The Smartphone-Enabled DMM

Daniel Brateris, Dwight Bedford, David Calhoun, Aaron Johnson, Nickolas Kowalski,
Thomas Mukalian, Justin Reda, Anthony Samaritano, and Robert R. Krchnavek
T
he digital multimeter (DMM) is pervasive among
technicians, engineers, and do-it-yourselfers. For
a very small amount of money, one can obtain an
instrument that measures dc and ac voltage, current, and
resistance. DMMs have seen modest improvement since
the original instruments, with advances in accuracy and
improved features due primarily to advances in microelec-
tronic integration. With the advent of smartphones, we see
another possibility for advancement in DMMs. The two
primary advantages of a smartphone-enabled DMM are
compact size due to using the smartphone as the display
and the opportunity for customized user interfaces for spe-
cic applications. In this article, we develop a prototype
pen-style DMM that uses Bluetooth to communicate with an
Apple iPhone.
Design Requirements
The design of a DMM presents numerous constraints and re-
quirements including: measurement accuracy, physical size,
battery life, safety ratings, performance, and capabilities.
The design requirements are separated into the following
categories:
Electrical Specications
Physical Specications
Safety Requirements
Customer Service and Support
Electrical Specications
In this section, the electrical characteristics of a DMM are dis-
cussed to develop electrical performance requirements for the
smartphone-enabled DMM. The goal of these requirements is
to develop a competitive instrument that meets industry stan-
dards as a general purpose, handheld DMM.
The electrical measurement system forms the basis of any
DMM and is perhaps the most important element of the de-
sign. Key characteristics that need to be considered are the
types of measurements that can be taken, the range over which
these measurements can be taken, the measurement accuracy,
and the refresh rate of the measurements.
Measurement Features: DMMs can support a number of
measurement modes including ac and dc voltage, ac and dc
current, and 2 Wire/4 Wire resistance. Additional measure-
ments often include continuity, diode check, peak hold, and
even capacitance. Each of these features can be supported
through a dened range of values; for example, a meter may be
capable of measuring 0 to 300 V or 0 to 1000 V.
Measurement Accuracy: Perhaps the single most important
characteristic of an instrument is its ability to make accurate
and repeatable measurements. The accuracy of the smart-
phone-enabled DMM should compare favorably with existing
general purpose DMMs.
After evaluating several existing products, we established
the following features, ranges, and accuracy requirements as
shown in Tables 1 and 2.
Physical Specications
In this section, the physical characteristics of the smartphone-
enabled DMM are discussed. Since the display is contained in
the smartphone app, the measurement subsystem of the DMM
is not constrained by the need for a display. We chose to make
the measurement subsystem in the style of a pen a natural
shape for probing test points.
Usability: The usability of a product combined with per-
formance ultimately determines the success of a product; this
makes the subjective quality of usability an extremely impor-
tant aspect of product design and development. DMMs rarely
Table 1 Supported features and ranges
Feature Range
Refresh Rate 20 Hz
2 Wire Resistance 0 to 40 M
DC Voltage 300 V
DC Current 3 A
AC Voltage TrueRMS 300 V
AC Current TrueRMS 3 A
August 2014 IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine 47
1094-6969/14/$25.002014IEEE
require a user manual to operate; detailed information may be
contained within the manual, but it should not be necessary
for basic operation. This concept drives the development of
the usability requirements both hardware and software. The
product should be simple and easy to use with few controls,
and internal software should handle a majority of the congu-
ration automatically.
The use of a multimeter is divided into three tasks: on/
off control, measurement mode change, and measurement
making. Simple requirements for the usability of the nished
product are presented below:
The product shall have a dedicated on and off button.
The product shall clearly identify its power state and
battery level.
The product shall clearly identify which measurement
mode is active and how to change modes.
The addition of a smartphone app to a DMM can add a
wide range of new features, but can also add to the complex-
ity thereby hurting its usability. Traditional multimeters are
straightforward and controlled through physical knobs and
buttons; making a measurement on the smartphone enabled
DMM should be just as simple. Limiting the scope of the ini-
tial software will ensure that a simple and effective interface is
developed. Our rst app would have the following features:
A clear display of the measurement and measurement
mode.
A simple button to show and hide a graph of measure-
ments over time.
A speech button that enables and disables automatic
speaking of readings.
A simple button to start and stop the measurements.
The features listed above are all that is
needed for a functional wireless multime-
ter that includes the value added features of
graphing and voice annotation of readings.
Additional versions of the software could be
designed with new features and options.
Enclosure Design and Aesthetics: Aesthet-
ics and function are enormously important
to the success of a commercial product, there-
fore the requirements for enclosure design are
essential to success. The enclosure design re-
quirements are:
The enclosure shall provide a firm slip
resistant grip.
The color scheme should comply with
the standard red and black test lead color
scheme and the polarity of the system
should be easily identied.
All electronics are to be housed within the
positive test lead.
The assembly and electronics should
withstand multiple drop tests on cement
ooring from a height of 15 ft (4.6 m).
The assembly should be splash resistant.
The enclosure should have a rugged
look to suggest strength and durability to industrial
customers.
The enclosure should be sleek and attractive to the
consumer market.
Safety Requirements
Safety is a paramount concern in the design and use of any
measurement device, especially if the device is designed to
measure high voltages and currents. The safety requirements
for DMMs from [1] are as follows:
Comply with UL 61010-1 standards for laboratory equip-
ment. UL 61010-1 is a safety standard for electrical test
and measurement equipment that primarily concerns
ergonomics. For example, the device should be designed
so that your hand cannot slip off of the measurement
probe. The standard also includes protective impedances,
single part failure, over voltage protection, and creep
distances.
Comply with TUV EN61010 and CE 61010. This standard
is similar to UL 61010 but is monitored by different orga-
nizations; CE is for the European Union and TUV is for
Germany.
Comply with IEC Category III 300V Overvoltage. This
refers to the device being able to handle a normal over
voltage situation when used anywhere in a home from the
main load center to the point of load, but not before.
Comply with FCC ratings for emission. This is a large
set of requirements ensuring a device emits no more
than a minimum parasitic emission that disturbs nearby
devices. This usually requires considerable internal
shielding and must be evaluated by an outside source.
Table 2 Measurement accuracy requirements
Mode Range Resolution Accuracy
DCV 400 mV 0.1 mV 0.5% + 2 counts
DCV 4 V 0.001 V 0.5% + 2 counts
DCV 40 V 0.01 V 0.5% + 2 counts
DCV 300 V 0.1 V 0.5% + 2 counts
ACV TrueRMS 400 mV 0.1 mV 1.0% + 2 counts
ACV TrueRMS 4 V 0.001 V 1.0% + 2 counts
ACV TrueRMS 40 V 0.01 V 1.0% + 2 counts
ACV TrueRMS 600 V 0.1 V 1.0% + 2 counts
DCI 400 mA 0.1 mA 0.5% + 2 counts
DCI 3 A 0.001 mA 0.5% + 2 counts
ACI TrueRMS 400 mA 0.1 mA 1.5% + 2 counts
ACI TrueRMS 3 A 0.001 mA 1.5% + 2 counts
Ohms 400 0.1 1.0% + 2 counts
Ohms 4 K 0.001 K 1.0% + 2 counts
Ohms 40 K 0.01 K 1.0% + 2 counts
Ohms 4 M 0.1 K 1.0% + 2 counts
Ohms 40 M 1.0 K 5.0% + 2 counts
48 IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine August 2014
Customer Service and Support
The potential user base is identified as individuals own-
ing smart phones. To achieve the widest customer base, the
pen-style DMM should operate with the following devices:
Android mobile devices, Apple mobile devices (iPod Touch,
iPhone, iPad), and desktop and laptop computers (Macintosh
and Windows).
DMMs typically need service for three reasons: calibration,
battery replacement, and fuse replacement. For ease of op-
eration, the product will be calibrated through software and
will come factory calibrated. The internal battery could be re-
chargeable through an external charging port and would not
be user serviceable or it could use a disposable battery that is
easily replaced. The fuse will be housed inside the enclosure.
To replace the fuse the enclosure will need to be disassembled,
similar to existing DMMs.
Electrical System Architecture and
Design
A typical DMM, capable of voltage, current, and ohms
measurements, and of working with ac or dc, is com-
prised of the following functional elements: battery,
power management (regulation, low-power mode), input
selection device, attenuator network and shunts, ana-
log-to-digital converter, voltage reference, rectifier, and
display. For RMS measurements, additional circuitry is
required. Modern DMMs often use a microcontroller to
automate reconfiguring the internal circuitry for various
measurements.
Fig. 1 displays the system topology of the wireless DMM.
The display function is replaced with a Bluetooth wireless link
that links to a smartphone.
Measurement Subsystem
The measurement system is the core of the device, so much
consideration was given to selecting an appropriate mea-
surement solution. We chose a Maxim Integrated Products
MAX134 DMM chip to perform the measurement function.
See the sidebar article for a description of the MAX134.
At the center of the MAX134 is a 40 000 count integrating
analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The integrating nature of
this converter makes the device extremely immune to external
noise and small uctuation in signal amplitude. However, er-
ror and nonlinearity can be introduced by the integration itself
if care is not taken to reduce stray capacitance and trace length
on the integration capacitors. Overall, the MAX134 provides
the necessary accuracy to fulll the design requirements [2].
A/D conversion is performed by comparing an unknown
voltage to a stable known voltage, called the reference voltage
(VRef in Fig. 1). The MAX134 requires a reference voltage of
545.00 mV. This reference voltage is generated using a 1.200 V
bandgap reference diode and attenuating the voltage using a
precision resistor divider network. Fig. 2 shows the schematic
for generating the 545.00 mV reference for the ADC [2].
Auto ranging multimeters typically make use of an input
attenuation network to reduce large signals to the measure-
ment range of the ADC. The MAX134 uses an external, ve
resistor, four-range attenuator network comprised of the
values10 M, 1.1111 M, 101 K, 10 K, and 1 K. This atten-
uator network is used for ranging in the ac voltage, dc voltage,
and Ohms measurement modes. Selection of the appropriate
range (resistor value) is done internally to the MAX134. Fig. 3
shows how a voltage signal is attenuated and ranged through
the attenuator network [2].
To perform ohms measurements, a known voltage is ap-
plied across a series combination of a known resistor and an
unknown test element. The voltage across the test element is
measured and the resistance of the element is calculated using
Ohms law. Fig. 4 shows how the same attenuator network is
Fig. 1. System topology of the wireless digital multimeter.
MAX133/MAX134
The MAX133/MAX134 are 3 3/4 Digit DMM integrated
circuits developed by Maxim Integrated. The circuit is an
integrating A/D converter with an internal resolution of
40,000 counts. The inherent accuracy of the circuit, per
Maxim data sheet is 0.025% and the resolution is 5 V.
Of course, external attenuator resistors can affect the ac-
curacy of the system. The A/D conversion time is 50 ms
resulting in 20 readings per second adequate for routine
DMM measurements.
Both the MAX134 and MAX133 are designed to be
microprocessor controlled and have logic-level micro-
processor interfaces. The MAX133 has a 4 bit multiplexed
address/data bus. The MAX134 has 3 separate address
lines and a 4-bit bidirectional data bus. With a micropro-
cessor, the integrated circuit can perform autoranging
over the range of 400 mV to 4000 V. In this congura-
tion, external attenuator resistors are required, but the
switching is performed by the A/D converter.
In operation, the MAX134 draws 100 A. In standby
mode, it draws 25 A. The nominal supply voltage is 9V
or, 5V. The IC is available as a plastic leaded chip car-
rier (PLCC) or a plastic dual-in-line package. The PLCC
measures approximately 1 cm on its side making it small
enough to fit in the pen-style DMM. The data sheet
outlines several additional features. In addition, a dem-
onstration kit is available. Both ICs are in production at
the time of writing this article and have a quantity pricing
of $11.12 each in quantities of 1000.
August 2014 IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine 49
used to perform ohms measurements by moving the position
of the ADC input and using a constant voltage at the top of the
network [2].
To perform True RMS conversions, the output of the atten-
uator network is passed through an RMS converter and then
into the ADC. The Linear Technology LTC1966 precision mi-
cropower delta sigma RMS-to-DC converter was chosen for
the design because of its exceptional accuracy, low power re-
quirements, and small form factor [3].
Due to the design of the MAX134 and typical topologies in
measurement instruments, the input signal must be connected
and disconnected from multiple nodes in the circuit to pre-
form different measurements. Relays and switches are two
common methods of input switching. Switches and relays can
be cumbersome when designing a pen-style device. MOSFET
technology was investigated as an option for input switch-
ing using all solid-state technology. However, using MOSFETs
or other semiconductor technology for input switching in-
troduces signicant design challenges such as compensating
for leakage currents and nonlinearities, whereas mechanical
switches are immune to these issues and achieve superior iso-
lation between circuit nodes. The current design uses micro
relays, but they are quite expensive. The next iteration will uti-
lize a slide switch with multiple custom contacts on the printed
wiring board. This method is very robust and has an overall
lower cost for a production design.
Wireless Subsystem
In the simplest version of a smartphone-enabled DMM, the
smartphone is used primarily for the display and to control
when data is sent from the pen-style DMM. In more sophis-
ticated versions, the computational power of the smartphone
can be used to analyze the data. All of this could be done with
a wired connection from the measurement system to the data
connector on the smartphone. However, a wired connection
has two major drawbacks the typical consumer smartphone
does not have a robust data connector, and the additional wire
restricts the freedom of movement of a pen-style DMM. Both of
these problems are eliminated by sending data and control sig-
nals wirelessly between the pen-style DMM and smartphone.
Selecting the right technology for wireless communication is
paramount. The wireless link must be robust enough to reli-
ably transmit a small amount of data in a noisy environment,
have sufciently low power consumption for battery oper-
ation, and have suitable range. Additionally, support for the
wireless technology must be already included or easily added
to existing consumer products. There are many wireless tech-
nologies capable of meeting these requirements. Some of these
technologies and their distinguishing features are:
WiFi extremely high data rates, large processing over-
head, high cost, and high power consumption [4].
Nordic nRF suitable data rate and extremely low power
consumption, limited range and support in consumer
devices [5].
ZigBee suitable data rate and low power consumption,
very limited support in consumer devices [5].
Bluetooth suitable range and data rates, excellent
support in consumer devices, moderately low power
consumption [6].
Bluetooth wireless technology was selected as the most ap-
propriate link for the wireless DMM.
Implementation of the Bluetooth radio and protocol stack
is accomplished through the use of the BlueGiga Technologies
WT-12 Class 2 Bluetooth module. The WT-12 module has the
following features [7]: Bluetooth class 2, Logic level UART in-
terface, and fully qualied for Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, CE, FCC,
and IC.
Fig. 2. Schematic for generating the reference voltage.
Fig. 3. AC and DC voltage attenuation diagram.
Fig. 4. Ohms ranging diagram.
50 IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine August 2014
After a Bluetooth communications session is established
between a device (smartphone) and the wireless DMM, a
communication or conversation protocol is needed to trans-
fer information between the multimeter and the application
running on the remote device [8]. A communication protocol
was designed to allow the multimeter to send readings to the
remote device and for the remote device to send control and
conguration information to the multimeter. A full protocol
specication was designed and developed prior to software
implementation. Depending on the end application of the de-
vice, this protocol specication can be published to allow end
users to develop custom applications that interface with the
wireless multimeter.
Processing and System Control
At the center of the measurements system is a microprocessor
that controls the functions of all the sub-systems. The proces-
sor is responsible for the following tasks:
Timing and control of the ADC conversion system includ-
ing auto-ranging.
Retrieving and processing data from the ADC system.
Sending and receiving data to and from the Bluetooth
system.
Bluetooth state monitoring, pairing, and data session
control.
Error handling.
Firmware upgrades.
Authentication for Apple devices.
The Atmel MegaAVR microprocessor was selected because
of its low cost and relatively high performance in the 8- bit
microcontroller realm. Additional features of the Atmel Mega-
AVR are: [9]
Minimal required external components.
Freely available and well documented development
tools.
High performance UART interface with simultaneous
bi-directional support.
Hardware I2C and SPI support.
Extremely low power consumption.
Flexible bootloader with UART support for eld rm-
ware upgrades.
Flexible interrupt controller.
The MegaAVR series met all of the criteria and at an accept-
able price point for eventual production.
Supporting Apple iOS mobile devices require special
hardware and software routines to be included in the de-
sign. Authentication is Apples unique way of controlling the
quality of, and who can sell, accessories that work with their
devices. In order to build an accessory that works with Ap-
ple devices, the company or individual designing the device
must be a member of the Apple Made for iOS Program (MFi).
MFi developers have access to a special microchip called the
Authentication Coprocessor. This device stores proprietary
algorithms and keys needed during the authentication pro-
cess [8], [10]. Authentication in the wireless multimeter is
handled by the microprocessor in conjunction with Apples
authentication coprocessor. A software library was developed
for speaking to the coprocessor and relaying information to
and from an iOS device. Authentication is not required for de-
vices using the Android operating system.
Power Management
Managing power regulation, distribution, and consumption
in any battery powered device is essential. In this design, there
are two concerns: the pen-style DMM and the battery drain of
the smartphone. First, we consider the DMM. Many challenges
arise from the different integrated circuits used in the design
[11]. Table 3 outlines the integrated circuits in the design and
their associated power supply requirements.
Two independent voltage supplies of +3.3 V and -6.6 V
will adequately power all the ICs. +3.3V meets the require-
ments of the WT-12, authentication coprocessor, AtmelAVR,
and the LTC1966. -6.6V combined with the +3.3V supply will
yield a total voltage of 9.9V to power the MAX134 IC. The -6.6V
source is created through the use of a switched capacitor neg-
ative doubling inverter that pushes the +3.3V supply to -6.6V.
In addition to the voltages indicated above, a choice ex-
ists between rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries.
Two alkaline batteries in series (e.g., AA or AAA) is the low-
est manufacturing cost for the pen-style DMM. To achieve the
required 3.3 V, a DC/DC boost converter (MCP1640) is used.
This device has very low current draw and is up to 96% ef-
cient. However, the downside of alkaline batteries is their
lifetime. The Bluetooth module (WT-12) can draw 40 mA. For
an AA battery with approximately 2000 mAh, this amounts to
approximately 40 hours of continuous use and even less if True
RMS measurements are being made. Although considerably
less operating time than a standard DMM, it might be accept-
able for the occasional user. However, it is too expensive for a
DMM that is used extensively.
An alternative approach is to use a single cell 3.7 V lith-
ium-ion rechargeable battery. A low drop out regulator is used
to produce 3.3 V from the 3.7 V battery. Charging lithium-ion
batteries is a simple process, however improper charging can
result in reduced battery life and in some cases electrical res
created from excess heat in the battery cells. For this reason,
the role of battery charging is ofoaded from the main micro-
processor to a dedicated charging circuit. Power is supplied
to the charging circuit via a micro-USB connector. Charging
an internal battery is a feature not traditionally included in
handheld multimeters for two reasons. First, traditional mul-
timeters have an extremely long battery life and replacing an
Table 3 IC power supply requirements
IC Voltage Current
MAX134 9 13 V or +5 V, -5 V 100 A
WT-12 3.3 V 40 mA
Auth CP 1.8 3.6 V 5 mA
AtmelAVR 1.8 5.5 V 5 mA
LTC1966 1.8 5.5 V 20 mA
August 2014 IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine 51
alkaline battery is the simplest solution. Second, the addition
of charging circuitry links the analog common and charging
ground together. This creates a potentially unsafe condition in
which the case ground of the charging connector is at or near
the same potential as the common measurement probe [11].
There are at least two solutions to solve this problem. One is to
isolate the charging circuitry from the measurement circuitry,
a difcult problem that requires the use of expensive isolating
DC/DC converters. A simpler solution is to cover the exposed
case ground on the USB connector when the common probe
is attached making it difcult to have the common probe con-
nected while charging the battery. This is discussed further in
the Enclosure Design section. While the rechargeable battery
has numerous advantages, it does complicate the design.
In modern electronic devices, sleep/wake buttons are used
instead of traditional hard on/off switches. Controlling power
dynamically from internal logic provides exibility within the
design and can extend operation time. Embedded micropro-
cessors are typically capable of entering a low power state and
monitoring an external button to wake up when it is pressed.
This provides a good option but complicates rmware devel-
opment and has higher sleep currents than other options [9].
The solution chosen for the DMM is a hardware based sleep/
wake controller. Hardware sleep wake controllers connect
directly to the internal battery and shut off all circuitry and
power supplies when in sleep mode, yielding an extremely
low power sleep mode. When the power button is pressed, the
sleep/wake controller enables the power supplies and micro-
processor manages the power up sequence.
The second aspect of the power management is the battery
drain on the smartphone when used in the DMM mode. Again,
the Bluetooth circuitry is the single largest power drain. The
battery in the smartphone should handle at least a full day of
measurements as long as other energy hungry applications are
not used extensively. Since the smartphone utilizes a recharge-
able battery, the daily power drain should not be an issue.
Printed Circuit Board Design
The printed circuit board design for the wireless multimeter
was produced in Altium Designer. Careful consideration must
be taken in component placement to avoid noise from the dig-
ital circuitry interfering with the analog portion of the design.
Additional constraints are placed on the design from the cur-
rent and voltage measurement portions of the circuit. Voltage
traces must have sufcient spacing for over-voltage protection
and current traces must have sufcient width to reduce add-
ing additional resistance in the circuit. Fig. 5 shows one version
of the printed circuit board. This version uses a rechargeable
battery the micro-USB port for recharging the battery is not
attached to the board.
Enclosure Design
The design of the enclosure presents a challenge requiring the
balancing of safety, cost, material, malleability, and assembly.
The enclosure will house all the electrical components and pro-
tect the user from the electrical signals on the printed circuit
board. Materials, form factor, and ergonomic studies will de-
termine the safety and usability of the nished enclosure. ABS
plastic was selected as the material for the enclosure because of
its superior malleability and excellent electrical properties [12].
The design of a handheld instrument presents two
concerns in ergonomics. First, the assembly must be com-
fortable and of adequate size to allow efcient use of the
instrument. Second, the instrument must contain a rm slip
resistant grip to prevent a users hand from slipping off the
instrument and into a potentially dangerous electrical sys-
tem. Numerous prototype models were built from foam
blocks and tested in focus groups to assess the comfort of
the device. After a comfortable design was identied the
foam prototype was modeled in CAD software and rapid
prototypes were developed for further testing. To address
the slippage requirement the front portion of the multime-
ter will be co-molded in rubber to provide a soft yet durable
nger grip that provides a secure way to hold the meter, and
resist slippage.
The overall form factor of the multimeter is a semicylindri-
cal pen-like design. There are two possible ways to build the
enclosure. One is to mold the assembly as a solid long body
with an end cap. The parts and PCB are inserted through the
rear of the assembly and the end cap clips into the body to se-
cure the parts inside. This method of design and assembly has
benets in strength and reliability but is extremely difcult to
mold and assemble [12]. A second approach to the enclosure
design is to split the assembly into two halves and screw or
clip the two pieces together. Initially this approach seems more
complicated due to the increased complexity of each part and
the addition of a part from splitting the body in two. However,
this method of assembly is signicantly easier to mold and as-
semble, thus reducing the price of tooling and the per piece
price for molding and assembly [12].
Application Design
A software application was designed to mimic a simple, hand-
held DMM (Fig. 6). A simple user interface was developed and
tested on an Apple iPod Touch. XCode, Apples integrated de-
velopment environment was used to build the software [13].
One of the most powerful aspects of the smartphone-enabled
DMM is that the user interface has innite possibilities. While
we have demonstrated a user interface that is similar to using a
handheld DMM, one could design an interface that has a strip
chart recorder, go-no go imaging, synthetic voice readouts,
Fig. 5. One of several versions of the printed wiring board. The leads
(shortened for this photo) were used for testing.
52 IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine August 2014
peak measurements, voice instructions for a series of test point
measurements, and so on. In addition, the smart phone can
analyze the readings for the application. In the end, the user
interface can be designed specically for the task at hand. Fur-
thermore, multiple user interfaces can easily be stored on the
smartphone.
Results and Conclusions
Several working prototypes have been built and tested. Design
variations include battery types and whether DMM control
should be software based (smartphone) or hardware based
(pen-style DMM). Hardware control is preferred because the
DMM is in the users hand while the smartphone could be a
distance away, especially if the user were relying on synthetic
voice readouts. Hardware-based control also simplies the
design.
Although formal accuracy measurements were not per-
formed, the prototype demonstrated comparable performance
to a commercial handheld DMM. Measurements are trans-
ferred in real time to the remote iPod Touch up to two hundred
feet away from the pen-style DMM. The design met the overall
product goals and is ready for safety evaluations.
References
[1] Underwriters Laboratories Inc, UL 61010-1 and IEC 61010-1
Laboratory Equipment Specication, http://www.ul.com, Camas,
Washington, 2011.
[2] Maxim Integrated Products, MAX133/MAX134 Datasheet,
California, USA: Maxim, 1995.
[3] Linear Technology, LTC1966 - Precision Micropower ?? RMS-to-
DC Converter Datasheet, Milpitas, CA, 2011. [Online]. Available:
http://www.linear.com.
[4] Cambridge Silicon Radio, Bluetooth Specications for Development.
Cambridge, UK, 2011. [Online]. Available: http://www.csr.
com.
[5] Nordic Semiconductor, nRF24xx range of 2.4GHz Transceivers,
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http://www.nordicsemi.com.
[6] Bluetooth, Bluetooth 3.0 Specications, USA: Bluetooth, 2011.
[Online]. Available: http://www.bluetooth.com.
[7] BlueGiga Technologies, Website and WT-12 Specication, Espoo,
Finland, 2011. [Online]. Available: http:// www.bluegiga.com.
[8] Apple Inc, MFi Program Public Information Webpage, California,
USA: Apple Inc., 2011. [Online]. Available: http://developer.
apple.com/programs/m.
[9] Atmel Corporation, ATMega168 Datasheet, California, USA:
Atmel, 2011.
[10] Ken Maskrey, Building iPhone OS Accessories, California, USA:
Apress, 2010.
[11] Analog Devices, Inc., Website and Measurement Appnotes.
Norwood, MA, 2011. [Online]. Available: http://www.analog.
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[12] SiCAM, Conversations with Peter Sayki. Hillsborough, New Jersey,
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[13] David Mark and Jeff LaMarche, Beginning iPhone 3 Development:
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Daniel J. Brateris received
hi s BSECE and MSEE
from Rowan University. In
2008, he opened Atlanticus
Innovations LLC, a multi-
disciplinary engineering
firm that builds original
products and consults in
the embedded, wireless,
and entertainment indus-
tries. Recently, he joined
the faculty at the New Jersey Institute of Technology where
he teaches classes focusing on embedded systems and
communications.
Dwight Bedford earned his
BSECE from Rowan Uni-
versity in 2011 and an MSEE
from Columbia University
in the City of New York in
2013). He is currently pur-
suing a PhD at Columbia
University. He served in the
IEEE student branch while
at Rowan and was involved
in numerous student activi-
ties and projects. He is currently working for PSEG Nuclear as
a Systems Engineer.
Fig. 6. Prototype iOS applications measurement screen.
August 2014 IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine 53
David Calhoun is a Grad-
uate Research Assistant
with the Lightwave Re-
s e ar c h Labor at or y at
Columbia University. His
current research focus is at
the systems level of silicon
photonic networks, de-
veloping optical network
interface logic and pro-
tocols for link layer data
delivery methods and control systems using high-speed FP-
GAs. He is a member of the IEEE.
Tom Mukalian graduated
Rowan University in May
2012 with a BSECE. He has
since been working at In-
ductotherm Corp. in Mount
Holly, NJ as an Automa-
tion Engineer, focusing
on automated equipment
for various applications of
pouring molten metals.
Justin Reda received a BSECE from Rowan University. He
has worked on numerous mobile application projects, primar-
ily focusing on the Android platform. Justin has specialties in
mapping applications, communication protocols, and data-
base visualization. (A photo of Justin Reda was not available.)
Tony Samar i t ano r e -
ceived his BSECE in 2012
from Rowan University
and is currently pursuing
his MSECE at Rowan Uni-
versity. He is employed
at The Boeing Company
as a Systems Engineer on
the CH-47F and Electrical
and Computer Engineer in
Boeing Research and Tech-
nology division. He is serving as the Graduate Student
Representative on the IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems
Society (AESS) Board of Governors.
Robe r t R. Kr c hnave k
(krchnavek@rowan.edu)
received his BSEE from
Marquette University, his
MSEE from the California
Institute of Technology, and
the PhD from Columbia
University. After receiv-
ing his PhD, he joined Bell
Communications Research
(Bellcore) where he studied
laser processing for integrated circuit repair, optical intercon-
nects, and high-temperature superconductivity. He joined
the faculty at Washington University in St. Louis in 1991 and
joined Rowan University in 1998. His current research interests
are in material studies for biomedical and energy applications,
sustainable energy, and circuits and systems. He is a member
of the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society.
Aaron Johnson and Nick-
o l a s Ko wa l s k i we r e
students in the Engineer-
ing Clinic courses in the
College of Engineering at
Rowan University. The En-
gineering Clinic courses
utilize real-world research
and design problems for
proj ect-based l earni ng.
They are currently pursu-
ing their MSEEs at Rowan
University. (A photo of Nickolas Kowalski was not available.)
Aaron Johnson
54 IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine August 2014