Turtle Sense/Phase Three - Revision history

Sam: /* Commercial options */ remove sections

2016-07-02T21:41:28Z

Commercial options: remove sections

Sam: /* People */ remove section

2016-07-02T21:40:12Z

People: remove section

Dave: /* Parts lists */ Added version number to text

2016-06-23T03:42:44Z

Parts lists: Added version number to text

Dave: /* Schematics and System design */

2016-06-23T01:13:25Z

Schematics and System design

Dave: /* Schematics and System design */ Add pages for phase 3

2016-06-22T23:08:55Z

Schematics and System design: Add pages for phase 3

Dave: /* Parts lists */ Start Phase 3 edits - links to Excel parts lists

2016-06-22T00:26:35Z

Parts lists: Start Phase 3 edits - links to Excel parts lists

Dave: /* Other components */ Start Phase 3 edits

2016-06-21T21:20:50Z

Other components: Start Phase 3 edits

Dave: /* Hand-held registration unit */ Omit this section

2016-06-21T21:15:51Z

Hand-held registration unit: Omit this section

Dave: /* Communications tower board */ Start Phase 3 edits

2016-06-21T21:12:13Z

Communications tower board: Start Phase 3 edits

Dave: /* Smart Sensor */ Start edits for Phase 3

2016-06-21T21:03:57Z

Smart Sensor: Start edits for Phase 3

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 ==Overview==
 When nests are discovered by park personnel, they are uncovered, the eggs counted, and a DNA sample is taken.  At that time, a smart sensor the size of a turtle egg is placed on top of the turtle nest before the excavated sand is filled back in to cover the site.  The smart sensor measures motion and temperature in the nest, and the data collected is used to predict when hatching is imminent.  The smart sensor is connected to a communications tower which sends out regular reports on the activity in the nest using M2M technology.  The text file reports are FTP'd to a website directly from the communications tower. During Phase Two we created test units, one registration units, 8 communications towers and 24 smart sensors for installation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina startin in the Spring of 2014. Many of the sensors can be used in more than one nest per season, so Data can be collected from roughly 40 nests per season. The data is analyzed as it is collected to attempt to predict imminent hatching.
 ==Hardware components==

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:40, 2 July 2016
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	~~==People==~~
−	*[[User:Dave]] -- Electrical engineering / Mechanical engineering
−	*[[User:Sam]] -- Project manager / Embedded Software
−	*[[User:Tom]] -- Engineering support
−	*[[User:Eric]] -- Fundraising / Community liaison
−	*[[User:Chuck]] -- Sea Turtle community outreach / Materials
−	*[[User:Chris]] -- Web Server Admin
−	*[[User:Mark]] -- Web Application Development
−	*[[User:Britta]] -- National Park Service Biologist
−	*[[User:Trebor\|User:trebor]] -- Web visualizations
−
−
	==Overview==		==Overview==
	When nests are discovered by park personnel, they are uncovered, the eggs counted, and a DNA sample is taken. At that time, a smart sensor the size of a turtle egg is placed on top of the turtle nest before the excavated sand is filled back in to cover the site. The smart sensor measures motion and temperature in the nest, and the data collected is used to predict when hatching is imminent. The smart sensor is connected to a communications tower which sends out regular reports on the activity in the nest using M2M technology. The text file reports are FTP'd to a website directly from the communications tower. During Phase Two we created test units, one registration units, 8 communications towers and 24 smart sensors for installation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina startin in the Spring of 2014. Many of the sensors can be used in more than one nest per season, so Data can be collected from roughly 40 nests per season. The data is analyzed as it is collected to attempt to predict imminent hatching.		When nests are discovered by park personnel, they are uncovered, the eggs counted, and a DNA sample is taken. At that time, a smart sensor the size of a turtle egg is placed on top of the turtle nest before the excavated sand is filled back in to cover the site. The smart sensor measures motion and temperature in the nest, and the data collected is used to predict when hatching is imminent. The smart sensor is connected to a communications tower which sends out regular reports on the activity in the nest using M2M technology. The text file reports are FTP'd to a website directly from the communications tower. During Phase Two we created test units, one registration units, 8 communications towers and 24 smart sensors for installation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina startin in the Spring of 2014. Many of the sensors can be used in more than one nest per season, so Data can be collected from roughly 40 nests per season. The data is analyzed as it is collected to attempt to predict imminent hatching.

@@ Line 65: / Line 65: @@
 ==Parts lists==
-* [https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/26861868/Turtle%20Sense%20Public%20Files/Turtle%20Sense%20Comm%20Unit%200.43%20--%20Bill%20of%20Materials%20--%20Completely%20filled%20PCB.xls Turtle Sense Communications board parts]
+* [https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/26861868/Turtle%20Sense%20Public%20Files/Turtle%20Sense%20Comm%20Unit%200.43%20--%20Bill%20of%20Materials%20--%20Completely%20filled%20PCB.xls Turtle Sense Communications 0.43 board parts]
-* [https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/26861868/Turtle%20Sense%20Public%20Files/Smart%20Sensor%200.46%20--%20Bill%20of%20Materials%20--%20PCB%20Assembly%20only.xls Turtle Sense Smart Sensor board parts]
+* [https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/26861868/Turtle%20Sense%20Public%20Files/Smart%20Sensor%200.46%20--%20Bill%20of%20Materials%20--%20PCB%20Assembly%20only.xls Turtle Sense Smart Sensor 0.46 board parts]
 * [[Turtle Sense Other parts]]

@@ Line 73: / Line 73: @@
 * [[Turtle Sense Smart Sensor PCB Schematic v.0.46|Smart Sensor PCB 0.46 schematic]]
 * [[Turtle Sense Smart Sensor board v.0.46|Smart Sensor PCB 0.46 description]]
-* [[Turtle Sense Communications PCB Schematic v.0.43|Communications PCB 0.43 schematic]]
+* [[Turtle Sense Communications PCB Schematic v.0.44|Communications PCB 0.44 schematic]]
-* [[Turtle Sense communications board v.0.43|Communications PCB 0.43 description]]
+* [[Turtle Sense communications board v.0.44|Communications PCB 0.44 description]]
 ==Circuit Board Fabrication==

@@ Line 70: / Line 70: @@
 ==Schematics and System design==
-* [[Block Diagram of System]]
+* [[Block Diagram of Phase 3 System]]
-* [[Turtle Sense Smart Sensor PCB Schematic v.0.24|Smart Sensor PCB 0.24 schematic]]
+* [[Turtle Sense Smart Sensor PCB Schematic v.0.46|Smart Sensor PCB 0.46 schematic]]
-* [[Turtle Sense Smart Sensor board v.0.24|Smart Sensor PCB 0.24 description]]
+* [[Turtle Sense Smart Sensor board v.0.46|Smart Sensor PCB 0.46 description]]
-* [[Turtle Sense Communications PCB Schematic v.0.25a|Communications PCB 0.25a schematic]]
+* [[Turtle Sense Communications PCB Schematic v.0.43|Communications PCB 0.43 schematic]]
-* [[Turtle Sense communications board v.0.25a|Communications PCB 0.25a description]]
+* [[Turtle Sense communications board v.0.43|Communications PCB 0.43 description]]
 ==Circuit Board Fabrication==

@@ Line 33: / Line 33: @@
 ===Other components===
-The only other components necessary are the cable and connector for the turtle egg sensor, one antenna for the communications tower (the hand held unit has an extra antenna for GPS.)  The units should operate for roughly 4 months running on 4 or 8 low self-discharge NiMH Batteries.    Also, anyone creating these devices will need the hardware necessary for programming the microprocessors.
+The only other components necessary are the RG6 coax cable and connector for the turtle egg sensor, and one cell antenna for the communications tower.  The units should be able to operate continuously running on three low self-discharge NiMH Batteries, which are kept charged by a small solar cell in the top of the PVC enclosure.    Also, anyone creating these devices will need the hardware necessary for programming the microprocessors.
 ==Cellular service==

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:15, 21 June 2016
Line 31:		Line 31:

	===Hand-held registration unit===		===Hand-held registration unit===
−	A communications board is mounted in a small hand-held unit so that it can be taken in the field when nests are first discovered. This allows park service personnel to carry just the light-weight sensors and the hand-held unit to the nest sites. Later, the much heavier and bulkier communications towers can be brought in. The Hand-Held units have GPS capability. They are programmed to test the sensors to make sure they are functioning properly, get a GPS reading, check for good cell reception, and get the local time and date from the cellular network. The date, time and GPS location are sent to the sensor, so that all this information will be available to the communications tower when it eventually connected.

	===Other components===		===Other components===

@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 ===Communications tower board===
-Since it is not possible to make telemetry connections under wet salty sand, the smart sensors are connected to a communications tower.  The design is based around creating a custom processing mother board connected to an off-the-shelf telemetry board. The communications board has a very low power  TI MSP430FR series microprocessor which controls and monitors the activity of the smart sensor and controls the telemetry board.  There is also a power supply, a RS485 telemetry chip and connectors for future expansion.  The electronics are mounted inside a 3 inch PVC pipe and fittings anchored in a bucket filled with concrete.  The concrete base and Cat 5 cable are buried in the sand. The  The tower sends text reports to our web space via an FTP connection using the telemetry board.  The frequency of the reports starts out a one a day when the nests are new and not very active.  Later the frequency increases to 6 times a day as the nest becomes more active.  Since the communications tower only makes one to 6 reports a day, The microprocessor turns the telemetry board on and off, so that it consumes no power when it is not being used.
+Since it is not possible to make telemetry connections under wet salty sand, the smart sensors are connected to a communications tower.  The design is based around creating a custom processing mother board connected to an off-the-shelf telemetry board. The communications board has a very low power  TI MSP430FR series microprocessor which controls and monitors the activity of the smart sensor and controls the telemetry board.  There is also a power supply, a solar cell control circuit for recharging three onboard AAA cells, a coax transceiver circuit, and connectors for future expansion.  The electronics are mounted inside a 3 inch PVC pipe and fittings.  The PVC pipe is anchored in a bucket filled with concrete.  The concrete base and RG6 coax cable are buried in the sand. The  The tower sends text reports to our web space via an FTP connection using the telemetry board.  The frequency of the reports starts out a one a day when the nests are new and not very active.  Later the frequency increases to 6 times a day as the nest becomes more active.  Since the communications tower only makes one to 6 reports a day, The microprocessor turns the telemetry board on and off, so that it consumes no power when it is not being used.
 ====Telemetry board====
 We are using [http://www.janus-rc.com/terminuscf.html plug in Terminus boards] made by Janus. One board works with AT&T, T-mobile and many international GSM networks.  Another works with Verizon.  The boards are interchangeable so both will plug into our motherboard.  The cost is roughly $140 qty 1 and are [http://www.janus-rc.com/terminuscf.html available from the manufacturer, Janus].  Janus has generously offered us a discount on their boards.
 ===Hand-held registration unit===

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 The Phase One design used plastic ping-pong balls (not good ping-pong balls, but cheap plastic knock offs) and a temperature/motion sensor pre-installed on a small circuit board ([https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11446 Qty 1 Price=$14.95]).  Assembly involved cutting a small slot in a ball, putting in some silicone caulk, inserting a sensor board attached to a cable into the caulk, and then filling the rest of the ball with caulk.  A  ball cut in half covered the slot and makes a thorough seal with the silicone.  This design was abandoned for several reasons.  The silicone did not fully set, even after a few months in the field.  The sensor was unreliable, which may have been because it was connected directly to the microprocessor via the long Cat 5 cable and communications were using a very slow bit-banged SPI connection.  To improve communications we decided to put transceivers on both sides of the cable.  By adding a microprocessor to the sensor, most of the processing could happen in the sensor assembly.  The transceivers are on for just a few seconds a day, for the upload of information from the sensor to the comm tower.  This results in a Smart Sensor with very small power requirements.
-The Smart Sensor has a 3-axis motion sensor (accelerometer) and temperature sensor connected to a very low power TI MSP430FR series microprocessor.  There is also an RS485 transceiver chip which connects to the communications tower via a shielded Cat5e cable.  The smart sensor can be programmed to take readings 12.5, 25, 50, 100, 200 or 400 times every second.  Each reading is compared with the previous reading to determine the change in acceleration -- or "jolt".  Rather than record each jolt, the sensor counts how many readings have reached approximately 25 different magnitude levels.  These magnitude levels (which we call "bins counters") are in a logarithmic scale.  Each bin is the square root of 2 larger than the previous one.  We keep count for a variable amount of time (between 1 and 6 minutes) and then start a new set record with a new set of bins.  This allows us to track how much motion there was at multiple magnitudes over time.
+The Smart Sensor has a 3-axis motion sensor (accelerometer) and temperature sensor connected to a very low power TI MSP430FR series microprocessor.  There is also a moisture sensing circuit connected to the microprocessor, which measures changes in the capacitance of the moist or dry sand surrounding the sensor ball. A coax transceiver circuit connects to the communications tower via a RG6U cable.  The smart sensor can be programmed to take readings 12.5, 25, 50, 100, 200 or 400 times every second.  Each reading is compared with the previous reading to determine the change in acceleration -- or "jolt".  Rather than record each jolt, the sensor counts how many readings have reached approximately 25 different magnitude levels.  These magnitude levels (which we call "bins counters") are in a logarithmic scale.  Each bin is the square root of 2 larger than the previous one.  We keep count for a variable amount of time (between 1 and 6 minutes) and then start a new set record with a new set of bins.  This allows us to track how much motion there was at multiple magnitudes over time.
 ===Communications tower board===