Sensor Data Capturing Using FPGA

Sham, Zhen Wen (2025) Sensor Data Capturing Using FPGA. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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Abstract

The adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies, particularly real-time data acquisition (DAQ) systems for condition monitoring, presents significant cost and complexity challenges for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). This research addresses these limitations by designing, implementing, and verifying a cost-effective, FPGA-based DAQ system. The system utilizes an FPGA to interface with multiple sensors, including an ADXL345 accelerometer for vibration, an LM35 temperature sensor via an ADS1115 ADC, and IR proximity sensors for digital input. VHDL was used to develop I2C drivers, a Finite State Machine (FSM) for data packet formatting, FIFO buffering, and UART communication logic on the FPGA. A Python application with open-source library running on a PC handles high-speed serial data reception, parsing, real-time processing (including FFT analysis of vibration data), GUI-based visualization of time-domain and frequency-domain signals, digital status indication, and data logging to CSV files. The design was validated through VHDL simulation and hardware testing FPGA implementation demonstrated efficient resource utilization Functional verification confirmed reliable data transmission, realtime visualization, and accurate sensor integration. Vibration tests using a DC motor successfully captured and analyzed operational signatures, identifying fundamental frequencies via FFT. This work demonstrates a potential usage of FPGA platform for real-time multi-sensor data acquisition.