Last week, I improved the power performance of the bench sensor modules, but I realized that reaching our use case requirement of 1 week for the sensor is unlikely. I modified the detection algorithm so that Wifi is only on when the device is sending a request. This is still not enough, and it seems that Wifi as a protocol is too expensive.
This week I worked on creating the models for both the people counter and the bench sensor. For the bench sensors, I produced an initial version of the case using Rhino and am currently 3D printing it. The case should fit 2 mini breadboards, a battery pack, and the IR sensor. I also collected material for the people counter, and I put it together this week.
I am currently on schedule.
I look to finish the case for the people counter and continue looking for ways to improve the power consumption in the people counter.
As someone on the software track, working with mostly hardware this project has been both rewarding and challenging. I’ve gotten better at reading datasheets for different components to understand how they work. I think that my experience in 18220 was useful in building the circuit. I’ve also found blogs written by fellow tech enthusiasts very useful when I was getting started as they gave me a base for understanding how the NodeMCU can read analog data, and how it communicates with outside devices.
<==== This is the layout of the bottom of the case.
The .stl file of the top.
The .stl file of the base.