Blog Posts – ay2526team17

Sensor Test Preparations (Week 20)

Published:February 20th, 2026

This week team FeraFree made more progress towards our sensor testing goals. The electrical side of the team evaluated available literature and determined that our use of breadboards up until now could be a major source of noise for the sensitive TMR component, diluting the signal quality obtained from debris particles in wind turbine bearing grease. As a result, the team plans to solder each component of the sensor data processing circuit together via a solder board next week. Hopefully this will reduce noise in the system and improve overall sensitivity. Expect images of that process or the new output data in the next blog update.

In response to the solder board revelation, the mechanical side of the team rapidly dimensioned (Eric and Diana shown doing this below) and designed a rigid support for the solder board and sample containers. Once printed, this part will reduce human error in testing and improve data reliability/repeatability as more variables come under the team’s control. On the microcontroller software front, Analog-to-Digital Conversion was programmed and implemented, allowing the microcontroller to interpret analog data from the sensor circuitry. Finally, the team drafted documentation for testing the sensor under a range of conditions in the near future.

Tagged as: CAD, FeraFree, grease, IPPD, main bearing, NextEra, product design, prototype, SolidWorks, TMR sensor, wear debris, wind turbine

Simpler Grease Modelling (Week 19)

Published:February 13th, 2026

Category:Spring Semester

After much consideration, team FeraFree has decided to forgo physical simulation with the wind turbine replica bearing in lieu of simpler fluid calculations. This reflects limitations in budget, time, and a greater emphasis on producing a functional prototype. Consideration was also given to simulating the grease flow in a virtual bearing but that idea was also eliminated as the team does not have the prerequisite knowledge for complex simulation of that degree. Product design continues with passive grease collection as the primary method for sampling debris concentration, with a more mechanically involved collection method as a backup.

Software development for the microcontroller continues and cellular (LTE) functionality was confirmed, providing the route for sensor data transfer away from the installation site. Design of the printed circuit board for sensor data processing and power handling is nearing completion. Testing has begun with two sensors, attempting to use one as a reference signal to reduce noise and isolate the signals produced by the ferrous debris. Next week the team plans to continue sensor work and outline documentation required for the Final Design Review.

Tagged as: data transfer, FeraFree, grease, IPPD, main bearing, NextEra, PCB, product design, prototype, TMR sensor, wear debris, wind turbine

Grease Testing Concepts (Week 18)

Published:February 5th, 2026

Category:Spring Semester

Team FeraFree has two main sub-groups, one for the mechanical portion of the prototype and another for the electrical and software portion. The mechanical group (consisting of Nick, Eric, and Diana) spent this week generating concepts for the grease testing apparatus as well as finalizing prototype dimensions and determining where internal components will rest. We found that the replica bearing rollers don’t rotate easily with manual rotation of the inner race, and so we may have to load it to induce enough friction to lead to roller rotation. See pictured below Nick helping to generate concepts for how we’ll build the support and loading apparatus to test the passive fill system.

The electrical/software group continued testing the TMR sensor, the progress on which has now been divided into two avenues, DC & AC circuits respectively. Minh managed to acquire a measurable signal at 6k PPM ferrous debris concentration with the DC circuit. Maddie and Will put in time programming our microcontroller. Finally, we purchased an additional TMR sensor so that we can pursue DC & AC testing routes in parallel.

Tagged as: concept generation, FeraFree, grease, IPPD, main bearing, NextEra, product design, prototype, replica bearing, TMR sensor, wear debris, wind turbine

Geo-Tagging & Fluid Test Prep (Week 17)

Published:January 30th, 2026

Category:Spring Semester

Two steps forward, one step back.

This week team FeraFree endured the loss of one our promising debris sensors, the tunnelling magnetoresistive (TMR) sensor. Voltage was applied in the incorrect direction across the pins, leading to an electrical burnout. Rest assured however, as a replacement is already ordered and on the way to let the team continue sensor testing next week.

In brighter news, Maddie successfully enabled GNSS tracking on the microcontroller board the team plans to use in the final prototype, with an accuracy of less than 10 meters from actual position even at the base of multi-story buildings. This feature was tested inside a rudimentary Faraday cage (to simulate the prototype casing) and failed, confirming that the final design will need to include antennas to move the signal outside the casing. Later, Diana and Nick measured the dimensions of the replica bearing (pictured below), and selected needed materials to build a grease transport testing rig in the near future.

Wind turbine main bearing replica laying inside a box with a ruler laid across the diameter.

Tagged as: Faraday cage, FeraFree, GNSS, GPS, grease, grease transport, IPPD, main bearing, NextEra, product design, prototype, replica bearing, wear debris, wind turbine

Cleaning Up The Signal (Week 16)

Published:January 23rd, 2026

Category:Spring Semester

This week team FeraFree continued setting up the TMR sensor and refining the output signal to detect ferrous debris in grease samples (Diana, Max, and Dr. Marte shown working in the image below). We achieved a practical gain in the amplitude of the signal of 2 and successfully reduced a large portion of the noise. Input and output signal voltages to the electromagnetic coil and from the TMR sensor are present and comparable. Maddie and Will worked on connecting our microprocessor to the cell network, which we anticipate to use to meet our sponsor’s geo-tagging requirement.

Next steps will include increasing the voltage provided for signal amplification, isolating the phase difference between the input and output sensor signals and correlating that with various debris concentrations. On the mechanical side, we received a scaled-down replica of the wind turbine main bearing, and we plan to use this to test fluid dynamics of the grease system and evaluate various grease transport methods. Look forward to our next update!

Tagged as: FeraFree, grease, IPPD, main bearing, NextEra, product design, prototype, signal, TMR sensor, waveforms, wear debris, wind turbine

First Steps of Spring (Week 15)

Published:January 16th, 2026

Category:Spring Semester

New year, new testing rig!

This week team FeraFree hit the ground running by implementing a number of planned upgrades to our sensor testing circuit. Our main focus remains with the tunnelling magnetoresistive (TMR) sensor, which promises a high level of sensitivity to wear debris in a small package, especially when paired with an electromagnetic coil (shown below).

Maddie made the coil easier to swap out by removing one wall of the spool, and attached the sensor directly to the spool to create more consistent readings. After that, Max, Minh, and Will implemented low pass filtering and a signal amplifier to better isolate and extract the signal associated with grease wear debris.

Next steps will include fixing the tubing such that only grease movement is detected, and performing material characterization on the samples provided by NextEra Energy.

Sensor chip placed inside electromagnetic coil on half a plastic spool, firmly mounted by an alligator clip.

Tagged as: FeraFree, grease, IPPD, main bearing, NextEra, product design, prototype, TMR sensor, wear debris, wind turbine

System Level Design Review (SLDR) Week 14

Published:December 5th, 2025

Category:Fall Semester

This week was a major milestone for our team. Tuesday was our System Level Design Review (SLDR), an event we’ve been preparing for throughout the semester. The day started with an interactive keynote session, where IPPD teams and liaisons gathered in groups to participate in discussions highlighting key questions, common misconceptions, and practical advice about working in the professional engineering industry.

After the keynote, we had the opportunity to present our SLDR to our liaisons, other project teams, and attending faculty. We formally showcased our updated system architecture, hardware layout, and the overall design direction we’ve developed this semester. It was extremely rewarding to finally share everything that we’ve been working on. It was also very validating to hear questions and feedback from people outside our team.

Overall, the SLDR was a huge success, and it was exciting to show off the work that the team has poured into this project. As we head into break, we’re looking forward to continuing development, refining our prototype and testing approach, and preparing for extensive prototyping next semester. There’s still a lot to do, but this week has made us even more motivated and confident moving into the next phase.

Below is an image from the SLDR event, and it will be updated once the professional photos taken at the event are made available to us:

Peer Review SLDR (Week 13)

Published:November 22nd, 2025

Category:Fall Semester

This week, FeraFree participated in the Peer Review for our System-Level Design Review (SLDR). We had the opportunity to present our current design and progress to three other IPPD teams – LineTech, DreamSteam, and RideOn – as well as the IPPD Lab Manager Lawrence Warren. This was extremely valuable, as it allowed us to gather feedback on both the technical details and overall delivery of the presentation before the SLDR event on December 2nd.

This feedback will help us pinpoint areas that need clarification and improve our presentation flow and slide organization as we move forward. Additionally, attending the other teams’ presentations gave us insight into different approaches being used for system-level reviews.

Attached below is a photo of our team after finishing our presentation!

Pushing Toward SLDR & Sensor Testing (Week 12)

Published:November 16th, 2025

Category:Fall Semester

This week, our team has been fully focused on locking down the final details for our System-Level Design Review (SLDR) report. We’ve made significant progress and are now close to completing our draft for the peer-review presentation on Tuesday, November 18th.

At the same time, we’ve continued our sensor testing efforts, specifically with several new sensors that arrived this week. These additions have helped us gather more data and explore alternative sensing approaches, and we hope to continue evaluating which technologies show the most promise for our system.

Below are pictures from one of this week’s testing session:

Prototype Inspection Day (PID): Week 11

Published:November 10th, 2025

Category:Fall Semester

This week, our team had the opportunity to attend the University of Florida IPPD Prototype Inspection Day (PID) and showcase the first iteration of our project. We presented a preliminary mechanical model along with a sensor testing setup to several groups of UF faculty.

PID gave us the chance to explain our design decisions, walk through our testing process, and gather real-time reactions and feedback from experts with diverse engineering backgrounds. We received feedback on our mechanical layout, sensing approach, and system integration strategy, which we will use to guide the next phases of our project.

Overall, this event marked an exciting milestone as we transition from conceptual work to physical prototyping. We look forward to refining our design based on the feedback we received to build toward a fully functional system.

Below are some pictures from the event:

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