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Welcome to the wiki page for the course PC5271: Physics of Sensors!

This is the repository where projects are documented. Creation of new accounts have now been blocked,and editing/creating pages is enabled. If you need an account, please contact Christian.

Deadline for editing reports is Saturday, 27 April, 23:59SGT - Make sure your description is ready by then so we can start assessing it :)

Projects

Project 1 (Example)

Keep a very brief description of a project or even a suggestion here, and perhaps the names of the team members, or who to contact if there is interest to join. Once the project has stabilized, keep stuff in the project page linked by the headline.

Simple Optical Heart Rate Monitor

This project demonstrates the principles of photoplethysmography (PPG) through the construction of a simple device to measure heart rate. The project involves using an LED and photodiode to detect variations in light absorption caused by changes in blood volume during each heartbeat.

Gas sensor

This project aims to use high and low detection methods of tin dioxide (SnO2) sensor to detect carbon monoxide or other combustible gases.

Optical Sensor for Noise Flickering

Group Members: Eric Cheung; Lee An Min, Amanda; Loh Jia Ying Whitney

This project aims to use a simple voltage divider made up with resistors and LDR to measure visual noise tags.

Real time temperature alarm

This project aims to build a system using Python and Raspberry Pi to measure and display temperature in real-time using temperature sensors, and to issue an alarm when the temperature exceeds the set threshold

Impedance spectroscopy of KBr

This project aims to study the electrical properties of Potassium Bromide (KBr) using impedance spectroscopy.

Sensor that recognizes specific sounds and steers toward the source

A microphone array is used to capture sound signals, and the direction of the sound source is determined by analyzing the time difference of sound signals received by different microphones.

Optical Sensor for UV Radiation

This project aims to design a photodiode-based optical sensor to detect UV radiation levels.

High Sensitive Position Sensor based on PDH technique

Group Members: Angela Anna Baiju, Chenyue Gu, Joel K Jose

This project uses PDH locking technique to align a cavity to its resonance and read out the error signal to analyse the position change and other noises present in the system.

Photodiodes as Single Photon Detectors

Group Members: Abas Syahbana, Lu Xinghaou

In this project, we will use several LEDs as Single Photon Avalanche Detectors (SPADs). We will use a light bulb as the light source and grating to vary the wavelength of the light source. Thus, by knowing which light source is working for the LEDs to detect photons, we can determine band gaps of each LEDs.

Temperature Sensor

This project aims to construct a portable non-contact thermometer to detect the component temperature after the circuit board is energized, thereby preventing burns from direct contact.

Quartz Crystal MicroBalance (QCM)

This project aims to measure the thicknesses of gold thin films on a MgO(001) substrate using a QCM.

Resources

Devices and material

Apart form the stuff in the teaching lab, we have a resources you may want to consider for your project:

• ...

Software

• Various Python extensions. Python is a very powerful free programming language that runs on just about any computer platform. It is open source and completely free.
• Gnuplot: A free and very mature data display tool that works on just about any platform used that produces excellent publication-grade eps and pdf figures. Can be also used in scripts. Open source and completely free.
• Matlab: Very common, good toolset also for formal mathematics, good graphics. Expensive. We may have a site license, but I am not sure how painful it is for us to get a license for this course. Ask if interested.
• Mathematica: More common among theroetical physicists, very good in formal maths, now with better numerics. Graphs are ok but can be a pain to make looking good. As with Matlab, we do have a campus license. Ask if interested.

Data sheets

A number of components might be useful for several groups. Some common data sheets are here:

• Generic Silicon pin Photodiode type BPW34
• Digital microphone SPH0655LM4H-1; a small adapter board exists (see Soldering small parts)
• Thermistor type B57861S (R0=10kΩ, B=3988Kelvin). Search for Steinhart-Hart equation. See Thermistor page here as well.
• Resistor color codes are explained here

Some wiki reference materials

• MediaWiki FAQ
• Writing mathematical expressions
• Uploading images and files