Team members:
- Jake Baldwin
- Krista Hasling
- Moghaddam-Zadeh
- Jack Oakes
- Scott Wisdom
The goal of our Capstone senior design project is to build a remote monitoring and control module for a water purification system. These purification systems are intended to provide clean water to schools throughout Rwanda. Our Capstone group is working with Manna Energy Foundation, the company that is installing these water purification devices all across Rwanda.
Our main feature is to monitor multiple sensors and perform real-time data-logging of the status of these sensors. There are three types of sensors: pressure, flow, and current sensors to monitor and record the state of valves, UV sterilization lights, and other components. The recorded data will be saved to flash memory and our module will be able to generate failure alerts and status updates. These updates will be received by Manna Energy via two-way communication between their base-station and our module. The base-station will have a graphical user interface that transmits commands and receives data, status, and alerts. Communication will be implemented both on-site with USB and, optimally, off-site using a GSM cellular interface. The module will control its components based on both an autonomous control algorithm and commands from the base-station. Power for the module will be provided by a solar panel and battery, and on-board power electronics will provide various AC and DC voltages as required by different components. Ultimately, large numbers of these modules will be distributed across Rwanda, requiring they be easily manufactured, implemented, and capable of withstanding transportation to the site and operation in the African environment.