From what we set out to do, the results met our expectations. This project was not super ambitious — we wanted to have a solid, reliable product that would have real world uses as well. In that sense, our project definitely met our expectations. The device made, with slight modifications and proper casing, is ready to be used outside of lab and in actual apartments. An extra feature that could be added is the ability to use phones, through the apartment intercom microphone, as an additional Morse code input method. With more testing and development, a system which could recalibrate itself to different buzzer sounds could be made.
We reused code and circuits from earlier labs. Circuitry for the TFT screen and the solenoid are from previous labs. The amplifier circuit for the microphone was found in the public domain. There are patent opportunities for our project as we believe it to be novel and useful, while research has not turned up any device that is similar in function and design to our product.
As a project group, we took ethical considerations into the planning and execution of our project. The system we made is meant to be an alternative way of getting in your apartment when you either forgot your buzzer or need to let someone in when you’re not there (parcel delivery). Because of that, there are concerns that our device could be manipulated to open up when it shouldn’t and threaten the property of those whose lives this product was meant to benefit. To mitigate the chances of that happening, we did extensive testing to ensure entry without the correct password is impossible. While there are a number of people who do use and know Morse code, it is unlikely that they would be able to correct figure out the password with just one or two listens, so the concern that the password can be stolen is mitigated as well. As a group, we provide honest feedback to each other while helping out whenever needed to further our technical experience and expertise.
There are no legal considerations to our project. Our product does not originate any audio or radio signals — it just receives and interprets audio. As such, there are no FCC legal restrictions for our product.