CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the research method and design used implemented, the schedule of

activities, the four different monitoring system, and the prototype construction.

I. RESEARCH METHOD

The designer devises an experimental method on designing the prototype. Prototyping is

the process of building a model of a project. It is a method used by designers to acquire feedback

from users about future designs.

II. SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

The proponents consumed almost 2 weeks in construction of the prototype. Here are the
table of activities.

ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE
TESTING THE GENERATOR September 24, 2016
TRIALS ON BREADBOARD September 24, 2016
FABRICATING THE DEVICE October 1, 2016
CONNECTING THE 3 PCB’s October 1, 2016
TESTING THE FINISHED PROTOTYPE October 1, 2016
TROUBLESHOOTING October 1, 2016
PLACING THE PROTOTYPE IN THE October 1, 2016
CASING
TRIALS IN PEDALLING October 1, 2016
FINALIZING THE DEVICE October 1, 2016

Table 3.1. SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

III. FOUR DIFFERENT MONITORING SYSTEMS

 A. FLOWCHART

B. GATE SYSTEM
C. WEATHER SYSTEM
D. FIRE ALARM SYSTEM
E. SECURITY SYSTEMS

IV. PROTOTYPE CONSTRUCTION

In this study the proponents used experimental method on the development of the prototype

device. The proponent conducted a qualitative and quantitative evaluation through actual testing

of the developed prototype device to access and evaluates the effectiveness and reliability of the

proposed design.

A. HARDWARE

The proponents used 2 LED Dot Matrix Display module.

B. SOFTWARE
1. THE COMPONENTS

Gizduino

The Gizduino is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328 and ATmega168. It

has 14 digital input output pins, 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz crystal oscillator, a USB

connection, a power jack, an ICSP header, and a reset button. It contains everything needed

to support the microcontroller; simply connect it to a computer with a USB cable or power

it with a AC-to- DC adapter or battery to get started. It is an open source computing

platform based on a simple input/output (I/O) board and the use of standard programming

language; in otherwords, it is a tool for implementing a program you have designed.

Gizduino is programmed using the IDE (Integrated Development Environment).

Gizduino is ideal for beginner programmers and hobbyists because of its simplicity

compared to other platforms. It is a multiplatform environment; it can run on Windows,

Macintosh, and Linux. It is programmable via USB cable, which makes it more accessible

and allows communication with the computer.

Table 3.1 JP3,JP4 (Digital I/O) pin assignments:

No. I.D. Description

1 AREF analog reference pin for the

A/D Converter.

2 GND ground.

3 13 Digital I/O

4 12 Digital I/O
 5 11 PWM OUT

6 10 PWM OUT / Digital I/O

7 9 PWM OUT / Digital I/O

8 8 Digital I/O

9 7 Digital I/O

10 6 PWM OUT / Digital I/O

11 5 PWM OUT / Digital I/O

12 4 Digital I/O

13 3 PWM OUT / Digital I/O

14 2 Digital I/O

15 1 TX / Digital I/O

16 0 RX / Digital I/O

Table 3.2 JP2 (Analog I/O) pin assignments:

No. I.D. Description

1 A0 Analog I/O

2 A1 Analog I/O

3 A2 Analog I/O

4 A3 Analog I/O

5 A4 Analog I/O

6 A5 Analog I/O

7 A6 Analog I/O

8 A7 Analog I/O
Table 3.3 JP1 (Power) pin assignments:

No. I.D. Description

1 Reset reset.

2 +3.3V 3.3V Device Power Supply

3 +5V 5V Device Power Supply

4 GND ground.

5 GND ground.

6 VIN 8-12V Device Power

Supply

Table 3.4 Available Gizduino Microcontrollers Details:

Device Flash Mem EEPROM RAM Interrupt Vector

Size

ATmega168PA 16K Bytes 512 Bytes 1K Bytes 2 instruction

words/vector

ATmega328P 32K Bytes 2K Bytes 1K Bytes 2 instruction

words/vector

USB CABLE

A USB Cable, or Universal Serial Bus Cable, is used with the basic function of

connecting a USB device to host. The most common hosts for USB cable are computers,
mobile devices, and video game consoles. USB cables are distinguished by their official

logo on the top of the plug overmolds in addition to their plug type.

USB cables can have many different types of plug ends. The “style” refers to the

distinct size and shape of its connector. This connector goes into its corresponding

receptacle built into hosts and USB devices. There are quite few types of USB cables which

serve different purposes.

These includes USB type A, USB type B, Mini USB, Micro USB, as well as differing

types depending on the USB specification. For a very general understanding, Type A is the

most common and recognizable of the bunch, used on things like USB drives and USB

ports on computers. Type B USB cables are usually found on large peripheral devices like

scanners and printers. Mini and Micro cables are usually found on small USB devices like

digital cameras and smartphones.

Most of USB cables will connect a device to a computer that will have a USB Type

A connector on the end with another type of plug on the other. USB cables are sorted into

one of three different bandwidth groups, which include 1.1, 2.0, and 3.0. This also referred

to as the USB specification. USB 1.1 transfers data at a maximum rate of 1.5 Mbits per

second, USB 2.0 transfers data at a maximum rate of 480 Mbits per second, and USB 3.0

transfers data at a maximum rate of 5 Gbits per second.

USB 3.0 is backwards compatible with the lower transmission rates of USB 2.0 and

USB 1.1, and USB 2.0 is backwards compatible with the lower transmission rates of USB
1.1. But the substitution can’t go the other way. USB 1.1 can’t deliver the data transfer rate

that USB 2.0 devices needed, and USB 2.0 can’t deliver the data transfer rate that USB 3.0

needs.

The type B connector is made to use mostly on USB peripheral devices. Like the A

connector, it uses the friction of the connector body to stay in place. The B socket connector

is upstream and is used exclusively on peripheral devices like printers and scanners. Due

to this set up, the majority of USB applications require an A to B cable.

2. BLOCK DIAGRAM

Figure 3.1. Block Diagram of School-Bases Monitoring System