It’s been another exciting week with the CATS teams. Cold and flu season is upon us, but that did not keep the teams from meeting to keep a steady pace. This week, the CATS teams acquired a power control module that both the hardware and software teams will utilize.
The hardware team presented diagrams and plans for the PCB and housing in which the system would be contained. The team also kept in mind potential problems that they may encounter. The alpha prototype of the system uses different hardware than what is intended for the final design of the system, so the team ensured that the hardware changes would not affect housing and PCB plans. The hardware team continued to plan and prepare for the trip to ISAM.
The software team made progress this week with a function that will turn a machine on and off. In this early stage of the function, a card swipe will turn on the machine for a short time before it powers off. However, the software team also encountered some problems. The team discovered that the SQL server can only be accessed through Ethernet or VPN. While this is not detrimental to early stages of the system, it presents a sizable obstacle to the late stage design since connectivity to both Ethernet and WiFi is part of the needs. The software team will have to work with data locally until the teams find a solution to the problem.
Looking ahead, both teams are focusing on ways to overcome the difficulties that the SQL connection limitations present. The software team will also work to advance the function so that the control of power is more reliant on user ID and keypad entries. Both teams are working hard to ensure that the alpha prototype of the system works and is presentable for ISAM.