Bradley’s Status Report for 3/16

This week we finalized creating our schematic and ordered some new parts. When coming back from break, not all of the parts had arrived. A crucial part, the UHF RFID reader, had not been ordered. Through ordering it again, I eventually found a new one that was cheaper to use. For working on the schematic, we had to look into the pinouts of each of the parts and how decide how everything will be connected on the PCB ultimately. We also had to keep two PCB designs in mind, one for UHF and HF RFID, in case UHF does not work out. As somebody who has not taken a class pertaining to PCBs or used them, I learned a lot about them this week. We also figured out a new way to use the ring. We realized RFID is blocked by metals, so we pivoted to using a plastic ring and using metal to block the frequency being transmitted to the pendant, signaling that the user wants to initiate emergency protocol. Unfortunately, we are behind schedule, and most of our parts have not arrived yet. So, the best use of my time will be researching how everything will be connected so assembly will be quick once the parts do arrive.