1. Electric Power Meter
JEE4980: Electrical Engineering Design Projects
Professor Paul Nauret
4/21/15
TEAM CONTINUITY: Esra Woody, Sharjeel Ahmed and
Miles Abel

2. Table of Contents
1. Executive Summary and Recommendations .............................................................................1
2. Methodology...............................................................................................................................2
3. Technical......................................................................................................................................7
4. Qualifications.............................................................................................................................20
5. Conclusion..................................................................................................................................24
6. Attachments..............................................................................................................................25
7. Additional Info ..........................................................................................................................38

3. 1
Executive Summary and Recommendations
This report provides the design details, construction methodology, performance analysis and
project management techniques used to produce an electrical energy generation and
measuring system. In total the systemconsists of an aluminum case, two hand crank
generators, a plexiglass enclosure, customdesigned and built current and voltage measuring
circuits, rechargeable battery and photovoltaic power supply, interactive buttons and an OLED
display. The systemaccurately measures the power and energy generated by two hand crank
generators for over 1 minute, 30 sec or Auto (stops 2 seconds after no power is detected). The
system provides users with generation duration choices, displays the instantaneous power and
energy generated and outputs the total power and energy generated. The system complies
with all six sections of the Team Standard. As a group we spent a total of 695 hours on the
project.
Recommendation:
 Our customer select our generation/meter systemfor use to develop awareness and
interest from high school and middle school students

4. 2
Methodology
Standards and Codes
As a class we developed a Team Standard. The standard’s purpose is to set design parameters
to ensure the specific needs/interests of the customer are met. There are six distinct areas the
Team Standard touches: Physical, Functional/Operational, Environmental, Economic, Legal and
Human/Ergonomic. Each member of the class was provided with an opportunity to be either
the Chair or Coordinator. These two positions setup a live document on Google Drive that could
be accessed by everyone in the class. In addition, six students were selected to write the
standard for each of the six sections of the standard – these students were considered to be
Subject Matter Experts or SME. The class as a whole received feedback from the customer
regarding several of the standards. Our Chair and Coordinator granted the SME’s edit access to
the Standard on Google Drive and the SME’s wrote their sections. The professor reviewed the
submissions and made suggested changes. Once the SME’s made final updates to the Standard,
the Standard was presented to the class as a whole. The whole class voted on each aspect of
the Standard. At the conclusion of the voting, the Standard was finalized and each group used
this standard as a guide to better ensure customer satisfaction was achieved.
When it came to actually using the Standard, we found many of the aspects useful in guiding
the design. The Physical requirements were used to determine the size of the enclosure we
designed and affected the electronics we used because we wanted to be light and small. The
Functional/Operation requirements also had elements that affected our design. We designed to
meet the one minute timer, four or less switches/buttons, the switch protrusion, displaying the

5. 3
power generated compared to a more familiar household appliance or item and the using 10 W
light bulb requirements. Therefore, the Functional/Operational section had a significant impact
on guiding our design.
Our Environmental standard detailed operational ranges for temperature and humidity. We
selected electronic components that met the -10 to 40 °C. However, we did not check to make
sure the components would function in 30% to 80% humidity. However, we did verify we met
all of the requirements of the Economic portion. Our total cost was $158, which stayed well
under the $400 limit. The batteries are the only maintenance item and can be replaced. Finally,
the light bulbs are accessible and easy to change.
The Legal standard dealt with safety, patents and labeling. We did not put any caution labels on
our device. Although our meter uses very low voltages, which are not a threat due to shock, our
Standard called for a label and we should have put one on it. Since we are not selling the
product, royalties due to using a patented design are a non-issue. We have not used any
patented designs. There are somewhat sharp edges on our product but would not be an issue
unless the meter came in contact with a person while either the meter or person was moving at
a high rate of speed or acceleration.
Ease of use and reduction of strain on the user are the objectives of the Human/Ergonomics
section of the Standard. We have three buttons, plus an ON/OFF switch and simple instructions
that enable the use of our product. Our product is light, has a case and an easy to read display.

6. 4
These attributes allow our product to meet the requirements set forth in the
Human/Ergonomic section of the Standard.
The Standard was an effective mechanism for guiding the design process. We did meet the
requirements set forth in general. We did not place any safety labeling on our product, which
was called for by the Standard. However, overall the objectives of the six sections of the Team
Standard were met.
Design Approach
To ensure the system exceeded the requirements provided in both the JEE4980 Spring Senior
Design Project scope and the Team Standard, we developed a project management strategy to
guide our efforts. Initially we devised what we will call a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). The
WBS lays out, from a top down perspective, the elements of the system. For instance, the top
level is the Hand Crank Generation/Power Meter System. The layer below the top places all of
the elements of the actual systeminto subheadings. Additionally, there are subheadings for the
integration and project management in the layer below the top. The combination or
aggregation of all of the subheadings in the second layer, from the top, produces the top level,
the Hand Crank Generation/Power Meter System. Subsequently, the second layer can undergo
further subdivisions. Each subheading of the second layer is subdivided into smaller elements.
The purpose is to break the actual aspects of the design into parts, dividing up the work into
more manageable and understandable units. We accomplished the objective of appropriately

7. 5
defining our work into manageable and understandable elements through the use of the Work
Breakdown Structure.
Assigning responsibilities to each of the members of the team, defining key deliverables,
milestones, scope and risks, the Team Charter was the next project management tool we
developed. The WBS defined the actual elements of the project and the Team Charter served to
further assign what we would specifically be responsible for designing and building, i.e. scope,
deliverables and milestones. In total there were ten milestones, including the Team Charter as a
milestone. The milestones contained design and build metrics. The metrics were appropriately
spaced to allow for each project element to be appropriately developed. We submitted our
Team Charter to our customer, who accepted the deliverables and responsibilities. Finally, the
Team Charter also served as a bridge in between the WBS and the Schedule.
The Schedule was the last major project management tool we develop. In our Schedule we
assigned dates to the different tasks we need to complete in order to design and build our
product. The Schedule is divided into three main subsections: Power Measuring, Integration
and Milestones. The Power Measuring section focused on the microcontroller and all of the
electronics needed to measure the current and voltage, used to calculate the power and energy
generated. The Integration section describes how the pieces of the system join together. For
instance, the power measuring circuit will reside inside an enclosure; require power; and read
signals generated from the hand crank generators.

8. 6
Environmental, Health&Safety
Our product is designed and built to be aesthetically pleasing, sustainable and safe. The
enclosure plays the largest role in effecting the aesthetics of the product. We selected black
plexiglass because of its sleek and modern appearance. In order to conserve energy and
improve the longevity of our product, we combined rechargeable batteries with a photovoltaic
cell. This allowed for the systemto be virtually self-sustaining. It will require that the customer
allows the system to recharge after use. Increasing the safety of our product, our light weight
design and low voltage systemmake the product highly safe for young people. There are no
moving parts besides the generator handles.

9. 7
Technical
Simulationand Analysis
We think of the systemas having eight parts: generation circuit, light bulbs, voltage sensing,
current sensing, microcontroller, power supply, user interaction/buttons and display. Each of
these elements collaborates to form our system. From Figure 1, we see that everything flows
from the generation circuit, which produces the power our meter is measuring. The voltage and
current sensing blocks are the connection the microcontroller makes with the generation
circuit. The microcontroller then processes the signals on the voltage and current sensing
blocks and outputs the results in the display block. The power supply block provides the
microcontroller with the power to perform its tasks and the user buttons block allows the user
to interact with the display indirectly by communicating with the microcontroller first. Lastly,
the generation circuit also produces the power to illuminate the light bulbs.
Control Block Diagram
Figure 1: Block diagram of our system

10. 8
We represent the eight blocks of the Control Block Diagram in the schematic below. Some
keynotes on each section follow.
 The wires are not drawn below but the connections are marked for every connection.
Also, the component values used for elements are listed next to the appropriate
component
 The generation circuit has the shunt resistors in series with each generator to capture
the current across each shunt by measuring the voltage and knowing the resistance. The
entire generation circuit has a 100 uF capacitor across it to reduce noise
 The microcontroller has decoupling capacitors for all power connections; connections
for serial communication with the OLED display; connections to the inverting, non-
inverting and output of the operational amplifiers of the current sensing circuit; voltage
divider connections; the power supply cell has a diode preventing the batteries from
sending energy to the photovoltaic cell but allows the photovoltaic cell to contribute
power
 The linear voltage regulator sends a near constant 3.3 V (3.298 V on average from
testing at variable range of input voltage)

11. 9
Power Generation/Meter Schematic
Figure 2: Shows the schematic for the entire power generation/meter system
We selected a STM32F303CCT6 microcontroller, MCU, because of its capabilities, such as
accurately measuring regularly changing waveforms. The microcontroller provides on board
operational amplifiers, analog to digital converters, configurable input/output pins, high clock
speeds (72 MHz) and serial communication. With the options available on the microcontroller
combined with a custom electronic circuit, we eliminate unwanted signals and accurately
process the waveforms of interest. See Figure 3 for the custom electronic amplifier circuit.

12. 10
There are two main reasons for using a differential operational amplifier configuration: to boost
the measured waveforms to levels better read by the analog to digital converters; and reject
the common mode signals. A good microcontroller design practice we follow is to have your
largest measured signal use as much of the microcontroller’s measureable range as possible.
Our MCU has a maximum voltage range of 3.3 V. We select 0.1 Ω, 1 Watt shunt resistors to
reduce power loss and still withstand the power dissipation. The hand crank generators have
rated capacity of 2.0 A, which means power dissipation at rated current will be 0.4 W. Even if
the students exceed the maximum current rating by 25%, the power dissipated in the resistor
will be 0.625 W. Therefore, 1 W resistors will be more than sufficient for the generators.
Knowing the value of the shunt resistor is necessary for determining the gain needed from the
amplifier circuit.
Current Amplifier Circuit
Figure 3: Voltages VB and VA are the voltages across the shunt resistors and V0 is the output voltage
fromthe operationalamplifierfed directly to the Analog to Digital Converters.Thecapacitors,C1 and C2,
are for filtering, and the resistors, R1, R2, R4 and R5, are for setting the gain of the circuit

13. 11
We determine the necessary gain and the corresponding resistor values using the following
method. Note, all resistor values and the gain in the subsequent method refer to Figure 3 and
the gain of the operational amplifier in Figure 3. We allow for the current through the shunt
resistors to reach a maximum of 4 A, double the rated value. This means the maximum voltage
seen through the shunt resistors would be 1.6 V (note that we do not expect the current to ever
reach this level and do not want it to; our shunt resistors are rated at 1 W). Furthermore, we
allow for a minimum negative current of -1 A. In total, these two current values define a 5 A
current span. If we now multiply the 5 A by the 0.1 Ω, we have 0.5 V. Since our MCU is rated at
3.3 V but in practice can see a maximum of around 3.1 V, we choose 3.1 V as our maximum
voltage the MCU can measure. Therefore, we need a 𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛 =
3.1 𝑉
0.5 𝑉
≈ 6.2, using standard
resistor values.
Solving the node equations for Figure 3, we ascertain a relationship for the gain as follows:
𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛 =
𝑅4∗𝑅5
( 𝑅1+𝑅2)( 𝑅4+𝑅5)
. We begin by picking the value of R1 to be 1 kΩ. With this selection, we
create a MATLAB script that performs two functions: generates arrays of possible resistor
values for R2, R4 and R5 based on only standard resistor values; and requires the gain to be
held close 6.2. After the script runs, we select the resistor combinations that make the most
sense based on desired circuit performance. The combination we select turns out to be R2 =
510 Ω, R4 = 43000 Ω and R5 = 12000 Ω, which means our gain is approximately 6.2131.
In addition to providing gain for the small signals across the shunt resistors, the filter design in
Figure 3 avoids the effects of noise pickups. The 22 nF differential capacitor, C2 in Figure 3,

14. 12
provides high frequency filtering, which are noise. The two 680 nF series capacitors, C1 in the
figure provide common mode filtering. These capacitors filter high frequency common mode
signals that the differential operational amplifiers cannot reject. Finally, the differential
operational amplifiers reject the remaining common mode signals producing a well filtered
waveform measured over the shunt resistors.
Aside from measuring the voltage developed across the shunts due to the current, the
microcontroller measures the voltage produced by the generators. A voltage divider with
parallel capacitance on R2 in Figure 4 enables the MCU to read the voltage produced. The 33 uF
capacitor provides a buffer for the analog to digital converter reading and filters high frequency
noise. The resistors R1 and R2 in the voltage divider shown in Figure 4 are determined as
follows. We assume the maximum voltage that the generators could produce is 35 V, which is 3
times the rated generator voltage of 12 V. 39.9 V is a somewhat arbitrary number but the is
substantially larger than the rated voltage. We use a MATLAB script to calculate all possible
solutions to the following voltage divider relationship: 𝑉𝑂 =
𝑅2
𝑅1+ 𝑅2
∗ 𝑉𝑆, using standard resistor
values. From the possible solutions, we select R1 =

15. 13
Voltage Divider Connection
Figure 4: Schematic of the two generator legs with current shunt resistors and the voltage divider for
measuring the voltage developed by the two hand crank generators
The MCU combines the conversion of the voltage measured across the shunts to currents with
the voltage measured across the voltage divider reading the voltage developed by the
generators to calculate the instantaneous power. The average of the instantaneous powers
measured in each half second is calculated. The sum of the average of the instantaneous power
measured per second is computed to give the total average power. The energy is calculated
from using the total power developed per unit of time.

16. 14
The power measuring circuit described above requires power to operate. The power supply
design uses four rechargeable AA batteries and a 9 V rated photovoltaic cell as power sources.
As shown in Figure 2, the power supply design allows for the batteries to be recharged. In
addition, when the photovoltaic cell produces more than approximately 4.8 V, the photovoltaic
cells power the system. When the system is no longer in use, the photocells can be used to
recharge the batteries.
We meet or exceed the Standard in every condition except the safety warning signs. The size of
the system is approximately 6” X 6” X 6” with three buttons, one switch and weighing in less
than ten lbs. All of the components exceed the operational temperature ratings, as verified per
the datasheets. The user interface has three buttons and simple to use instructions, making the
design age appropriate. The circuits use non-lead based solder to be ROHS compliant. We
accurately measure the power and energy developed from the two hand crank generators
using the means previously described and proved in the testing below.
We simulated both the voltage and current sensing magnitude and phase frequency responses,
shown below in Figures 5 and 6, to determine whether our power measuring circuit would
provide the desired waveforms, filtering and gains. Armed with this knowledge, we
appropriately setup our software to account for these gains and use the necessary interrupt
rate to process the power and energy correctly.

17. 15
Figure 5: Graphs of the magnitude and phase of the frequency response to the voltage sensing
circuit
Figure 6: Graphs of the magnitude and phase of the frequency response to the current sensing
circuit

18. 16
Generator Testing
Figure 7: Shows actual oscilloscope waveform captures of the power (blue), voltage (yellow)
and current (pink) developed by the two hand crank generators
We conducted lab testing, shown in Figure 7, to compare our meter’s performance to the
power measured on an oscilloscope. Our testing showed that on average we had approximately
a 1 % error from the power measured on the oscilloscope. Calculating the error becomes
somewhat arbitrary because one must decide where to conduct the measurements. We
measured from the cathode side of the diodes in series with the generators to the zero voltage
reference below the shunt resistors. This choice of measurement will introduce some error
because the shunt resistors affect the measurement.

19. 17
We have made our product while keeping the cost in mind at all times. The total cost to make
our product was $158.25. Keeping the quality of the product high, same parts should be used.
We have done great amount of research on where to get these high quality parts and have
mentioned these vendors in the bill of material. Getting these parts from another vendor can
cause the product to lose it functionality due to compatibility issues of microcontroller and
display. Fabrication cost will go down if the product is ordered in bulk and these prices will be
given when order is placed.
We considered the economic feasibility and impact of replicating the project. First notice the
total hours spent on the project were 695 hours vs the estimated 465 hours. The total number
of hours is large, but this was a first design with students learning. Having completed the
design, we believe that we could cut the hours by more than half. The time spent designing and
building the product impact the economic affect the production of the product has. In addition
the total cost was $158.25, which is relatively inexpensive. However, the cost to build could
certainly be reduced from this number because our project total includes reorders and mistakes
we made. Furthermore, if the product were to be mass produced, discounted rates for buying
bulk would apply for some parts.

20. 18
Figure 8: Graph of total hours spent on the project
Figure 9: Graph of the total hours vs the estimated hours
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Hours
Week
Team total Hours spent
0
100
200
300
400
500
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800
Actual Estimated
Hours
Total Vs. EstimatedHours

21. 19
Our schedule was our guide to producing the product. It greatly assisted us in making decisions
on how to divide our time. We were able to make decisions about when and what parts to buy
and how to assign specific roles when. Initially, we focused on the design and purchasing some
of the main components, such as the microcontroller. We purchased the microcontroller in
January, so that we could begin programming and testing some of our ideas. One of our
decisions had a significant negative impact on our schedule. We made a decision to have our
enclosure cut by a company that promised to do so for us. However, this company held on to
our enclosure for four weeks and ended up not cutting our pieces. This resulted in us
scrambling at the end of the project to complete the build and conduct testing.
Team Continuity Schedule
Figure 10: Shows our schedule

22. 20
Qualifications
Project teambiographies
Sharjeel Ahmed moved to United States in June 2005. In high school he was always interested
in math and computer science. He took Calculus 2 in his senior year and graduated top in his
class. He studied business and got his Associates in Business Administration in 2013.
He has worked with his dad who is an Automobile Engineer and has always been interested in
Electrical Engineering. He joined University of Missouri St. Louis and Washington University in
St. Louis joint Engineering program and is working towards graduating in May 2015. He is very
interested to work for a power electronics company and also wants to share his knowledge
through teaching future generations about Electrical Engineering.
When he is not studying he is always working on different side projects; for example LED light
display, Arduino controlled AC switches for home automation, etc. He also helps his dad in car
diagnostics. He enjoys the company of his siblings whenever he gets a chance.
Miles Abel grew up in Denton, TX and moved to St. Louis in 2004 on a soccer scholarship at
Missouri Baptist University to study mathematics. After completing his math degree in 2008, he
played indoor soccer professionally and coached as the Men’s Assistant Soccer Coach for
Missouri Baptist University. Having always had a love for design, math and science, Miles joined

23. 21
the University of Missouri – St. Louis/Washington University Joint Electrical Engineering
program in June of 2012 and plans on graduating in May of 2015.
Since beginning his journey towards becoming an electrical engineer, Miles has worked for
three different companies to gain additional experience: Abeinsa EPC, Barry-Wehmiller Design
Group and Emerson. In June, Miles will have worked for Emerson for a year and focused on
abroad spectrum of projects: electronics design, embedded programming, power electronic
design, electric motor design and Windows Forms and Web Forms design. Miles looks forward
to continuing his development as an electrical engineer.
Esra Woody moved to America in 2004 from her home country, Turkey where she earned a
Bachelor in Physics and taught high school Physics for three years along with managing her own
tutoring company. Through the years following her entry into the U.S., she married and gave
birth to her now ten year old son, earned her Masters in Physics, gained U.S. Citizenship; and at
present, is completing her bachelors in electrical engineering. She is employed by Ameren
Missouri after working with them as a student engineer Co-Op as part of her bachelor
experience. Esra’s hard work and determination established a model to be followed by her son
who wishes to follow in his mother’s footsteps with a career in engineering.
There are those who served as positive influences in Esra’s life who she thanks for their
encouragement and knowledge along the way. Among these persons are professors both in

24. 22
Turkey and the U.S.A., work colleagues, friends and past students; and of course her husband
and child.
Roles
In the beginning of the semester team Continuity gave assigned roles to each member. Esra
was Chair of the team, Sharjeel the Coordinator and Miles the Subject Matter Expert (S.M.E).
This was changed the next week because we realized that each member is equally contributing
for each role. All three of us were helping each other when needed. We decided that instead of
fixing these roles to the individuals we should weekly rotate it around. This method was more
beneficial because everyone was learning and experiencing new tasks as we moved further in
to the semester.
Ethical code
Team Continuity is committed to the highest ethical and professional standards of conduct as
an integral part of its mission, the making of an excellent product. To achieve this goal team
Continuity relies on each member of the team ethical behavior, honesty, integrity and good
judgment. Each member will demonstrate respect for the rights of others. Each member is
accountable for his/her actions.
This Code of Conduct describes standards to guide us in our daily activities; standards we
believe are already being followed and are also described by Washington University.

25. 23
Team performance in Proposal development
For this team project each team member has shown exemplary performance. We have
bounced ideas against each other, communicated times for meetings, switched roles of each
member for more all-round experience, always kept open communications and always treated
each other with respect. Our weekly team progress report is an excellent example of team
performance. Each member has spent more than 200 man hours for this project, this shows
that each member was determined to make an excellent product for the customer.

26. 24
Conclusion
As a team, we set out to design and build an electric power generation/meter system that
would enable high school and middle school students to gain a deeper appreciation of the
difficulty of generating electricity as well as the power it holds through an exciting interactive
device. We spent hours considering different ideas and comparing their performance in the
overall system. Our focus was primarily on accuracy of power/energy measurement, simplicity
of use and sleekness of appearance. To this we were successful and managed to meet the vast
majority of the requirements in the TeamStandard. We would have liked to conduct more
thorough testing if time permitted. This report provides the results of our endeavors.

27. 25
Attachments
Product Standard
1) Physical Standards
The physical requirements for the meter project are listed in this section. The
requirements are in general given for the entire system - exceptions are listed (e.g. the
hand-crank generators are excluded in the Dimensions section). There are six areas with
specifications for the meter project listed in this section: Dimensions, Weight, Screen
Size, Physical Storage, Materials and Power Consumption. This section provides
guidelines that are customer centric.
1.1) Dimensions
The product will not exceed 2 ft in any dimension. In this section dimension is intended
to refer to the dimensions of a single enclosure’s width, length or height. In the event
the enclosure is not a rectangular prism, the greatest value of the enclosure’s width,
length or height is taken.
1.2) Weight
The overall weight will not exceed 16 lbs. This includes the meter/display, light box with
integrated 50 W load, all controls, two hand-crank generators and the carrying case.

28. 26
1.3) ScreenSize
The screen size shall not exceed 1 ft. Screen size is determined by measuring from one
corner of the viewable area to the diagonally opposite corner. Use of multiple screens is
permitted.
1.4) Physical Storage
The product must be stored in a cool, dry place. This sections refers to long-term
storage, which excludes transporting the product. The temperature of the storage
location should fall within -20⁰ C to 60⁰ C.
1.5) Materials
All materials should be RoHS, Restriction of Hazardous Substances, compliant. This
includes all electrical components, electronics, wires, soldering, lights, buzzers,
enclosure materials, handle and carrying case. The strap/handle should balance weight
for safe lifting. The enclosure, user-interface and all materials the operator may come in
contact with should be designed and built to prevent injury and assist with ease of
operator use.
1.6) PowerConsumption
The meter/display should consume less than 1/10 W when in the OFF state.

29. 27
2) Functional/Operational Standards
The purpose of the meter project is to demonstrate the difficulty of generating energy
to the general public. Accuracy and ease of use are key factors in the functionality of the
meter. The standards listed below are guidelines to making the meter easy to use
without limiting each team’s creativity.
2.1) Testing
A wattmeter will be used to ensure that proper output power is displayed. Integrated
energy for a 1 minute period shall be accurate within 5% (i.e. product meter value shall
display within 5% of the value measured by lab quality instruments.) Each bulb should
represent 10 watts. Output should be instantaneous. Any additional features should not
affect the powering of the bulbs.
2.2) Controls
The meter will be limited to 4 switches including a power switch. Any functions
triggered by switching should have a negligible delay. No switch should exceed 3 inches
in width and height, or 1 inch in protrusion. This will reduce snagging risks.
2.3) Functions
In addition to lighting the bulbs, the power generated by the hand crank should relate to
household usage or some other usage that the general public can relate to. This feature

30. 28
has an educational value that was not demonstrated in previous designs. A timer
should be implemented with a 1 minute duration.
3) Environmental Standards
The following standards have been developed to ensure optimum functionality of the
meter and safety of both the customer and the viewers.
3.1) Operational conditions
3.1.1) Temperature limits
The meter should be operated within an ambient temperature range of -10⁰ C to
40⁰C.
3.1.2) Humidity limits
A humidity requirement in the range of 30% to 80% is advised to avoid
electrostatic discharge, and human discomfort.
4) Economic Standards
This portion of the Meter standard is designated for Economics. This section determines
standards for Materials Budget, and General Maintenance. This standard will help
teams to know how much materials’ spending is too much. Another point of this
standard is to keep the maintenance of the product in mind.

31. 29
4.1) Material Budget
This standard will assist in budgeting for each meter project. The Materials cost for one
meter project must not exceed $400. This includes $100 from the University, and a
maximum of $100 per member. The meter project consists of all materials involved in
the project. This includes the casing, and electronic components. The hand-cranks,
relays, and light bulbs are provided by the University.
4.2) General Maintenance
4.2.1) Replacing Batteries
The general maintenance of this meter should be limited to changing the
batteries. The battery's compartment needs to be easily accessible by the
operator. In the case when the meter runs out of batteries during a
demonstration, the operator needs to be able to replace the batteries on the
spot. Also, access to the batteries must be safe. All electrical connections must
be covered by a shield, so the operator avoids electrocution when changing
batteries.

32. 30
4.2.2) Replacing Light bulbs
The Meter design may disregard this section if light bulb rated life is over 2,000
hrs. The light bulb sockets need to be accessible. The operator should not have
to take the apparatus apart to access the light bulb sockets.
5) Legal Standards
The device should adhere to all Federal United States laws governing electronics. As the
device will primarily be used in the states of Missouri and Illinois, efforts should be
made to ensure that the device will meet all electronics codes in these states as well.
5.1) Safety
The device should not present any obvious dangers to users or to those in the
surrounding environment. No exposed wires should be present, nor should through
normal use should a wire become exposed or present a danger to a user or a viewer.
Sharp edges should be minimized, all moving parts should not present a pinching
hazard, nor should they be of insufficient quality as to fall apart in a user’s hands during
normal use and present a danger to him or her. All wiring inside the device should meet
codes set forth by relevant standards institutions such as IEEE and the NFC. Safety
concerns such as power supplied to the control device, gauge of wiring in regards to
how much voltage will be supplied across the wire, should all be checked against the
standards set forth by established institutions.

33. 31
5.2) Patents
Although there shouldn’t be much of an issue with this, there should be a mind for
ensuring that no patent laws are violated and that if ideas or designs used by our team
are already patented, that we can receive a dispensation to use the technology without
having to pay royalties. In the unfortunate event that the technology is patented and a
special dispensation cannot be acquired, then we will need to develop an alternative
technology as to not overstep the legal boundaries protecting the patent.
5.3) CautionLabel
A caution label should be included on the packaging and in the provided documentation
to the customer, this warning label is there to caution any users of the potential hazards
of using this product, such as detailing the pinching hazard of the hand cranks any of any
electrical hazards the user may face if the box is opened.
6) Human/Ergonomics Standards
The standards below are meant to make things easier for the customer and the target
audience of this product. This standard defines what age group is appropriate for this
product , how easy it should be to carry around and how easy it should be for everyone
to use and read.
6.1) Age Requirement
Designed for people age 12 and up with adult supervision for younger audiences.

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6.2) Difficulty
Maximum run time of one minute because people may get tired.
6.3) Mobility
Includes a strap/handle and is easy to move from one place to another. A case to carry
the product around is recommended, but not required as long as the product can be
easily and safely carried around. The customer will be carrying it by hand and for long
distances.
6.4) Ease ofuse
Includes detailed instructions for customer on how to set it up, how it works and the
overall purpose of it. Includes simple instructions for the target audience, and an
interpretation guide, in the form of a label or laminated card that explains what the
meter display means, using an everyday life example.
6.5) Display
Includes at least one screen. Time elapsed and energy produced must be displayed to
user. More is acceptable. Must include at least five light bulbs which also represent how
much energy is produced.

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MeasuredData
Generator Testing
Figure 7: Shows actual oscilloscope waveform captures of the power (blue), voltage (yellow)
and current (pink) developed by the two hand crank generators
Material List

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Training Plan
We have planned to train the customers on how to use our product during the product
demonstration. This product is plug & play therefore not a lot of training will be needed.
Written instructions will also be given with the product delivery. These instructions are made
keeping the user in mind (middle school and high school students) and have been checked for
any errors.
Operating Instructions
 Plug in either 1 or 2 generators to the plugs in the side of the box
o Match red to red and black to black
 Turn on power to system with switch on side
o Welcome screen will appear followed a few sec later by start screen:-
 Press the green button to continue to the next screen
 Select Test Duration
o The test duration is chosen by using the yellow and blue buttons to move up and
down the list and then using the green button to select the desired choice

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o For 30 sec and 60 sec tests the duration is fixed, but for the Auto choice, the test
will run until the generators are no longer being cranked
 The minimum time in this mode is still 10 sec
 A ‘Get Ready’ screen will then be displayed
o Press the green button to start the test
o Alternatively, the yellow button can be pressed to return to the ‘Select Duration’
screen, to choose a different time option
 The generators may be cranked before or after the test is started
o Power and energy information will only be collected after the green button is
pressed to start the test
 When the test is started, the screen will change to display the time and the power and
energy being generated by each generator
o If a fixed time was chosen, the time will be a countdown to the end of the test
o If Auto was chosen, the time will be an elapsed time since the test started

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o The test can be canceled at any time by pressing the yellow button
 At the end of the test the display will pause for a couple of seconds and then change to
displaying the results
o The yellow and blue buttons may be used to move forward and backwards
through these screens
 The first screen shows the combined results for the two generators:-
 The second screen shows a summary of the individual results for the two
generators:-
 The remaining screens display various information about how the
generated power compares to real-world power generation
requirements

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 At the final information screen, the green button may be used to return to the start
screen and select a new test

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Additional Info
 Have fun while using TeamContinuity’s power generation/meter system
 Designing and building a product requires hours of cooperation, thought, planning,
execution, troubleshooting, appreciation, respect, curiosity and persistence
 Thank you Professor Nauert for the experience in the Senior Design and allowing us to
find out what we could do as young electrical engineers