1. Micro Strain Gauge
Wireless Real Time Measurement
Andrew Grimaldi & Sarah Satterlee
E S D I I I S P G 1 2 T 3

2. Project Goals
• Design and implement a product as a team in one
quarter.
• Use good project management
• Work with our product owners:
 Texas Instruments (MAVRK Team)
 Mechanical Engineering Technology Department
 Develop a Wireless Micro-Strain Gauge DAQ System

3. The Strain Gauge
• A device to measure the
compression or stretch of a
physical member
• Movement produces small
changes in resistance
• The more sensors the more
accurate

4. High Level Specifications
• Use TI’s MAVRK Platform
• Design and produce a wireless device to transmit
strain gauge data
• Allow up to 24 channels of data per device
• Have the capability to have multiple devices
• Develop a GUI to interact with the device
• Provide detailed documentation

5. Functional Level Specifications
Transmitter:
• Use multiple ADS1234 ADC’s to read values through
precision Wheatstone Bridges.
• Use discrete latches to hold configuration data for
each ADS1234
• Use a DP4T analog switch to access SPI on different
chips.

6. Functional Level Specifications
Receiver:
• Use MAVRK’s CC1101 radio module
• Receive multiple handles from multiple transmitters
• Forward a 15-Byte data packet to the PC
• Use QT Tools to create a GUI:
• Serial Communication
• PC Packet Decoding
• Real-Time Data Graphs
• Transmitter Settings Configuration

7. System Block-Diagram Overview

8. Transmitter Schematics

9. Transmitter Schematics (cont)

10. Project Management
• Project managed by:
• Confluence
• JIRA
• Agile SCRUM
• SVN
Collaboration:
• Weekly Friday meetings
• Monday night lab
• E-mail, text, verbal

11. Project Management (cont)
• JIRA
• Kept us on task
• Provided organization
• Showed us our
performance
• Showed overall
progress

12. Project Management (cont)

13. Learning Outcomes
• Time management is critical
• Documentation is paramount
• How to work effectively as a team
• Communication skills

14. Improvements
• More advanced GUI
• Build a PCB
• Physical case
• Complete 2-way communication for configuration