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Major Project ideas These ideas have been deliberately left fairly open ended. There are many approaches to any solution and you will need to research the ideas thoroughly and discuss them with you project supervisor if you are to be successful. Some of the projects are fairly straight forward. To attain the higher grades with these you would need to develop a solution based on a number of sub-systems (test switches; reset devices; code entry; variable alarm sounds; additional mechanical systems etc.etc.).A basic single input/process/output solution would not be appropriate at this level. Others present a high degree of difficulty. You should only attempt these after discussion with your project supervisor. It is better to choose an easier project and produce an elegant; well made; working solution than to end up with a complex device that does not function at all. Remember Safety is very important - At this level you may not use mains power in any way in your solution - this includes powering the device ; switching mains current with relays; thyristors etc. If your solution relies on computer control then the devices should be electrically isolated from the computer circuitry -using opto-isolators etc. If you are attempting a project which has safety implications, then it should have some form of fail safe feature. For example in the swimming alarm - the alarm should sound if there is a fault or the battery is low. Some projects will need to have models built to show them in operation, take this into account when planning your time The projects 1. Locker Alarm:- thefts from lockers in changing rooms, schools etc. are widespread. Design an alarm which could be placed in a locker to alert people to thieves. N.B. the alarm may not be attached permanently to the locker. 2. Shed Alarm:- Every year, many hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of garden equipment, bicycles, sports gear etc. are stolen from Garden shed and garages. Design an alarm system for this type of area. 3. Bicycle Alarm:- Despite local police campaigns many thousands of bicycles are stolen each year.Whilst there are a number of bicycle alarms on the market they all depend on the owner actually setting the alarm. Design an auto setting alarm which can be attached securely to a bicycle. 4. Portable Computer Alarm:- many portable computers are now fitted with a special security socket which will allow users to lock their machines to a desk. Design an alarm system that could be used in conjunction with this socket to prevent theft. 5. Medicine/First aid cupboard alarm:- Many places have medicine/first aid cupboards which have to be left unlocked. Design an alarm which could sound a warning if this type of cupboard was opened. 6. Child Alarm:- Young children can often wander a out of buildings unnoticed. Design an alarm systems which could warn parents/carers of this event. 7. Sunburn warning:- The thinning of the ozone layer has led to a world-wide increase in all types of skin cancer. One of the most important factors is your exposure to Ultra Violet Radiation. Design a device which would allow people to measure their exposure and warn them when their daily limit had been reached. 8. Door opener;- Many schools are now fitted with security systems. Those which rely on security coded locks are often difficult to operate if your are in a wheelchair. Design a secure device which would allow a wheelchair user to open a door easily. (this could be in model form) 9. Swimmer Alert:- Each year a number of swimmers, often children, drown in busy swimming pools. Design a device which could alert others to a swimmer in difficulties. 10. Electronic spirit level:- Air bubble spirit levels have been used for over a hundred years by builders and other . Design a modern electronic equivalent which gives both visual and audible indications. 11. Message Board:- Design an electronics based message board for a school entrance hall that could be easily updated. A fully fledged LED messaging centre as seen in shop windows is probably beyond the scope of these projects. A device which drew attention to a number important messages would suffice. 12. Start Trainer:- In sprint races (100m, 200m) one of the most decisive factors is the speed at which the runner rises from the blocks when the race starts. Design a device which will allow a runner to see their reaction time when moving from the blocks. 13. Beep Trainer:- Many large gyms and fitness centres have beep trainers. Runners have to run between to set points - each time they reach the end they hear a beep and have to run to the other end. The time between each beep gets shorter so runners have to go faster and faster. They hear a bell or other warning when they fail to complete a lap. Design such a device which could be used in school gyms/at home. 14. Beep walls;- These have become popular in gyms and on games shows. Competitors stand in front of a large array of buttons and have to hit the button when a light flashes above it. Hitting the incorrect button loses a point, failing to hit a button within the time limit ends the game or loses a point. Full scale versions of this device have over two hundred buttons and are often computer controlled. Devise a small scale , perhaps portable, electronic version for use in schools or the home. 15. Step Counter:- One of the most popular forms of home exercise is simple step repetitions. . Either using a staircase or a commercial 'step block'. Design a device which would count and/or time the steps. 16. Pulse/Breathing rate monitor:- Design a device which would allow people to monitor their pulse/breathing rate during exercise. 17. Turn Trainer:- Visually impaired swimmers find it very difficult to judge when they are reaching the end of a pool and often have to rely on helpers calling distances or warnings when they are racing. Design a device that could automatically warn a swimmer when they were within a set distance of the pool wall which could be used in training. 18. Golf ball speed and direction indicator:- Design a device which golfers could use to judge the speed and direction of a golf ball when they are practising 19. Putting trainer:- Design an electronic device that golfers could use when practising to show that the putter head is lined up correctly with the flag/hole. This device should be portable enough to allow golfers to use it both at home and on the driving range/course 20. Lost Golf ball detector:- Design an electronic device that would indicate the presence of a standard golf ball in long grass etc. - millions of pounds could await you if you could get this to work !!! 21. Car Reversing Alarm:- Many commercial vehicles are fitted with reversing alarms. Design a device which could easily be fitted to a normal car . 22. Gear Indicator:- Learner Drivers (and others) often find it difficult to know which gear they are in and start off or change up or down inappropriately. Design a device which could easily be fitted to a car to show the current gear.It is probably easiest to aim you project at a specific model of car. 23. Parking Helper:- One the manoeuvres people find most difficult when driving is reverse parking. Design a device which could help people to carry out this process more easily . 24. Distance Indicator:- Many road accidents are caused by drivers travelling to close to the vehicle in front. Design a device which would give drivers an indication of the safe distance between them and the vehicle in front. 25. Traffic census device;- Traffic surveys are one of the most popular activities in schools. But these often involve lengthy periods standing at the roadside. Which can be boring, cold and sometimes dangerous. Design a device which would automatically count the number of cars passing a particular point. N.B. this should not involve stretching wires etc. across the road !!! 26. Free parking space indicator:- In large car parks, finding a free space can be very difficult. Design a cheap device that would indicate when a parking space was free. 27. Direction indicators :- Bicycles are not usually fitted with direction indicators. Design an electronic device that the rider could wear which would indicate the direction in which they intend to turn. 28. Bicycle Brake Lights:- Design a device that would indicate when a bicycle was slowing down or stopping. 29. Bicycle Speedometer/trip meter:- Design an electronic device to indicate the speed of a bicycle/total distance travelled. 30. Door open indicator:- Most modern cars have a system which alerts a driver if a door is not closed properly. Design a device which could add this facility to older cars/school minibuses. 31. Pet entertainer: Design an electronic device to help entertain/exercise your pet. 32. Aluminium can detector:- When drinks cans are being disposed of for recycling it is important that steel and aluminium cans are separated. Design a device that would either automatically sort the cans or provide people with some form of audible and visual feedback when they test the can. 33. Quiz Game Buzzer:- Most quiz games have some form of 'quick fire' round where the contestant who presses the buzzer first gets to answer the question first. Design a robust portable version for use in schools, home - an expandable version to which you could add extra contestant's buttons would be neat. 34. Medicine Timer:-
Many young children have to take medication at regular intervals. Design a timing device
which would appeal to this sector of the market. 35. Internet timer:- current phone charges mean that Internet access can be expensive. Design a device which could be used to control/regulate internet usage in either the home or school. 36. Car speed indicator :- (see also 25) Speeding cars in urban areas claim the lives of many people, particularly children, each year. The police do not ,in general, have the man power or resources to set up speed traps in every area, but residents often wish to carry out their own speed surveys. Often to help in campaigns form traffic calming or other safety measures. Design a device which could measure the speed of a moving vehicle to within about 10% accuracy. 37. Hot Soldering Iron Warning:- In electronics assembly areas one of the most common accidents is touching a hot soldering iron. Design a device which could be attached to a soldering iron stand which would give a visible warning to people when the iron was hot and indicate when the iron had cooled down. -NB for safety reasons this device should not actually touch the iron and should be 'fail safe' 38. Chip tester:- Design a device which could be used to test a range of I.C's e.g. 4000 series; logic gates for correct function. 39. Electronic game :- Design an electronic game which could be used to teach young children about basic science or some aspect of road/home safety. 40. Electronic Scorer:- Design a device which would allow table tennis, squash or badminton players to keep score while playing. 41. Robot Rabbit 42. Coin Sorter 43. Personal Organiser Keyboard 44. 'Bash the Rat' game |
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Systems
Index