Grade 9 · From USB to Field System: ESP32 water quality

Map the whole system

Follow the student handout to build, test and document this stage of the water-quality system.

Prepared lesson material. Start this task when your teacher introduces it; it is not currently assigned homework.

For this lesson

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Lesson 1: From USB to Field System

Student handout: mapping energy and data

Grade 9 MYP Design | From USB to Field System

Name: __________________

Class / team: __________________

Date: __________________

Today’s goals • Identify the major subsystems in a field monitor. • Separate energy flow from data flow. • Explain why external power changes the design problem.

Key vocabulary

Term	Working definition
system
controller
power source
protection
conversion
sensor
energy flow
data flow
common ground

1. Compare the two systems

Feature	USB LED prototype	Battery-powered water monitor
Power source
Protection
Voltage conversion
Inputs
Outputs
Main risks
How data leave the device

2. Component-function match

Component	What I think it does	Energy, data, or both?
12V battery
main switch
3A fuse
LM2596 buck converter
ESP32-S3
DS18B20
EC board and probe
turbidity sensor
multimeter

3. Draw the system

Use solid arrows for energy and dashed arrows for data. Include battery, switch, fuse, buck converter, ESP32, three sensors, Serial Monitor, and common ground.

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4. Explain

Why is the field monitor more than “an Arduino project”?

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Exit ticket

Name three design problems that appear when the USB cable is no longer the only power source.

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