The calculation of transmission losses in a power system through B-coefficients or similar loss formulations is well known. The use of B-coefficients for loss formulation is still popular among electric utilities for Economic Dispatch purposes. However, it is also known that these coefficients are not truly constant, but vary with system operating conditions. In an attempt to overcome some of the deficiencies associated with classical B-coefficients, new loss formulation approaches have been proposed in the literature. The proposed work aims at performing a comparative study between several recently proposed methods for calculating transmission loss coefficients. These comparisons will be carried out using standard IEEE test systems. Results will be evaluated in terms of their robustness and accuracy.

Lock-in amplifiers, also known as phase sensitive detectors, are widely used by scientist to perform a variety of experiments. The instrument works by measuring a signal produced by a reference excitation. The later can be originated by the amplifier itself or be externally generated and fed into the amplifier. The measured signal usually carries information about phenomena induced by the reference, and is expected to be embedded in a large amount of noise. Signal and reference are, however, highly correlated and proper filtering allows estimation of the signal, even in the common case when the noise level is many times larger than the signal. Commercial lock-in amplifiers range in price from few hundred to several thousand dollars. The most important components of the instrument are often implemented using analog electronics. The aim of this project is to use a microcontroller to perform most operations digitally. The proposed apparatus will be well suited for incorporation as a module into larger instruments.

The extended use of Bluetooth in a rich Wi-Fi environment poses performance questions of both technologies during the coexistence and collocation of both networks in the same plant. GM would like to investigate how the Bluetooth performance is degraded in a Wi-Fi environment and how the Wi-Fi network is also affected by the introduction of Bluetooth. This knowledge will enable wireless network engineer to design a better system in terms of performance as well as system uptime.

Recognizing the value of the instructors time, and bearing the goal of automating the class attendance verification and organization process we present the Digital Class Attendance system. The D.C.A replaces the old paper attendance lists used by instructors today, with this device students report their attendance by using a card (magnetic, proximity) or their own pin number and the system creates a list with the attendance of all of the students. The instructor can use this device for several of his classes and, a couple of weeks later, download the data on to his computer where a program will automatically generate the attendance report of all of his classes.

The development of remotely powered micro wireless sensor interface is proposed. The circuit will employ a Texas Instruments’ ultra-low power MSP430 microcontroller as the main component. Power will be delivered by means of a radio frequency link so that the circuit will be capable of operating without batteries. The microcontroller will read a temperature sensor and transmit the information back to a reader, which in this project will be attached to a personal computer but generally will be a hand-held device. Two methods to transmit the information will be explored. The first one will use phase shift keying and a commercial radio transmitter module. The second alternative will consist in the modulation of the impedance seen by the circuit that transmits power. The later is more difficult to develop but is expected to simplify the sensing circuit configuration. The circuits will be designed and fabricated by using 0.013 mm thick Dupont Kapton® film and Surface Mount Technology components. They will be designed to have small size, low power consumption, low cost, wide dynamic range, and be suitable to use in a sensor network.

There is a great need for a sensor that is capable of determining the speed and direction of wind with high spatial resolution, and yet low-cost and maintenance-free. A new concept of developing wind sensor capable of measuring the speed and direction of wind has been carried out since last January. Previous works were focused on collecting information and conducting literature review. A novel wind sensor based on the Multi-hole principle and microfabrication technologies is proposed. The project proposed aims at conducting conceptual design and simulation of various new wind sensors based on multi-hole pressure probe principle and associated electronic interface. A simple experiment setup will be developed to characterize the prototype sensor and to prove the concept.

Organic light emitting diodes (OLED) displays are expected to start substituting liquid crystal display (LCD) technology in handheld devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDA), by the end of this year (2003). The main advantage of OLED displays over current technologies is that the screen itself glows, so there is no need for a back- or side-light. This means they require less power and take up less space, two important factors in handheld systems design. They also cost less to make. However, the service life of an OLED display today is about a third of a conventional LCD. This is a problem for applications such as desktop monitors. It is known that the life span of an OLED display diminished as the temperature of the OLED screen increases. This suggests that the life span of OLED displays could be increased if the operating temperature of OLED is reduced. A project for the IAP year of 2004 is proposed where an evaluation is made on displays cooling methods and technologies to determine which one is more suitable for OLED display technology. If time and resources permit, an OLED display cooling system could be design and demonstrated, using the selected cooling method and technology. This cooling system should minimize the heat rise of the OLED display.