Oct. 3, 2023 Susquehanna Section Capstone Winner Presentations

You are invited to attend the Susquehanna Section event which features the student presentations of the Section’s Capstone project award winners. This year all 6 eligible Univerities/Colleges have submitted their own winning Capstone projects for the Susquehanna Section to judge the best Capstone project within our geograhic area. This year the Section declared York College and PSU Harrisburg projects to be co-winners for 2023. The 2 winning projects are York College’s Optical Wireless Communication and PSU Harrisburg’s Radio Telecope Control System. Messiah University is the host member for this year’s event. Dinner will be served at 6:30pm and presentations will start at 7:30pm. There is a dinner fee however the presentations are free. IEEE members and the general public visitors dinner fee is $20. IEEE Life members and students dinner fee is $10. Presentations are free. All attendees must register for this event. Attendees can pay the dinner fee online or in person on the night of the event. Please use this map to locate Jordan Lounge on campus. Menu Buffet options: Bruchetta chicken breast grilled with fresh tomatos. basil and garlic or Beef brisket with caramelized onions. Accompanments: rice & vegetable pilaf and roasted seasonl vegetables. Cookies: chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and cranberry orange. Beverage options: bottled water, canned sod and Kreider’s assorted hot coffee. Messiah University directions: Directions by car Southbound on U.S. Route 15 Travel approximately 3.5 miles beyond the PA Turnpike interchange and take the Lisburn Road exit. At the light at the bottom of the ramp, turn left onto Lisburn Road. Follow Lisburn Road through the next traffic light and up to the stop sign at the top of the hill. Continue straight on Lisburn Road and take the first exit of the roundabout onto Grantham Road at the bottom of the hill. Follow Grantham Road straight ahead to the stop sign at the main entrance to the University. Northbound on U.S. Route 15 Travel approximately 4 miles beyond the PA 74 North intersection near Dillsburg to the Lisburn Road exit. At the bottom of the ramp, turn right onto Lisburn Road. Follow Lisburn Road to the stop sign at the top of the hill. Continue straight on Lisburn Road and take the first exit of the roundabout onto Grantham Road at the bottom of the hill. Follow Grantham Road straight ahead to the stop sign at the main entrance to the University. Presentations Optical Wireless Communication Abstract Our project investigates a mobile optical wireless networking system enabling reliable transfer of data among multiple nodes with no prior knowledge of node locations. Each node is equipped with a multi-transceiver optical wireless communication (OWC) module with electronic beam steering capability. The multi-transceiver design facilitates in establishing multiple simultaneous OWC links with different neighbor nodes. The proposed system ensures error-free data transfer through fast line-of-sight (LOS) discovery, robust maintenance of OWC links, and utilizing reliable communication protocols. A preliminary prototype of our multi- transceiver multi-node OWC system was implemented by using serial line internet protocol (SLIP), transport control protocol (TCP), and Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP). SLIP is the basis for all communication in the system, and it allows for the other protocols to be used. For the discovery process, the system makes use of the TCP handshake to establish connections between the nodes. To maintain the connections, a customized application of ICMP was used. The effectiveness of this system was analyzed with results obtained from testbed experiments using the developed prototype. The results from these experiments showed that the proposed system can effectively enable reliable communication among multiple nodes. Radio Telescope Control System Abstract: Many people are familiar with the experience of looking up during a clear night and gazing at the stars. Whether through a telescope, binoculars, or with the naked eye, the night skies provide a provoking image of beauty and wonder as we observe the heavens. The night sky has long fascinated humankind, and observing celestial patterns has brought a wealth of information to mathematicians, physicists, and travelers. A low-cost, small-scale radio telescope can provide university undergraduate students with the ability to learn the basics of radio astronomy, the universe, electromagnetic waves, and electronics by plotting measurements at a common radiative frequency of 1.42 GHz referred to as the “hydrogen line”. This paper presents the design, test, and creation of a control system that contributes to the Penn State Harrisburg IEEE branch’s small-scale radio telescope project. This system employs an embedded subsystem that uses DC motor drivers in a closed-loop feedback configuration to control accurate pointing of a 3-meter dish antenna and communicate with a main system computer over a wired link. The primary objective of the subsystem design is to create a layer of abstraction for the main computer through a set of commands—an application programming interface (API)—that direct the dish antenna in an azimuth-elevation coordinate system. The subsystem integrates several functions onto one custom printed circuit board. For motor control, H-Bridge motor drive and rotary encoder feedback are available. Power is supplied through a low-cost commercial off the shelf (COTS) module. A simple LCD display interface is employed to monitor and control the unit without the intervention of the main computer. A custom command API is deployed over a USB-UART bridge to the main computer, which enables flexible and universal control. Room: Jordan Lounge, one university ave., mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, United States, 17055