The embedded systems and sensors assignment has 4 deliverables that need to be handed in, to show that you meet the requirements. You only need to hand in one of each of these deliverables, for the two or three of you. These deliverables are as follows.
1. Video walkthrough
You need to create a video of approximately 3 to 5 minutes (anything between 2:50 and 5:10 will do) offering a walkthrough of your smart interactive automatic toilet freshener. It should at least cover the following five main topics:
- The features of your system from a hardware-technical point of view. (Suggested subtopics that you could address: what hardware setup do you use? Which components are used for what purpose? How are they interconnected?)
- The features of your system from a software-technical point of view. (Suggested subtopics that you could address: how does the sketch work? Which libraries do you use? How do you handle the challenges posed by the limitations (memory, timers, interrupts, lack of threads, etc.) of the platform?)
- The features of your system from a functional point of view. (Suggested subtopics that you could address: how does it behave? How smart is it? What about its interactivity? What extra functionality did you implement, if any?)
- A demonstration of your system functioning in its ‘natural environment’, including mounting details, to show that you actually built it and used it. If you’re working with one fellow student on this assignment, it needs to be installed in only one location. If you are working in a team of three, we will require proof that you built and installed at least two copies of your system, in different households, running the same code.
- Some reflection on your system. (Suggested subtopics that you could address: does it work? How robust is it? What were the difficulties? Which choices did you make? Would you build it again in the same way? What went well and what would you change?)
Note that not all of the suggested subtopics need to be addressed, as long as you at least touch upon each of the five main topics. Feel free to add additional topics, such as a review by one or two actual users of your system. The minimum time limit will be strictly enforced, to prevent any shortcuts. The maximum time limit is mainly in place to protect the people who will be grading your work. After all, their time is limited as well. However, if you made a really cool video that runs a bit longer than 5:10 minutes, we’d hate to kill off your enthusiasm, so feel free to leave it as it is. On the other hand, please be reasonable; it would be a pity if we’d have to start skipping through your video.
We are not looking for high production values in terms of video editing, resolution and camera quality, but make sure that things are clear. The video basically has to convince us of the quality and the quantity of the work that you did for this assignment and whether or not you meet the objectives.
2. Description
You need to write a 8 to 10 page report which describes the functional and technical features and details of your smart interactive automatic toilet freshener, including the process of building it and a reflection on its success (or lack thereof). This description allows you to elaborate on the topics covered in your video. Use it to add detail to these topics and/or cover subtopics which could not be covered in the video, time-wise. But please make sure that the description can be read stand-alone: if one only has the description, it should be clear what you’ve built, how you’ve built it, why you’ve built it that way and whether you think building it was a good idea. Be sure to include a state diagram of your system (no specific format required). Please do add pictures to illustrate certain points. For teams of three this is also the place to shine and reflect on your experience with two installations of your system. Report on your user needs gathering exercise (write who your participants were, how you recruited them and how you gathered data). Include your context of use and requirements specifications. Similarly, report on your heuristic evaluation.
To help you structure your report, we have prepared a template that you may use:
==> Download Report template <==
Note that using the template is optional. If you prefer a different format, feel free to use that, as long as it fulfils the requirements of the report.
3. Schematics
You need to draw the schematics of your smart interactive automatic toilet freshener. It should clearly show which components are being used and how these are interconnected. There’s no specific format or tool (such as Fritzing, Eagle, KiCad) that you are required to use, as long as the schematics are clear. We do prefer official symbols for common electronic components such as leds, resistors, diodes and the like. Handwritten scans are tolerable but please make sure that they are neat and legible.
Note: Fritzing used to be a popular package for this, but the open source project used to be in troubled waters for a while, it seems. The binaries are hidden behind a paywall in an attempt to keep the project alive. If you’d like to use this package, the binaries are available from the Fritzing GitHub pages (Windows, Mac, Linux; check out Assets under development version CD-548), circumventing the paywall. Or you could shell out €8 in support of the project, of course.
4. Code
You need to hand in the Arduino sketch that controls your smart interactive automatic toilet freshener and all its dependencies, such as the libraries that you’ve used. Please make sure that your code is correctly indented, commented, split into functions, etc. like we require in our regular programming courses. As far as libraries and possibly other parts of your code go: please give credit to the original authors, if you did not write those yourself.
Demo
No, that’s not a deliverable, at least not for everyone. However, we might select some participants at random to demo their system. Furthermore, if we have any questions or doubts about your system, we reserve the right to ask you for a demo.
Handing in
Be sure to check out the submission page for details about the format of your deliverables and information on how to hand them in.