Week 11: (25/11/13 - 29/11/13)

Drafting The Proposal Report

For week 11, based on my project planning, I suppose to combine the both circuit. However due to work loads that have burden me, I decided to postpone this task to my semester break. This week I started to work on my abstract for my proposal report and further research on a buck boost converter.

For next week I will make some research about the main components.

Week 10: (18/11/13 - 22/11/13)

Presentation: FYP Proposal

This week a presentation week for FYP1. It was held on Friday 22 November 2013, from 2.00 PM untill 5.00 PM at Gemilang Hall of  UniKL-BMI. On last Monday I already prepared the slide for the presentation. The presentation required the student to present the proposal about project. My presentation has been assess by two assessors, Miss Norrolhoda bt Sanif and Sir Abdul Rashid b Othman.

The presentation went smoothly and I able to present to my assessors. Both of my assessors understands about my project and I also able to answer some of their questions regarding the project. Next week I will be doing the report proposal and update the log book. Below is the link to my slide presentation.

• FYP1 Project Proposal Slide     

Week 9: (11/11/13 - 15/11/13)

Circuits & Schematic Diagram

In week 9, I continue my research on a Buck Boost Converter. The main thing is I have to find a suitable circuit for this project. I decided to use LTC3115-1 for my circuit. In addition there will be another circuit for switching process using the 555 timer. At this moment, this two circuits are my initial circuit diagram. However I will make some adjustment in the future, such as to add a variable resistors in order to control the output voltage.

For next week, I have to prepare a slide show for my proposal presentation. I already make a draft slide and plan to meet Dr Izhar next Monday.  

Week 8: (4/11/13 - 8/11/13)

Flow Chart 

For this week, I have done a flow chart for my project. A flowchart is a type of diagram that represents an algorithm or process, showing the steps as boxes of various kinds, and their order by connecting them with arrows. This diagrammatic representation illustrates a solution to a given problem. Process operations are represented in these boxes, and arrows; rather, they are implied by the sequencing of operations. Flowcharts are used in analyzing, designing, documenting or managing a process or program in various fields.

In my flow chart there are 3 option such as greater, less or equal output voltage. The option will be control by a variable resistor. However the equal option is not relevant, because if we want an equal value of output voltage, than we don't need a buck boost converter in the first place.

For next week I plan to research some circuits that suits my project. I also have to draft a presentation slide for my supervisor Dr Izhar. I plan to meet him on next Friday.

Week 7: (28/10/13 - 1/11/13)

Introduction & Block Diagram

On week 7, I started on introduction and objective for my project. Basically my project is about a buck boost converter. The buck–boost converter is a type of DC-to-DC converter that has an output voltage magnitude that is either greater than or less than the input voltage magnitude. Two different topologies are called buck–boost converter. Both of them can produce a range of output voltages, from an output voltage much larger (in absolute magnitude) than the input voltage or down to almost zero.

Buck-boost converter topologies fit into a wide range of applications. Whether charging a battery from a battery, powering a string of LEDs, or running a handheld device from a single cell, the buck-boost topology can provide an important weapon of design tricks. Whether it is low cost, high efficiency, or low noise, some version of buck-boost topology can solve the problem. And, if buck-boost design works for multiple products, it save a considerable effort of designing separate power supplies for each load voltage. However, as with any type of design, the buck-boost-converter brings its share of design challenges.

The objective is to understand how the Buck-Boost Converter works. The main idea for this project is to be able to regulate output voltage less or greater. While the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) works as a switching for my project. Other than that this project also help me to implement knowledge and skills that I have learned so far. A Buck-Boost Converter is one of my syllabus in subject Power Electronic that I learned last semester.

For scope and limitation, this project is for DC-to-DC only. The input and output voltages are set to certain amount of limitation. At this point I haven't decide what suitable range voltage for my project. I would say around 3V to 30V. Other than that, this project is 100% hardware, no coding or software needed. However in term of simulation for circuit I plan to use MultiSim 2013 and for PCB layout I will use DipTrace software. Here is my block diagram for my project.