Specifications

With multiple microcontrollers, the code programmed to each microcontroller would be

much simpler. As it would only need to worry about dealing with one task, the code

written for it would be very specific for that goal. During testing, if one aspect of our

power generator was not functioning properly, we would be able to go back to the

microcontrollers and specifically pin point the issue. Overall, the fact that more

microcontrollers would require more wiring, take up slightly more space, and come at

slightly increased price can be overlooked from the benefits of having multiple

microcontrollers.

Though none of our group members have ever programmed a microcontroller before,

there is enough databases on the internet that we will easily be able to find code

examples. Once we have figured out how to control all of the major pins of the MSP430

microcontrollers we will be able to write simple programs in C to perform all of our

operations.

Texas Instruments provides its own set of code examples for the MSP430 line. For

each microcontroller generation, it provides a plethora of different code examples.

There is also a read-me file included with each set of examples to be used in pin-

pointing code examples that perform specific tasks. Code examples are provided in

both C and Assembly.

5 Design

5.1 Battery

After carefully considering all the different types and sub-types of batteries researched,

the decision was made to use a lead acid deep cycle AGM battery. The closest

contenders were the nickel-metal hydride and lithium polymer batteries. Using multiple

remote controlled car battery packs of these types instead of just a single automotive

sized battery of the same respective types will definitely afford some significant weight

savings, but ultimately the price is still too high. Automotive batteries of these types cost

in the range of $1000 or more, and it turns out using four one pound battery packs to

obtain a voltage and capacity closer to what we actually need actually brought the price

close to $400. A single automotive sized lead acid AGM battery with close to double the

storage capacity and weighing twenty six pounds is available for $150. While the twenty

two pound weight savings offered by the nickel-metal hydride and lithium polymer

battery packs would be nice, it‟s just not a necessity in this application. This was

especially the case since the entire system will already be fairly heavy and will contain

wheels to ease in its movement. We ultimately decided that weight alone wasn‟t a good

enough reason to use a battery that was more than double the cost of its closest

competitor. Other benefits of the AGM battery over these battery packs that factored in

on our decision were the AGM‟s higher charging efficiency and speed, low

maintenance, better durability, and simple charging techniques.

Now that we have decided to use an AGM battery, we must choose a specific

manufacturer and model to use. The first thing we must consider when choosing our

battery is its power storage capacity, or energy density. As previously stated, the battery