B.Sc.

Electrical Engineering Project Proposal

TCP/IP, HTTP ENABLED REMOTE ELECTRICAL/ELECTRONICS CONTROL SYSTEM

Submitted By: Michael Derrick Odhiambo EN-5201S-00442/10 Supervisor: Professor Elijah Mwangi FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING

MOMBASA POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

July 26th 2012

Approved

_____________________________________ Supervisor Prof. Elijah Mwangi

Date

____________

Problem Statement:

INTRODUCTION:
The internet at the rate at which its developing will without a doubt be the core of a lot technical developments, TCP/IP technology on top of which the internet is developed might just one day replace the likes of SCADA as networks of choice in industrial remote control system. This can be attributed to TCP/IPs versatility, basically its capability to allow for establishment of connections between different

types of computers and other electronic equipments. Providing this type of interoperability is one of the main advantages of TCP/IP. TCP/IP is also an open standard meaning that its not controlled by any specific institution. Already we are seeing the banking and telecommunication industries picking it as the technology of choice as seen with mobile banking and voice over internet respectively. Over time the prices of microcontroller have really come down, on the other hand their processing capabilities have really improved (moores law), this coupled with the nature of human beings to choose the easier way of doing things over any other way (The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz) led to me place a microcontroller at the core of our design. PIC 16F84A was picked due to the fact that the author already has some experience with it, and also due to the availability of the programmer within our labs at the MPUC and mainly due to the fact that it is very versatile and easier to program. This background is what gave birth to my idea of implementing a domestic electrical electronics control system, to run on top of the TCP/IP network, the idea is one will be able to control certain electrical/electronic equipment over the internet or any TCP/IP enabled equipment. Typical local scenario will be to be able to draw curtains, switch ON/OFF electrical equipment and lighting system turn on heating system and many more. This idea will not be limited to the domestic front (home), it can upon its success be escalated to the next level which will of course be industrial systems, like switching on and of an array of say batteries in remote stations. From initial research observations we can categorically state that this kind of system if implemented and perfected might aid in alleviation of costs always involved in implementation of potential competing systems like the SCADA whose implementation cost may at times run into millions of shillings. The nature of TCP/IP architecture will also mean that the system will be less prone to failure thus improved uptimes.

OBJECTIVES: The general objective is to control electrical and electronic equipment from a remote place, in this case from anywhere we can get connection to the internet. Specifically we will be aiming at : a) Programming a microcontroller - of interest to us will the PIC16F84A to independently control gadgets within the operation setup e.g at home. b) To interface this microcontroller to a computer or phone connected to the internet of course via TCP/IP. c) To program the computer using either C, Java or Visual basic programming languages for it to be able to send signals to the microcontroller. d) To create a web interface to offer the users an easy to use Graphical User interface environment for purposes of easy control the microcontroller remotely. e) With this set up we need at least be able to switch ON/OFF a lighting system.

METHODOLOGY: This project will be carried by developing a simple prototype to mimic the real production environment. I intend to build the control circuits that will work in conjunction with the microcontroller. I will also write the required software that is both required to run on the microcontrollers and the computer, this will be done using available software development environments, vis, MPLAB for the PIC Microcontroller, and Visual Studio for the computer based programs. We will use the PIC START PLUS programmer to burn the software into the microcontroller. Note that programming of the Microcontroller will be by assembly language, this has the advantage of allowing the researcher have a better understanding of the underlying architecture and also happens to be faster at operation. BLOCK DIAGRAM:
internet Controlled devices Control circuitry microcontro ller Internet enabled device

Remote internet enabled device

Controlled devices: This are the electrical and electronics equipment being controlled may include a battery system, security lighting, curtain winders. Control Circuitry: The circuit that will operate in conjunction with the microcontroller to achieve our objectives will include among other things a relay system. Microcontroller: We will use the pic 16F84A and it shall be the brain for controlling the different equipment. Internet Enabled Device: This may be a computer or a internet enabled mobile phone, it shall be responsible for connecting signals between the microcontroller and internet. Internet : An interconnection of computer networks covering the whole world. Remote Internet Enabled Device: Will be any device that has internet connectivity to give us access to our local system.

PROJECT PLAN: This project will be implemented in phases as follows; Phase 1: Project proposal and system research Phase 2: Design of the external circuitry to support operation of the microcontroller. Phase 3: Microcontroller software design, programming and testing. Phase 4: Computer server side programming and testing. Phase 5: Web interface design and testing. Phase 6: Functionality testing. Each phase will take 3 weeks and will also include the accompanying report.

Activity Collection of Literature Study of Literature

Month Year

Month Month Month Month Year Year Year Year

Month Year

Analysis of Proposed Scheme Preparation of Schemes / Model Implementation of Schemes/Model

nnnn nnnn Analysis & Simulation nn

Result Formulation Final Write-up & Thesis Submission

BUDGET PLAN: This project is from the onset d JUSTIFICATION: CONCLUSION: The future of remote control is in TCP/IP, and I believe that if well planned and implemented should save homes and industries lots of money and time spent building sophisticated networks, instead all our control networking needs should be able to piggy back on TCP/IP in that the technology having been around for some time and well tested will definitely serve well.