General Instructions for the Management of the Stress Project

Version 1.0, April 1998

The project is subdivided into three separate sections (four if you include the final report), instructions for each will be issued separately, the first sets in Week 21 (20th April). You have four weeks to complete all sections - arrange to spread the work over this time - do not be so stupid as to expect to complete everything in the last week, Week 24, it will not be possible, not least because of the availability of the equipment. You are advised to take notes from the start the project, and there are various questions associated with each part which must be answered in your report. When you reach the sections which involve programme writing and then data collection, remember that you need to keep copies of the code and data on a diskette. If each person has a copy this provides a backup.

Each student must write a separate report for the whole project.

Part 1. Construction of the Stress Meter

These instructions concern the physical construction of the apparatus from the components provided for you. The whole project depends upon the successful construction of your stress meter. Enough said?

Kits : The component kits will only be issued during the laboratory hours, i.e. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 2-5pm from the ESSO (Tiger) Computer Laboratory in Chemistry W329. A kit will be signed out to one or other student from each pair. Some of the components are very small, some may be sensitive to static electricity, so be careful with them, if you loose them or damage them there are no replacements for issue. Each bag has been carefully checked and contains a list of the components and parts. Note that there may be small differences between the same component in different bags.

Soldering : The soldering and other electrical construction equipment will also only be available during the above times when there are demonstrators present in the Tiger Lab. We have 6 electrical soldering irons, and to streamline their use by (about) 30 pairs of students we will need to set up a timetable for the soldering operations, and to give any instructions and help that are needed in the art of electrical soldering. The timetable will be set up when you (or your partner) come to the laboratory.

Part 2. Testing the Stress Meter

Your meter should attach to any standard PC Game (Joystick) port. You will need to buy 4×AA batteries to test and then run the stress meter, you also need some data collection software. For test purposes QBASIC provides good facilities. Some brief instructions about QBASIC will be issued, and you will find that QBASIC provides a very convenient, easy-to-learn, and easy-to-use method of testing an interface. It is also more than adequate for data collection in this simple type of equipment, you will also have the opportunity to use Borland C++. Any programs (QBASIC or C++) must be accompanied by proper documentation, no documentation = no marks!

Part 3. Collecting Data with Stress Meter.

Once you have a working meter, and a data collection programme then it can be used on any PC with a game port, so that you are not restricted to the Tiger Lab. Collect some data and store it onto a floppy disk.

Part 4. Project Report

Each student must write a separate, independent report for the whole project. Obviously there will be similarities between the reports if you are working in pairs. If you divide up the above tasks to some extent (you will have to sometimes!) then indicate in your report what you did yourself, and what your partner did. The projects will be marked separately, but they will be compared for partners. Printing of the reports will be possible from the Tiger Lab printer, the demonstrators have a printer card that can be used for free printing.

Hand your reports in (jointly) to one of the demonstrators or to Dr Maher, together with the completed meter.

Deadline : Friday May15th