Afa Malu Bob VanLonkhuyzen KJ Yoo Nathan Snippe

Transcription

1 Afa Malu Bob VanLonkhuyzen KJ Yoo Nathan Snippe Engr 339/340 Senior Design Project Calvin College 2/09/202

2 P a g e 2 o f 5 E x e c u t i v e S u m m a r y ; Übercaster is an innovative new personal broadcaster for those who want to broadcast their music, ideas, or translations. By utilizing the range of Wi-Fi and the speed of UDP protocol, Übercaster shall be able to broadcast any audio signal that plugs into it via a 3.5mm jack. It shall be able to provide a quick and high quality connection to at least ten Smartphone clients. The Smartphone users shall be able to download the free Übercaster app and stream the audio at a rate of up to 320kbps. We anticipate a delay in the stream of at most a hundred milliseconds, which is barely noticeable by the human ear. The market for Übercaster is focused on a few main groups: churches, museums, and street performers. With these groups, we estimated about 0,000 buyers in our first year. With this number, we are still able to provide a very affordable price of $70. By the start of the next calendar year, we hope to have a proof of concept working on a development board and keep improving from there throughout the semester. By May, our goal is to have designed and produced our own printed circuit board and enclosure at the specifications we desire.

3 P a g e 3 o f 5. Introduction of Übercaster 5. Device Overview 5.2. Team Information Bob Vanlonkhuysen Afa Malu KJ Yoo Nathan Snippe 7.3. Report Overview 7 2. System Architecture Overall System Block Diagram Übercaster 2.2. Broadcaster 2.3. Client Mobile App Admin Mobile App 5 3. Requirements Functional Requirements Electrical Requirements Software Requirements Physical Requirements Product Weight Product Size Product Materials Product Design Power Requirements 8 4. Electrical System Specifications Router Processor Bandwidth Embedded System Software IPhone & Android App Display System Printed Circuit Boards Design Software Selection 2 5. Device Power 2 5. Power Supply Selection 2 6. Physical Design Specifications System Enclosure Case Design Material Selection Prototype and Year End Deliverables System Integration Testing Übercaster Übercaster Client App Übercaster Admin App Business Plan Vision and Mission Statement Industry Profile and Overview Competition 25

4 P a g e 4 o f Limitations and Regulations Trends in Society The Cost to Entry Necessities for Success Projections for the Future Business Strategy SWOT Analysis Marketing Strategy Target Customers Tour Guides Large Venues Street Musicians Customer Benefits Market Size Logo Display Pricing Advertising Production Distribution Financial Analysis Forecasting Key Assumptions Financial Statements Break-Even, Revenue, and Profit Analysis 3 0. Project Management 3 0. Team Organization Division of Work Bob Nate Afa KJ Team Advisors and Support Team Meetings Storing Files Schedule Schedule Management Critical Path Mid-Year Schedule Estimates Operational Budget 36. Conclusions 36. Accomplishments 36.2 Lessons Learned 37.3 Credits and Acknowledgments References Partlist 4

5 P a g e 5 o f 5 Introduction to Übercaster Have you ever been to a church service where translations are offered through the use of FM transmitters? Even though these systems can be very effective, they are extremely expensive and bulky i. Maybe you ve also been to a museum where the tour guide is barely audible due to ambient noise in the area. Using Übercaster can solve these problems and more. Übercaster is a small, portable way to broadcast audio signal for people to hear better and clearer. It works by taking any audio signal from a normal headphone jack and broadcasting that signal over a Wi-Fi connection to any Smartphone users within range who have downloaded the free Übercaster app. Imagine the convenience of going to a church service in a different language and using your phone to receive a translation and getting meaning out of what the pastor has to say. Or taking a tour at a museum and understanding everything the guide has to say about your favorite piece of art.. Device Overview Übercaster shall be a simple device with a design similar to Apple devices. This means having limited buttons and knobs while still achieving its intended purpose; it shall be user friendly and recognizable. The two components to the project are: a router that broadcasts audio and a Smartphone app (iphone or Android) to receive the broadcasted audio. Features such as the ability to choose the channel and volume control shall be included in the app. The body of the device shall provide input jacks for a variety of devices such as a microphone, guitar pick-up, or a connector for an ipod. The router is to be portable which means it should easily be transported in a pocket or clipped to an individual. It must also survive basic weather changes and therefore be waterproof. In case it should be dropped, it should also be able to survive a 4-foot drop..2 Team Information Team Übercaster is composed of three senior electrical engineering students and one mechanical engineering student (pictured below). Figure.: Übercaster team from left to right: Robert, Afa, KJ, Nate

6 P a g e 6 o f 5.2. Robert VanLonkhuyzen VanLonkhuyzen is an Engineering student in the Electrical & Computer concentration who is passionate about using engineering for missions. He is looking forward to designing the hardware at the heart of Übercaster, and expanding his knowledge of mobile operating system software. He is eager to put to use the knowledge and experience he gained from both of his previous internships: the research on mobile technology for the Christian Reformed Church in North America, and his work with Radio Frequency theory and circuit board layout at the HCJB Global Technology Center. After graduation, VanLonkhuyzen shall be entering the Calvin Seminar, pursuing a Master of Arts in Missions and Evangelism. His efforts on the Übercaster team shall focus on designing the hardware and writing software for Apple s mobile operating system..2.2 Afa Malu Malu is an Engineer with a Mechanical concentration and a Math minor and is excited about being responsible for all mechanical aspects of Übercaster. Even though there are no moving parts to Übercaster, he shall still have a lot to bring to the table when it comes to material selection and circuit area optimization. His understanding of electrical components comes from producing office receptacles for Haworth Furniture during his internship at Innotec located in Zeeland Michigan. Malu s passion lies in design and analysis of systems, especially in the automotive industry. He hopes to work in the United States after graduation in order to further his knowledge, which would eventually be beneficial for his native homeland, Nigeria. Being the only mechanical engineer in the group, Malu s efforts shall be focused mostly on the design of the enclosure and optimization of the space within the device..2.3 KJ Yoo Yoo is an Engineering student with an Electrical & Computer concentration and German minor. Yoo has a diverse interest in business, music, languages, technology, and philosophy. He has lived in Stuttgart, Germany, Seoul, South Korea, and Grand Rapids, Michigan. This past summer, Yoo developed a TV scheduler using an Arduino and Google Calendar for Calvin Engineering Department. He also has interned for Porsche Development Center in Weissach, Germany and also at MoNET (The Laboratory of Molecular Neuroimaging Technology) at Severance Hospital in Seoul, South Korea. He enjoys playing piano, violin, and guitar in his free time and plays soccer extensively. After graduation, he hopes to work in the U.S.

7 P a g e 7 o f Nathan Snippe renewable energy. Snippe is an Engineering student with an Electrical & Computer concentration and a German minor. He is excited about tackling the challenges of researching and designing the optimal hardware necessities of Übercaster. Even though his passion lies with renewable energy, he is excited about learning valuable specifics about hardware, which he hopes shall be appearing in his future. After his internship with the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation in Vienna, Austria, he is ready to use his learned skills of programming and group organization and management to help turn Übercaster into a reality. After graduation, Nate plans on working for a few years and possibly going to grad school for.3 Report Overview This report explains in detail the Übercaster system and what this product requires with respect to electrical and power system specifications, physical design specifications, system testing, business and marketing plan for product production, and project management. Chapter 2 covers the system architecture of Übercaster giving a technical explanation of how the device shall work. The product requirements in chapter 3 contain the customer-driven specifications with respect to all aspects of the device. The electrical system section in chapter 4 contains the different subsystems in detail including design decisions. The power section in chapter 5 explains the necessary power needed for the device and where it shall come from. The physical design section in chapter 6 includes a description of the enclosure, the type of materials, and estimate of the printed circuit board size and layout for Übercaster. The system integration testing section in chapter 8 describes how the design of Übercaster is evaluated compared to the goals we had previously set. The business plan section in chapter 9 includes the team s financial estimates for feasibility in starting a business around Übercaster. The project management section in chapter 0 explains how the team s division of work is based on individual expertise, and how the organization has kept the team on track. The helpful advice given to the team by faculty, staff, and mentors is also explained in this section. 2 System Architecture 2. Overall System The system we are designing includes two distinct, but related modules: (a) the Übercaster, a physical device that accepts an audio signal through an audio jack and outputs the signal over WiFi, and (b) the Übercaster Client App and Übercaster Admin App, both mobile software applications that connect to the WiFi signal. The client app accepts the audio stream, decodes it, and plays it to the user. The admin app is used to change the settings of the Übercaster. Figure 2. shows the block diagram of our system s architecture. Figures 2.2 and 2.3 break down Übercaster and the Smartphone mobile app into their respective system block diagrams, and Figure 2.4 details the system architecture of the admin app in a block diagram. Table 2. describes the connections between the blocks in Figure 2.. Table 2.2 describes the same for Figure 2.2, and the same for Table 2.3 and Figure 2.3 and Table 2.4 and Figure 2.4.

8 P a g e 8 o f Block Diagram Block Diagram Figure 2.: Top-level block diagram Table 2.: Signal identification for Figure 2. Signal Name Connection Type Number of Signals Voice Audio 2 (stereo) Analog audio in Copper wire 2 Digital audio over WiFi Wireless UDP packets on a WiFi channel Analog audio out Copper wire 2 Sound Audio 2 Configuration UDP packets on a WiFi channel

9 P a g e 9 o f 5 Table 2.2: Signal identification for Figure 2.2 Figure 2.2: Übercaster system block diagram Signal Name Connection Type Number of Signals Power Signal Copper wire 2 Light Control Copper wire 0 Analog Audio Signal Copper wire 2 Digital audio Copper wire DA packet Copper wire Datagram Copper wire Audio Stream Wireless UDP packets on a WiFi channel DSP control Copper wire Internal storage control Copper wire Encoding control Copper wire Configuration Wireless UDP packets on a WiFi channel Store new settings Copper wire Update settings Copper wire

10 P a g e 0 o f 5 Figure 2.3: Smartphone and mobile app block diagram Table 2.3: Signal identification for Figure 2.3 Signal Name Connection Type Number of Signals Audio Stream Wireless UDP packets on a WiFi channel Datagram Copper wire Stored Datagram Copper wire Bitrate setting Flash memory Digital audio Flash memory Amplified audio Flash memory Analog audio Copper wire 2 Stream information Flash memory/cache Figure 2.4: Admin app and smartphone block diagram Table 2.4: Signal identification for Figure 2.4 Signal Name Connection Type Number of Signals Stored datagram Copper wire Datagram Copper wire Configuration Wireless UDP packets on a WiFi channel

11 P a g e o f Übercaster The Router shall receive an audio signal input via a microphone input jack, encode the data, and transmit that signal over WiFi to other devices. Our device shall send live audio over the WiFi channel to up to 0 smartphones. For simplicity, our device shall be referred to as the Übercaster throughout this document Broadcaster The Übercaster s system shall operate in the following manner: an audio input such as a microphone, mp3 player, or electric guitar, can be connected to the Übercaster via a standard 3.5mm audio jack. The audio signal shall be sent to a Digital Signal Processor that shall convert the analog voltages of the signal to a digital representation of the audio, and perform any necessary corrections to the data, such as amplification, automatically. The digital audio shall be stored for less than a microsecond in internal memory, until a complete datagram is fully processed. This processed data shall be transferred to the encoder, where it shall be encoded as an mp3 stream. The stream shall be layered with a User Datagram Protocol transport layer, or UDP transport layer. UDP maximizes latency by dispensing with complex protocol mechanisms such as handshaking and error checking. UDP also does not require knowledge of the state of the receiver, nor does it retain any of the transmitted data after it has been sent, making it very useful for large audiences of streaming media. The UDP datagram consists of an eight-byte header, followed by the data it is transporting. The header is divided into four parts: a two byte source port number, a two byte destination port number, a two byte UDP packet length identifier, and a two byte UDP checksum iiiii. The application layer of the stream shall use RTP, the Real-Time Transport Protocol. This protocol describes and end-to-end delivery method for audio and video data, typically on top of a UDP transport layer as we shall be using. Similarly to UDP, it does not ensure that the data is in fact delivered, nor does it provide a way to check that data packets have arrived in-order. It does, however, provide a sequence number for each packet so that the receiver can reconstruct the proper packet order of the packets are received out of order. The RTP fixed header contains 0 fields of varying bit-lengths. A representation of the header can be seen in Figure 2.5 below. The first field is a two-bit version field, signifying what version of RTP is being used. The second field is a single bit representing padding. If the bit is set, padding octets shall be added to the end of the packet. The field labeled X is a single bit for enabling the RTP header extension. The header extension follows immediately after the fixed header, and there can be only one extension. The CC field is four bits in length and identifies how many CSRC identifiers shall be after the fixed header. The single bit M field is the marker bit. It is used in association with a profile to mark boundaries. The PT field represents payload type, and is 7 bits long. It indicates the format of the payload so the receiving application can interpret it. The 6-bit sequence number field is used to specify an order to the RTP packets. The first packet is assigned a random number, and each packet after is assigned an increment of one from the previous packet. The timestamp field is 32 bits long. It represents the time the RTP packet was first sampled. Like the sequence number, the timestamp begins with a random number and increases based on the monotonic clock. The 32 bit SSRC field identifies the synchronization source. Finally, the CSRC field is a set of 32 bit items, containing up to 5 items. These represent the sources of the payload the packets are transporting. iv

12 P a g e 2 o f 5 Figure 2.5: Illustration of the RTP header The data stream shall finally be transmitted over a WiFi channel. The connection is initiated when the mobile app opens. It finds the correct source port that the Übercaster is using and receives the datagram packets. The connection is terminated when the user either disconnects from the WiFi channel or disconnects from the stream within the app. 2.3 Client Mobile App The software we are creating shall run on smartphones using the Google Android operating system or Apple ios. The smartphone shall connect to the WiFi channel just as it would to any WiFi channel, as shown in Figure 2.6. The difference is that the user shall not receive content from the World Wide Web, but rather audio transmitted over the channel.

13 P a g e 3 o f 5 Figure 2.6: iphone 5 connecting to the Übercaster WiFi channel The user shall open up the Übercaster app and the app shall connect to the network stream automatically on app initialization, using a predefined port. Figure 2.7 shows the screen the user sees during this process. There shall be no need to worry about accidentally connecting to multiple streams at once if there are several Übercasters in the vicinity, as each Übercaster broadcasts a different WiFi channel, with unique SSIDs.

14 P a g e 4 o f 5 Figure 2.7: The main screen of the Übercaster client app, as it is connecting to the incoming stream The app shall take the streaming digital audio datagrams that are being transmitted and decode them as they are received. The app receives a UDP datagram and looks at the header. The packet length is read and the data octets following the header are read and decoded. The checksum is optional, but to preserve data integrity, a checksum shall be added to the header and the app shall handle checking the checksum and performing error correction. If inclusion of a checksum becomes too time-consuming in the decoding process and leads to longer buffering delays, investigation shall be made into eliminating the checksum. The data octets following the header shall contain both audio data and mp3 tags such as artist info. The app shall then play the audio to the user. The app shall also display some information to the user, such as the time the user has been streaming, the bitrate of the stream, and a title for the stream. The title and other information about the currently streaming audio shall be able to be edited using the Übercaster admin app, as shall be discussed later.

15 P a g e 5 o f 5 The app shall also let the user interact with the stream, as shown in Figure 2.8. For example, the app shall allow the user to choose the quality of the stream. If the user values higher quality, better sounding audio, the user can set the bitrate to its maximum. If, though, the user puts a higher priority on responsiveness of the stream, and wishes to reduce or eliminate buffering times, the user may set the stream s bit-rate lower. Figure 2.8: The bit-rate selection toggle of Übercaster client app 2.4 Admin Mobile App Since the Übercaster has no user interface to configure settings such as making the device private or public, or changing the bit rate of the broadcast. It shall be necessary to have an Admin Mobile app to control the Übercaster. The app can connect with the device and configure the device through WiFi. The admin shall be able to set mp3 tags to be sent along with the audio. The process of configuration shall also use the UDP protocol. Following the header, the data octets shall contain instructions that the Übercaster reads, decodes, and applies to the internally stored settings.

16 P a g e 6 o f 5 3 Requirements 3. Functional Requirements In this section, the system as a whole is referred colloquially as the device. REQ 3.a: The device shall have a power on/off button. REQ 3.b: The device shall broadcast audio REQ 3.c: The device shall be able to last at least 4 hours of broadcast time REQ 3.d: The device shall be able to connect at least 0 clients REQ 3.e: The device shall have delay of no more than 00ms REQ 3.f: The device shall be waterproof. 3.2 Electrical Requirements Hardware REQ 3.2.a: The device shall have a 3.5mm audio input and a power adapter plug. REQ 3.2.b: The device shall use WiFi communications and the content shall be sent via the Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) REQ 3.2.c: The device shall be able to withstand a drop from 4ft. REQ 3.2.d: Total of LED lights REQ 3.2.e: The device shall be able to endure temperatures ranging from -20 o C to 60 o C 3.3 Software Requirements REQ 3.2.3a: The app that shall decode the RTP packets from the Übercaster. REQ 3.2.3b: There shall be a separate Admin iphone and Android app for the Übercaster. REQ 3.2.3c: The app shall have a volume control and be able to choose a different channel. REQ 3.2.3d: The device shall run a custom Linux distribution. 3.4 Physical Requirements The physical design of Übercaster is to provide easy portability and durability for the user Product Weight REQ 3.4.: The device should weigh no more than 0.50 lbs. The ideal device would eliminate any excess weight for greater portability comfort and safety lbs. is low enough that minimal injuries would occur if dropped on a foot lbs. is high enough for the combined weight of the interior components. A study conducted by Team 0 showed that 0.50 lbs. could

17 P a g e 7 o f 5 be comfortably carried for 4 hours. Having 20 individuals, 0 males and 0 females of varying age, Team 0 carried out the test where a cardboard that rendered to the liking of the device weighing 0.50lbs to be carried around for 4 hours. After the 4 hours, they evaluated the comfort and overall feel of carrying the device Product Size REQ 3.4.2: The device should be easily portable (4.in. by 2.4in. by.2in.) The product size should be small enough to fit into a small backpack or carrying case. It is important that Übercaster be portable for street performers who do a lot of moving around. The device is recommended to have similar dimensions to an iphone but thicker. Dimensions set are as Height: 4. in. Width: 2.4 in, and Thickness:.2 in. The defined size requires that the layout and size of interior components be minimized as much as possible Product Materials REQ 3.4.3a: The device should be durable (refer to REQ 3.2.c) REQ 3.4.3b: The device should be water resistant (to rain not immersion) REQ 3.4.3c: At least 70% of the device should be recyclable REQ 3.4.3d: The device should be UV resistant Product Design Both the interior and exterior design of Übercaster was done in Solidworks. All team members were responsible for designing what they thought Übercaster should look like. The options were considered and the best one (potential component fit, and aesthetical appeal) was chosen. The interior components were not fully determined (size and geometry) when the external design was made. Solidworks rendering of the parts were made once they were determined. The parts were then laid out to fit in the previous external enclosure designed. REQ 3.4.4: There should be an even weight distribution. It is important that there is even weight distribution within the device for comfort. The component layout can be assembled to optimize the space available. 3.5 Power Requirements REQ 3.5a: The device should last a minimum of 4 hours.

18 P a g e 8 o f 5 Übercaster is built to last a minimum of 4 hours. The longest activity projected is street performing. The 4-hour minimum would be sufficient for a performer who takes breaks and can charge the device during that time. REQ 3.5b: The device must have an in-built rechargeable battery and an attachable power cord. REQ 3.5c: Übercaster should also be usable on battery only or when plugged in. 4 Electrical System Specifications Previously, several different development boards were chosen. We started with the development boards by Mini-Box and Olimex, but after not meeting the demands of the team s CPU and WiFi performance, and dimension, the Miniand s Hackberry A0 development board was chosen. This board has a very fast processor, the A0 System on a Chip (SoC) by Allwinner, it has a built in Audio input and it has a very good WiFi module, which can transmit and receive up to 50Mbps. Our decision was based on Table 4. It was obvious that Hackberry was the choice. Table 4. Different Board Specifications Board Hackberry A0 Olimex Olinuxino A3 pico-sam9g45 CPU.2GHz Allwinner A0 ARM Cortex A8 A3 Cortex A8 processor at GHz, Audio input 3.5mm microphone jack 3.5mm microphone jack NONE ARM9, 400Mhz, ARM926EJ-S, 32/32K Memory DDR3 GB, ~00MB is reserved for the GPU 52 MB RAM 256MB DDR2 Boot Boot from SD card and Boot from Micro-SD card Boot from Micro-SD card internal storage via u-boot Power NEMA 2-pin power adapter included Input 6-6VDC input power supply, noise immune 6-40V support via DC barrel connector AC00-240V-0.4A 50/60Hz Output DC5v design Size 0 x 80 mm 20 x 20 mm 80x00mm Power Consumptio n With 3A Li-Ion Battery, it lasts 5 hours (drawing ma) No Info Given Cost $65 $60.35 $69 No Info Given

19 P a g e 9 o f 5 Figure 4.: Architecture of Übercaster 4. Router 4.. Processor A0 Chip with an ARM A8 processor from a Taiwanese based company called Allwinner Technology was chosen because of the low cost, high clock speed and low power consumption. The cost of $7 per chip was especially enticing due to the unexpected high performance of the chip Bandwidth The WiFi router has a transfer rating of 50Mbps. If the board encodes to audio into an MP3 format with a 256kpbs bit rate, then it is theoretically possible to transfer stably to 586 clients. So we are very confident it can service to at least 0 clients. We are also confident that we shall not have any issues concerning the bandwidth. 4.2 Embedded System Software For the Übercaster, a custom Linux OS distribution shall be used. Since Linux kernel is open source, this allows the team to use only the necessary parts. For the Übercaster, Wifi and audio input ports are the only necessary components. Typical operating system polls for display, keyboard, mouse, and other I/O devices. By having a custom OS, we can expect to save power and have a better performing system, because the CPU shall poll less devices. So using the Linux kernel , we shall custom design a distribution 4.2. IPhone & Android App The Übercaster app shall be available one the iphone and Android market. The free app shall be able to first discover the Übercasters nearby, then secure a connection with a particular one, and then stream the audio signal.

20 P a g e 20 o f Display System The Übercaster device itself shall not have any display functions other than LEDs indicating whether or not the device is broadcasting and how many users are connected to the device at that given moment. However, there shall be two separate Smartphone apps for the device; one for the admin of the device and one for the users who connect to the device to stream the audio. 4.4 Printed Circuit Boards In Figure 4.2 shows the Olinuxino A0 PCB design. Since there is quite a bit of similarities between the Olinxuino A0 and Hackberry A0, our team is in the process of a stripping down this PCB and also adding additional components to minimize and optimize the function of the Übercaster. Key components are the A0 system on a chip, the Realtek RTL888CUS, 2GB NAND, GB Memory, AXP209 (Power Management Unit), AP23 (Low Dropout Regulator), and Si2305 P-Channel.25-W,.8-V (G-S) MOSFET (Power MOSFET), 3.5mm Audio Input (GOGO_PJ-W47S-05D2-LF_5PIN). Figure 4.2 PCB of the Olinuxino A0

21 P a g e 2 o f Design Software Selection EagleCad is a very popular tool to develop and design printed circuit board. Since the A0 Olinuxino was developed using EagleCAD, it was somewhat easy to determine which design software was to be used. Although EagleCAD is not very good at optimizing the board and costs money for the full suite, from different PCB design software that was free such as ExpressPCB, EagleCad, SunStone, and DesignSpark, we decided that since EagleCad was already familiar to the EEs and also the fact that A0 Olinuxino s PCB was done on EagleCad, we decided to use EagleCad. 5 Device Power 5. Power Supply Selection A Lithium-Ion (LI) battery is to be used for the Übercaster. Two other battery types were considered: Nickle-Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Nickle Cadmium (NiCd) battery. The criteria considered can be found bellow in Table 5 for the LI batteries were its high Charge/discharge efficiency, its self-discharge rate, its lack of maintenance, and non-hazardous disposal. The cons were its less desirable operating temperature than NiMH, and its lower cycles. We decided that the pros outweighed the cons so went for the LI. Table 5. Battery Comparison v LI-ion NiMH NiCd Specific-Energy W-h/kg W-h/kg 40-60W-h/kg Energy Density W-h/L W-h/L W-h/L Charge/discharge Efficiency 80-90% 66% 70-90% Energy/price 2.5 W-h/$ 2.75W-h/$ Self-Discharge rate per month 8% 30% 20% Cycles Operating Temperature from -20 to 60C from -40 to 60C from -20 to 60C Required Discharge None every days every days Disposal Non-hazardous Hazardous Hazardous

22 P a g e 22 o f 5 LI batteries are the most commonly used in portable electronic devices. The Dev Kit used for the Übercaster recommended the use of a power input of 3.7V, which shall be handled by a rechargeable LI battery. Using the recommendation, it was decided to use a rechargeable 400mAh 3.7V LI-PO battery. This battery has overcharge and short circuit protection, and has dimensions of 50x34x8mm, which is small enough to fit into the Übercaster enclosure. The Dev Kit used has a built in LI-PO charger that charges the battery to 00% once the battery is detected. There is also a power jack that can be used. The kit accepts a voltage range of 9-30V and has a DC/DC implemented that keeps the power consumption constant no matter what voltage is used. This eliminates the need for a voltage regulator. 6 Physical Design Specifications 6. System Enclosure The system enclosure shall be designed to be aesthetically pleasing and to meet the previously discussed physical requirements. 6.. Case Design Übercaster s visible features include a 3.5-mm jack for a microphone or other device (e.g. guitar), a power switch, and a broadcast/connected indicator light. A CAD rendering of the device can be seen below in Figure 6. Figure 6: CAD Drawing of Übercaster

23 P a g e 23 o f Material Selection We decided that a plastic be used for the enclosure because of the combined durability, impact absorption, and ease of molding most plastics have. The potential plastics considered for the production of Übercaster were ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), Noryl, and, High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). All three materials met the physical requirements for Übercaster, but HDPE has a much lower Modulus of elasticity (70,000psi) as opposed to ABS (320,000psi) and Noryl (350,000psi) so that option was dropped. ABS is the cheapest option for a large volume. An 8X24 sheet of Noryl cost $90, an 8X24 sheet of ABS costs $80. Though the price difference between ABS and Noryl is not that much, ABS was eventually chosen because of its availability. ABS is the most widely used plastic in the production of enclosures. It is used for its strength and toughness as well as its low water absorption, which is important for changing weather conditions. It is also a recyclable material an important goal for being a good steward of this Earth. The drawback of ABS is that it does not do well with UV exposure. To take care of UV rays, Übercaster shall be encased in an aluminum layer, which also improves the aesthetic of the device. 7 Prototype and Year End Deliverables Over the course of the school year, research and development was done by Team 0 on Übercaster. By the end of the year, there shall be a functional device. The device should be able to broadcast at least one audio signal to the Smartphone of at least 0 people within a 00m range who download the accompanying app. There shall also be an enclosure made out of ABS. Team 0 should be able to show evidence that they have adapted the Dev Kit bought to fit this particular system. They shall also have a plan for further advancements of the product. 8 System Integration Testing Because there are three discrete parts that work together closely, we must test both parts separately and in conjunction to ensure that the entire system works as expected. 8. Übercaster Testing the Übercaster shall allow us to ensure that the Übercaster is broadcasting a WiFi signal and able to transmit audio over the WiFi channel. It should also recognize that a device is connected and properly illuminate the correct number of indicator LEDs, as well as broadcasts over a radius of about 00 feet. Testing shall begin with ensuring that the device turns on. If when the power switch is switched to on the device shows indication that it is receiving power, such as lights turning on, then the first test has passed. The next test shall determine if the Übercaster is emitting a WiFi signal. We shall test this by connecting the mobile device to the WiFi channel. If the smartphone is able to find the WiFi channel, and connect to it, the second test has passed. We shall then connect a laptop to the WiFi channel and use a utility such as the WiFi Diagnostics utility in OSX to monitor the data being transmitted on the WiFi channel. If we determine that the data on the channel is streaming audio, then this test has passed. We shall connect a smartphone, with the mobile app installed, to the WiFi signal and start the app. We shall

24 P a g e 24 o f 5 then check the Übercaster to see if an additional LED indicator has illuminated. If it has, the test has passed. Next, we shall bring the device to successively longer distances from the Übercaster, with nothing in between the smartphone and the Übercaster, and monitor the audio being received on the mobile device. We shall record the point at which the transmission is dropped, as well as the buffer time for the audio stream. The first measurement shall give us the approximate maximum broadcast radius. We shall need to test with several devices separately, one by one, and find an average, because some devices can pick up WiFi channels from farther distances than others. The second measurement shall give us an idea of the fuzzy limit of the broadcasting range. The range does not have a hard boarder, but rather a general area where the connection becomes to intermitted to reliably transmit data, or to transmit data at optimal speeds. Knowing the location of this fuzzy limit shall let us inform users of the optimal operating range of the Übercaster. We shall then perform the same test again, but this time with obstacles between the smartphone and the Übercaster. Again, we shall connect only one device at a time, but test with several different devices. This test shall give us a separate fuzzy limit, one that gives us a worst case limit. Finally, we shall connect several smartphones to the Übercaster at the same time, to test the load the Übercaster can handle. We shall begin by connecting one device and time the delay the audio has from the live audio input. We shall then connect additional devices, one at a time, and measure the audio delay after each successive device connection. Once the delay becomes large enough that we believe it shall adversely affect the listening experience, we shall have determined the recommended maximum number of devices the Übercaster should be allowed to connect to. We have not yet decided on enforcing this limit in documentation alone, or if it should be coded into the Übercaster itself. 8.2 Übercaster Client App The mobile app shall be tested individually for several simple features. The app must be user friendly and easy to understand. We shall ask if the subject is satisfied with the responsiveness to test the first characteristic. For the second characteristic, we shall not tell the user how to operate the app, and see if the user is able to understand and control the app without any instruction. If the user is able to use the app without difficulty, the app is simple and understandable, and we have achieved our goal. The app must also be tested with the Übercaster to determine if the stream can be received and played, if the bitrate of the stream can be successfully changed, if the volume of the audio can be changed, and if some information about the stream can be presented to the user. These properties shall be tested in the following manner: we shall start the app on the mobile device, and turn on the Übercaster. We shall connect the mobile device to the WiFi signal the Übercaster is transmitting, and run the app. If the app is able to connect to the incoming stream, the first test has passed. If the app can also play the audio signal, the second test has passed. We shall then navigate to the in-app settings and change the bitrate to be very low. If the quality of the audio is noticeable degraded, the third test has passed. We shall then increase the bitrate to its maximum and ensure that the audio quality responds accordingly. We shall then change the volume in the app and listen for a corresponding change in volume of the received audio. If the volume does change, the test has passed as well. We shall then note the information displayed on the main view. If there is any information displayed, and if the information is correct, the last test has passed. Finally, we shall test the app s performance in the fuzzy limit region to ensure the app does not lock up or crash if the connection is lost. We shall take the smartphone to the maximum range area we determined

25 P a g e 25 o f 5 before and purposely move outside of that region to loose the connection. If the app disconnects from the signal and continues to function, letting the user change views and settings, the last test has passed. 8.3 Übercaster Admin App Testing the admin app shall begin with connecting the smartphone to the Übercaster and opening the app. If the app is able to connect to the Übercaster and display current settings, this test has passed. Next, we shall try to change a setting in the app. If the Übercaster s setting does change, the test has passed. To know if the Übercaster has actually changed the setting, we shall use the Übercaster and client app to check. For example, if we change the name of the stream title in the admin app, we shall know the title has actually changed by using the client app to connect to the stream. The new title of the stream should be displayed. If so, the test has passed. 9 Business Plan 9. Vision and Mission Statement Übercaster s vision is to create a product that is simple, distinctive, and reliable. The product should be something that everyone can use and love. We want the users to be listeners as well as broadcasters. We want to personalize broadcasting anywhere. We want to build a product that is efficient in terms of production. We want to research and innovate our product further, so that it may perform better and drive the price down. We want to implement the latest technology. We want dedication to our customers and to innovation to be of great importance to our company. we want Übercaster to be an experience. We respect greatly the designs of Dieter Rams and Jon Ives. Our design philosophy is not simplicity just for the sake of simplicity, but functional simplicity. 9.2 Industry Profile and Overview Broadcasting has always existed in the history of humankind. From shouting loudly to streaming videos via YouTube, the modes of broadcasting have come a long way. It seems though these days; Internet is a dominant force in our society. Uploading everything on the Internet seems to be the mode of choice for broadcasting. Übercaster shall make broadcasting personal. Übercaster allows anyone to create a radio station anywhere Competition The close competitions to Übercaster are a company called LiveStream, Ustream, and Spreaker. LiveStream broadcasts in Real-time HD videos to the Internet via WiFI, 3G, and the Ethernet. Ustream and Spreaker are alike in the sense that it allows users to easily broadcast themselves using the Internet with a Computer or an iphone. Ustream and Spreaker are dependent on an Internet provider. Übercaster doesn t depend on any existing service provider. It is a wireless server and router itself.

26 P a g e 26 o f Limitations and Regulations Since Übercaster allows anyone to stream any audio signal, there is a chance that Übercaster might run into problems concerning the issue of copyright. YouTube, Napster, and Kazaa had to shutdown vi or had to pay reparations vii for the copyright infringement to recording and media companies Trends in Society The current trend in society is to have a product that is highly functional, but also looks beautiful. Apple is a master of this. They have very innovative products that are intuitive, beautiful, and powerful. Sharing one s individuality seems to be more prominent more than ever through YouTube, Facebook, Kickstarter. Now anyone can broadcast his or her individuality without the dependence of an infrastructure The Cost of Entry We will invest $00,000 in capital and we will borrow $50,000 from the bank. We will also need $.7 million dollars to cover our costs in our initial year. So a total cost of $.85 million is needed. We will try to seek venture capitalist funding for this. We talked with Rick DeVos personally and he is very much interested in using Übercaster for ArtPrize. He said, I really dig this idea. Sounds like a very cool project. Let me know if it gets any further, are looking to turn it into a business Necessities for Success Our company is relying on the fact that people want to personally broadcast information and that the smartphone sales increases more and more. Organizations such as churches and museums must be willing to try a different way of broadcasting than FM transmitters Projections for the Future Our company plans to further improve the initial design. Since our product is a niche market, it would be economically more beneficial to go international initially. We want to implement the newer WiFi module that uses the 802.ac protocol. We want to have a chat function so that clients can chat with each other. 9.3 Business Strategy 9.3. SWOT Analysis Strength: Unique. There are products with the similar philosophy to change the way people broadcast, but our method is unique in the sense that it is service provider independent. Übercaster is focused on the near field range, not the world. Weakness: no capital, relatively low tech. The technologies that are used in the Übercaster is low tech. The Übercaster can be built relatively easily. Opportunities: Work with World Federation of Tour Guides Association and The Busking Project to promote the use of Übercaster. Partner with manufacturing companies in China.

27 P a g e 27 o f 5 Threats: Large designers implement our function in smartphones. China develops a lower cost version of our product. 9.4 Marketing Strategy 9.4. Target Customers From our market research, we have determined there is a large potential for customers in Tour guide systems for museums, streaming live music at music venues, translations or audio enhancements for churches, and live music streaming for street musicians to receive a larger audience. These are the markets we shall mainly focus on but there are others that shall benefit from our product as well Tour Guide Übercaster can be used in loud and quiet places, which allows for a wider variety of applications for tours. Tours can be given in quiet museums or in city streets with loud ambient noise. Some tour guides use FM transmitters and receivers to handle the situation. However, this can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $6,000 viii and not only is the broadcaster usually large and bulky, these systems require a receiver and headphones for each person in the tour. Übercaster s goal is to have one device that transmits and audiences can use their smartphone to listen in. Tourists can stream the content directly to their smartphone whether it is live or recorded Large Venues For large audiences, we are developing a larger scale version of Übercaster that shall allow several hundred listeners to connect and stream the audio live. This shall mainly be for large concerts in which people want to hear the musicians without ambient noise Street Musicians Street musicians can simply plug their instruments into Übercaster and broadcast their sound to an audience within a 00 ft. radius to shoppers or bystanders who want to hear without ambient noise Customer Benefits In general, customers benefit from the following: saves cost by using less hardware than previously used and broadcasts becomes more personal. Übercaster allows for social broadcasting. In the future, we will include features like chat and website function built into the Übercaster Market Size There are 7,500 museums ix in the U.S, thousands of street musicians, and 95,000 churches x in the U.S as well. We contacted TheBuskingProject.com to ask about the approximate numbers of street musicians in the U.S. We got a message back saying that the number of total street musicians is unknown. From the

28 P a g e 28 o f 5 I received from Nick Broad, who is the founder of The Busking Project, he said that his website has 4000 registered street musicians around the world. There are approximately 200,000 individual tour guides across 70 different countries xi. We imposed a hypothetical question to both The Busking Project and the World Federation of Tour Guides Association by asking for their estimation of people who would be interested in this product. Busking Project said about 2000 and from the 200,000 individual tour guides from their database, they expected at least 8000 would be interested in using our device Logo display Each team member designed their own logo and out of each, one shall be chosen for use for each of our implementations of Übercaster including the main screen on the app Pricing Based on our estimates from the market size, initially we plan to sell 0,000 units. In order to break even, we need to sell at a price point of $70. The calculation of the price can be found in the financial statement section Advertising Our company shall use Google AdWords to set up campaigns. By using keywords such as Wireless audio transmitter or personal broadcaster, we can reach on a monthly average basis of.3 million users. We shall use Amazon.com to advertise and distribute our product as well. We shall ask bloggers and tech writers to do a story and review of Übercaster such as on TechCrunch, The Next Web, and Gizmodo. Informally we shall an AMA on Reddit and start a KickStarter campaigns. We shall have promotional events where we distribute about 30 to selected street musicians and popular museums to be tested and reviewed Production For the first three years, we will make use of Chinese manufactures to supply components and produce the device. With our profit and additional investments, we will invest in building our production facility Distribution Initially, we shall develop our website for $0,000 and have features such as a sleek and clean user interface, PayPal integration to sell our product. We shall then drop ship our product with our partnering manufacturer. We shall also sell our products at Amazon.com. Amazon shall keep 0% of the purchasing cost. 9.5 Financial Analysis 9.5. Forecasting

29 P a g e 29 o f 5 The United States economy is still recovering from the recession. As a result, early adopters and investors are hesitant to take up new products for fear of losing valuable capital. By the time Übercaster is ready to roll out the first product, however, the market conditions shall be better and more favorable to new products and ideas Key Assumptions We are assuming that we sell at least 0,000 units in the first year based on our market size study. We assumed that we would have a steady annual growth of 20%, which is a typical growth rate for a small company in the initial years. We are also assuming that our revenue is constant throughout each month. We will base our fixed and variable costs on producing 0,000 units. We are assuming that we will have the minimum capital to start our business. $00,000 shall be needed for capital investment with additional $50,000 loan from the bank in our st year Financial Statement Übercaster Pro-Forma Statement of Income Year Year 2 Year 3 Sales revenue,700,000 2,040,000 2,448,000 Variable Cost of Goods Sold 856,000,027,200,232,640 Fixed Cost of Goods Sold 629, , ,480 Depreciation Gross Margin 24, , ,880 Variable Operating Costs 25,000 30,000 36,000 Fixed Operating Costs 200, , ,000 Operating Income (0,500) (2,600) (5,20) Interest Expense 3,750 7,500 7,500 Income Before Tax (4,250) (20,00) (22,620) Income tax (40%) (5,700) (8,040) (9,048) Net Income After Tax (8,550) (2,060) (3,572) Übercaster Pro-Forma Statement of Cash Flows Year Year 2 Year 3 Beginning Cash Balance - 4,450 53,690 Net Income After Tax (8,550) (2,060) (3,572) Depreciation expense Invested Capital (Equity) 00,000 24,300 43,560 Increase (decrease) in borrowed funds 50, Equipment Purchases Ending Cash Balance 4,450 53,690 83,678

30 P a g e 30 o f 5 Variable Costs xii : Labor $2,500 Prototyping $,500 Consulting $20,000 RLC components $56,000 Chips and Modules $50,000 Enclosure $280,000 Li-Ion Battery $225,000 Assembly and Fab $70,000 Shipping Cost $24,000 Product Packaging $50,000 Advertising $00,000 Promotional Events $00,000 Total $,96,000 Fixed Costs: IT Infrastructure $0,000 Insurance $5,000 Website $0,000 xiii Total $25,000 Overhead xiv : Sales Personnel $52,000 Management $90,000

31 P a g e 3 o f 5 Attorneys and Legal $80,000 Accountants and Financial $65,000 Engineering $65,000 Research and Development $20,000 Public Relations Representative $48,000 Fringe Benefits to cover retirement plans and full health insurance for 0 employees $59,000 Total $479,000 Grand Total $,700, Break-Even, Revenue, and Profit Analysis If we are able to sell 0,000 units at $70 then our revenue shall be $,700,000 in our initial year, which means shall break even, and be able to gain profit in the following years. If we grow at the assumed rate, then our cash balance will increase 8% in the first year and then 9% in the 2 nd year. 0 Project Management Project management is arguably the most important aspect of our team. A lack in management creates a lack in communication which leads to slow progress. Our team strives to overcome this struggle and accomplish our work thoroughly in an efficient manner. 0. Team Organization We have structured our work into a schedule and set up means of communication with each other in order to evenly organize the workload amongst the team. Organizing the team means setting the workload to be consistent and smooth. To do this, each team member has been assigned responsibilities corresponding to their strengths. 0.. Division of Work 0... Bob Because of his experience in iphone app development, Bob has taken on the client and admin aspects of the smart phone applications on the software side of Übercaster. He has also had experience in designing PCB boards in a past internship, which shall help in designing our PCB board with the components tested

32 P a g e 32 o f 5 with the development boards Nate Nate has taken on the role of project manager. Having this role means assigning tasks, planning the meeting times, and making sure each team member keeps the others accountable for getting their tasks finished. Aside for manager, Nate plans to work with the development boards in order to examine the optimal components for designing the PCB. Where there is time, Nate also plans on helping with the programming for the Android and iphone applications Afa Since he is the only Mechanical Engineer, Afa has been assigned all the mechanical aspects of Übercaster. He shall be designing the enclosure for the PCB which includes finding the best materials to use and optimizing the space within the device. Afa is also in charge of the power management and try to minimize its power consumption and allow a decent battery life KJ KJ has been assigned the concept developer which means making sure Übercaster will actually work. He works with the embedded software and hardware of Übercaster. He also is in charge of the network protocol making sure the WiFi network can be created and that audio can be broadcasted. He is the team s researcher for finding the best development boards to accomplish our goal and understanding how the transmission from client to host shall work with Übercaster. KJ also manages the budget and is in charge of analyzing our business and market capabilities. \ 0..2 Team Advisors and Support The team s primary advisor is Professor VanderLeest from Calvin College's Engineering Department. Also in the College s Engineering Department is Professor Kim who has helped a great deal with showing us the steps we should take for making a proof of concept and moving on from there. Prof. Kim has also sponsored us by providing one of our development boards for testing the proof of concept. Professor Medema from the Business Department teaches the concurrent Business Aspects for Engineers course and has helped a great deal with our business plan. Bob DeKraker, the Department Lab Manager has helped us order the parts we need. We anticipate help from Chuck Holwerda helping us with our PCB design and fabrication Team Meetings The team meets regularly on Tuesday afternoons to anticipate upcoming deadlines and to make sure everyone is on track with their assignments. We make an effort to help each other when we are overloaded with assignments and take on more responsibilities if we finish our assigned tasks.

33 P a g e 33 o f Storing Files In order to keep our assignments and files organized, we set up a Dropbox folder, which acts as a normal folder on each of our individual computers but all files in that folder is shared with the other teammates. We also use Google drive to cooperatively write and share documents and block diagrams. Our Dropbox folder is divided into sub-folders for hardware, software, mechanical, business, and anything that is important and large enough that needs organization. 0.2 Schedule Early in the project we created a Work Breakdown Schedule (WBS) in which we planned the tasks for the whole year deciding what needed to be done and when it should be completed. It can be downloaded and viewed here xv We assigned these tasks to members of the team and estimated times for them to be finished. An example of our Gantt Chart can be found below (Figure 0.) which displays major tasks in such a way that make the design process consistent and smooth Schedule Management Nate has utilized the website as a management tool. It helps visualize the tasks that need to be completed and gives a way to communicate with the team members so that each member knows what still needs to be done. An example of this website can be seen in Figure 0.2. Every week, Nate reminds the team what needs to be completed and makes sure everyone does his or her part. The schedule is important to maintain in order to stay on track with design. We must also stay on schedule to take into account any unforeseen setbacks and be able to adjust for them Critical Path Figure 0.: Example of the Gantt chart for our project. With our project, we desire to take a path which highlights efficiency. Since some areas of the design process need to be finished before others, there is a necessary sequencing of events. For example,

34 P a g e 34 o f 5 designing the PCB requires a significant amount of time (deciding components, developing the board layout, ordering the parts). To account for that, we must first order development boards with all the necessary components to create a proof-of-concept. This shall help create a better understanding of the necessary components for the PCB by being able to test how our software shall perform on the device. From there, we shall be to design the PCB and create and enclosure. We anticipate unexpected deviations from our plan which shall prevent us from making our later version of Übercaster (Figure 0.4) but our goal is to build and test our created design by Senior Design night. Figure 0.3 below shows these major tasks and when we expect to be finished with them. Figure 0.2: Example of how we utilize trello.com Task Buy Dev. Board Make Proof-Of-Concept Design PCB Create Enclosure Build Test Assigned Data -Nov 3-Dec 5-Mar -Apr Apr-3 5-May Figure 0.3: Expected critical path.

35 P a g e 35 o f 5 Übercaster v0. Übercaster v.0 Übercaster v2.0 Have Dev. Board be able to: Include v0. and: Include v.0 but: - Broadcast WiFi network - Make enclosure for dev. Board - Have designed PCB - Play MP3 - have the board battery powered - Have enclosure for PCB - Play back audio from mic - Have updated Smartphone apps. - Have desired functionality - Broadcast audio on network Have Smartphones be able to: Have Linux Machine be able to: - Download our app. - Connect to network - Connect to network - Stream audio from network. - Stream audio from network. Figure 0.4: Desired versions of Übercaster to be achieved by end of year Mid-Year Schedule Estimates By the end of the calendar year, the team expects to have a working proof of concept (v0. from Figure 0.4) using a development board. Figure 0.5 and 0.6 shows the working proof of concept. The MacBook Pro is connected to the Übercaster and Übercaster is streaming to the MacBook Pro. We shall have the ability to broadcast an audio signal and pick it up on a Smartphone. We also hope to have a good understanding of the market for Übercaster and the potential of going into a business and producing Übercaster at large quantities. Figure 0.5 Pre-Recorded Audio Input (Approx. 50ms latency)

36 P a g e 36 o f 5 Figure 0.6 Live Audio Input 0.3 Operational Budget KJ Yoo manages the budget for the team. We requested $450 to produce Übercaster. So far, we have spent $9.89 on the development board and accessories for it to help along the proof of concept. Next semester, we anticipate a large amount going towards the PCB and the components that go on it. Batteries and Charger $36.3 Mini-Box Dev Board $69 Power Adapter $9.95 Touch Screen $35.5 Audio Sound Card $9.49 WIFI Dongle $29 Rectangular Header 0x2 $2.64 Total Used $9.89 Remaining $258. Conclusions. Accomplishments We have accomplished much during the first semester. We have run two prospective operating systems on a development board and connected several external devices to the board, such as a keyboard, flash drive, and WiFi dongle.