Wireless Data Collector Project

Currently developing a Remote Data Monitoring and Control System. Basically a framework for a more advanced system, this two-week project may well be an opportunity to learn more of system designs.

The tangible output is a monitor control system for So-Zi, an automated vacuum cleaner, over the internet. Sensors include temperature and MEMS accelerometer and gyroscope as well as other devices that we can get our hands to. So-Zi's basic movements to be controlled are the following: forward, backward, clean, and charge.

Because the project is only a two-week endeavor, the project will implement appropriate designs requiring little setup time accordingly. This will mostly only cover the internet connectivity portion. As much as we would want to utilize ethernet controllers or wi-fi module, it is far easier and faster to connect main receiver and logger to a PC doubling as an application server to provide access from remote client/s. Improvement of this design will be done if we still have time to do so. But we most probably will be able to even after deadline.

The project will basically have 2 parts and 5 subparts. Part 1 is the local part. Composing this part are the RF modules, So-Zi module (PIC24-based) and the Data Collector module (ARM Cortex M3-based device from STM32). Subparts of this portion are the RF interface, sensors and controllers. The 2nd part is the remote part --with the host subpart and client subpart. Maybe in later posts, i'll be giving more details on each part as we develop them.

Today, I learn how to use FreeRTOS for this development. FreeRTOS provides a solution to several problems an embedded programmer have. In comparison to the traditional way of coding embedded systems, implementing this OS gives the system more robustness and flexibility. Multiple tasks can run virtually concurrently making the system very much robust and flexible.

I've implemented FreeRTOS on the Cortex-based Primer 2 as well as the PIC24 microcontroller. In the succeeding days, I plan to plan out the tasks in each devices.