My Final Year Project: EMCOTT

Sorry for really long time no serious update. Just random video or song sharing.

You know ma. I'm very busy ba. Write a post take very long time ma. About 2 hours u know. You know. I work from 8am to 5pm then go back home sometimes dating sometimes watching movie sometimes read newspapers sometimes etc etc and so and so lo. Till very very late orh. You know de ma. Sometimes I play games too. That's why I got no time to update blog lo. You know de right? You understand one right?

For all the reasons I gave, you can consider it as excuses for being lazy...



Since Qiao Ge requested me to update my blog, I go check my drafted posts and found this. Anyhow, intro you one nice song. Fuyo, really nice I tell u. Especially someone who always go clubbing like Qiao Ge must know this song.


Jennifer Hudson - If This Isn't Love

Enjoy.

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This post is written to share the process how I completed my PSM (Project Sarjana Muda) or FYP (Final Year Project) and the story about how my project won Gold in ITEX08 and Bronze in INPEX08.

EMCOTT stands for Easy Morse Code Transeiver and Trainer. A name given by my superior, Prof. Zarar.

In this project, I designed a program which can transmit data from Computer A to Computer B using Bluetooth devices. When successfully transmit or receive the data, the program will play Morse Code audio for the input text. The program can be used as Morse code Trainer too.


This figure explains all the process.

Basically, Morse Code was created by Samuel Morse on 1836. That time they don't have email or msn, so he came out with the idea by sending code using telegraph. You can google or wiki more information if you interest to study more.

Now we got post laju(post express), email, msn, telephone etc, why do we still need Morse Code?

That's what I'm trying to do.

To merge the technology of 20th century with the technology 160 years ago.


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*1st Generation of EMCOTT*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I gave it a noobie name. Morse code Generation & Detection.



With the resources on internet and kind assist from a Bluetooth Framework Developer, Mike Petrichenko, I was able to complete my program before the deadline. I even had time to design interfaces for my program.

I really need to say millions thanks to Mike Petrichenko who had helped me several times to solve my programs Bluetooth problems. He added me in MSN and answered every single noob questions I had asked. Without his help, I really have no idea how to complete my program. Thanks :)

K. Continue my story.

The functionality of a product is one important thing. The packaging of a product is another important thing because the first impression is very important.

For instance, before and after make up/photoshop:









Life is full of lies. So now you know the difference.

I designed some background pictures for my program interfaces.


Morse Generation Interface.


Morse Detection Interface.


Morse Self Training.


Morse Self Testing.

I showed Prof. Zarar my hard work. After i presented to him, he commented:" Why your interfaces look so CREEPY? All black black one ?"

Creepy? I didn't know my software looked scary to other people -_-"

To prevent that my users had nightmare after use it, I re-design the interfaces on the other day.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*2nd Generation of EMCOTT*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I added up some color. That's means it's more colorful compare to previous interface.


Main interface.


Morse Code Generation.


Morse Code Detection.


EMCOTT trainer -- Sentence test.


EMCOTT trainer -- Alphanumeric test.


EMCOTT trainer -- Alphanumeric test v2.


Emcott trainer -- Alphanumeric test specially for ITEX2008.


Emcott trainer -- Sentence test specially for ITEX2008.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*POSTER of EMCOTT*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A very original poster for the exhibition.


EMCOTT Poster V1

Prof Zarar responded to the poster: "What the tut is this? So many words! Who want to read this?"


EMCOTT Poster V2

"Hmmmm.... Still can be improved!" He said. He wanted a navy soldier and a ship in our poster. So i searched the images from google and photoshop them into the poster.

"I also want our endau face put inside the poster so that all people know it's our product!" He added.


EMCOTT Poster V3

Tada! Pretty or not?

The right picture at the upper right corner is Prof. Zarar. Endau mo?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*3rd Generation of EMCOTT*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

By the time I finished my FYP presentation with 2nd generation of EMCOTT, Prof. Zarar took our product and participated in ITEX (Innovation And Technology Exhibition) 2008 in KL. I couldn't follow because I got industrial training at Kuching. T.T

As the result, Prof. Zarar sent me an email.

Congratulations! EMCOTT has won a Gold medal at ITEX08. The project will now be taken to Pittsburgh USA in June for exhibition there. In the meantime it would be good if you could spend some time to make the GUI more attractive. Remove the blue background, enlarge the active window to full screen . Change Generation to Transmission, Detection to Reception. I had problem getting into Transmission after the training module. Please keep in touch to enhance the product.

Gold cert for ITEX2008.

As I asked the reason the product won a gold medal...

The judge is convinced that the software will be able to encourage greater usage of the 'dying' Morse Code.

Wow! Gold medal! Is there any cash or big prizes??? I prefer $.$ Cash... Here is the news.

In fact, there's nothing for me... Only a medal and a certificate for the winning but it's not for me. University hold it and refused to give it to me. No prizes no Cash. T.T How come a big competition like this no cash reward one?

Even Maggie Mee Hari Gawai contest also got cash as prizes ba -_-" ITEX wor...

Anyhow, I also asked Prof what he wanted for the enhancement...

The whole background is rather dark in blue. Use a lighter colour, perhaps very light GREEN. Make the buttons to be 3 dimensional so that they will stand out.

I bet Prof. Zarar is a green earth person. :)

I designed the interfaces again even I had finish my project. I did it because I'm a good student :)

Here's the very last interfaces.


Main interface.


Morse code trainer interface.


Morse code generation.


Morse code detection.

Hold on! The project will be taken to Pittsburgh USA in June for exhibition. Why Prof never ask me whether I wanna go or not?

Man, it's USA! This can be my very first time to go to foreign country! And it's USA somemore! My USA dream!

I thought for many days. After encouragement from my family, I brave brave told Prof that I wanna go too.

I called him and requested for that. Prof replied:" Oh JoJo, cannot orh, each product can only sent one person to go there. So you good luck for me yeah!"

Higher expectation...



Gives higher disappointment....



Boh pien, what to do, I can only continue stayed in Kuching and said sayonara and good luck to Prof. Next time save money myself and go USA with my own money ba T.T



After the exhibition, Prof sent an email for me.

The email.

Hi Johnny,

We won Bronze at Pittsburgh USA.

Compare to the first email he sent to me, this one is a bit too short. And I only noticed this email after 2 weeks time. Here is the news.

Bronze medal at USA! No fish got prawn also not bad!

It's worldwide competition and my product won bronze! Must got some big prize isn't it? It's INPEX08 ( Invention & New Product Exposition 2008)! Every participation need to pay RM1K++ to participate in this exhibition wor.

Again, I brave brave go ask Prof regarding the reward. Here's my email.

Sorry prof. I had been waiting for your news since the day u went there. I checked mails but didn't saw ur email.

I just saw this mail. Your mail was sent inside spam mailbox and i didn't check spam mails. We win bronze and it's a good news for me. By getting bronze, what did we get? ANY CASH THIS TIME?

You see? I dare dare asked for cash! Not about medal, certificate and prizes. It's CASH! I'm desperate of CASH!

The answer from Prof was

NO cash except medal and certificate. I can show them to you during convocation.

Me:"............"

Apa hal ni? A worldwide competition no rewards one meh??? True or not??? Medal can eat meh? Certificate can eat meh?


RAWR!!!!!

Anyhow, I can't express my dulan-ness to Prof because it's not his fault ba. Thus I requested Prof to sent me at least one original certificate for me to keep as copy so that I can show off when I go for an interview. No cash no prizes no medal. Medal no use for me. Got cert also can gua.

No prawn got ikan bilis also not bad. T.T

My email...

Johnny here. Regarding the cert of ITEX and INPEX, can I get them back from you?

These are the important certificate which I need to enclose them inside my job application letter. It would be helpful for my application job if I has the ORIGINAL COPY of them. So can prof post the cert to me? Thanks.

Prof asked for my address and posted them for me.

After a few days I received it.


Bronze medal certificate from INPEX08, USA.

After those effort I had put in this project, all what I got is...



Two very ORIGINAL laminated PHOTOCOPY certificates.


RAWR!!!!!


P/S: I think I don't even dare to show these ORIGINAL certificates if I go for an interview. Later they suspicious about the cert which I don't know how to explain.