days Use

BudgetBudget

$10Clock and Battery

$20Flash Drive

$25Probes

$25Display

$20Temperature and Humidity Sensor

$30Case and Accessories

$50Power Supply (Parts, Batteries,