Our
research facilities are located on the East Campus of the
University of Tennessee, Knoxville. On-site resources
include 3,000 ft2 of laboratory
space (see layout view of
the Sensors & Controls Lab at right), a staffed electronics design and
fabrication shop, and a staffed precision machine shop.  |
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In
addition to our on-site resources, over 35,000 acres of land
are available on 9 Research and Education Centers across Tennessee (Milan Experiment
Station shown in photo at left). |
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UT Sensors & Controls Laboratory is fully equipped to develop
innovative solutions to the challenging problems that face
agricultural production and processing. Laboratory personnel utilize
state-of-the-art equipment in the analysis, design, debugging, and
evaluation of prototype sensors and control systems. Lab
equipment includes oscilloscopes (analog and digital), function
generators, power supplies, field-based dataloggers, a
precision LCR meter, and a variety of microcontroller (PIC and
Motorola 68HCxx) developments
systems. |
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Following
initial prototyping (bread-boarding) of electronic systems,
printed circuit boards (PCBs) are generated using in-house
equipment. A rapid prototyping machine allows us to turn out
professional quality, single board solutions. The inset
photo at left illustrates a recent PCB incorporating a Motorola
68HC11 microcontroller and CAN controller chips.
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modeling and precision agriculture are two Sensors and Controls
Lab specialties. Resources within these areas include
multiple DGPS receivers for site-specific research and a
survey-grade RTK-GPS unit for applications requiring extreme
positioning accuracy. Laboratory personnel utilize ArcView
(GIS) with the Spatial Analyst, 3D Analyst, and Geostatistics extensions for spatial data analysis
and modeling. |
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Additional
laboratory resources include a variety of measurement and
instrumentation equipment, such as the Universal Testing Stand
(shown at left). The resources of the
Sensors and Control Lab enable its personnel to address the needs
of Tennessee agriculture.
For more information about the
capabilities of The University of Tennessee Sensors and Controls
Laboratory, contact:
John B. Wilkerson, Ph.D.
(wilkerj@utk.edu),
2506 E. J. Chapman Drive
Knoxville, TN 37996-4531
PHONE: (865) 974-7266 |
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