Ideas for my Thesis topic  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: flienky
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 17, 2021, 09:41:45 pm
content: Hello everyone,I am about to finish by Bachelor's and Integrated Master's degree (5 years). This year I will have to choose my Thesis and I need your help.About me: I love programming and this is what I want to do for a living. I find embedded programming challenging and a very interesting subject compared to "regular" SoftEng. I don't see myself designing boards full time, but I understand that designing&laying pcbs will be a necessary skill.I want to find a Thesis, that will be appreciated in my first job search. The goal of my thesis is to use it (along side with other projects) to find a good first job. The Thesis that I choose would like to consist of 75% programming and 25% pcb design.Here are some ideas that I have in mind:1) Automated testing farm with HIL testingMore and more devices (iot, cars etc) are being connected to the internet and receive software updates. Firmware releases will have to be produced in short cycles and being tested automatically without any manual work. I plan to build a testing farm which will be used to test the new software updates at a more rapid pace. The farm will consist of the following:A supervisor hardware (maybe rasberry pi) that will distribute the testing jobs to the Testing ModulesTesting Modules that consist of a (custom?) microcontroller and 2-3 IO cards. The testing module will install the software to be tested to the device (for example an ECU) and run a hardware in the loop test to check if the software update passes the testsΑ UI that developers will use to track the progress of the tests.What do you think about this thesis? Is it worth it? Maybe is it too complex? Do companies for example in the Automotive Sector (like Tesla that pushes so many software updates) use these types of test gigs to test their code? Do they implement it in-house, or buy equipment from companies like National Instruments?2) Build a custom microcontroller. Connect multiple of them with CANBUS (or UART). One of these will be master and the rest of them are slaves. The master will communicate wirelessly with a server and receive software updates for the rest of the controllers. The master will check if the update is valid and flash the firmware though the CANBUS.This type of setup will be used widely in the automotive sector. Almost all new electric cars have OTA firmware update capabilities. Is it worth it? What do you think about this topic?-------------------Which of the two topics would you choose or appreciate more if you were the interviewer? Feel free to comment each topic and recommend a third one!Thanks!

author: Kerlin
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2021, 01:25:39 am
content: Sounds like an interesting project.At this stage I wouldn't make any recommendations a on particular project, but offer one bit of advise.Make sure you can finish it.I did a really ambitious embedded project and couldn't finish it.I was also working and had a son that year, was a mature (old) age student.I took my entire one months holiday leave just to finish my project. I did complete it and pass, it was shown at the Uni's open day.Was in panic, coffee guzzling mode the whole time. Not a good way to spend a years leave.Having said that I do have a friend who couldn't finish it but wrapped it up as it was, in its unfinished state, wrote some conclusions on what he had learnt and how he would have completed it if he hadn't of run out of time. He passed.Prime directive - aim to complete it and pass.

author: MIS42N
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2021, 12:41:02 pm
content: In my opinion [and I mean, my opinion which could be completely wrong], you are approaching this from the wrong direction. You have decided on an application and already building it in your head, and you don't know if it is useful. Would it not be better to identify a need and see if you can fill it in an innovative way. The guy who turned Microchip around met a guy who made remotes for televisions, cd players etc, and asked him what he would like most and his answer was to not have so many different products sitting on shelves. And the reason he had products was because there was a lead time on getting the specific ROMS for each type of equipment. Microchip man said if I could give you a field programmable microprocessor would that fix the problem - which it did and Microchip went from heading towards bankruptcy to a billion dollar company. Point is he identified a problem, and produced a solution. The problem came first.So if you think an automated test rig is what you want to work on, the question is (and you asked it), how is it done now? Is it satisfactory (i.e. no use reinventing the wheel) or can I (a) speed it up or (b) make it cheaper or (c) improve it in some other way.As an example (and maybe not a good one) I have been working on a GPSDO (GPS disciplined oscillator) design. My criteria was to make it use less parts than any other design (which as an outcome means it is most likely cheaper than any other). The end result is most likely the cheapest GPSDO where all of the functions normally handled by ICs are handled by software in a $1.50 processor. Yet it has more user functionality than off the shelf units costing 5 times as much. Admitted I didn't see if there was a market (I did this as a programming exercise) but now I've designed and had made a PCB there's been a stirring of interest. If it were a thesis, I'd say I'd identified a market (even though I've admitted here that I didn't), designed the hardware, used some innovative programming to address cost and functionality, fulfilled market expectations. It may not get extra brownie points when submitted, but I bet a prospective employer would like that it wasn't just the programming, it was the research that went with it.

author: thinkfat
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 18, 2021, 01:32:27 pm
content: My advice is: don't overstretch yourself, don't underestimate the time you must spend to actually write the thesis. This may sound banal to you, but in my experience only few students understand that project management is implicitly part of the work and will be part of the evaluation. Choose your goals wisely, make a plan with realistic milestones. If you only have three months, forget about doing complex hardware projects.

author: Zeyneb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2021, 09:13:59 pm
content: If you can arrange with your university to do this while you are intern to a company. An internship, that would be the best option I think. Because they can inform you about what element they are currently missing in productivity, efficiency or quality. I think it is very important to spend significant effort to find a suitable company that is involved in the topics you’re interested in. When in the company you first need to see how they are doing things right now before you can formulate what the exact topic is going to be. And while you are going they can guide you regarding what constraints your design needs to have to make it suitable in their business process.

author: fourfathom
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2021, 10:56:54 pm
content: Quote from: flienky on September 17, 2021, 09:41:45 pmI don't know anything about your particular Masters program, but in my experience most programmers, even embedded, don't need to layout PCBs. If you are a one-man show then yes, you might, but in even a medium-size company the circuit design will be done by a hardware engineer (usually in cooperation with a software engineer), and that design will be handed off to a PCB designer. Sometimes the hardware engineer will do the board layout, but more often they will not.It's not a bad skill to have, but probably not necessary for a programmer working in most companies.

author: armandine2
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2021, 11:31:29 am
content: I guess you could select on the predicted dichotomy between the pcb work and software - perhaps you're looking to minimize the complexity of one or the other. As to predicting what industry wants or does that could be found out but possibly a shifting target. The advice many get is a small question answered well can be a good project. Maybe there is something you'd like to investigate which strikes you as doable and personally beneficial.Having had a little experience in research in an arts/sociology context as well as engineering/metrology the theory below if not directly useful may give some amusement.

author: iMo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2021, 01:56:43 pm
content: An MSc. (5y) should demonstrate in her/his Thesis he/she is able to apply his acquired knowledge (as well as related scientific or best engineering practice processes) in solving practical problems. Drawing/making PCBs is not a typical job for an MSc. guy or girl. Even programing like "coding" is not, imho.In your future job you will have to lead (MSc. role is usually to be the Leader) a project - ie . research and development of a new "product" end-to-end. Thus more "conceptual work" with demonstrated technological and managerial responsibility and accountability, than a "mechanical" hw/sw work.Based on your above inputs you have to find the "problem". Building a network of IoT gadgets, or automation of some measurements "per-se" is not a typical "problem". It is rather a set of tools..Also as thinkfat and others have mentioned - your time is limited and the countdown has started already, so do not expect you will produce boxes full of perfectly working electronics and gigabytes of bug free code. Usually a partially working Proof of Concept is something you may demonstrate till the next spring or so. In your Thesis you have rather to demonstrate you know a lot about the particular problem and you know well how the today's (world-wide available) know-how and best engineering practices are applied in solving of that specific problem.For example - "Wireless update of automotive systems firmware in remote locations of Equator Africa".Call Elon and ask him whether the cars could soon be equipped with Starlink capable hardware such you can update ANY car's firmware in a remote location.His answer might be yes, sure, but not soon as there are some problems with it..As a proof of concept build your Rpi master connected to a fake Starlink dish and simulate hot climate with a poor coverage.And try to update an automotive slave fw via the CANBUS.

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2021, 11:43:06 pm
content: Nice Question!An easy research, (helped me), is involving FPGA, having the mix of direct software control, plus a bunch of 'layout' skills, needed, on the chip.So, looking back in this thread, the 'FSD' IC Design is a good read, (SEE APRIL 25, approx. page 14 current, in this thread.)That might help give you some details, and new concepts, for custom stuff...--Rick

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2021, 10:46:03 pm
content: Oh yeah, uh, sorry, my last post a bit scatter brain!The 'FSD' Custom IC has something like 8 embedded processors (at 32 bit width), without detail mention, in the 'FSD' video.So, I'm not sure about the material 'compiled', that being higher level 'self-driving' related info. Rather than a compile of 'OP-CODES' to run.It's a long video, going into machine learning, but I believe there was a simple and short instruction 'set' having a couple data moves etcMy point being, generally, it's making things Engineering to be largely in a group or 'committee ' mode, as opposed to (the days) of a lonely Engineer, or three, with project responsibilities.I make the analogy, with modern medical office practices, today, often a person's condition is checked by a small number of specialists (perhaps 5 or more), all coordinated by (your) general doctor.Also, perhaps you'll want some enterprise planning experience too, for keeping an organized team (!).

author: Infraviolet
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2021, 12:14:17 am
content: What the prof who'll supervise your thesis will be interested in is the academic "excuse" for the work, how it can link to existing literature in their field, very clearly you are, as I was, interested in finding a topic which gives you a chance to do tasks which grab your interest. The trick will be finding a professor who wants something doing which gives you a good reason to engage in the types of work you hope to do for the thesis.