Work in three- or four-person teams to construct a free space optical communication system capable of transmitting and receiving data from a DVD player. The system will consist of two parts – a laser transmitter and an optical receiver. The laser transmitter will take the digital bit stream out of a DVD player, and produce matching optical pulses. The receiver will translate these optical pulses back to an electrical bit stream that can be read by an audio receiver. The system should produce high fidelity audio transmission at DVD bit rates.

Each team’s communication system must demonstrate high fidelity transmission over a range of at least 20 feet, fit inside of the provided package, and have enough dynamic range to operate between 5 and 20 feet without any adjustment to the electronics (i.e. potentiometers).

Provided components:

• Two webcams
• 2 lasers
• 1 optical detector
• 2 AC/DC power supplies

The final system will be graded based on the completeness of the design, packaging, and documentation. The completed system will need to include a specification document and user’s manual. The setup and operation of the system during the final demonstration will be accomplished by someone external to the senior project. So make sure that your system is easy enough to use and your documentation is adequate.

There will also be a competition for the team whose system can be set up the quickest by the judge (a person chosen by the instructors who is not a member of any of the groups). The set up time will include separation distances of both 5 and 20 feet. The specifics of the competition will be determined later in the semester. The team with the fastest setup time will gain extra credit.