1. Senior Project 2006 Union College Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering The main purpose of this project is to design and implement a system for the remote water sensing of a body of water. The system will measure temperature, pH, conductivity, salinity, redox, dissolved oxygen and depth. The system will need to collect the data from a sensor unit that measures the previously mentioned parameters. The data will then be collected and stored using the 8051 microcontroller and finally transmitted to a Linux PC via fiber optic cable so it can be downloaded to a computer and analyzed for research purposes. The system also incorporates motor control to allow the sensor package to go up through the water column and be retrieved when data collection is complete. The system essentially allows for the study of the water column as each parameter is a function of depth. -Prof. James Hedrick -Jim & Roland (Machine Shop) -Prof. George Shaw -Gautam Penumetcha (Silicon Industries) In recent years, these systems have become more prevalent in the field of environmental monitoring. The data collection system can provide data that can serve as a basis for research into preserving and protecting the environment. Initially, the system will be used by the Union College Geology Department for research purposes of Ballston Lake. Ballston Lake is an important recreational spot in the area. It is also an interesting lake due to not only it’s depth of approximately 130 feet in parts but also because the lake is meromicitic, meaning it is permanently stratified and lacking oxygen in it’s lower regions. The Geology Department currently has no practical way of tracking the data over a long period of time. The current method of taking data requires a person to be on-site taking readings from the sensors through a data-logging unit. This system will be designed will be used for long-term monitoring of the lake and its water properties. Sensor Package Maxim 232 Level Converter 8051 Microcontroller DC Motor Fiber Modems & Fiber Cable Linux PC Sensor Cable Sensor Package: Measures temperature, pH, conductivity, salinity, redox, dissolved oxygen (O 2 ), and depth. Sensor Cable: Sends data from sensor package using RS-232 standards and also used to supply 12 V DC to sensor package. Maxim 232 Level Converter: Used to convert from RS-232(+/- 10 V) levels of sensor package to TTL (0-5 V) used on 8051 Microcontroller and back again to RS-232 levels. 8051 Microcontroller: Used to program logic for forward, reverse and stop functions used by DC motor. Also used to collect data from sensors using UART1 and then transmit the same data on UART0 to Linux PC DC Motor(12 V): Used to release the sensor cable that is stored on windings, thus allowing the sensor to float up through the water column Fiber Modems & Fiber Cable: The modems convert RS-232 levels to optics to be transmitted along the fiber cable. The fiber cable runs between the 8051 Microcontroller and the Linux PC to transmit the data stored on the Microcontroller Linux PC: Runs a protocol to establish connection with 8051 Board and then for the transmission of the sensor data to be stored and thus become accessible to the researcher. The algorithm to implement motor control releases a foot of cable when prompted and stops to take data and repeats this process until the last sample is taken and then rewinds all of the cable. Data can be read from the sensor unit by the 8051 Microcontroller on UART1 and then sent out on UART0 to the Linux PC via the fiber cable. Final Implementation of the system will require a waterproof base for the electronics and a motor that provides more torque to control the windings for the cable.