Arduino-Based Oscilloscope Using Mobile Device Technology and Bluetooth LE

Arduino-Based Oscilloscope with Monitor Using
Bluetooth and Mobile Application Technology

CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Introduction
In any type of design involving electronic circuitry especially those with
complicated connections, Signal Analysis is very crucial as it determines its
functionality and effectiveness. Through mathematical signal analysis, the
performance of a circuit board can be predicted based on the voltage distribution
and the frequency composition of an information signal.

In conducting signal analysis, a time domain instrument is needed, and an
oscilloscope is the best example. An oscilloscope is a very complex instrument that
is used for testing different types of signals. Although oscilloscopes are very
advantageous in constructing electronic circuits, it has its own disadvantages which
affect the user. An average oscilloscope can weigh around 26.3 kg or 58 lb., which
is really bulky and very unhandy; it has issues when it comes to portability.

Another problem in using oscilloscopes is that one must have basic
knowledge in reading signals. A user must know how to compute the
measurements of the oscilloscopes, like Maximum Bandwidth, Carrier Frequency,
Lower Side Band Frequency and Upper Side Band Frequency of a signal. Without

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such proper knowledge about signals, beginners are going to experience difficulty
and have a hard time using oscilloscopes.

Aside from physical and knowledge problems, there is also a financial
problem. Oscilloscopes are not just instruments that can be bought for a low price,
an oscilloscope can range from Fifty thousand pesos (Php50, 000) to Five
hundred thousand pesos (Php500, 000) depending on the model of oscilloscope.
The most common brands of oscilloscope used are Agilent and Tektroniks, and with
such a high price, not every university can let their students experience using an
oscilloscope, which is a great disadvantage especially for engineering students.

Old fashioned oscilloscopes like those that use Cathode Ray Tubes like the
past model of televisions experience error in display. As we all know, these types of
oscilloscopes use analog tuning or by turning knobs to tune the voltage per division;
most oscilloscopes have vertical lines imprinted on their screen, sometimes these
lines are very intensive, which means you have to tune the knobs carefully to attain
an accurate signal reading. It also becomes inaccurate when not used for a long
time, the cathode ray tube loses its accuracy, just like the oscilloscopes in the
proponents alma mater.

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As stated earlier, oscilloscopes are expensive. If this is the case,
universities or laboratories that experience lack in budget will settle for low priced
oscilloscope which are commonly old fashioned. These old fashioned oscilloscopes
lack functions digitally. That is why some institutions use simulators instead like
Multisim, Proteus and the like. If students will only experience simulations just like
the proponents, they will have a hard time in applying it in real circuits that require
real oscilloscope testing

The proponents chose to focus on improvising a project about oscilloscopes
due to the fact that most institutions and laboratories lack the budget to provide
such complex equipment. They aim to create a project that will benefit every
student, hobbyist, or proponent to help them discover more and be interested in the
field of electronics.

Aside from having target beneficiaries, the proponents also aim to
understand the operation and function of oscilloscopes more thoroughly by carefully
researching and recording data through different sources from libraries and online
to know how theyll be able to produce a prototype that will provide a more ideal
way of for using and making developments in oscilloscopes.

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The proponents target to develop an oscilloscope through the use of mobile
applications. Mobile applications nowadays are the trending technology when it
comes to Office Work, School work, Entertainment and Media. By using
Microcontroller and Bluetooth technology, the proponents will be able to integrate
oscilloscope into mobile phones via applications.

Background of the Study
The history of oscilloscopes can be traced back before the World War II. It
was in Vilnius, Lithuania, the provincial capital of Poland. The first electronics
company in Vilnius was established in 1925, and was producing radio receivers for
civil use. In 1944, after the World War II, Vilnius became a part of the USSR and
their factory, Elektrit, was restored. For research purposes, an Experimental
Research Bureau at the 555 factory, developed the first oscilloscope in March
1949. It was named C1-1 and has a bandwidth of 250kHz. The development of
oscilloscopes continued from 1944 to 1992. The Vilnius Institute made annual
releases of oscilloscope models. They made sure that with every model released,
there is a new improvement and feature added. All in all, there are 144 models of
oscilloscope and plug-in modules that are made by Vilnius from 1948 to 1992. The
final oscilloscope model developed by Vilnius was the C7-20/4 which was the first 30
GHz sampling oscilloscope.

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When the USSR collapsed after 1992, the strong system of oscilloscope
development stopped. In mid-1993, Vilnius Institute was privatized and divided to
several independent companies. Many specialists believe that the privatization of
the company was the most successful, but out of all the private companies
gathered, only Eltesta remained. It was in the year 2000 when Eltesta released the
first 20GHz bandwidth USB sampling oscilloscope. Eltesta became a sister
company with Pico-Technology, a British oscilloscope manufacturing company.
They continued the development that Vilnius started and in 2012, they released
PicoScope 9300 family of PC Sampling oscilloscopes; these type of oscilloscopes
provide output display of signal behavior through a PC.

Microcontrollers can be connected to the history of a transistor, since inside
a microcontroller are a group of transistors. Microcontrollers were first invented by
Gary Boone from the Texas Instruments during the 1970s. A microcontroller is a
device that contains thousands of transistors, which provides its programming
memory. Aside from Texas Instruments, Intel also developed significant
microcontrollers and they are the worlds first producer of microprocessors. The
most important microcontrollers produced by Intel are the 8048 and 8051.
Introduced in 1976, 8048 was used as the microprocessor of IBMs PC keyboard.
The 8051 was introduced in 1980 and is still being used up to now, making it the
most long lived microcontroller as it survived despite the technological

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advancements that occur every decade. Today, microcontroller applications gave
birth to new architectures. Some of these microcontrollers are the AVR, PIC.

A Microcontroller is the integration of a Microprocessor into a single chip.
Its common function is to communicate with the real world via sensing inputs and
producing an output depending on the input sensed. In figure 1.1, a basic
architecture shows the components inside a microcontroller.

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Figure 1.1 Architecture of the AtMega328p Microcontroller used by the Arduino Uno
Rev3

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As shown in Fig 1.1, a microcontroller has its own CPU, RAM Serial and I/O
ports, and watchdog timer. Microcontrollers are reprogrammable and cheap and it
has a lot of applications in everyday lives of people, from the appliances that you
use at home to complex applications like Robotics and PC peripherals.

Microcontrollers have several levels that depend on their architecture, some
may be assembled and ready to be plugged in to a PC, and some are just small
and needed to be provided its own circuit.

The first level of microcontrollers is the High-Level; These Microcontrollers
are composed of simple hardware and uses simple programming language and are
the most expensive type of microcontrollers. High level microcontrollers require less
work because of its simplicity but it is not as flexible as low-level or mid-level
microcontrollers because it is already designed to function for a specific purpose.

Examples of High-level Microcontrollers are Gainers, which is a
microcontroller that is specially designed to help users build their own sensors and
actuator circuits. Phidgets on the other hand, allows users to connect sensors,
motors, MIDI devices and light without having to do much electronic work.

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Mid-level Microcontrollers on the other hand, are more flexible than High-
level microcontrollers as it is programmed by the users themselves using C/C++
language. Examples of these microcontrollers are the popular board of Arduino
series, which are programmed using the Arduino IDE. Another type of Mid-level
microcontroller is the BX-24, which is also the same with Arduino but doesnt have
a USB to serial interface.

The last level of microcontrollers is the low-level microcontrollers. Low level
microcontrollers which is most flexible of all the microcontrollers. Although low-level
microcontrollers are the most flexible, it is the most difficult to program and design
for a function since it uses assembly language and has no circuitry involved, it is
just the microcontroller itself. Examples of low-level microcontrollers are the PIC
and AVR microcontrollers.

Although microcontrollers are an all-in-one component, it has its limitations.
Microcontrollers can only be used in applications that uses low power and it cannot
multitask as much as a microprocessor.

The type of Microcontroller that will be used in this project is the Arduino
Uno, which is a microcontroller board based on the Atmega328. It is consists of 14
digital output pins wherein 6 pins can be used for Pulse Width Modulation (PWM).
PWM is the process of obtaining analog results by means of digital signals. It also

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has a port for USB connection, a power jack for adapters, In Serial Circuit
Programming (ICSP) header, and a reset button. Arduino Microcontrollers are open
source, which makes it easy to develop your own projects. This is what makes
Arduino popular for students and hobbyists.

Just like the Oscilloscope mobile technology developments can be traced
back from the World War II. During the World War II, the first walkie talkies arent
really sort of handy. The SCR-194 and 195 were the first portable AM radios and
the first walkie talkie, were developed by Motorola which weighed roughly 25
pounds and is carried like a backpack. Developments continued until 1973, the
handy mobile phone (during the time) was the DynaTAC (DYNamic Adaptive Total
Area Coverage), which was also developed by Motorola. It was not released in
public yet, not after 10 years when Ameritech from Chicago made it possible for
public use. The DynaTAC weighs about 2 pounds. Developments continued until
1997, Nokia, engineered the Nokia 9000 Communicator. It was what really gave
different companies the idea of smartphone developments. Nokia continued its
legacy by developing the famous Nokia 3210 in the year 1999, it was the first to
allow pre-installed images and is the first to be marketing young people. It is also
the first to utilize mobile applications by installing the 1970s game Snake. Up until
now, different developments regarding smartphone applications. One of the most
renowned company for Smartphone applications is the Apple Companys Iphone,

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especially during the time of Steve Jobs, where different technological leaps are
introduced throughout the world.

Bluetooth technology traces back to 1998, where the name Bluetooth was
officially adopted. It was based on a Danish King, Harald Blatand. Bluetooth has
also undergone different stages of development before it arrived in its current state
as of now. Bluetooth continued on improving their technology by applying it too
keyboards, laptops and printers. In 2002, Bluetooth was approved the 802.15.1
specification by IEEE.

Bluetooth low energy or Bluetooth LE, marketed as Bluetooth Smart, is a
wireless personal area network technology designed and marketed by the
Bluetooth Special Interest Group aimed at novel applications in the healthcare,
fitness, security, and home entertainment industries. Compared to Classic
Bluetooth, Bluetooth Smart is intended to provide considerably reduced power
consumption and cost while maintaining a similar communication range.

Bluetooth Smart uses the same 2.4 GHz radio frequencies as Classic
Bluetooth, which allows dual-mode devices to share a single radio antenna. LE
does, however, use a simpler modulation system. The project will use Bluetooth
Smart for the wireless transmission of data from the Arduino to the mobile device
with a BLE Shield.

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Conceptual Framework

Figure 1.2 Conceptual Framework of the Project

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The figure shown in figure 1.2 is the conceptual framework of the project. In
this diagram, the flow of operation from the Input probes to the waveform display for
the end user is illustrated.

There are basically two inputs for the system; one is from the input probes
where input is in the form of analog signals and will be interpreted by the Arduino,
and the other one is from the user, where the user will be able to select and adjust
calibration information for the waveform display of the iOS application. Also as
illustrated in Figure 1.2, a voltage divider is added to the circuit so that the Arduino
will be able to handle voltages higher than five volts (5v). The digital data
generated by the Arduino is converted from the analog signals in the input probes.
Digital data are sent to the iOS device through a wireless technology called
Bluetooth Low Energy using the BLE Shield by RedBearLabs. The communication
interface between the Arduino and the BLE Shield is made within the Arduino
sketch.

iOS Application
This part of the framework will consist the iOS application that will display
the waveform from the Arduino-based oscilloscope. This application will display
the waveform information from the device through a wireless technology called
Bluetooth Low Energy or Bluetooth 4.0. One of the considerations in the

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development of the iOS application is the compatibility of the application with
certain versions of iOS. The researchers see to it that the application would be
compatible to iOS 7.1 and above for every iOS device supporting Bluetooth 4.0.
Furthermore, iOS application also included programming using Xcode Integrated
Development Environment version 5.1.1 for iOS 7.1 and version 6 for the
upcoming iOS 8.0 which provided the researchers complete development tools
for the creation of the applications using the Objective-C programming language
as well as the Cocoa Touch Framework. Lastly, since the project involved the
use of an iOS app and device, this would allow the program to be distributed
through the iTunes App Store.

The iOS application, named OsciApp, is a program that displays the
waveform data from the Arduino-based oscilloscope. The application basically
accepts and interprets buffer information, then graphs data based on data points
from the Arduino transmitted by the BLE Shield.

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Figure 1.3 BLE Shield Device Search Tab View

In figure 1.3, the BLE Shield Device Search Tab View, all the available BLE
shields will be scanned and detected by the iOS Device and will be listed in a
tabular format. User will then select one from the available shields to connect. Once
the user taps the selected BLE shield from the list, the app then automatically will
proceed to the Waveform Display view as seen on Figure 1.4

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Figure 1.4 Waveform Display From the iOS Application

Data from the Arduino is transmitted through Bluetooth Low Energy wireless
technology and is received by the iOS device. The transmitted data is in the form of
serial data (binary data). The iOS device fetches the data, and the application will
interpret the data and display the waveform retrieved from the circuit that is being
tested as shown in Figure 1.4

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Figure 1.5 Waveform Display Settings Tab View

The user can calibrate the Waveform Display View from the iOS application
with the Waveform Display Settings View as seen in Figure 1.5. On this view of the
applicat ion, user can adjust using the segmented button on the upper right the read
interval of the device. On the first slider, user can calibrate the number of vertical
squares the graph will display. Next slider adjusts the voltage range, and the third
slider will adjust the offset. Committing values will be seen by the user on the title of
the navigation bar on the top. The values represented on the navigation bar on top
are V/div and ms/div.

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Bluetooth Low Energy Shield
The red block shown in Figure 1.2 represents the BLE Shield Diagram. The
Arduino Sketch will provide the machine instructions or software program for the
interfacing of the BLE Shield. Data from the Arduino is sent to the shield ports and
undergoes processing for transmission via Bluetooth low-energy. After processing,
serial data is then transmitted through the shields transceiver and is then received
in the iOS device for further processing.

Figure 1.6 Simplified BLE Shield Block Diagram

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Figure 1.6 illustrates the simplified block diagram of the connections in the
Bluetooth Low Energy shield. This device is responsible for the projects wireless
communication and also serves as an interface between the Arduino and the iOS
application.

Microcontroller Module (Atmega 328p on Arduino Uno Rev3)
The microcontroller is basically responsible for the Analog-to-Digital
conversion of data. Analog signal input in the probes is sent to the Arduino pins
and then through the microcontroller for processing. Software instructions in
memory will be the microcontrollers basis for the translation of data into Digital
Signal. Resulting digital signal is sent to the BLE Shield for transmission through
the Arduinos digital pins. The process is seen on the blue block in Figure 1.2.

Statement of the Problem
The main goal of the project is to design and develop an Arduino-Based
Oscilloscope with Monitor Using Bluetooth Low Energy and Mobile Application
Technology because of the oscilloscopes importance in electronics and the
potential of microcontrollers and mobile devices in simplifying complex hardware
designs by integration. Through this project, a new kind of oscilloscope will be
designed which is portable, relatively inexpensive, and easy to build. It can directly

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display information and be manipulated by a mobile device wirelessly through
Bluetooth Low-energy technology.
The following questions are expected to be answered by the proponents:

1. What is the advantage of the project compared to traditional oscilloscopes?
2. What are the factors that could affect the projects functionality?
3. How can the proponents determine the compatibility and operability of the
project?
4. What difficulties will be encountered in the development of this project?
5. Is there a significant difference between the respondents assessments on the
developed project in terms of the following criteria?
5.1 Functionality
5.2 Reliability
5.3 User-friendliness
5.4 Affordability; and
5.5 Sustainability.

Objectives of the study
Every research has objectives to be accomplished. It is a list to guide the
proponents on what should be done in the study and helps the proponents to study
important information. It selects contents, develops an instructional strategy, and
links to evaluation.

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The general objective of the study is to design and develop a working
prototype of the project. With the prototype, the proponents will be able to physically
demonstrate and test the concepts of the study.

The advantage of this mobile oscilloscope is that it requires less signal
analysis knowledge as it displays the measurement in each arc of the signal (Max
Bandwidth, Lower Sideband, Upper Side Band) which can be of great help for
beginners. It is also more sustainable unlike traditional oscilloscopes that use
Cathode Ray Tube, as it is less prone to hardware changes that occur due to
misuse.

Another objective of the study is to construct the prototype with economically
reasonable materials. For the design project to be feasible, one of the factors that
must be considered is the cost of making the design.

The proponents should be able to test the efficiency and functionality of the
design project or prototype. For the design project to be valid or acceptable, the
design should be tested and verified. If ever flaws will be found, the researchers
should be able to implement revisions.

The proponents encountered different difficulties in this project, especially in
the programming of the application, as the provided library of the XCode is not

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flexible enough for dynamic graphing. This led the proponents to create their own
graphing library that is more applicable to their project.

Hypothesis
The hypothesis will be tested at a 0.05 level of significance using a non-
directional test. That there is no significant difference between the respondents
assessments on the proposed system in terms of the following criteria:
1.1 Functionality;
1.2 Reliability;
1.3 User-friendliness.
1.4 Affordability; and
1.5 Sustainability.
Significance of the Study
Oscilloscopes are used in the education, sciences, medicine, engineering,
and telecommunications industry. General-purpose oscilloscopes are used for
maintenance of electronic equipment and laboratory work. Special purpose
oscilloscopes may be used for purposes such as analyzing an automotive ignition
system or to display the waveform of the heartbeat as an electrocardiogram.

Oscilloscopes are very useful, unfortunately current designs are expensive
and at times hard to use and bulky. Through the project, the proponents aim to

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build an oscilloscope based on an Arduino that can display its information to a
mobile device making it both inexpensive to make and portable as well.

Technological Significance
One of the technological significance of the project is the contribution of the
project to the field of science and engineering because of its design of using a
microcontroller and a mobile device compared to traditional oscilloscopes because
of the idea of simplifying an oscilloscope design using an Arduino as well as using a
common device for display, such as a mobile phone, instead of using a separate
display. As a result, the project design, which works by using the Arduino for
sensing signals and having the mobile device, connected through Bluetooth Low
Energy Wireless Technology, act as the scope, is more convenient to use than the
traditional forms of the oscilloscopes.
In addition to that, the project also explained the advantages of using a
microcontroller. Basically, there are so many advantages of using a microcontroller
especially when it comes to miniature size and low cost. That is one of the reasons
why the proponents decide to utilize microcontrollers in the project. Aside from that,
microcontrollers will greatly help the proponents come up with a better functionality
and mechanism because of its pre-conceived design and reliability.

Educational Significance

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For the educational significance, the project served as a reference to future
proponents who are going to conduct related projects. The project will also help the
students expand their knowledge and become more creative in applying the rules
and principles governing the field of engineering and science especially the field
that the proponents are dealing with which is electronics engineering. The use of
microcontrollers, mobile application technology, voltmeter, oscilloscopes, software
programming languages, integrated software development environment, and
Bluetooth low-energy wireless technology will help the future engineers and
proponents in acquiring the necessary information and experimental results in
determining if the project that they are going to conduct will be feasible or not.

Economic Significance
Given the fact that the proponents applied microcontrollers and wireless
devices in the project, one of the benefits is that the proponents applied their
knowledge and ideas regarding microcontrollers and mobile application technology
to effectively make the research possible. In addition to that, the programming
language and the Integrated Development Environment Used will serve as the
learning tool for future proponents and programmers. It helped the proponents to
acquire more knowledge about object-oriented programming and microcontroller

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programming and interfacing. The type of language stimulates the minds of other
programmers, on what are the necessary strategies and approaches to use in order
to effectively execute a specific command or code.

The proponents will conduct the project to provide the target users with a
portable and cost-effective device. It will not only give the target users convenience
and comfort but will also help them save money. As a proof, an average
oscilloscope ranges from 50,000Php to 500,000Php. Not all smart phones reach
this price range, for example, the Iphone 5s, amounts to 36,500Php. The only thing
to consider in this project, is that only high end phones have the capability of
utilizing the applications features.

Scope and Limitations
The scope of the project is basically focused on the design of an Arduino-
Based Oscilloscope with its output being displayed wirelessly through a mobile
device. Furthermore, the proponents also incorporate modern technology such as
Bluetooth Low-Energy Wireless Technology for the purpose of providing a low
power device thus increasing its efficiency.

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Since most users nowadays uses mobile devices such as smartphones and
tablets, the proponents decided to create a project that uses these technologies for
oscilloscope output display instead of having a separate display. The users can just
simply connect the module, open their mobile devices, run the app, and then see
the scope. This implies that the proponents project is far more convenient
compared to the traditional oscilloscopes that we have nowadays.

The users mobile device should be an iOS device so that the application
made by the proponents will function. The Bluetooth Low-Energy Shield module
supports more iOS devices than Android Based Devices for now which will make
testing easier and potentially target more users. Moreover, creating an app for an
iOS device is easier since testing is more streamlined and centralized reducing the
time of development.

The iOS app that the proponents made contain two tab views overall. The
first view will display the list of BLE devices that the app can connect to and the
second view will show the scope.

The users mobile device will be able to view the scope from the Arduino-
Based Oscilloscope through a wireless connection interfacing between the two
units. That is why the proponents microcontroller (Arduino) will be connected to a
BLE shield so that wireless connectivity can be achieved. In addition to that, since

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the proponents applied the principles of wireless connectivity (i.e., Bluetooth Low-
Energy (BLE/ Bluetooth 4.0)), then the proponents should follow the different
standards that should be taken into account so that no violations would be
encountered. For example, for Bluetooth, Bluetooth
Core Specification 4.1 should

be followed.

However, the project also has its limitations. First is that the design can only
monitor frequencies that the Arduino can detect unlike traditional oscilloscopes that
can monitor at very high frequencies. Furthermore, the prototype is limited only to
iOS devices, which means that the application for this will not be compatible to
other mobile devices like Android-Based devices and Windows Phone devices.

Definition of Terms
The following terms are defined conceptually and operationally to provide a
common frame of reference:

Affordability The product is being within the financial means of most people.

Arduino A single-board microcontroller intended to make the application of
interactive objects or environments more accessible.

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Bluetooth Low Energy A wireless technology that consumes only a fraction of
the power that classic Bluetooth radios consume. It
utilizes the new hallmark feature of v4.0 Bluetooth core
which can optimize ranges up to 200 feet and beyond.

Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) A vacuum tube that produces display when an
electron beam strikes its phosphorescent surface.

Functionality The particular use or set of uses for which something is designed.

Gaussian minimum-shift keying (GMSK) A modified version of the Minimum
Shift Keying (MSK) that uses
Gaussian filter for a smoother
transition from one point to another.

Graticule A scale made up of grids of squares imprinted on the Cathode Ray
Tube of an Oscilloscope.

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iOS An operating system used by mobile devices manufactured by apple.

Microcontrollers A small computer that has its own processor, memory, and
programmable pins. It is the integration of a microprocessor.

Oscilloscope A powerful instrument that is used for measuring signals
generated in circuits that is based on the relationship of Voltage
Sensitivity over time.

Reliability The quality or state of being reliable of the product.

Signals Any kind of physical quantity that conveys information.

Sustainability The product is able to last or continue for a long time.

User Friendliness The product is easy to use or understand.

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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter gives a brief background on the different related literature,
studies, and readings, either published or unpublished, that will be used by the
proponents as a guide in conducting the study. It basically includes concepts
and ideas from related materials comprising microcontrollers, mobile application
technology, voltmeter, oscilloscopes, software programming languages,
integrated software development environment, and Bluetooth low-energy
wireless technology that the proponents will focus in the study. The information
included in this chapter came from different sources through library research
and the World Wide Web.

Review of Related Literature
This section contains the related literature which are published materials,
either foreign or local, such as physical books and their electronic software
counterpart, e-books that contain related topics, ideas, and concepts that will be
used by the proponents in the study. These are written by different authors and
professionals based on their field of specialization.

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The following are the related ideas, facts, and concepts gathered by the
proponents from related literature. Each information in this chapter were
obtained from resources published from 2014 to 2009, through library research
and the World Wide Web.

Foreign Literature
Oscilloscopes measure voltages, not currents or resistancesjust
voltages. This is an important point to get straight from the start. An oscilloscope
is an extremely fast xy plotter capable of plotting an input signal versus time or
versus another input signal.

As a signal is supplied to the input of a scope, a luminous spot appears
on the screen. As changes in the input voltage occur, the luminous spot
responds by moving up or down, or left or right. In most applications, the
oscilloscopes vertical-axis (y axis) input receives the voltage part of an
incoming signal and then moves the spot up or down depending on the value of
the voltage at a particular instant in time. The horizontal axis (x axis) is usually
used as a time axis, where an internally generated linear ramp voltage is used
to move the spot across the screen from left to right at a rate that can be
controlled by the operator. If the signal is repetitive, such as a sinusoidal wave,
the oscilloscope can make the sinusoidal pattern appear to stand still. This

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makes a scope a useful tool for analyzing time-varying voltages. Even though
oscilloscopes measure only voltage, it is possible to convert quantities such as
current, strain, acceleration, pressure, and so on into voltages that the scope
can use. To convert a current into a voltage, a resistor of known resistance is
used; the current is measured indirectly by measuring the voltage drop across
the resistor and then applying Ohms law. To convert strain, movement, and so
on into voltage requires the use of transducers (electromechanical devices). By
applying some calibrating tricks, the magnitude of, say, a pressure applied to a
pressure transducer can be measured accurately. (Practical Electronics for
Inventors Third Edition; Paul Scherz, Dr. Simon Monk; McGraw-Hill; 2013)

The oscilloscope application that will be developed by the proponents
performs the same function as stated in the article, it will be only used for
measuring voltages with respect to time, and it will not be used for measuring
current flow and resistances. The proponents will be developing a framework
that enables the application users to adjust the voltage sensitivity, time base,
and halt continuous flowing signals like sinusoidal wave for a more in depth
observation on the signal.

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Among the most versatile integrated circuits you can find is the small,
complete computer on a chip, known as a microcontroller. To program a
microcontroller, you place it on a development board that allows the IC to
interface with your personal computer.

When its programmed, you mount the microcontroller into a socket on
your electronic device. You add a few other components in circuits that interface
the microcontroller to your computer, motors or switches, and voil! Your little
programmed IC makes things happen (for instance, it can control the motion of
a robot).

The great thing about a microcontroller is that you can simply alter a few
lines or code or reprogram it completely to change what it does; you dont need
to swap out wires, resistors and other components in order to get this flexible IC
to take on a new personality. (Electronics For Dummies; Dickon Ross, Cathleen
Shamieh, Gordon McComb; p. 161; 2010)

The microcontroller in the proponents' project will also be added a few
components, specifically a voltage divider circuit and the BLE shield. The
specific microcontroller that will be used in this project is the Arduino Atmega
328.

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In laymans terms, an Arduino is a tiny computer that you can program to
process inputs and outputs between the device and external components you
connect to it. The Arduino is what is known as a Physical or Embedded
Computing platform, which means that it is an interactive system that can
interact with its environment through the use of hardware and software. For
example, a simple use of an Arduino would be to turn a light on for a set period
of time, lets say 30 seconds, after a button has been pressed. In this example,
the Arduino would have a lamp and a button connected to it. The Arduino would
sit patiently waiting for the button to be pressed; once pressed, the Arduino
would turn the lamp on and start counting. Once it had counted for 30 seconds,
it would turn the lamp off and then wait for another button press. You could use
this setup to control a lamp in an closet, for example, you could extend this
concept by connecting a sensor, such as a PIR, to turn the lamp on when it has
been triggered. These are some simple examples of how you could use an
Arduino.

The Arduino can be used to develop stand-alone interactive objects or it
can be connected to a computer, a network, or even the Internet to retrieve and
send data to and from the Arduino and then act on that data. In other words, it
can send a set of data received from some sensors to a website, which can then
be displayed in the form of a graph.

3 5


The Arduino can be connected to LEDs, dot matrix displays, buttons,
switches, motors, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, distance sensors,
GPS receivers, Ethernet modules, or just about anything that outputs data or
can be controlled. A look around the Internet will bring up a wealth of projects
where an Arduino has been used to read data from or control an amazing array
of devices. The Arduino board is made up of an Atmel AVR Microprocessor, a
crystal or oscillator (a crude clock that sends time pulses at a specified
frequency to enable it to operate at the correct speed), and a 5-volt linear
regulator. Depending on what type of Arduino you have, it may also have a USB
socket to connect to a PC or Mac for uploading or retrieving data. The board
exposes the microcontrollers I/O (input/output) pins so that you can connect
those pins to other circuits or to sensors.

The latest Arduino board, the Uno, differs from the previous versions of
the Arduino in that it does not use the FTDI USB-to-serial driver chip. Instead, it
uses an Atmega8U2 programmed as a USB-to- serial converter. This gives the
board several advantages over its predecessor, the Duemilanove. First, the
Atmega chip is a lot cheaper than the FTDI chip, bringing the prices of the
boards down. Secondly, and most importantly, it enables the USB chip to have
its firmware reflashed to make the Arduino show up on your PC as another
device, such as a mouse or game controller. This opens up a whole array of
new uses for the Arduino. Unfortunately, moving over to this new USB chip has

3 6


made it a lot more difficult for clone manufacturers to make Arduino Uno clones.

To program the Arduino (make it do what you want it to) you use the
Arduino IDE (Integrated Development Environment), which is a piece of free
software in which you write code in the language that the Arduino understands
(a language called C). The IDE lets you to write a computer program, which is a
set of step-by-step instructions that you then upload to the Arduino. Your
Arduino will then carry out these instructions and interact with whatever you
have connected to it. In the Arduino world, programs are known as sketches.

The Arduino hardware and software are both open source, which means
that the code, schematics, design, etc. can be taken freely by anyone to do what
they like with them. Hence, there are many clone boards and other Arduino-
based boards available to purchase or to make from a schematic. Indeed, there
is nothing stopping you from purchasing the appropriate components and
making your own Arduino on a breadboard or on your own homemade PCB
(Printed Circuit Board). The only caveat that the Arduino team imposes is that
you cannot use the word Arduino. This name is reserved for the official board.
Hence, the clone boards have names such as Freeduino, Roboduino, etc.

3 7


The Arduino can also be extended with the use of shields, which are
circuit boards containing other devices (e.g. GPS receivers, LCD Displays,
Ethernet modules, etc.) that you can simply connect to the top of your Arduino to
get extra functionality. Shields also extend the pins to the top of its own circuit
board so you still have access to all of them. You dont have to use a shield if
you dont want to; you can make the exact same circuitry using a breadboard,
Stripboard, Veroboard, or by making your own PCB. Most of the projects in this
book are made using circuits on a breadboard. (Beginning Arduino; Michael
McRoberts; Apress; 2010)

In this study, the proponents will be using the Arduino Uno Rev3; that is
using the Atmega328 microcontroller. The role of the Arduino in the proponents'
project is to gather the signals in analog form from a real circuit by means of
probes, convert it to digital and pass it into the Bluetooth Low Energy shield from
Red Bear Labs.

As it stands, there are really four major development targets. Each of the
native frameworks comes with certain expectations and a user base. BlackBerry
is often used in education and government, whereas the iPhone and Android
user base is far more widespread. Windows Phone 7 being the newcomer is
used primarily by developers and hasnt necessarily hit its stride yet.

3 8


iOS, the technology that is run on Apple mobile devices, has benefits
and limitations specific to its development cycle. The base language is
Objective-C, with Cocoa Touch as the interface layer. At this time iOS can be
developed only using Apples XCode, which can run only on a Macintosh.

The Android framework, on the other hand, is written in Java, and can be
developed using any Java tools. The specific tooling recommended by Google
and the Android community is Eclipse with the Android toolkit, and that is what
the examples in Chapter 6 use. Unlike iOS, it can be developed on PC, Mac, or
Linux.

Like Android, the BlackBerry device framework is also written in Java;
however, it is limited in that the Emulator and Distribution tools run only on
Windows at this time.

The newest native framework on the market is Windows Phone 7 and its
framework sits on top of the Microsofts .NET Framework. The language of
choice is C# and the framework lies in a subset of Silverlight, Microsofts
multiplatform web technology. It also has the limitation that the Microsoft
Windows Phone tools run only on Windows.(PROFESSIONAL Mobile
Application Development; Jeff McWherter, Scott Gowell; John Wiley & Sons,
Inc.; 2012)

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The framework that the proponents will develop for this project will be for
iOS devices such as iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touch. The proponents' are not
closing their doors on developing their application on Android and other mobile
phone operating systems, the proponents considered the time frame of the
project and it's easier to test the application on apple due to the fact that apple
hardware has only one configuration, unlike android devices, which has different
hardware configurations. By hardware configuration they mean the brand of
hardware, apple has their own hardware configurations but android runs on
many devices like Samsung, Sony, HTC, Lenovo, etc. This might affect the
display of the application, and testing it on every android device is very time
consuming, so for the meantime, their focus is on iOS devices.

Bluetooth Low Energy is a brand new technology that has been
designed as both a complementary technology to classic Bluetooth as well as
the lowest possible wireless technology that can be designed and built
according to Robin Heydon. Although it uses the Bluetooth brand and borrows a
lot of technology from its parent, Bluetooth Low Energy should be considered a
different technology, addressing different design goals and different market
segments.

4 0


Classic Bluetooth was designed to unite the separate worlds of
computing and communications, linking cell phones to laptops. However its killer
application has proved to be as an audio link from the cell phone to a headset
placed on or around the ear. As the technology matured, more and more use
cases were added, including stereo music streaming, phone book downloads
from the phone to your car, wireless printing, and file transfer. Each of these
new use cases required more bandwidth, and therefore, faster and faster radios
have been constantly added to the Bluetooth ecosystem over time. Bluetooth
started with Basic Rate (BR) with a maximum Physical Layer data rate of 1
megabit per second (Mbps). Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) was added in version
2.0 of Bluetooth to increase the Physical Layer data rates to 3Mbps; an
Alternate MAC1 PHY2 (AMP) was added in version 3.0 of Bluetooth that used
IEEE3 802.11 to deliver Physical Layer data rates of up to hundreds of megabits
per second.

Instead of just increasing the data rates available, Bluetooth low energy
takes a completely different direction, it has been optimized for ultra-low power
consumption.

4 1


This means that you probably wont get high data rates, or even want to
keep a connection up for many hours or days. This is an interesting move, as
most wired and wireless communications technologies constantly increase
speeds.

This different direction has been achieved through the understanding
that classic Bluetooth technology cannot achieve the low power requirements
required for devices powered by button-cell batteries. However, to fully
understand the requirements around low power, another consideration must be
taken. Bluetooth low energy is also designed to be deployed in extremely high
volumes, in devices that today do not have any wireless technology. One
method to achieve very high volumes is to be extremely low cost. For example,
Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags can be deployed in very high volumes
because they are very low cost, ultimately because they work by scavenging
power delivered by a more expensive scanner. (Bluetooth Low Energy, The
Developers Handbook; Robin Heydon; Prentice Hall; 2012)

Local Literature
An object is simply breaking up a large program into various parts, each
of which we can easily conceptualize as a thing that performs specific and
separate tasks. Thats the idea behind the invention of objects. For example, we
may put all the shape-handling parts of our program together in an object-

4 2


named shape. This shape object handles all needed functions, variables, or
constant data which our program would like to use. Since these functions and
variables (and mostly with its constant data) are wrapped up together and
isolates its internal designs, structures, and other inherent technical complexities
from other objects, we can easily apply them to the needs of our program when
the demand arises. (Marmelo V. Abante, Visual C++ Programming Language:
Programming Made Easy Anvil 2009)

The fact that so many people in developing countries lack access to
financial and other services, coupled with the dramatic growth of mobile phone
access through most of the developing world, provides an opportunity to reach
hundreds of millions of people currently outside the banking system. The costs
of mobile telephony have dropped steadily, coverage has expanded and mobile
phone subscriptions in developing countries have increased by over 500 per
cent since 2000. (The innovative use of mobile applications in the Philippines
,Edwin Soriano and Cheryll Soriano, 2009)

An embedded system is a computer with specific control functions. It can
be a part of a larger computer system or a stand-alone device. Most embedded
systems must operate within real-time constraints. Embedded systems contain
programmable processors that are either microcontrollers or digital signal
processors (DSPs). The embedded system is sometimes a general-purpose

4 3


device, but more often it is used in specialized applications such as washing
machines, telephones, microwave ovens, automobiles, and many different types
of weapons and military hardware. (Sanchez, Julia and Canton, Maria P.;
Microcontrollers: High-Performance Systems and Programming 2013).

Originally introduced in Italy, Arduino was intended to control student-built
interactive electronics projects less expensively. This book follows the same
course with a series of exercises that can be performed even without electronics
or programming experience. (Balamiento, Narciso M.; Learning Arduino using
Alexan Training Shield 2013)

e-Gizmo Universal MCU Trainer is a convenient hardware peripheral
platform designed to make your MCU learning experience a lot more enjoyable. It
is not committed to any single microcontroller; instead we took a novel approach
by using and taking advantage of a gizDuino style MCU docking port. (e-Gizmo
Mechatronix Central, Universal MCU Trainer 2012).

Review of Related Studies
The related studies on this section are unpublished works such as
thesis, dissertations, and whitepapers that contain related topics, ideas, and
concepts that will be used by the proponents in the study. These are written,
either foreign or locally, by students and professionals. The following are the

4 4


related ideas, facts, and concepts gathered by the proponents from related
studies, written and compiled at least from 2009, through library research and
the World Wide Web.

Foreign Studies
In the study, Dynamic Programming for graphs on surfaces, a framework
is provided for the design and analysis of dynamic programming algorithms for
surface embedded graphs. The approach they used in developing a framework
combines tools from topological graph theory and analytic combinatorics.
(Article 8; Juanjo Rue, Ignasi Sau, Dimitrios M. Thilkos;Transactions on
algorithms; Association for Computing Machineries vol 10 num 2, 2014)

The relation of this study to that of the proponents is the development of
their own framework for a graph. By utilizing dynamic programming, the
proponents developed a graph that displays signal movement depending on the
type of signal being generated by the circuit being tested. The graph developed
shows the relationship of the signals based on Voltage intensity over time.

In the past, few Public Administrations provided traffic monitoring
services in real time due to the high cost of the car traffic monitoring system.
The paper aims at proposing a low cost system based on the GPS signals
coming from Arduino based systems to collect the traffic measurements needed

4 5


to compute colored traffic map and the minimum path to the destination
depending on the current position. The comparison carried between the
performance of the proposed system and the one based on GPS signals coming
from the user mobiles points out a higher accuracy of Arduino based tracking
system. Also the system may send the user data to the main information center
as anonymous messages thus satisfying the privacy requirements needed for a
wide activation of such a monitoring methodology. (An Arduino based system
provided with GPS/GPRS shield for real time monitoring of traffic flows;
Costanzo, A.; IEEE, 2013)

A system that that uses accelerometer embedded within Iphones, a
Bluetooth Pulse Oximeter, and the weka data mining tool to formulate optimized
interval training protocols. An application is also developed for the Iphone which
shows a graph that shows the relationship of Exercise intensity over time.
(Machine Learning - Based Adaptive Wireless Interval Training Guidance
System p.163;Myung-Kyung Suh,Ani Nahapetian,Jonathan Woodbridge,
Mahsan Rofouei,Majid Sarrafzadeh; Mobile Networks and Applications;Springer
vol 17 num 2 April 2012)

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The Relativity of this study to the proponents is the utilization of
Bluetooth technology, the Bluetooth device used in their project is the Bluetooth
oximeter. In the proponents project, the Bluetooth device that will be used for
interfacing the Arduino to the Mobile device is the Bluetooth Low Energy Shield.

Ubiquitous healthcare (u-Healthcare) is an emerging paradigm in the
healthcare environment. One of the most promising applications for u-
Healthcare is the ubiquitous smart home and smart hospital, health monitoring
system. The healthcare technology keeps healthcare executives and managers
up-to-date about the latest computer-based solutions for improving medical care
and making healthcare organizations more efficient. Information Technology (IT)
has a unique, news-style approach to implementations at hospitals and other
smart home across the country. To this end, we design and implement a
healthcare monitoring application for ubiquitous sensor network. The pulse
sensor uses the arduino board to send the data to the web server via RN-XV
wireless module base on 802.11 protocols. The data collected from the patient
can be remotely viewed and analyzed by a physician or nurse. (Healthcare
monitoring application in ubiquitous sensor network: Design and implementation
based on pulse sensor with Arduino; Kemis, H., Bruce, N., Antonio, T. ; IEEE,
2012)

4 7


Technology is a never-ending process. To be able to design a product
using the current technology that will be beneficial to the lives of others is a
huge contribution to the community. This paper presents the design and
implementation of a low cost but yet flexible and secure cell phone based home
automation system. The design is based on a standalone Arduino BT board and
the home appliances are connected to the input/output ports of this board via
relays. The communication between the cell phone and the Arduino BT board is
wireless. This system is designed to be low cost and scalable allowing variety of
devices to be controlled with minimum changes to its core. Password protection
is being used to only allow authorised users from accessing the appliances at
home. (Bluetooth based home automation system using cell phone; Piyare, R.,
Tazil, M.; IEEE, 2011)

Local Studies
The research study, Bluetooth Operational Sports Wristwatch and
Pedometer with Embedded Microcontroller System (Chang, De Guzman ,and
Tabuena, 2009), is a system that helps you monitor your physical activity during
training. It serves as an integration of several sports devices that monitors and
measures data that are relevant and important. It is composed of two different
systems working together via Bluetooth technology to show the necessary data
needed. First is the pedometer, which collects the data and second is the
wristwatch, which displays the necessary results wanted by the user.

4 8


The study, Implementation of Bluetooth Interface between a fetal
monitoring device and a mobile phone with automatic notification feature using
SMS (Caimbon, Ibaviosa, Salas, 2009) is a project that designs a device that is
able to detect the heart rates of both the mothers and the babys and as well as
the uterine contraction of the mothers womb. Once these data have been
gathered, the device is then able to translate these data into quantified values.
The Bluetooth module incorporated within the device is now responsible for
handshaking the microcontroller, which is responsible for sending the data
acquired, and a designated mobile phone.

From the study, Arduino-Based Human Follower Pushcart with Vision
Sensor and Ultrasonic Sensor Implementation (Que, So, Tria, 2013). The
customized push cart is designed to follow a person. The system is designed in
which it uses a camera (CMUCam4) to track a person and an ultrasonic sensor
(HC-SR04) to follow a person. The data received are the processed using a PID
(Proportional-Integral-Derivative) controller.

The Arduino board then sends the necessary output signals to the dc
and servo motors to allow the pushcart properly position itself to its current
target, in this case, the color of the shirt that the person is currently wearing, the
system is powered by two SLA (Sealed Lead Acid) batteries and a Li-Po (lithium
ion polymer) batter. The group used the Arduino compiler for the study.

4 9


From the study, Microcontroller Based air pollution monitoring system
using zigbee technology with PHP interface (Cuenca, Dequina, Salamat, 2012).
The system uses microcontroller and ZigBee transceiver to collect the air
contaminant readings from certain region of interest. This thesis aimed to
analyze air quality in a sampling area specifically around de la Salle University,
by using commercially available gas detector sensors for nitrogen dioxide,
carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone. The sensors were connected to
the microcontroller which is programmed to compute for air pollutants
concentration and be able to transmit it to the base station. Information gathered
would be integrated into the PHP script. A website is implemented so that the
end user can view the real time air pollution monitoring system using an internet
connection

Wireless Relay Controller using Android Application Technology is a
project designed to provide comfort and convenience to the user through
wirelessly controlling his/her devices through the use of his/her smartphone.

The summary of the project is basically focused on the application of
wireless technology in the activating / de-activating of certain appliances or
devices present in the household community. This devices and appliances
include televisions, electric fans, radios, and other common appliances present
in a house. Furthermore, the proponents also incorporate modern technology in

5 0


the controlling and manipulating of the devices for the project for the purpose of
becoming competent to the market for public use. (Wireless Relay Controller
using Android Application Technology; Miranda, Genetia, et. al.; 2013)

Review of Related Readings
The following are the related readings to the study. These are basically
written discussions and valid opinions from different writers and professionals
containing their ideas and understanding that are in line with the study. The
related readings in this section includes related topics, articles, and discussions
from different magazines, newspapers, and forums sourced from the periodicals
sections from libraries and the World Wide Web. These information will serve as
basis and a guide for the study.

Foreign Readings
Beacons, which Apple refers to as iBeacons, are hardware devices that
can be detected by mobile devices, and more specifically, by mobile apps
running on your devices. Apple uses iBeacon devices to track where customers
are in its stores, for example. Shopkick has been trialing the technology with
Macys. Beacons are also being used in some grocery stores. While beacons
dont actively track you, this sort of functionality will be included in ever more
mobile applications in the future, leaving consumers to opt-out by turning off an

5 1


apps support for location services, or by shutting off Bluetooth, or simply
uninstalling the app from their smartphones. (http://techcrunch.com/2014/07/08/
in-five-years-ibeaconbluetooth-low-energy-device-market-to-reach-60-million-
devices/Sarah Perez/July 12, 2014/July 8, 2014)

Just like the Bluetooth low energy shield, iBeacons are devices that can
be connected wirelessly to a specific mobile device through the use of
applications. The application of the iBeacon helped the researchers in coming
up with ideas about interfacing two different devices wirelessly through modules
like iBeacon and Bluetooth Low Energy.

When working with electronics circuits we always have the impression that
we dont know what is going on. In the lab theres an oscilloscope but we all
know that these machines arent cheap at all. Then use an Arduino as an
oscilloscope as a cheaper alternative. Surfing in the web there is this simple
project called arduinoscope to convert the arduino into a simple oscilloscope. It
requires processing (java based), arduino IDE and two processing libraries
(processing-arduinoscope and controlP5 - a graphical user interface for
processing-). The resolution is 10 bits but the frequency is a lot lower than that of
a real oscilloscope because it uses serial port to send the data. However for
amateurs could be pretty useful. (http://pablotrigo.com/blog/?p=166, October 14,
2013, accessed August 21, 2014).

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The proponents will use the arduinoscope project as a guide in building
the prototype of the project. Similar to the arduinoscope project, the design
project will use an arduino for digital signal processing and will use a mobile
device instead of a desktop PC for waveform display. The project will also
improve the arduinoscope display by providing more details for monitoring
waveform.

An update on their work on creating a bluetooth home health monitor in
class BME 440/441 "Senior Design in Biomedical Engineering" of the writer of
the article. The idea is to create an iPhone app that can connect to several
Bluetooth LE sensors (ECG, EEG, Galvanic Skin response) and then display and
record the data. There will also be a data analysis component to actively monitor
the health of the subject. The post describes a simple Arduino sketch that
measures an analog signal at regular time intervals and then sends it through the
Bluetooth connection of the RedBear BLE Shield. The sketch uses a timer to set
the frequency at which analog pin 5 is measured and writes it into a buffer that is
then sent through the BLE shield. The writer added a flag analog_enabled to
make sure that the BLE shield only receives data when connected to the iPhone
app. Unfortunately, there is a bug in the RedBear BLE shield software that
makes it necessary to first receive data before it can send (used
BLE_Shield_Library 1.0). The writer could not get this project to work without the
iPhone first sending at least one byte of data.

5 3


In such case, when the iPhone sends "I" then the BLE shield starts
sending. When the iPhone sends "0" then the BLE shield stops sending. There
also includes a parameters for 100Hz and 2Hz data transmissions.
(http://streylab.com/blog/2013/3/6/continuous-bluetooth-le-data-transfer-to-
iphone-using-the-re.html, March 6, 2013, accessed August 21, 2014)

The proponents will use the design in the article as a basis for designing
and implementing the iOS app for the project. The article includes sample
sketches for the arduino as well as Xcode project templates for the iOS app.
These will be where the proponents will begin their code development.

The erroneous data projects shows an example of interfacing two
devices by adding Bluetooth to an old iPod via Arduino. Establishing connection
or communication between two different devices oof different functions is very
difficult. The Arduino based oscilloscope being developd by the proponents is an
example of interfacing two different devices, and once again, via Arduino.

From social network apps to communication apps to games, the
possibilities with mobile apps are just endless. The latest figures from IDC show
that smartphone sales recorded a 34.2% quarter-onquarter growth and a
294.9% yearon-year growth. The Informate October 2010 track by Informate
Mobile Intelligence says the number of users visiting an App store has jumped

5 4


108% in October 2010 versus the year ago period. All these factors have
contributed to a large number of Indian developers jumping on to the mobile
appmaking bandwagon. (http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-08-
19/news/29905434_1_mobile-apps-app-store-informate-mobile-intelligence The
Great Indian Mobile App Aral Lobo, ET Bureau Aug 19, 2011)

Upon reading this article, it supported the proponents' decision to make
the project functional with the involvement of mobile application development.
As said in the article, purchase of mobile devices and frequent visits in the app
store increase every year, that's why the proponents realized that it might be a
good idea to utilize mobile app technology in the project's development.

Within days of arriving in US stores, the long-anticipated Apple iPhone
was being touted as the biggest commercial product launch in the history of
consumer electronics. The pulling power of Apple, combined with months of
intense internet speculation and mounting consumer excitement, have seen
sales of the smartphone outstrip supply in the
US.(http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2009-07-25/news/27674520_1
_iphone-mobile-handset-macintosh; Apple of their I Jul 25, 2009)

5 5


Local Reading
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has slashed by
half the registration fee for bluetooth- and wifi-enabled mobile devices to
encourage phone manufacturers to pay regulatory fees and minimize
smuggling. NTC chief Gamaliel Cordoba said the fee reduction follows the
decline in the prices of wifi and bluetooth devices. Under Memorandum Circular
No. 01-02-2013, registration fees would be reduced to P50 per unit from the
existing P100. The fee reduction comes after the manufacturer of MyPhone
requested the suspension of the circular because of its negative impact on the
company's finances. (http://www.interaksyon.com/business/56271/ntc-slashes-
by-half-registration-fee-for-bluetooth-wifi-phones March 3, 2013 August 16,
2014)

According to a recent telecom industry market research study, Filipinos
are increasingly hooked on mobile technology. The central insight for the
Philippines is that smartphone sales are likely to keep booming and be followed
by sales of additional devices like tablets. According to the study, only 53 per
cent of Filipinos living in metro Manila currently own smartphones. The devices
are increasingly seen as indispensable, with a majority of those surveyed who
did not currently own smartphones saying that they were very likely to purchase
one. With a rapidly developing economy, the Philippines should be a prime

5 6


target for companies like Apple, Samsung, and Nokia, and for all the businesses
that service this market. With the growth of mobile technology in the Philippines
looking inevitable, it is a good time to be in the Filipino consumer electronics
business. This market is currently being served by local shops that do not
typically feature the variety of products and services and price ranges found in
major Western electronics chains like Best Buy and Virgin. Anyone that can get
such a chain off the ground, however, stands to make a fortune.
(http://investvine.com/filipino-appetite-for-mobile-computing-growing/ JULY 23,
2013 August 16, 2014)

Mobile applications, or simply apps, have become part of daily life. With
the advent of several models of smartphones, even those who are on a tight
budget can afford to purchase one. This provides a good source of revenue not
just for telecommunications companies, but also an opportunity for mobile
applications development companies in the Philippines.

We have been receiving a good number of mobile apps development
inquiries since the last quarter of 2013, said Jose Cris Sotto, operations
manager of iConcept Global Advertising Inc. However, Sotto noted, the
conversion has remained relatively low. The current state of mobile apps
development in the country can be attributed to several factors, namely, the lack

5 7


of viable concept, cost of development, and lack of formal training. Cruz
hypothesized that mobile app developers in the Philippines today are mostly
self-taught or gained their knowledge and skills from crash course certifications
offered by a number of technical training centers. Sotto mentioned a need to
update the curriculum offered. We can see that the Academe really has to keep
abreast with the latest trends in the industry. Offering a curriculum that provides
training for the actual technologies that is required by the industry is a must, he
said adding that a strong link between universities and industry leaders can also
contribute a positive effect in the industry. Another potential factor of the slow
growth of the app economy is the cost that it entails to develop a mobile
application, Sotto said. Because of the newness of the mobile app development
industry, a very few self-taught mobile applications developers are capable of
developing a mobile applications in the Philippines. A considerable amount of
time has to be invested on research and development. Another thing to consider
is the platform. Depending on the available budget, the client may opt to have an
application developed for both Android and iOS platforms.
(http://www.iconcept.com.ph/article/cost-and-challenges-the-industry-of-mobile-
apps-development-in-the-philippines/ Accessed August 16, 2014)

The design project involves design and development of a mobile
application and microcontroller instructions mainly based on object-oriented
programming techniques using C++ and Objective-C. Thus, the development

5 8


team needs to have a strong analysis practice, as much as a strong
programming practice. These not have to be separate people many good
developers are also good analysts but in order to make sure that developers
maintain the discipline of implementing a rich, descriptive domain model, a
dedicated, disciplined and well-trained analyst is a good addition to the team; not
just someone who can document requirements, but someone who can assert
himself/herself in making sure that the domain is properly modeled in the code.
(http://www.orangeandbronze.com/orange-orchard/blog/2014/04/the-lost-art-of-
object-oriented-analysis-and-design, APRIL 21, 2014, accessed August 19,
2014)

BYODbring-your-own-deviceenvironments allow employees to work
using their own devices, while keeping costs down for the organization and
avoiding duplication of applications and files across multiple devices. Stephen
McNulty, an expert on multi-platform business applications, explains the trend.
Why are employees bringing their own devices to the office? Increased reliance
on smartphones has blurred the lines between home and work, as employees
can now access data and applications on their devices from virtually anywhere.
A survey by Acorn Research found that over 80 percent of Filipino employees
own two or more personal devices and bring them to work.

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It also found that seven out of 10 Filipino employees felt more efficient
working out of the office on their own devices. (Junio, Work Becomes Personal,
http://www.entrepreneur.com.ph/business-ideas/work-becomes-personal,
February 22, 2014.)

Synthesis
The information and data gathered by the proponents from foreign and
local resources helped them to be more informed and aware of the possibility of
the project's improvement. It also provides a set of guidelines to follow for
considerations that can be added to the project's functionality. Furthermore, all
the resources used in this project provided answers to some of the most difficult
inquiries that the proponents have faced.

In related literature, the proponents made use of library research and
published e-books from the internet. Under related readings, information
concerning oscilloscopes, Bluetooth low energy, mobile device application
development, microcontrollers, and Arduino are listed. The best literature chosen
was the information about oscilloscopes, as the main purpose of the project is to
develop an oscilloscope and implement it.

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Under the review of related studies, the proponents used Local theses and
foreign journals to search for different relativities to their project. The most related
study to that of the proponents' is the Dynamic Programming for graphs on
surfaces, as the project's proponent utilizes different hardware and software
applications to be able to produce a dynamic graph for certain purposes.

In the related readings section, newspaper aticles, magazine articles,
and blogs were accessed in the internet. The arduinoscope project and
continuous Bluetooth LE data transfer to iPhone using the RedBear BLE
shield project will be the main grounds and bases for the design project. The
proponents will start on these projects and implement additional and
improvised features from these.

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CHAPTER III
MATERIALS AND METHODS

For a research study to be successful, accurate collection of reliable data
and information is crucial. The information that will be gathered by the
proponents is the foundation of their project, which means that every member
should be knowledgeable in applying different techniques in data gathering.

In gathering the required data and information, the proponents used
various materials to successfully develop the project. The materials used for
project development includes software developing tools, devices, and different
equipment for proper executions of the projects hardware part. The methods
used by the proponents utilize scientific research techniques that harnesses the
processes from the field of computer engineering. The materials and methods
will be discussed furthermore in this chapter.

Material Specifications
The materials listed in Tables 3.1 and 3.2 are the materials that are used
by the proponents in developing the project prototype. It includes hardware and
software materials with required specifications to design the prototype properly.

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Material Specifications
RedBearLab BLE Shield
1.9 3.6V supply range (using
on-chip linear voltage
regulator)
2.1 to 3.6V supply range
(using on-chip DC/DC
regulator)
Fully Bluetooth v4.0 low
energy compliant
Circuit Module
9V Battery
IC7805 voltage regulator
LM2902 amplifier
10k ohm resistors
digital probes
1.4k resistor

Mobile Device

iPhone 4s
iPhone 5 (all models)
iPod touch 5
iPad 3/4/mini/Air
Arduino Uno Rev. 3
(microcontroller)
7-12V DC Power Input
16 MHz Clock Frequency
14 Digital I/O pins
6 analog Pins
Table 3.1 Hardware Requirements

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RedBearLab BLE Shield Version 2

Figure 3.1 RedBearLab BLE Shield 2 top view(left) and underside view (right)

BLE Shield stands for Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Shield. The device
operates under 3.3V or 5V and is based on the Nordic nRF8001 Bluetooth Low
Energy Integrated Circuit. It is designed to work with Arduino boards or
compatibles, including Arduino Uno, Mega 2560, Leonardo and Due. It allows
wireless connection between Arduino boards with other BLE Central device like a
smartphone or tablet. Because of these, it allows the development for some
applications such as controlling Arduino pins through a mobile App, sending
sensor data from Arduino to an App for processing, and using the mobile device
as an internet gateway for the Arduino.

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Circuit Module

Figure 3.2 Circuit Module Schematic diagram

The circuit module that the researchers will design and use comprises
three integrated parts. The first part is the voltage divider that protects the
module of taking in too much voltage from the probes. The second part is the
summing amplifier that will allow the Arduino Pin A0 to read negative (reverse)
voltages. And the third part is the power supply that comprises a 9V battery and
a voltage regulator.

6 5


Mobile Device

Figure 3.3 Blue iPod Touch 5 (left) and iPad Mini (right)
The mobile device that can be used in the design project is both an iOS 7
and above operating system compatible and with Bluetooth 4.0 hardware
support. The researchers will use an iPod Touch 5 and an iPad Mini for the
project.

Arduino UNO Rev3

Figure 3.4 Arduino Uno Rev 3

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An Arduino is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use
hardware and software. It's intended for anyone making interactive projects. The
Arduino UNO rev 3 is a microcontroller with 14 digital input/output pins (of which
6 can be used as PWM outputs), 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz ceramic resonator, a
USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header, and a reset button. An Arduino
microcontroller can be powered by an external source, or via a usb connection.

Specifications Recommended Requirements
Operating System for the
project development
OS X Yosemite (10.10) -> iOS
App Development
OS X Mavericks (10.9) ->
Arduino Sketch Development
Windows 7/8/8.1 - > Arduino
Sketch Development
Windows XP SP3 -> Circuit
Simulation
Operating system for the
target users mobile device
iOS 7.1 or Higher
iOS 8
Programming language for the
iOS Application
C, Objective-C, C++
Programming language for the
microcontroller (Amtel Atmega
328p)
Modified C/C++
Assembly Language
Software Development Kit
iOS 7.1 SDK on Xcode 5.1.1
(iOS Application)
iOS 8.0 SDK on Xcode 6 (iOS
App)
Arduino IDE 1.0.5/1.5.7
(Arduino Sketch)

Table 3.2 Software requirements

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Since Arduino microcontroller utilization is present in the project, program
execution and implementation must also be discussed and carefully analyzed for
a better result of the project. Table 3.2 shows the software requirements used in
this project.

The Operating system to be used depends on the mobile device used,
which in this case, the project since uses apple as a mobile device. Xcode will
be the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for this project. For coding the
Arduino, there is an IDE which is specifically for Arduino only and is open source.
The Arduino IDE uses modified C/C++.

Research Design and Methods
The research design and methods used in this project includes strategies
and plans that helped the proponents in obtaining successful results for the
research. Aside from meeting the said goals, it also helped the proponents to
gain a clearer and deeper understanding of the projects concept and meeting
the requirements to make an effective prototype. The two types of research that
can be most helpful for the study proposed by the researchers are the descriptive
research and developmental research.

6 8


Descriptive Research
A descriptive research is a type of research that utilizes methodologies
like observations, surveys, self-reports, and tests to compare and analyze data.
To perform such methodologies, specific variables are required to be studied on
and to determine their relationships with each other. This type of research can
also help researchers determine the possible and future implications of the
project, which can be of great help in the study. The proponents study focuses
on the possible solutions on improvising a portable and inexpensive
oscilloscopes for students and professionals.

Developmental Research
This type of research focuses on developments, changes, and processes
that are required in the projects improvement. Developmental research is very
important as it bases on the conceptual framework developed by the
researchers.

Data Gathering Instruments
The methods of research discusses what strategies and approaches are
used by the researchers in order to gather valuable data from variables. Methods
of research include observation, library or internet research, interviews, and
surveys. This part of the study is very crucial as it opens paths for possible

6 9


improvements in the projects through comments and suggestions of people who
will utilize and benefit from the project.

Observation Method
Observation method is a form of research that from the word itself,
involves observation of specific variable/s, as all researches start with simple
observations. Observation method is done by systematically watching and
documenting all natural behaviors of variables that occur in a certain environment
and how each gathered information relate them with each other.

Interview Method
The interview method of research is conducted by interviewing
personalities which are expert in different fields, for this studys case,
Electronics/Computer Engineers. In performing an interview, the interviewers
must prepare a set of questions which must be answered by the interviewee with
full honesty. While the interview is ongoing, the information that is being stated
by the interviewee must be recorded. The advantage of an interview over other
methods of research is that the information obtained mostly cant be found in
books but are facts which are based on experiences.

7 0


Library Method
The researchers gather information through library method by making use
of books, magazines, libraries, newspapers, theses, and other related written
materials found in libraries.

Internet Method
The proponents gather information by browsing trusted websites in the
internet. Aside from websites and articles, the use of books, magazines, and
newspapers, in the form of ebooks are also used in this study.

Research Setting
The development of the documents and prototype of the proposed project
was located in AMA Computer College East Rizal. This is the academic
institution attended by the proponents.

In gathering valuable information, the proponents visited various academic
institutions libraries. The institutional libraries visited by the proponents are the
Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP), University of the East (UE), and
La Salle University located in Taft, Manila.

7 1


The proponents are planning to implement the proposed project in
academic institutions that offer electronics/computer engineering related courses
since its main purpose is for experiments on electronics.

Respondents of the Study
There will be a total of forty five (45) respondents in this research which
will be used for the evaluation of the project.

The forty five respondents will be composed of college students taking up
the course computer or electronics engineering which will then be divided into
three sets, based on their year level. A total of fifteen (15) respondents will be
selected from the second year, third year, and first year students. The college
freshmen are not included in the list of respondents since they still do not have
subjects that require the utilization of oscilloscopes.

Statistical Treatment
Statistical treatment of data is used in studies to obtain unbiased reports
and data. The importance of statistical treatment is that it implies data
organization for a better result to a study and reminds the researchers not to
assume any more about the result than the data assurance.

7 2


Mean
Also known as average, is the sum of all data values over the number of
data values. A mean is used to measure the central tendency of different values.

Standard Deviation
Standard deviation is a numerical value used to indicate how widely
individuals in a group vary from the average or mean. Having a low standard
deviation shows more accurate comparison as it indicates data points that are
close to average. If a standard deviation is higher, it shows that the comparison
is beyond average.

7 3


The sample standard deviation formula is:

( )

where,
s = sample standard deviation
sum of...
u = sample mean
n = number of scores in sample.

Likert Scale
The Likert scale, usually used as a survey form, is used to measure the
attitudes of different individuals. Below is the Likert Scale the will be used by the
researchers for evaluating the proposed project.

RANGE SCALE RATING
4.51 5.00 Strongly Agree 5
3.51 4.50 Agree 4
2.51 3.50 Fairly Agree 3
1.51 2.50 Disagree 2
1.00 1.50 Strongly Disagree 1

7 4


Z-Test
Z test is used to compute the mean or average of two different
populations. It is used for large amounts of population, specifically for a
population amounting more than thirty.

Known variables:
= Standard deviation of population
= Mean of the population
x = Mean of the sample
n = Size of the sample

Standard error (SE) of the mean

Z score for the z-test

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