Students: Alejandro Johnson-Eusebio, Joshua Shafer
Faculty Advisor or Community Project Lead: Todd Petersen
Summary:
An increased concern in the environment’s health in different ecosystems has sparked a need for instruments that can measure different aspects of each system. This stream depth sensor developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) uses an acoustic sensor to measure the water level in streams and rivers. The data this device collects is important in monitoring fish ecosystems, wildlife behavior, and predicting floods among other uses which require water level measurements. The purpose of our project is to redesign the current model of the stream depth sensor in order to make the instrument more stable and efficient compared to the original design.
Some known issues with the current stream depth sensor are 3.3-5V logic level mismatch, extra components not being used, and not enough power is being transmitted to all components of the overall circuit. The scope of this project is to first address any power issues by making sure the correct voltage and amperage is applied to each component with the correct logic levels. Next would be to remove excess parts or add any that may be needed in order to ensure a stable and smooth system. While working on the revision of the circuit, at the same time, we are becoming familiar with the mill and the milling process in order to make Printed Circuit Boards (PCB). The goal is to be able to have a PCB with all the same functions as the original, but more efficient and with surface mounted components.
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