Hi element14 Members.
I've been approached by several suppliers who are interested in having some of our members get creative and build something special out of a bunch of parts I would send you. Before I brainstorm on what could be built, let me roughly go through the parts that would be provided to each interested member. I don't have exact part numbers, so what follows is a general list that I would select specific parts based on the BOMs submitted to me. Here goes:
EBM Papst – Fan
Omron – Sensor / relays
Panasonic – Bluetooth module / relay
TracoPower – Power Supply
CamdenBoss – Bespoke enscloure
Connectors – Molex / Omron/ Panasonic (Dependent on which sensor & SBC we use)
Lots of parts! Here's what I think.
- Fans-- this sounds like some kind of ventilation application, be it for the enclosure a standalone application.
- Sensors-- first thought: what kind of sensors: more than likely, some kind of environmental sensors, which suggests a monitoring applications
- Relays -- relay logic, load switching, auxiliary control, which suggest some kind of automation application
- Power supply -- AC or DC?
- Enclosures--portability? external environment? An application that's in the open environment?
- SBC/RPI-- a controller with a wide range of possibilities. What do you want to control? How much load? How Fast? What kind of control loop do you need.
- Connectors: interconnecting everything you are wiring up in the enclosure.
- Battery and Holder-- if you aren't stationary, then you will probably need a battery and something to hold it.
At this point, what we need is a few system engineers to brainstorm with. I think I would focus on these themes:
- Mobility
- Remote Sensing
- Cooling/Ventilation
- Controlling something for a practical purpose (I'm trying to avoid saying industrial -- it means too many things)
- Internet of Things--what data do you want to generate and why?
Here are my first brainstorming thoughts. What do you think? I'll check back to see what you come up with and respond.
Randall
