Assignment 16: Applications and Implications

what materials and components were used? and where did they come from?

This is the POS terminal for carrying out transactions with the help of Mudra, a virtual centralized currency. This currency can be earned by working for fablab. When somebody does job for the fablab for the appreciation fablab offers individual with credits. These credits can be narrated using the POS terminal, this terminal can read the RFID card and identify user and can carry out selected function.

As far as hardware concered many companies have done it beforehand their POS works with the network and directly debit the amount from user's account. But theirs doesn't allow individual to credit the amount into individual's account but mine is. Now if we think about the FAB currency which is also a great project started by some of fab nodes. I did this project for connecting them together, a coins and system to manage it.

I've designed following things for this project,

Statsha kit - a modified version
4x4 matrix keypad
RFID reader module PCB
A program for GUI and the functions for sending data to server - Adafruit FONA library used
A program to read keystrokes - Arduino Keypad library used
Implemented software serial as we have two devices to talk via serial port, one if GSM module and other is RFID module.

6mm buttons - Digikey
GSM module - Amazon
Lithium Polymer battery - Local Vendor
Wires and switches - Local Vendor
Acrylic - available in lab
Atmegs328 - Digikey
Header pins- Digikey
PCB - available in lab

Listin out the processes/ modules which are covered in this project

Embedded Programming
Electronics Design and Production
Interface design
Networking
Vinyl Cutting
LASER cutting
Project planning

Project presentation slide and video

Before start, I want to make an announcement that I'm not computer graduate so, basically I made an application on the fly i.e. learning by doing. I encourage readers to test my application built till now and suggest changes and improvements where were required.

Constructive criticism welcome.

This week I've dedicated the work for web application development. The work I've done till now is documented below.

My final project is all about making a device to make all financial transactions easier between two parties. In my final project I've decided to make the ecosystem which will work on the concept of local currency. So, what exactly is the virtual currency that I'll be introducing to FABLAB network??

First of all the local currency is the type of currency which is available to use within the specified organizations or the geo-location. Local currency will encourage the spending within the local community. This will help the local businesses to grow faster.

I'm planing to empower the Pabal village with currency which will bloom the local businesses. To achieve aforementioned motto I'm making a ecosystem which will keep track of the users as well as their accounts. Now, to have this in place I do have to have a device which will ease the transaction process, the process still can be done with pen-paper and huge place all these transaction records but, do you think this is possible?

Yes, you're right.It's not possible to invest that much in just to keep records and even it's pain to keep them updated. So, it's time to think about technological solution which will divinely make the task simple. When I was thinking about the solution aether gave me a solution to build a point-of-sell(POS) terminal, this device is registered with the vendor and can be use to accept the payments.

PCB desning and fabrication
Laser cutting and making snap-fit objects
3D printing the fixtures for the hardware device
Fabrication of input devices - a Keypad
Embedded programming for IO devices - device has got LCD, keypad and the GSM modem to communicate
Networking and Interface designing
Application designing

Below find the screen-shots of the website which is live and for the same link can be found below the pictures. The following functionalities are ready. More features and the hardware that I'm be working on.

List of features which are working

New user registration
Admin login
User login

The structure of the software is the back bone of the application uses php scripts which rules the peripheral system on the server data. Most of the processes uses POST method to the send the data as these request can not be bookmarked and secured and not directly visible to users. I'm

The image show beside is the captured during the testing LCD with the attiny44 board. I've made the board which can able to interface with the 16x2 character LCD display and as well as the GSM modem using serial port.

As the reference design I've used the Prof.Neil's board to make this board. The design is attached below.