Describe your project with a set of block diagrams. The set of diagrams need to be high-level in the sense that an engineer not familiar with your project can get a basic understanding just by studying your diagrams. On the other hand, they should show enough detail so that the designers can easily understand what exactly they are designing.

Projects that will have only a single box may need only one block diagram. Projects that integrate many boxes and devices into a system will require a set of block diagrams.

Structure

System Block Diagram (if needed)

Show a high-level diagram of your entire system. The major blocks here are the "boxes" that are connected together. For example, you may have a base station that connects to the Internet, to two sensor boxes you build using a wireless protocol, and to an already-built motion detector using USB. You should show the base station, with all connections described (e.g. "connection to Internet using the TCP/IP over Ethernet protocol"), each of the sensor boxes, and the motion detector.

Box Block Diagrams

For each box you will build, include a box block diagram. This block diagram will go to a deeper level than the system diagram. It should identify all of the major hardware systems involved, and any communication between them, or out of the box. In the above example, you'll need box block diagrams for the base station and both of the sensor boxes. The block diagrams will show components such as microcontrollers, user input/output devices, power supply, communications processors, analog front ends and A/D converters, amplifiers, etc.

Kevin Bolding September 22, 2009