Disc Golf Disc Locator

Trevor Henry Project Advisor: John Spinelli

What is Disc Golf and Why this project?

 What is Disc Golf?

  Outdoor sport played much like the game of golf Object is to throw the disc into the chain basket in as few throws as possible  Why this Project?

  Save Money Save Time

Goals of the Project:  Handheld device    Battery powered Visual information to tell distance and direction Easy to use  Disc with a Chip   Transmits signal using battery power Has negligible interference with flight  Transmitter + Disc < 200 grams (max weight rule)

Disc Used:  Innova Star Gator Mid-Range Disc  Diameter = 21.2 cm  Wing width = 1.3 cm  Rim depth = 1.4 cm  Weight = 172.2 grams

Design Process: Adding Weight Experiment 1 Quarter = 5.6 grams 3 4 5

Quarters added to Disc

0 1 2

Avg. Distance (5 throws)

153 feet 155 feet 158 feet 163 feet 168 feet 170 feet Conclusion: About 28 grams can be added to disc

Design Process: Choosing Wireless System  RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)  Passive or Active  Active Transmitter   Phased Array Directional Antenna What I chose:  Active Transmitter & Directional Antenna

Diagram of Project:

What I chose: Transmitter  RF Link Transmitter 434 MHz       Amplitude Shift Keying Range 500 ft. (perfect conditions) Supply Voltage: 3V – 12 V Weight: < 1 Quarter Height: < 1 inch Width: < .5 inch

What I chose: Receiver  RF Link Receiver 434 MHz      Amplitude Shift Keying Range 500 ft. (perfect conditions) Supply Voltage: 5V Height: < 2 cm Width: < 2 inches

First Step: Communication of Transmitter and Receiver  Using the data sheets of the chips, the chips were set up and powered on a breadboard  Tried a non wave signal for input data on transmitter  This did not yield an output on the receiver  Used a 2V peak to peak square wave signal with 1V DC offset  Yielded a readable output

Experiment 2: Communication Distance Used oscilloscopes and wave generators between rooms N106 & N100

Distance Apart

About 5 ft.

About 20 ft.

About 70 ft.

No Antenna Output Readings

Min: 1.5V

Max: 3V Min: 1V Max: 3V Min: 1.94V

Max: 2.6V

Antennae Output Readings

Min: 250mV Max:4.2V

Min: 300mV Max: 4V Min: 780mV Max: 4V

Experiment 2: Communication Distance

Ongoing Tasks: Attaching Components to Disc  3V Button Cell to power transmitter  Push button switch to make transmitter active  Use a 555 timer or develop a square wave generator to input data  Develop a casing such that components won’t be harmed when the disc is thrown

Ongoing Tasks: Handheld Device  Attach a switch to turn on and off the device  Develop a directional antenna  Connect antenna to receiver  Use a 5v battery source  Attach a voltmeter to receiver output so that the user can determine distance to disc

What I learned:  Read data sheets carefully  How to set up voltage sources correctly  Time is deceiving

Acknowledgements  Advisor: Professor John Spinelli  Lab Manager: Gene Davison

Questions?