Leonardo WardSince the beginning of this project we have designed and tested different electronic designs, this log compares them and highlights their features, cost and dimensions.
We recently design EJA M v1.0 with the goal of replacing the previous designs, including some features (and removing the unused ones), reducing the cost and the size of the design. This log will show if the new design accomplishes those goals.
The project contains 2 different products (the Intelligent Buoy and the Onboard Gateway), each one has a different application, this log will compare the PCB designs that have the same application.
Intelligent Buoy
This device provides communication, a GPS for localization and activates the Ropeless System. To create an Intelligent Buoy we have designed 3 different PCBs in the last 2 years, those are:
Features
Those designs include the following features:
| Features | Buoy A v1.0 | Buoy B v1.0 | EJA M v1.0 |
| LoRa | X | X | X |
| GPS | X | X | X |
| Servo Motor | X | X | X |
| ESP32 | X | X | X |
| Real Time Clock | X | X | X |
| DC Motor | X | X | |
| 4G (LTE) | X | ||
| Battery Charger | X | ||
| Battery Level Indicator | X | ||
| Accelerometer | X |
Cost
| Buoy A v1.0 | Buoy B v1.0 | EJA M v1.0 |
| $201.01 | $131.02 | $108.39 |
The following logs contain the detailed bill of materials of each design.
Size
| Buoy A v1.0 | Buoy B v1.0 | EJA M v1.0 |
| 141.73 mm * 54.86 mm | 102.36 mm * 44.2 mm | 98 mm * 51 mm |
Notes: Buoy A v1.0 and Buoy B v1.0 require a 5V input, therefore they require a module or a PCB that provides 5V from the battery, this module will increase the required space for the design. EJA M v1.0 contains the power supply module inside the design, it can be connected directly to a 3.7V battery (or battery pack).
Onboard Gateway
This devices allows the user to communicate with the intelligent buoys. To create an Onboard Gateway we have designed 2 different PCBs in the last 2 years, those are:
Features
Those designs include the following features:
| Features | Onboard Gateway v1.0 | EJA M v1.0 (Reduced Version) |
| LoRa | X | X |
| ESP32 | X | X |
| Battery Charger | X | X |
| Real Time Clock | X | |
| Battery Level Indicator | X |
The design EJA M v1.0 contains several features that are not present in the previous table, but they are not relevant for this application. In this comparison we are considering a reduce version of EJA M v1.0, it is basically the same PCB without the components that are not relevant in the application.
Cost
| Onboard Gateway v1.0 | EJA M v1.0 (Reduced Version) |
| $84.34 | $76.07 |
The following logs contain the detailed bill of materials of each design.
Size
| Onboard Gateway v1.0 | EJA M v1.0 (Reduced Version) |
| 62.48 mm * 134.11 mm | 98mm * 51 mm |
Conclusion
For both applications, we can conclude that EJA M v1.0 is a better solution considering the metrics that have been presented in this log: features, cost and size.
Discussions
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