Learning in the Workplace Project

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Learning in the Workplace Project Project title: Active Monopole Survey Antenna

Client: EMC

Student name: Muhammad Saad

Final report

14 June 2015

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Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .................................................................................. 4 ACRONYMS ....................................................................................................... 6 1.

Introduction ............................................................................................... 6 1.1 1.2

Learning in the Workplace Project ........................................................ 6 Project Overview ...................................................................................... 6

2. Project Plan ................................................................................................... 7 2.1

Project Goals ............................................................................................ 7

2.2

Project Team ............................................................................................ 7

2.3 2.4

My Responsibilities in Team ................................................................... 8 Project Timeline....................................................................................... 8

3. Project Activity ............................................................................................. 9 3.1

Methodology ............................................................................................ 9

3.1.1

Producing circuit diagram ................................................................ 9

3.1.2

RF Amplifier Circuit ......................................................................... 9

3.1.3 3.1.4

Battery Charger Circuit .................................................................... 9 Producing PCB.................................................................................. 9

3.1.5

Soldering Components .................................................................... 10

3.1.6

Assembling....................................................................................... 10

3.1.7

Testing and calibration ................................................................... 10

3.2 Flowchart ............................................................................................... 10 4. Problems encountered ................................................................................ 12 4.1

Simulation .............................................................................................. 12

4.2

Selecting Components ........................................................................... 12

4.3

Paper Work ............................................................................................ 12

4.4

Amplification Unit ................................................................................. 12

4.5 4.6

Making PCB .......................................................................................... 12 Soldering ................................................................................................ 13

5. Future Evaluations and Areas of Improvement ...................................... 13 6. Personal Learning Outcomes .................................................................... 13 6.1

Learned from Failures .......................................................................... 14 2

6.2

Simulation Techniques.......................................................................... 14

6.3

Time Management ................................................................................. 14

6.4 6.5

Team Work............................................................................................. 14 Communication ..................................................................................... 14

7. Outcomes for the Organization ................................................................. 14 8. APPENDICES ............................................................................................. 14 Appendix A: Copy of the Client Report ............................................................ 33 Appendix B: Pelican Power Point ...................................................................... 36 Appendix C: Coopers Brewery .......................................................................... 35 Appendix D: Email correspondence with Industry ............................................ 38 Appendix E: Career Report ................................................................................ 40

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Acknowledgements I would like to thank Roopa Howard and Chris Preece for their guidance during the research and development of this project. Their time and effort in assisting us is most appreciated. I wish to thank Peter Bain for sharing his knowledge of the hardware components, particularly in fabricating the printed circuit board and promptly helping us in acquiring the required components for our project. I express many thanks to Terry Davenport, Jim Tosach, Lucy Briscoe, Mark Osborne and Elena di Fiore in accommodating us in all the administrative aspects of the project. I would also like to thank my team member Ubaid for putting our group together in organised way. Thank you all very much.

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ACRONYMS

AMSA

Active Monopole Survey Antenna

AU

Amplification Unit

BNC

Bayonet Neill-Concelman

LWP

Learning in the Workplace Project

CF

Calibration Fixture

COTS

Commercially Off the Shelf

EMC

Electromagnetic Compatibility

FCC

Federal Communications Commission

LED

Light Emitting Diode

MIL-STD

Military Standard

MOSFET

Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor

Op-amp

Operational Amplifier

OrCAD

OR Computer Aided Design

PCB

Printed Circuit Board

PDT

Pole Double-throw

RF

Radio Frequency

SMB

Sub-miniature B Type

UniSA

University of South Australia

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1.

Introduction

1.1

Learning in the Workplace Project

LWP is a course offered by the University of South Australia. It gives students an opportunity to work alongside with an Australian industry partner to gain valuable work experience, and help students to identify and develop their transferable skills. It also prepares students for the transition between student roles and professional roles.

1.2

Project Overview

With the rapid advancement of technology in the recent decade, the basic means of communication has been defined in a whole new dimension. The mobile communication, for example, has become a necessity rather than extravagance to our daily lives. Such means of telecommunication utilises airspace as its medium to propagate its signal from one location to another. The strength of these propagating signals may be proportional to the distance that it has to travel. As such, in this signal congested environment, we are very much vulnerable to these signals and being a natural receiver ourselves, we are putting our own health at risk.

Fig 1.1: Active monopole survey antenna and battery charger 6

The purpose of this survey antenna, as the name implies, is to detect the strength of the signals that are present in our environment, which may pose threat to our well-being. This device can also detect the radio frequency (RF) noise signals that are emitting from the industrial equipment or military equipment, which may also have violated the legal safety standards.

2.

Project Plan

Basically, the project plan is to design, calibrate and deploy active monopole antenna MIL-STD-461ERE102. Also, designing and making a battery charger for antenna.

2.1

Project Goals

Project is categorized in five main goals which are as follows: a) Reverse engineering of antenna circuit. b) Design and construct a battery charger. c) Re-design a PCB board for amplifier circuit. d) Assembly of PCB board into chassis. e) Test and calibrate the active monopole antenna.

2.2

Project Team

The project team is comprised of two electrical engineering students from University of South Australia, Muhammad Saad and Ubaid-ur Rehman. The project supervisor and the owner of EMC, Chris Preece will assist the performance and offer consultations and guidance to ensure the adequacy of the group. He will also provide the group with constructive feedback as work are done along the way. The course instructor, Roopa Howard, will be in-charge of the group, where she will assess the group’s performance, offer guidance and consultations, and ensure the adequacy of the group.

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2.3

My Responsibilities in Team

To improve collaboration, we clearly defined the tasks in the individual team members for the ultimate success of the project. My key responsibilities are as follows: 1) To do the basic research about the project. 2) To make record of the required documents such as calculated readings and simulated results. 3) To finalize the components list. 4) Simulate and verify results from project supervisor. 5) To build the battery charger of the project. 6) To do the appropriate testing of the device. 7) Listen to team members' feedback. 8) Communicate clear instructions to team members. 9) Updating the project log book.

2.4

Project Timeline

Fig 2.1 Project timeline graph

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3.

Project Activity

3.1

Methodology

3.1.1 Producing circuit diagram Our initial task was to calibrate the antenna circuit but later our project supervisor changed our task and asked to redesign the RF circuit amplifier board. For that purpose, the initial step was to create the circuit diagram and manufacture a new PCB. I created the circuit diagram for battery charger while my team member designed the RF circuit amplifier. Although, we both helped and each other and took guidance from supervisor.

3.1.2 RF Amplifier Circuit It is designed in such a way that higher efficiency is achieved in electric field. Firstly, the antenna is required to operate with the help of rechargeable batteries. Secondly, SMD components are selected in such a way that it improves the sensitivity of amplifier unit. 3.1.3 Battery Charger Circuit Normally, all types of battery charger works on the same principle but this charger is specially designed for particular antenna. The charger circuit is designed for rechargeable batteries only and charging other types of batteries through this charger may cause damage. The layout of circuit has been forward to the technical officer of electronics for making PCB.

3.1.4 Producing PCB The next task was to design a PCB, I used Diptrace software because of its user friendly and automatic placement features. When the PCB is designed I refer the electronics technical officer who told me that there is a lot of free space so the PCB circuit was redesigned and approved.

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3.1.5 Soldering Components This process is done by physically placing components on the circuit board. SMD components as discussed in client report is always difficult to solder with the help of soldering iron and soldering flux.

3.1.6 Assembling To assemble components properly in the chassis board required much consideration. To link the circuit board with the box connectors are used for this purpose.

3.1.7 Testing and calibration The final task after soldering components and properly assembled in chassis, is testing procedure. The testing and calibration fixture is referred to client report.

3.2

Flowchart

The flowchart was developed to provide with a helicopter view map in order to display the steps and procedures during project and to highlight any functional dependencies. This map is represented by rectangle, decisions as diamonds and the start/end processes as ovals.

Fig 3.1 representation of blocks

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Fig 3.2 Flowchart of Active monopole antenna and battery charger

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4.

Problems encountered

4.1

Simulation

The initial problem was to simulate the designs of the project. The difficulties in simulations arises when I found out that PSpice software was not available in the library. For that reason, I have to use LabVIEW software for simulation purpose. However, my team member helped me with this software.

4.2

Selecting Components

Finding the right components was the hardest task as it contains a lot of research and single wrong components can make whole circuit incorrect. The scenario in this case was just like blind leading a blind because if I followed a wrong research then whole project will suffer. Somehow, I found Peter, technical officer of electronics who guided me in finding the right components.

4.3

Paper Work

The most difficulty is always in data collection period and a lot of paper work and approvals needed for getting components. In the limited project time this delay causes a lot of problems. After 4-5 visits to project supervisor and technical officer the problem was resolved.

4.4

Amplification Unit

Selecting amplification unit was problematic because of its complex design. In reality sometimes practical and theory may be contradictory. I found this difficulties when I applied some of the researcher’s theoretical knowledge in my practical of amplification unit which was unsuccessful. The only solution to this problem was the literature review and after three attempts amplification unit was successful.

4.5

Making PCB

PCB manufacturing process got stuck because Hydrochloric acid was finished in university. I waited 2 weeks for that but still no response from the technical officer. Hydrochloric acid was finished in the laboratory and without this acid PCB couldn’t be manufactured. I can’t encounter this problem so far.

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4.6

Soldering

Soldering SMD components on circuit board was challenging because I haven’t used this surface mount technology before. These components were so small that making connections on circuit by hand makes it way too difficult. After several attempts and a lot of practice finally components were soldered properly.

5.

Future Evaluations and Areas of Improvement

There are many possible ways of improving our active monopole survey antenna and to make it work versatile and more users friendly. The suggested improvements that can be made are as follows: a. PCB’s have been successfully designed on software and tested by simulated results however, still needs to be done on circuit board. b. Implement alarm sound, i.e. buzzer, which can alarm the user when the batteries are running low or saturation has occurred. c. Implement sensitive monitoring device that can locate the direction at which the large signal is being transmitted or even better, to be able to pin point the exact location at which the signal is propagating. d. Place additional selection buttons to choose the frequency ranges that we planned to study and analyses. e. Having different frequency range would also mean that different sort of antenna is required. For this reason, the AMSA can be improved to suit wide arrays of antenna choices, such as loop antenna and dipole antenna.

6.

Personal Learning Outcomes

The most valuable lesson that I have learnt from this project is that the importance of understanding the given requirements should not be taken too lightly or for granted.

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6.1

Learned from Failures

Clearly, my failures in the initial prototypes were the results of bad assumptions and misinterpretations of the given requirements. As a result, the morale of the team had been deeply affected. To start from scratch not only meant that only I am accountable for the wasted resources, but also the fact that the submission dateline will be due soon. Failure is success if we learn from it.

6.2

Simulation Techniques

Fortunately, with much encouragements and insightful guidance from the supervisors, I soon regained my confidence. This very soon led to the breakthrough of third and final prototype. The simulation of this final design showed promising results and the building of its prototype followed almost immediately.

6.3

Time Management

Software simulations had benefited me to a very large extent as the simulation results will give me ideas of what I would be expecting for a particular configuration, without sacrificing the time to build the circuit and at the same time saving the cost of building them.

6.4

Team Work

I worked in a team although, we work on all part separately but we helped each other many times for example, in RF Amplifier Circuit. Although, the project didn’t completed but the experience was good.

6.5

Communication

Similarly, communication skills were developed with professional emailing and project meeting with supervisor and instructor. I emailed manufacturing depart Strontics the list of components and online ordered and purchased was done with the help of good communication skills.

7.

Outcomes for the Organization

EMC provides services of surveying a site which can be normal public place, industrial or even military site. In case the presence of harmful radiations people living around will be asked to evacuate until radiation are stopped.

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Moreover, these radiation are not only harmful to human beings but they can also harmful to other electronic devices such as bionic implants or air plane. Following are the major outcomes for the organization: a) This survey antenna is used for safety purpose and detects the harmful radiations in the environment. b) It is also used for emission testing and used in industrial and military applications. c) It not only measures the level of radio frequency but also measures the human exposure to these radiations. d) It computes the emission of active components and also check the interference with other components. e) It is used for specifying the average and peak limits of capacitive circuits. f) It is also used for immunity testing for bionic implants such as heart transplant. g) Transient level for generators and motors and also check the high power signals testing. h) Electrostatic charge detection can also be observed through this manner. i) Emitting high frequency components and magnetic pulse coils are commonly used in libraries. j) Every new design is analysed and no object can be sell without passing the EMC test.

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Appendix A: Client Report

University of South Australia

Learning in the Workplace Project

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1.

Introduction

The report presents the building of an active monopole survey antenna that can receive signals in the frequency range of 9 kHz to 60MHz. The core component of this active monopole survey antenna is the amplification unit. As the expected input signals are of small signal strength that is in the region between 20dBμV/m to 120dBμV/m, we will need to amplify these input signals. In order to obtain a true representation of the input signals on the spectrum analyser, the amplification unit will require high current gain, with the output impedance characteristics of 50Ω. A number of different amplifier configurations were experimented and simulations were carried out using LabVIEW. The amplifier that uses discrete amplifier components, as the likes of transistor, had demonstrated better current gain over the amplifier that comprises of operational amplifier.

1.1

Active monopole survey antenna

The Active monopole survey antenna (AMSA) is a general purpose receive only antenna containing an amplifier which receives a signal from antenna. This is designed by two electrical engineering students in EMC (Electra Mechanical Compatibility). The active monopole antenna is basically a received amplifier connected to a spectrum analyser. The input of amplifier unit is connected with a telescopic antenna while output is connected with spectrum analyser. It provides reception of an electric field throughout its frequency range without tuning or band switching. Since, all the components used in this circuitry are SMT (surface mount technology) so they are shielded in aluminium die-cast case. The antenna has been designed with dynamic range and extreme sensitivity to provide user an extremely useful measurement tool. However, it has variety of scientific and military applications because of its high gain sensitive broadband operations.

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Figure 1: A simplified active monopole antenna setup

1.2

Battery Charger

All types of rechargeable batteries either lithium-ion (Li-ion), nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) or lead-acid works on the same principle. Generally, lithium-based technology is preferred because it is one of the lightest metal, less reactive and stores more energy than others. However, battery charger is designed in such a way that once batteries are fully charged it will automatically switches to tickle charge to avoid any further damage to charger or batteries. Furthermore, line plug DC connector and simple dual mode LED is used in this process respectively.

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2.

Requirement Specifications

2.1

Standard Configuration

Active monopole survey antenna MIL-STD-461ERE102 comprises following configurations:      

2.2

Telescopic monopole element. Batteries and battery charger. Aluminium ground plane. Antenna base with built-in pre-amplifier. Base drilled to accept other tripod mounts with ¼n x 20 threads. Isolated BNC connector.

Amplification unit

Active monopole antenna should operate in the frequency Range of 9 KHz to 60 MHz and amplifying the dynamic range input signal between 20dBμV/m to 120dBμV/m. Similarly, Input impedance must be high so that it excludes the undesirable radio frequency signals while output impedance should be low. Moreover, current gain should remain high and produce the true output voltage. Components on the PCB should be directly soldered whereas these components should have low noise level. However, it must be operated by rechargeable batteries of 12V with 6 hours of charging time. Lastly, proper indication should be shown when battery is running low or saturation occurs.

2.3

Electrical Specifications

Input Impedance

High.

Output Impedance

50Ω.

Saturation Impedance

Yellow LED indicator on front panel.

Batteries

12V AA rechargeable batteries

Battery Charger

12V charger adopter used for charging.

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2.4

Mechanical Specifications

Size

L=193mm, W=112mm, H=60.7mm.

Connector

Insulated BNC and Bulkhead BNC

Weight

2Kg approx.

Tripod mounting

5mm hole on base.

Ground Plane mounting

4 holes of 3mm.

Antenna Element

Up to 1090mm.

3.

Function Analysis

3.1

Antenna Description

Active monopole antenna MIL-STD-461ERE102 is designed in such a way that higher efficiency is achieved in electric-field measurements. Firstly, the high sensitive active monopole antenna is required to operate at (9 KHz - 60 KHz) with the help of 12V rechargeable batteries. Even though, batteries are able to operate at 6-7hrs when fully charged. Secondly, SMT components are used to improvise the sensitivity of amplifier unit. It amplifies input signal ranging from 20dBµV-120dBµV. Although, amplifier’s input impedance must be high to provide high current gain. Generally, to link antenna with the amplifiers input, BNC connectors are used for this purpose. However, a large ground plane is required to produce electric field from this mechanism. For this reason, aluminium plate is fixed with antenna base with a size of 600mm x 600mm x 1mm. External calibration fixture is used to calibrate active monopole survey antenna.

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3.1.1 Front Panel The front panel of active monopole antenna presents following     

Power Switch (ON/OFF/Charge) Charging Light (Red) Battery Indicator Light (Bipolar) Power (Green) BNC input and output socket

3.1.2 Back Panel  DC Power chassis socket (2.5mm)

3.2

Battery Charger Description

Typically, the battery charger for active monopole survey antenna is specially built for charging batteries with rated capacity of 1.2Ah to 7.2Ah. The charger is designed for rechargeable batteries only and charging other types of batteries through this charger may cause damage. It takes about 8hrs in charging time when batteries are fully discharged. Similarly, batteries should last 8hrs to power the amplifier before recharging is required. To indicate fast or trickle charging position, simple dual mode LED is used for this process. The 2.5mm DC power chassis socket at the back of the unit makes the recharging process simpler. Through this socket line plug DC connector is used for recharging. The charger must be used in a well ventilated area and plug it into standard AC outlet. When batteries are fully charged, charging light will indicate that unit is operating in tickle charge state.

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4.

Physical components

4.1.1 Resistor         

R2 1.5K 0.125W 0805 (part no. R1088 altronics) R4 180 0.125W 0805 (part no. R1022 altronics) R5 1K 0.125W 0805 (part no. R1076 altronics) R6 22 0.125W 0805 (part no. R0956 altronics) R7 12k 0.125W 0805 (part no. R1154 altronics) R8 47 0.125W 0805 (part no. R0980 altronics) R9 50 0.125W 0805 R3 5K trim 0.125W 0805 R1 10M 0.125W 0805

4.1.2 Capacitor 

C1 470p (part no. R8584 altronics)



C2 0.1u (part no. R8635 altronics)



C3 4.7u (part no. R9129 altronics)



C4 10n (part no. R8617 altronics)



C5 10u (part no. R9180A altronics)



C6 100n (part no. R8635 altronics)



C7 22u (part no. R9237A altronics)

4.1.3 Transistor 

Q1 MPF102



Q2 BFR93A



Q3 BFR93A

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4.1.4 Battery Circuit (All non-SMT/through hole) 

LM317T (part no. Z0545 altronics)



100n x2 (part no.R2736B )



Red Led



BC 547 (part no. Z1040)



470R 0.25W (part no. R7042)



2.2k 0.25W (part no. R7766)



5k Pot (part no. R2360)



1R 1 watt (part no. R0201)



12v battery (4 AA rechargeable batteries) (part no. S4900)

4.1.5 Connector and Cables 

Insulated BNC connector (part no. P0518)



Bulkhead BNC (part no. RS Components 112-3298)



SMB Socket PCB Mount 90° (RS Components 5463406)  SMB Plug 90° (RS Components 420-5350) 

Coax Cable RG174 (0.5 Metre)

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5.

Hardware design and development

5.1

Amplification Unit

The preliminary design for amplification unit involves op-amps because they give high input impedance and high gain bandwidth. The output impedance can easily be matched with low impedance of 50Ω which allows more flexibility. However, discrete amplifier components such as FET and transistors give better results. Therefore, surface mount components are used to reduce the inductance problems and make sure that it keeps low noise level and minimal space.

5.1.1 Prototype 1 The first experimental prototype was based on AD8001 Op-amp. This helped to achieve the requirement of flat response with unity gain across the spectrum. A low pass filter was used at input to cut-off the higher frequencies. In simulation results of this design showed it was good enough to provide flat frequency response with 9 KHz – 60 MHz but not enough current gain for out requirement i.e. it will not function properly for high impedance input and low impedance output.

Fig 2. Prototype 1 of antenna circuit

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Fig 3. Prototype 1 simulation result

5.1.2 Prototype 2 The second design was made by using JFET for voltage gain and BJT for current gain. However, flat frequency response between 9 KHz and 60 MHz was not achieved as the output response. As it can be seen in the simulation that there is sharp decrease in output response after 20 MHz.

Fig 4. Prototype 2 of antenna circuit

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Fig 5. Prototype 1 of simulation result

5.1.3 Prototype 3 This prototype produced a better response at higher frequencies and the circuit was finalized. This type of design meets the complete requirement of the project because 10M Ω resistor completes the requirement of the high input impedance. When the RF amplifier circuit input impedance is high and output impedance is low that’s because there is a requirement for high current and voltage gain. The JFET stage at the input level will provide the required voltage gain in terms of voltage and the following two stage of BJT transistors that are connected in the emitter follower configurations will help to provide a high current gain.

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Fig 6 Prototype 3 of antenna circuit

5.2

Battery Charging System

In this project LM317 is being used for 3-terminal adjustable regulator which is comparatively easier to design low cost and high performance battery charging system. The regulator is adjustable to 1.2V can charge single battery cells also. Although, output voltage is adjust to limit the charging current against overloads. The battery charger is specifically designed for charging rechargeable batteries rating from 1.2Ah to 7.2Ah. Moreover, LM317 has the capability to precisely adjust the output voltage for constant voltage battery charging. This is because batteries are charged quickly during constant voltage charging circuits. However, to prevent overcharging close control charging is essential particularly with nickel cadmium cells. LM317 internal protection circuitry is helpful in overload conditions. Therefore, most fast and reliable method for charging rechargeable batteries is constant voltage charging system.

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Fig 7. Battery charger

5.2.1 Internal Current Limit Usually, LM317internal current limit controls the output current or peak charging current. The battery connection is reversed to the output charger still current limit will work. However, this will decrease the output current because of the thermal limiting circuitry. Furthermore, batteries are only charged on sin wave peak in low cost applications where no filter capacitors are used. When values are not regulatory current limit then LM317 is used to limit the peak charging current.

5.2.2 Decreasing Current Limit There are some limitations for this methodology such as it doesn’t work for direct short circuits and the output voltage of the external current should remain above 0.6V. However, the operating LM317 will limit the internal current.

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5.3 Batteries They are battery that can be restored to full charge by the application of electrical energy and they come in many different variations using different chemical compositions. Lithium ion batteries have become very common and dropped in price recently. They provide one of the best energy-per-weight ratios of rechargeable batteries at present. They have succeeded nickel-cadmium batteries in consumer electronics such as cellular phones and notebook computers. These batteries are not as durable as and nickel-cadmium designs, although they do not suffer from the memory effect.

5.4 Switching The only switch that we used in our project is 4PDT toggle switch. Generally, this switch works for toggling purpose to snap switch status to open/close instantly. Reason behind using this switch is to feature the multi position and multi pole to prevent contamination during soldering. Furthermore, red LED will light up if the switch turns to POS 3 on front top left panel which indicates that AU is ready for charging. While, green LED will appear on lower left panel if switch turned to POS 1 which shows that AU is in operation. On the other hand, if switch turns to POS 2 the middle position this indicate that AU is turned off.

5.5 Telescopic Monopole Antenna The telescopic monopole receiving antenna must be extended to 1090mm (43") long so as to be able to compare to the ¼-wavelength of the highest frequency (60MHz). The 1090mm long AMSA is required for making electric field emission measurements below 60MHz, as required by the MIL-STD, FCC and TEMPTEST standardization body. This monopole element is designed to provide a high level of efficiency in electric field measurements. A true electric field can be produced by using a sufficiently large ground plane. In this project, a 600mm x 600mm x 1mm aluminium plate is attached to the base of the antenna as a ground plane. The antenna used in this project is made of chrome and BNC connectors are used to couple the antenna with the input of 29

amplifier. It is designed in such a way that telescopic rod can be connected to vary length of antenna for operating 60MHz of frequency. Although, it has high impedance matching because of amplifier’s high input impedance. In terms of electrical properties, the monopole antennas are dependent on ground plane and monopole element. The effect of frequency on antenna characteristics decreases with the increase in antennas diameter.

6.

Simulation Results of PCB’s

6.1

RF amplifier circuit

In all of the amplifier circuit designs, surface mount components are equipped. The reason behind that is to reduce the inductance problems that occur in leads normal components. Furthermore, to make sure that the amplifier circuit can be kept at a minimal noise and uses minimal space.

Fig 8. Antenna PCB simulation

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6.2

Battery Charger Circuit Board

For the Battery charging circuit, normal components and through hole PCB was selected. This is because they can normally bear more current than the SMD components and they can be easily replaced in case of damage.

Fig 9. Charger PCB simulation

7.

Conclusion

In conclusion, according to the simulation results, AMSA has accomplished the aim of observing the signals that are in the frequency range between 9 kHz to 60MHz. More importantly, it is able to reproduce a true voltage value at the output, with respect to the input value, which had not been possible in the previous designs. This report examines the development process of the AMSA, from the infant stages of identifying the needs and requirements, to the construction stages and eventually to the final testing stages. The test was first greeted with some interference and grounding problems. It did not take us long enough to rectify these problems and eventually, true enough, we were able to achieve results that were closed to what we have expected. In short, the final AMSA has been able to perform according to the simulated results that were specified in the requirement specifications. 31

Appendix B: Pelican Power Point

University of South Australia

Learning in the Workplace Project

Site Visit

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Industry: Pelican Power Point Overview of Industry The Pelican Point Power Station is situated at Pelican Point, 20 km from Adelaide, South Australia and is operated by International Power. Power station has the capacity of producing 487 MW of electricity with comprising two gas turbines and one steam turbine. This power station is one of the youngest, energy efficient and environmentally friendly. The station was officially opened in October 2001 with an approximate cost of $400 million.

Technical Observations during tour: On the 20th of April, Roopa Howard arranged us the site trip to Pelican Power Point. This site visit was very interesting because it was relevant to my engineering field and I have never been there before. We were given briefing about the safety precaution of site and before entering we were handed over protective glasses and safety helmet. Along the way, to the conference room we were told that this plant was built in just 2 years of time period and contains two gas turbine generators of 160MW. Normally, in other power station exhaust gases are released in atmosphere without reusing but this plant has the heat recovery system with an efficiency of 53%. Significantly, this is twice the efficiency of coal fired power station. Although, the power plant was shut down and was not needed by the grid anymore because it already have sufficient energy from other plants. Moreover, running cost of this plant was much overpriced as it require maintenance, staff salaries and fuel to keep it functional.

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Our tour continues to the water filtration plant. Normally, the purpose of water filtration plant was to filter the sea water and make it useable such as steam for the coal operated turbine and coolant for the plant. In last, we visit control room which monitors and control the overall operation of the plant linked from central unit also known as SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system. While, the communication protocol which was used in this control room is known as Modbus. This was the most interesting visit because it was relevant to my field where power systems and control system merge.

Key points:      

The heat recovery system and control system were efficiently manufactured. Power station has the capacity of producing 485MegaWatts of energy. The overall situation of job market and the situation of Electrical Power industry is in struggling state. This situation is getting worse because of political influence and industries are shutting down. Government is not investing in renewable energy which increases the unemployment graph. Much hard work is required to enter in Australian job market.

New Learning After this industrial visit, I truly understand the basics of the power industry and aware about the safety importance on site. This visit gives me a better understanding towards actual working environment and modern technology on site. I am now able to recognize the uncertain situations in weather condition. Apart from that, I got a lot of practical knowledge about the power generation process. I have seen numerous things in the site work related to control system which I was taught in classes. Furthermore, I observe the usage of manufacturing apparatus on site including electrical and mechanical equipment’s. To sum up, I believe that this visit will benefit me in my engineering career and has given me confidence to overcome the upcoming difficulties.

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Appendix C: Coopers Brewery

University of South Australia

Learning in the Workplace Project

Site Visit

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Industry: Coopers Brewery Overview of Industry Coopers’ Brewery in Regency Park was officially opened in November 2001 with a cost of $40 million, largest spending in Coopers’ history. Coopers Brewery is Australia's is the leading manufacturer of malt extract and is highly sought-after by food trade industries of China, Canada, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, USA, Thailand and Korea. Furthermore, with the production of 3 million homes brew kits per year, Coopers is the biggest home brew kit manufacturer in the world.

Technical Observations during tour: The site visit was held on the Thursday, 14th of May which was organized by Roopa Howard. Around 9.30am, Mr Frank Akers (Coopers’ resident DIY Beer expert) brief us about the safety precaution of site before entering. We were given a radio receiver, headphones and reflective waistcoat to make communication easier. The tour starts from the museum which was designed in such a manner that it not only defines the history of Brewery Cooper but also reflects the creativity of the company. To fulfil the energy requirements, natural gas powered plant with a capacity of 4.4 mega-watts was commissioned in 2002 with a cost of $6.2 million. It was developed by AGL Energy Services with enough power to light 3000 homes. We were told that this plant saves 15,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year with thermal efficiency of 80%. Along the way, our tour guide told us that Coopers has impressively reduced its amount of waste by recycling cardboard and glass and used in packaging. Land waste reduced by 40% and recycled 15,000 tonnes of spent protein and grain wastes. Apart from that, he explained that Cooper’s is independent to SA water and the water is originated from saline groundwater 200m underground.

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Our tour continues to the making of malt and material handling process. We were handed over several grains of malts to sniff and try to identify grains with their smell and colour. Mr Frank informed us that the production of malt extraction has been increased dramatically since coopers’ move to Regency Park. Primarily, malt extract is produced by mixing malted barley with water at 75◦C, than it is carried through filtration and evaporating process. Typically, it requires 4 to 7 days for fermenting pitch yeast and 170,000 litres can be stored in fermentation tanks. While a secondary fermentation occurs, bottles and cans are packed and stored for 10 days. We were also told that two new yeast tanks were installed for expanding lager cellar. Finally, we saw the process of bottling line filtering and filling with bear in the main building food grade hall.

Key points:       

This tour takes about two hours and covers an approximate distance of 1km. Coopers is independent from SA Water and uses 450 million litres of water a year. Coopers has the design capacity of filling 1100 bottles per minute. Two new industrial robots with latest palletiser were installed for can filters. All of the Coopers barley malt comes South Australian grains. The malt extraction is used in biscuits, breakfast cereals, sandwich spreads and cakes. In the end tour was finished by beer tasting.

New Learning After visiting the site, I actually understand the situation of site visit. I have seen numerous things in the site work which I was taught in classes such as manufacturing and processing. This site visit helps to know the actual structure and the way of using machinery in real time. I can now imagine the work situation in different environment conditions which I would never learn in class. Apart from that, I got a lot of practical knowledge about the material handling process. This visit gives me a better understanding towards modern design and projects. Furthermore, I learned that safety protocol is the most important aspect in manufacturing industry. To sum up, I believe that this visit will benefit me in lot of engineering subjects and has given me confidence to overcome the upcoming difficulties throughout my engineering career.

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Appendix D: Email Correspondence with Industry

University of South Australia

Learning in the Workplace Project

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Appendix E: Career Report

University of South Australia

Learning in the Workplace Project

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Job: Process Control Engineer

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Resume Muhammad Saad Address: Unit 20 9-13 Yates street Mawson lakes Mobile: 0401 314 237 Email: [email protected]

Objective To obtain the position of a power engineer to make valuable contribution in the field of power engineering by applying my experience and skills in a renowned organization. Experience in power and facilities infrastructure industry as well as in Electronic Power circuit Design.

Key Skills        

Comprehensive knowledge of designing and building prototypes In-depth knowledge of Microsoft visual C/ C++, MikroC, ARES and Proteus ISIS Familiarity with AC & DC power supply development and of off-line power supplies Proficiency in AutoCAD, Matlab, PSpice, MPLAB X and Cisco Packet Tracer Steep knowledge of Motor controls and UPS Backups as well as of charging batteries Familiar of power transmission, power control and protection systems Amazing ability of working in a fast paced environment Excellent communication skills

Qualifications 

(2014-In progress)

MS Power Engineering

(University of South Australia)



(2009-2013)

BS Electrical Engineering

(HITEC University Pakistan)

Career Summary

(Dates)

(Organisation)

(Role/Function)

1 year

Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) Pakistan

Internship

6 months

ElectroMagnetic Compatibility

Design Engineer

(EME)

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Relevant Employment History (2012-2013) Heavy Industries Taxila, Pakistan Scope: To Design a Laser Guided Rotary Gun of Tank Key Responsibilities:    

Research on highly precise laser technologies Optimal power calculation Matlab simulation AutoCAD designing

Key Achievements:    

Designed Target Tracking and control system Debug atmosphere turbulence Experience in defence industry Worked in a team and organized groups for units

Industry related project (2013-2014) HITEC University Pakistan Project Scope: To Design a DC Drive for DC series motor in Electric Vehicle Key Responsibilities:    

Designing DC Drive for DC series motor Using PWM techniques Interfacing microcontroller and MOSFET Using Matlab and power design simulation

Key Achievements:  

Mathematical modelling of Drive Successfully implemented DC Drive in car

(2013-2014) HITEC University Pakistan Project Scope: To Develop the Electric Control System of Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) Key Responsibilities:    

Designing a control system using PIC microcontroller Link the control of vehicle through telecommunicating device Interfacing many applications as mine detection and ground surveillance Speed and direction control

Key Achievements:   

Modelling of optical shaft encoder Successfully designed implemented with proposed control system Played key role in ensuring team efforts met and exceeded all financial, performance, quality and reliability goals.

Training and Professional Development 

AVR microcontroller workshop

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Professional Associations 

IEEE Power and Energy Society member

Computer Literacy   

Operating System: Microsoft Windows, Linux, Ubuntu. Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint. Web Designing: Wordpress, BlogSpot.

Interests    

Indoor and outdoor sports Reading about latest technology updates Blogging and web surfing Social networking

Referees Referees available on request

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Cover Letter Muhamamd Saad Unit 20 13 Yates Streets Mawson Lakes Mobile: 0401-314 237 Email: [email protected]

Date 14-June 2015

Manager HR NISS Technologies Pvt Ltd

Re Graduate/Junior Electrical Engineer (Reference number) 19985054 To whom it may concern, NISS Technologies Pty Ltd develops high security solutions and is one the leading firms to provide services in area of traceability, localisation and authentication of products. For this reason I am extremely interested in the advertised position of Graduate Engineer and I’m confident that you’ll find all capabilities which will enable me to make a meaningful contribution to NISS Technologies Pty Ltd. I will graduating from University of South Australia with a degree in Master of Electrical Power Engineering. My experience during studies and internship of 1 year has particularly focused on Power and Control System. You will see from my attached resume that my background, experiences and skills includes:   

Interfacing microcontroller and MOSFET. Using power design simulation techniques. Designing a control system for HIT.

I look forward to the opportunity meeting with you during an interview in the near future where I would like to further outline my ability to perform this role to your complete satisfaction. I can be contacted by mobile 0401-314 237 or by email on [email protected]

Yours Sincerely, Muhammad Saad

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