Projects

Chemical Detection with Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance (NQR)

Frequency Modulation (FM) Receiver

High-Frequency Circuit Design Lab, EE 251

Designed and built a commercial FM receiver (~88 MHz to ~108 MHz) throughout the EE 251 course. The use of copper tape, FR4 boards, and basic through-hole technology in the design was intentional. Despite the lack of visual appeal, the final result was fully functional and very fun!📻

IMG_3746.mov

A brief clip showcasing the wireless reception and demodulation of the song "Cherry Bomb," which was transmitted over the commercial FM band.

Function Generator

Advanced Circuit Techniques, EE 308

Collaborated in a team of three to design and build a 2 Hz - 2 MHz function generator (e.g., sine, square, and triangle wave output) throughout the EE 308 course. The use of copper tape, FR4 boards, and basic through-hole components in the design was intentional, despite the final system's lack of visual appeal.

Chemical Detection with Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance (NQR)

Stanford University Power Electronics Research (SUPER) Lab

Explored chemical detection via NQR techniques, as discussed in a 2005 article from American Scientist and demonstrated in a video by the Applied Science channel on YouTube in 2023. Designed system to detect Sodium Nitrite, which has an NQR frequency of 3.6 MHz. Unfortunately, testing proved unsuccessful and time constraints prevented continuation of this effort.

Handheld Phased Array RFID Scanner

Undergraduate Senior Capstone Project

This project demonstrated a proof of concept for a handheld, electronically scanning phased array device designed to remotely locate RFID tags for warehouse inventory tracking applications.

The main challenge was solving for and controlling the characteristics of the four-element, non-uniformly spaced linear array (non-USLA) to perform electronic scanning. Since this was an inverse problem, where the desired output was known (Array Factor [AF] = 1 at each given scanning angle), but solving for the corresponding input parameters (phase shift and separation distances between each element) was complex, basic ML (Genetic Algorithms) was implemented to optimize the design of the non-USLA.

The final handheld device offered two modes of operation: "manual steering" and "automatic scanning." An LCD enabled users to identify the location of RFID tags by visualizing directional information and the number of detected tags. The device read Electronic Product Codes (EPC) and Received Signal Strength Indicators (RSSI) from the tags, delivering comprehensive information to the user.

Overall, this project allowed us to practice a wide range of skills and topics, including MATLAB and Python programming, basic ML, RFID technology, amplifiers, isolators, antennas, transmission lines, PCB design, 3D design & printing, VNAs, Spectrum Analyzers, soldering, and more. Beyond technical skills, we gained experience in collaboration, project management, budget analysis, and deriving both marketing and engineering requirements from client interactions.