Senior Design Projects

Students enrolled in School of Technology BSET programs are required to complete a senior project. Showcased here are the most recently completed projects. At the bottom of this page is a link to archived project descriptions. For more information on any particular project, please contact the project advisor.

Project Archives

Senior Project Archives from Years Prior to 2004
 

 

Pictured at left is a student designed and built Flow Bench (Harley Davidson cylinder head being tested). Design team: Dan Steber, Jeremy Nylund, Dan Mattson

 

 

 

 

 

At right, a fuel injection test apparatus.
Design team: Brandon Hershey and Jason Sharp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At left, a Stirling engine prototype.

Design team: Eric Claudepierre and Aaron Meyette.

To download an .avi animation click here. (Size = 5,058KB)

 

 

 

 

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Other projects...

Ice Fishing Tip-up Transmitter: Design, build and test a short range radio system which will warn ice fisherman when a tip-up has activated. The system should have a range of up to 300 ft. and should have at least three different signals to indicate which general direction to take to find the tip-up which has activated.
Advisor: D. Miller

Allen Bradley SLC-500 Lab Interface and Training Panels: Design and construct eight laboratory panels for the SLC-500's. Generate documentation including estimate, bill of materials, mechanical detail drawings, schematic, wiring diagram. Build and test.
Advisor: R. Filer

Upper Peninsula Power Co. Marquette Generating Plant Project: Replace present relay control system with more compact and reliable programmable control system. System to be replaced is S-1 T-1 coal handling conveyer. This is one of two systems responsible for bringing coal from outside plant at ground level and moving it to holding bins inside plant at a height of 8 stories. There are five separate conveyors working together to accomplish this. Focus of project is synchronized operation of these five conveyors. Generate documentation including estimate, bill of materials, mechanical detail drawings, schematic, wiring diagram, and control schemes.
Advisor: R. Filer

Data Collection using a Macintosh as a Terminal to Communicate via GPIB Interface: Establish hardware connection and assembly language program so that Macintosh computer can communicate with Fluke Digital Multimeter and Hewlett Packard Function Generator using GPIB (also known as HPIB or IEEE 488) ports on the devices.
Advisor: Dale Walivaara

Stone Container PLC Project: Replace Furnace PLC with AllenBradley PLC-5, generate bill of material, estimate cost, write programs, and document. Plant visits required to verify and update Stone Container drawings.
Advisor: R. Filer

Henry Inn Thermometer in Rockland, Michigan: Design and build outdoor 20 ft. solid state controlled motor driven display thermometer which will be placed on concrete base and used to attract attention to the Inn.
Advisor: J. Carstens (deceased)

High Speed Laser Communication: Using two computers, one is connected to a transmitter circuit that sends out light signals, then these signals are picked up by a receiver circuit where they are demodulated and made into signals that receiving computer can recognize. This is useful for point-to-point applications, linking up computers between two buildings that are close together, potential for modem applications for transmitting information faster than phone line modems that are in use today.
Advisor: D. Miller

Transferring Digital Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum Information:
Design device to transfer digital information between two computers, via RF energy using direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) modulation scheme. Direct sequence spread spectrum communications entails increasing data signal's bandwidth dramatically at transmitter and then reducing bandwidth back to normal at receiver.
Advisor: D. Miller

Institute of Wood Research Hot Press Project:
To design, develop and program a PLC and MMI (Man, Machine Interface) for control and data acquisition of a hot platen press. The project used an Omron PLC and Omron Touch screen for control and data input. This project included PLC programming of control logic, hardware interfacing of pressure, temperature, displacement transducers, and servo hydraulic valves used to control pressure of press platens in the process of fusing wood strand fiber. This project is completed and in use by the MTU Institute of Wood Research for research into strand wood products. Students involved in this project over two years: Phil Bekkala, Chris Halliday, Mark Sgaggio, Sam Younk, Brad Cmejla, and Paul Pintar.
Advisor: M. Kilpela

Satec Testing Machine Project:
Automatically control and collect data on the Satec Universal Testing Machine. Determine hardware connections and specifications for load cells, hydraulic servo valve, strain, deflection and extensometer readings. Use LabView to interface and control a Satec Universal Testing Machine to collect data on; strength of materials,
fatigue, and failure testing; and graph with computer. Use ASME standards to determine what accuracy is needed for extensometer measurement of elongation. Build P.C. board to interface the computer to the Satec. The wiring and connections will all be made on the P.C. board inside the Satec with the amp for load cell signal, connection to the extensometer encoder, and power supplies, with only the 50 pin connector for connection to computer
protruding out of the Satec panel. Students involved in project: Kris Steinbrecher, Kurt LaCourt, Tim Burkhardt.
Advisor: M. Kilpela

Potato Storage Building Control Using a PLC: Temperature and humidity control is critical for potato storage. Control must reduce temperature slowly, maintain high humidity, and avoid warming cooled potatoes. The following constraints apply:
Do not cool more than three degrees per week.
Do not allow cooling air to vary from cooler to warmer.
Temperature of supply air should not be more than five to seven degrees below warmest potatoes.
Potatoes near the top of the pile should be two to three degrees warmer than those at the bottom of the pile.
Advisor: M. Kilpela

A Rosette-Gage Strain Indicator: Goal of project is to develop electronic device which will provide desired information as analog signal. Project has four parts. Design and test precision three-phase sinusoidal-voltage strain gage excitation source. Design and develop sensing/indicating circuit to provide output proportional to angular displacement of principal strain axis from reference axis defined by placement of rosette gage on test member. Design and assemble test fixture which will provide strain-gaged member with a well defined strain field. Develop and perform experiment which will compare indicated analog values with theoretical values.
Advisor: T. Anderson

Airship Advertisement for Hockey Ice Arena: Research possibility of creating a lighter than air craft that can be used for advertisement. Include concept, design, specification, cost estimation.
Advisor: W. Weingarten

Gear Shift Project: Design circuit board for gear selector with following physical criteria in mind: selector buttons must be illuminated at night, selector's lights will change color to corresponding selected gear (i.e. back lighting color green, active buttons red), and selector has to be labeled so that driver can tell which gear vehicle was in by simple inspection. Circuit must allow feedback to Slick to NOT allow driver to shift from drive or reverse unless speed of vehicle is zero mph. Circuit board must also be small enough to fit into small enclosure to save space. Reason for stringent criteria is to meet specifications of Future Car competition in hopes to win.
Advisor: W. Weingarten

Tech. Center Building Security System: Design and build alarm system to call given location and notify receiver of possible intrusion at Tech Center. Devise way to power system so it will not shut down under power outage. Also investigate future advancement of security system with technology such as instantaneous video monitoring via internet. Install and test security system.
Advisor: W. Weingarten

Ford Motor Company Fuel Injector Patternator: Design team is to write and implement program to automate, organize data, graph and display pattern results determining fluid dispersion from fuel injectors. Intent is to control entire process via personal computer capable of data acquisition and control, including hardware and software to position X-Y-Z table with stepper motors.
Advisor: T. Farrell

Demonstration PLC's Doing PID Control Over Data Highway Network: Design, build, document, and demonstrate model using IPD control over a Data Highway network. Show under, over, and critical damping control. Write up a laboratory experiment.
Advisor: R. Filer

Nov 2004 Senior Projects Page

Senior Project Archives - Click Here To Read About Projects From Past Years