Week 28 Report - April 12, 2019
This week, we continued working on the code for our Raspberry Pi to read and store the ECG data correctly from our patient monitor. We figured out the connection from the Tram Rac to the ADC and we're properly recording ECG data, but we are having trouble sampling at the correct frequency. We also met with our client to give him an update on our project and we're planning to meet with him today to figure out the BP cuff and pulse oximetry connections.
Week 27 Report - April 5, 2019
This week we continued working on the code for our Raspberry Pi to read and store the ECG data correctly from our patient monitor. We received the BP cuff from our client, however, we are planning to figure out the ECG completely first before we start doing anything with the BP cuff. The connections are now better due to the soddering, but we are still having trouble finding out where the output wires from the Tram Rac would be connected to the ADC. Initially, we thought that we would ground the output wire from the Tram Rac to the ADC's ground as well, but doing that gives us the same values as if the ECG was never connected at all. Moving forward, we are going to move the ground and ECG connections around to see if that will get us closer to getting a readable ECG output.
Week 26 Report - March 29, 2019
We noticed that the connections between the ADC and the RPi were very noisy and the data we collected was always really random, so we spent the week soldering the ADC to the pins. We also soldered some wires to the output wire of the Tram Rac to try and make the connections better.
Week 25 Report - March 22, 2019
This week we continued working on the code for our Raspberry Pi to read and store the ECG data correctly from our patient monitor.
We've also been redoing some of the hardwiring on the circuit and between the Raspberry Pi and the monitor to make sure all the connections have high fidelity.
We've also been redoing some of the hardwiring on the circuit and between the Raspberry Pi and the monitor to make sure all the connections have high fidelity.
Week 23 Report - March 8, 2019
We did some more research on code to implement on the RPi. We're planning to meet sometime in the next day or so to test out the code and continue to verify our device. Specifically, we first need to figure out whether the RPi can collect the correct data (ECG, 200Hz), and whether it can be stored on a cloud server and physical server. Then, we'll move on to the other parts of our verification & validation plan.
Week 22 Report - March 1, 2019
We spent all week building our data acquisition unit and writing our validation and verification paper. We managed to get some initial testing saved as a .csv file in the RPi's internal memory.
Week 21 Report - February 22, 2019
The ADC has yet to arrive, but all of the other materials have been collected. We started assembling the monitor and coming up with a validation plan to test our device. From our meeting with Dr. Doctor, we have found out that to verify our device, we do not have to test on marginally compensated subjects. We can simply simulate stress by increasing our heart rates by just running in place.
Week 20 Report - February 15, 2019
We placed an order for an ADC (4 channel w/ PGA) https://www.amazon.com/ADS1115-16-Bit-ADC-Programmable-Amplifier/dp/B00QIW4MGW. Dr. Doctor also ordered some ECG leads for us to do our testing. Once the ADC arrives, we can start connecting everything and figure out the circuit diagram. We also planned two meetings for next week, one with Dr. Klaesner on Monday to clarify the questions we had last week and one with Dr. Doctor on Thursday to talk about our impending validation process.
Week 19 Report - February 8, 2019
We're still waiting for the Raspberry Pi to come, and we're planning to pick up all of our items once they've all arrived to store them in the design space. We still need to figure out what type of A/D converter we need so that we can buy it immediately to test all of the connections (either completely separate ADC or a chip that can plug directly into Pi's board). Depending on the signal frequencies, we may need to buy an op-amp as well.
We've also started looking into how to code on the Raspberry Pi and ADC specs. Our notes on it are in the Planning folder of our notebook. We tried to meet with Dr. Ledbetter for access to the design space, but he was sick. We got an orientation tour from Professor Widder and just need to sign the necessary paperwork for key access.
Questions:
Possible ADC -- ADS1115 (http://www.ti.com/product/ADS1115/description)
We've also started looking into how to code on the Raspberry Pi and ADC specs. Our notes on it are in the Planning folder of our notebook. We tried to meet with Dr. Ledbetter for access to the design space, but he was sick. We got an orientation tour from Professor Widder and just need to sign the necessary paperwork for key access.
Questions:
Possible ADC -- ADS1115 (http://www.ti.com/product/ADS1115/description)
- Resolution: 16 Bit
- Data Range: 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 250, 475, or 860 Samples Per Second
- Has a Programmable Gain Amplifier
- What is PGA Gain Match? Gain Match? Offset Match?
- What is the difference between Input Voltage Range and Analog Voltage AVDD Range?
- What is an Evaluation Module (EVM)?
- If we order it, what is the difference between the parts: ADS1115IDGSR, ADS1115IDGST, ADS1115IRUGR, ADS1115IRUGT?
- Connect 15-pin to analog output of patient monitor
- Separate wires to identify ECG and ART data
- Connect to analog to digital converter ADS1115 inputs (the differential ones? or it doesn't matter?)
- the PGA will match the signal? (Output ranges- ECG: 0-5V, ART: 0-0.025 V)
- or do we need another op amp to amplify our ART signal?
- Connect ADS1115 output to Pi, at least 200 Hz sampling frequency
- Code to read and package signal data as text files
- Store text data on server via WiFi connection
Week 18 Report - February 1, 2019
This week's goal was to settle administrative things. We bought a GE Solar 8000i patient monitoring system and a Raspberry Pi Model 3B+ through our client for our testing. We're planning to have a conference call within the next three weeks with Dimitar Baronov (Etiometry) along with Dr. Doctor to discuss software/data archiving and access issues. Lastly, we also contacted Dr. Ledbetter for access to the design space.
Week 17 Report - January 25, 2019
We met with Dr. Doctor to give him a project update. This week, we have started to gather more information about the conditions in Malawi. We found out some new information that changed our solution. We no longer need to boost their Wi-Fi, so we probably will not need any antennas. As for the data collection, we now can gather and send the data from the monitors in either the PICU or RW to the respective servers in either building. The data does not need to be accessible in real-time anymore, and can be sent to the server in packets and during the off-time. As for materials, Dr. Doctor has agreed to buy us a monitor to do our testing. The plan for next week is to come up with a working schematic diagram and figure out how everything connects, as well as buy more necessary materials.
Week 16 Report - January 18, 2019
We met with Dr. Klaesner to give him a project assessment update. We've also looked into the materials that we need to buy, and we plan on finding out more information about the connections in the PICU and the research ward before buying them. So far on our list is the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ ($35). We met up with Engineering IT to ask them if our current design is feasible to be implemented, and got put into contact with a Wi-Fi engineer.
Week 14 Report - November 30, 2018
This week, we were writing our Progress Report. We also have a scheduled meeting with Dr. Doctor on Friday to update him on our progress and to talk to him about what we are going to do for the spring semester, as we begin prototyping.
Week 12 Report - November 16, 2018
We found more research papers that could possibly help us narrow down more criteria for the Pugh chart and get more information for our parts list. These papers are listed in the notebook under “design analysis.” We have also started writing our Progress Report.
Week 11 Report - November 9, 2018
We have narrowed down some of our methods of transmission and criteria to use for our Pugh chart. We will do more research to either add/remove criteria and methods, and we are also planning to meet some time this weekend to work on it.
Week 10 Report - November 2, 2018
We have been working on our parts list, and through researching various wireless transmission methods like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, we may have found a promising way to send the data wirelessly through a cloud storage system, like cloud on Webserver (e.g. OwnCloud, open source and free).
The pros would be that it does not need Wi-Fi over distance and it can transmit data through walls, which is one of our biggest issues since we are trying to send data to a building that’s across the street from the PICU. The cloud isn’t a perfect solution though, as it could potentially have more bugs/software problems. We would still need to work out how to upload the data from monitors to the cloud, and the researchers could potentially face problems later on when they try to view the data in real-time. We would also need to have some sort of physical hard drive to store the data in case of power outages, but we could just get a small one for the PICU.
The pros would be that it does not need Wi-Fi over distance and it can transmit data through walls, which is one of our biggest issues since we are trying to send data to a building that’s across the street from the PICU. The cloud isn’t a perfect solution though, as it could potentially have more bugs/software problems. We would still need to work out how to upload the data from monitors to the cloud, and the researchers could potentially face problems later on when they try to view the data in real-time. We would also need to have some sort of physical hard drive to store the data in case of power outages, but we could just get a small one for the PICU.
Week 9 Report - October 26, 2018
We had a Skype call with Dimitar Baronov, who gave us some advice on how to go about the software portion of our project. The notes that were taken from the call are in the notebook. We have also started a “parts list” in preparation for our Pugh Chart analysis, since there are a few different issues to tackle while making the DAS, including method of transmission, specifications for the A/D converter, and server specifications.
Week 8 Report - October 19, 2018
We scheduled a Skype meeting with Dimitar Baronov, the chief technology officer at Etiometry Inc., which is the company that our client is working with. The meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday, October 23, and we will go over questions about the software part of our project with him. The list of questions we have for him are posted in the notebook.
We are also currently working on making our website.
We are also currently working on making our website.
Week 7 Report - October 12, 2018
We are in the process of creating our website, and brainstorming possible ways to build the box / what materials to use.
Week 6 Report - October 5, 2018
We had two meetings with Dr. Klaesner this week to discuss our need statement and scope, as well as researched more about existing solutions for the preliminary report and presentation. We are also emailing Dr. Doctor with a list of questions that we have for him to refine our design specifications.
Week 5 Report - September 28, 2018
We met up with Dr. Doctor on Tuesday to discuss potential project ideas. He told us that there are GE Solar 8000i bedside monitoring systems available in Malawi, but there is a need for a data acquisition system that can take the outputs of that monitor and output the data at a higher frequency. Then, once the data can be output at a higher resolution, it will be sent to a server.
We are also going to meet up with him again on Friday to further discuss the details and to get some questions clarified.
We are also going to meet up with him again on Friday to further discuss the details and to get some questions clarified.
Week 4 Report - September 21, 2018
We worked to refine our scope by looking into possible design specifications and did some more research on current market products. We are are planning to meet with Dr. Silva and are waiting to hear from Dr. Kovacs for their advice and opinions. We have planned a weekly meeting within our team to dedicate to project work.
Also, we will be meeting with Dr. Allan Doctor next Tuesday to discuss the possibility of working with him.
Also, we will be meeting with Dr. Allan Doctor next Tuesday to discuss the possibility of working with him.