Hi All,

We just updated our lab website!

http://www.ideas-unlimited.in

We will keep featuring each of the new tech we worked on every week.

Our Last Blog update was in 2015. This just means that we have been busy developing more cool stuff in the last few years and a bit too busy to update the website.

We are updating the website now, after a long break. Took a few weeks to just capture everything and to update the website all over again. The resolve remains to provide regular updates on websites as and when possible. :-)

We as usual unable to provide updates on everything we did due to agreements with customers, nature of work etc.


You can e-mail us your feedback at info@ideas-unlimited.in

Regards

Ideas Unlimited Team

CII's Young Indian (YI) group's Mysore chapter, visited our lab facility for a presentation on rapid prototyping and product development.

Last Saturday, CII's Young Indians group (Yi), about a dozen entrepreneurs from Mysore chapter visited our lab facility to understand about Rapid Prototyping and Product Development, Product Lifecycle and other aspects in a short presentation organized by us.

CII's Yi group has been celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) and as part of this the event at our Lab had been organized.

Group photo with all the participants.

 

Special thanks to Rajesh Goutham (Rajesh Goutham's Blog link) for organizing the event and coordinating with dozens of entrepreneurs to schedule the event. We at Ideas Unlimited enjoyed the interaction.

Rajesh Goutham also wrote a Blog post on the experience in his blog link here.

A Doctor who builds drones...

Last week, we had an interesting person visiting our lab. Dr. Sridhar, an MBBS doctor - however alternately a Drone/Unmanned Flying Vehicles enthusiast visited our lab to explore possibility of localizing some of the gizmos used in construction of these flying machines. He is extremely interested in Drones/Flying machines and has spent a lot of time in trying to understand and build them.

Dr. Sridhar has himself integrated and built several Remote controlled flying machines with his hobby.

The one we flew outside our our lab had a pretty cool specification, and was built by Dr. Sridhar himself:

The Video Console to watch video captured by the flying drone.

The Quadcopter Remote Controlled Flying drone built by Dr. Sridhar.

  Specifications:

• Quad Rotor device with Out-runner BLDC motors for each rotor
• Endurance of up to 20 minutes per charge! 
• Certainly not a Toy grade device, but a very rugged device.
• Control system on board to stabilize and fly the quad-copter. 
• On Board Dual GPS tracking systems
• On board Video Camera and Transmitter, with on screen display of GPS and other info
• Video Console (Receiver) 
• Remote Control for Navigation and Control.
• Homing functionality - commanding drone to fly back to start point if lost.
• GPS navigation

He has also built some Fixed wing remote controlled flying machines as well.

We were pleasantly surprised to see that an MBBS doctor building Quad-copter Drones and other remote controlled flying machines. We are exploring possibility of localizing some of the modules on board along with Dr. Sridhar.

Videos:

 

Video of Quad Copter flying

 

Video of Quad Copter Landing

 Contact:

If you are interested in Remote Controlled Flying machines or custom integration of drones etc. you can get in touch with Dr. Sridhar via e-mail:

Dr. Sridhar's e-mail id: dakatru@hotmail.com

Disclaimer: We at Ideas Unlimited are not into building of drones. The above Videos and Pictures are reproduced in our blog with permission from Dr. Sridhar who built them.

Customized Infra-Red Remote Control Xmitter and Reciever...

IR Remote Control and Receiver for control and automation applications developed at Ideas Unlimited.

We had been working on a IR Remote (Infra-red) Control design for sometime now, which can be customized and made to use any IR Remote protocols if required using software (or) use a proprietary remote protocol for use in any of the products we develop.

Inside the IR remote transmitter

The complete assembled IR Remote Control

Button 2 Test - LCD shows code

Button 1 test - LCD shows code.

The remote runs using a 3.3V Lithium Ion battery. It can also be made to run using two AA or AAA cells.  Number of keys on keypad can also be controlled by making suitable changes to hardware and software of the concept.

Ideas Unlimited develops data logging/analysis hardware/software for qualification of Bio-fuels for NIE-CREST, NIE, Mysore

(Dated: From about 2 months ago - June 2014)

Ideas Unlimited develops a Customized Real Time Data Logging and graphical analysis software for NIE-CREST (Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technologies situated at The National Institute of Engineering, Mananthawadi Road, Mysore). NIE-CREST has their own website detailing all their activities at this URL: http://www.niecrest.in/

About the System

The concept belongs to NIE-CREST, who are doing good research on bio-fuels and their qualification and grading. The necessary software and hardware for making such a system was developed by Ideas Unlimited, Mysore. This setup is used to test bio-fuels for oxidation for several tens of hour continuously and then grade the fuel under test.

The system consists of:

1. A Bio-fuel reactor at NIE-CREST - which contains the Bio-Fuel/Bio-Diesel to be graded in it, maintained at certain pressure at the time of commencement of test. 
2. A custom built hardware device by Ideas Unlimited, that logs data continuously from two sensors in the Bio-Fuel rector - A Temperature and Pressure Sensor.
3. Software on PC that does following:
1. Has a software driven control system that maintains temperature of the Bio-Fuel Reactor at a Set Point. 
2. Logs data acquired from the hardware in Excel or Text format.
3. Visually displays in real time the Temperature and Pressure Plots.
4. Any situation arising of excessive pressure or temperature the system shuts down and looks after safety as well. 
4. All parameters can be calibrated and controlled in this Hardware and Software System developed by Ideas Unlimited for NIE-CREST.

Pictures and notes

Completed Hardware Box (Right) next to the Top lid of the Bio-fuel reactor.

Inside View of the Hardware developed at Ideas Unlimited

Data Logging by software that interacts with the data acquisition and control hardware

Real Time Graphing in the software - Screen Shot 1:
(Red Line - Temperature, Blue Line Pressure)
Spikes indicate control system kicking in to maintain temperature at Set Point

Real Time Graphing in the software - Screen Shot 2:
(Red Line - Temperature, Blue Line Pressure)
After the first struggle the system has more or less narrowed in on set point to maintain temp.

Real Time Graphing in the software - Screen Shot 3:
(Red Line - Temperature, Blue Line Pressure)
Now stable set point achieved. Temperature control loop maintains set point at regular intervals.

Ideas Manufacturing starts sample lot of 'Heavenly Air' Ionic Air Purifier Systems

Hello! It has been nearly a year since we last posted on our blog or website. Reason, we have been busy with multiple projects, due to which website/blog updates took a lower precedence. Hopefully we will resume regular updates on our blog.

Ideas Manufacturing starts sample lot of 'Heavenly Air' - Ionic Air Purifier Systems.

Last month Jul 2014 sometime, we started making the sample lot of this new product. This is an Ionic Air Purifier system that fits conveniently to the Air vents in homes (register) and has several advantages over conventional Air Purifiers placed

Product Cover - Front

Product Cover - Back

The Product - Heavenly Air, Ionic Air Purifier System

Convenient and easy to use, without the disadvantages of other Air Purifier products.

The Product patent is owned by Techno Pragathi Inc, USA.

For any sales or product related enquiries please contact

Techno Pragathi can be contacted by e-mail at technopragathi@gmail.com.
Heavenly Air Website: www.heavenly-air.us

Product developed from Idea -> Prototype -> Product

Ideas Unlimited and Ideas Manufacturing Mysore Private Limited have been working on this product for close to a year from the patented idea stage to making it a product.

This was developed into a product from an idea patented by Dr. Shaam Sundhar P an inventor, into a prototype and then eventually into a product by us over a period of several months.

First Lab Prototype skeleton

Mounted behind a grill

Prototype under test

Another Prototype of different form factor

Another prototype of different form factor

Engineering Design and Product Development

Once the concept is tested satisfactorily, it has to be engineered to have its own plastics and front sheet metal.

Engineering Prototype 1 - First engineered version of the product

Engineering Prototype 2 - Second and near final version of the product

Engineering Prototype 2 - With BRASS FINISH Grill on top! 

The final product... HEAVENLY AIR! 

For any sales or product related enquiries please contact Techno Pragathi Inc, USA,

Techno Pragathi can be contacted by e-mail at technopragathi@gmail.com.
Heavenly Air Website: www.heavenly-air.us

Panel Discussion on "Entrepreneurship" at RiiiT, Mysore

The paper got the topic wrong. It was actually about "Entrepreneurship".

I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with the students of RiiiT, Mysore (www.riiit.com) on the topic of "Entrepreneurship".

Extremely pleased to see that lot of youngsters nowadays (compared to my generation where it was almost close to NIL) think about doing something on their own and thinking beyond settling a job abroad.

- Nagendra R Setty

RiiiT (www.riiit.com) is one of its kind IT Finishing School - Their USP being that they train Rural Graduates to become professionals by imparting Communication, Organization and Management skills. Many of the graduates from RiiiT get placed in many reputed software firms. In this process they are doing a very good social change. We at Ideas Unlimited, Mysore support RiiiT in their endeavor!

Ideas Manufacturing website updated

Our manufacturing company Ideas Manufacturing Mysore Private Limited, has added a lot of new products to its portfolio. However the website has not been updated in a while.  Today the website has been updated with all the latest products and information.

Visit www.ideasmfg.in

Solar Light Concept: Get Free and Natural Sunlight to light up your home/office!

A few blog posts ago, we had showcased some of our innovations in construction related technologies at Ideas Unlimited. We did some Googling around for some innovative way to use natural light into the building. Some of the innovations done by people around the world on this front inspired us to do something similar in a more engineered fashion which looks elegant as well!

This idea is pretty simple. If you are into a bit of hands on Engineering, you can probably do it yourself too!

And the best part of this whole thing?  You don't have to pay for lighting up your home ever! You are harvesting natural sunlight for free from your roof! 

The system is so simple and maintenance free to make, that it is a one time investment that benefits you for life! We have put in some engineering aspects to make this into an elegant option and make it more appealing for people to adapt it even in their expensive homes and for commercial buildings.

Step 1: You have to make a  perfect template for putting the bottle in as part of roof centering. (If you want we can make them for you.)

Step 2: You need a large Candy or Toffee jar which is at least a foot high. Stainless Steel Cage gives a lighting fixture like feel at the bottom, while also aiding in any eventuality where the glass is broken accidentally for replacement bottle! Cage is custom designed by us.

Step 3: Use the template along with the metal sheets for centering. Place the cage and bottle inside. Now the bottle is part of the roof centering, ready for casting.

Step 4: Roof Casting

Step 5: Roof is cured. Bottle gets embedded into the roof. (You may have to clean the bottle surface)

Inspection before Centering is removed.

Step 6: After roof centering is removed! Bottles lay exposed. (This photo was taken with the camera flash on because nothing was visible in this dark area).

Step 7: Open the bottle lid, fill it with clean and pure water (preferably soft water) and add clear liquid bleach into it. The bleach prevents any kind of algae growth inside the bottle and also helps in diffusing the light the bottle captures.

Step 8: Observe Below and VOILA you have more than a flouroscent light worth of light (Tube light) from a natural and clean source and you don't even have to pay electricity bills for this light!(This photograph was taken without the camera's flashlight using the natural light in the place. Once the roof is painted white and walls painted, the light is expected to improve further)

If you are interested in using such lights, but unable to make the necessary materials required yourself, do get in touch with us at info@ideas-unlimited.in or info@ideasmfg.in. (Strictly e-mail inquiries please).

Given both our companys (Ideas Unlimited, Ideas Manufacturing Mysore Private Limited) interests in Energy efficiency and Energy Saving systems, we are more interested in promoting this technology. We also intend to offer these in a product format shortly in the near future...

Credits:

Of course, we DID NOT invent this idea. We were inspired by the Coke Light concept prevalent for many years in Philippines and the information available in public domain for this idea.



Video of the Filipino innovation in using Coke bottles for lighting up homes.
We however did  use our engineering skills to ensure that the process is achieved in a trouble free manner, with a HIGH QUALITY finish and easy maintenance. We made the concept better in this endeavor.

Ideas Manufacturing launches Hawkeye-Mini sensors for security applications

Ideas Manufacturing Mysore Private Limited, launches Hawkeye Mini series of Security devices which detect Human or animal movement/activity and can raise an alarm or switch on a light to deter the intruders. This device is mainly targeted for use in home and domestic scenarios.

Hawkeye Mini Security System

For deterring intruders in your portico/compound and alerting

The device is very compact and can be mounted in a corner under the portico or similar place inside a typical house compound. The MSBR501 clamp can be used to adjust the sensing zone and no-sense zones as may be required.

Some Frequently asked questions  about the product are below:


FAQ#1: What is Hawkeye Mini?
Answer: Hawkeye Mini is a revamped product of our earlier Hawkeye product lines, which can be used for human or animal activity detection for various applications, primarily for security and deterrence.

FAQ#2: Where can Hawkeye Mini be used? 

Answer: Hawkeye Mini is targeted for use in domestic scenarios where it can do a variety of monitoring/security applications. Some example applications:

Home and Compound Security:

1. Compound Security: At the back of your house or compound to detect and deter unwanted intruders.
2. Protect your car under the porch: Under the porch where your car is parked to alert you of any activity near your car.
3. Open Terraces: Security to detect intruders and alert, as well as to deter intruders.
4. Lone houses: to detect unauthorized entry into compound any time.
5. When away from home: For your home security when you are away from your home and to alert neighbors.
6. Inside your garage: For alerting you on  intruders at night.

Utility applications:

1. Automatic-Doorbell: Make your doorbell ring automatically when someone enters your compound.
2. Store front/Reception areas: To ring a bell when a person enters

FAQ#3: How does it work? 

Answer: The Hawkeye Mini sensor keeps a watch for movement of Living things. If it detects any living being, it can trigger a light or a doorbell or an alarm. 

FAQ#4: How to install it?

Answer: A printed detailed instruction manual is available along with the product. You can also visit our website www.ideasmfg.in to download a detailed brochure of the product.
(Link to PDF Brochure)

FAQ#5: Can I connect my existing doorbell to Hawkeye Mini?

Answer: Yes. In most cases.

Ideas Unlimited developing ERP software for managing lean and small manufacturing setups.

Background to this adventure

The future of manufacturing many claim are the lean operations along with a solid supply chain and MOST IMPORTANTLY high quality outsourcing of work.

At Ideas Manufacturing Mysore Private Limited, (Our manufacturing company) we have a vision of manufacturing varied and diverse products, as well as Medium and Low Volume products with High product complexity in the long run. We do not intend to be a contract manufacturer and compete with the bigger players whose business is to do large scale manufacturing. Our intention is to carve a nice for ourselves, doing High Complexity and low to medium volume products which require high level of technological competency and for the immediate future will be fed with products or ideas developed at our R&D lab "Ideas Unlimited".

To start with, last year, we embarked on our own manufacturing setup which has specific focus on IP protection and Quality to be done in-house, while other activities are to be outsourced to our strong vendor and contract manufacturing partners. The criticality of IP protection and Quality maintained in-house has attracted customers who are highly IP and quality conscious who develop products with us which get taken to production eventually by us.

It is also in line with our view that Manufacturing of niche products is the future sunrise and highly profitable Industry for India as the economy rises. 

The ERP Software

In light of this vision for our manufacturing company, we started developing an ERP software several months ago. In fact it started off as a student apprentice project a few months before we prepared to start our manufacturing company "Ideas Manufacturing Mysore Private Limited". The Version 0.1 of the software developed by the apprentice in our lab came out very well and sort of pushed us to develop it further for our own interest as well as

You may also wonder why on earth we are developing our own ERP when there are dozen software packages available in the market? This ERP software is specifically designed for an operation like ours which is lean and depends on contract and outsourced manufacturing with dozens of vendors and contractors.

The Main screen

Bill of Material definition/review screen

Today the software has evolved and the current version is 0.4. By the time we release Version 2.0, we feel the software will be mature enough to be used in other organizations like ours with lean operation and with focus on IP protection and quality.

You can read more details of this ERP software we are developing on our website by following this link:
http://www.ideas-unlimited.in/techerp.html

Credits

The project's initial version was developed by an apprentice Nikhil R at our lab as part of his apprenticeship and now it continues to evolve.

Nikhil Setty R worked on the initial version of this software. He can be contacted at nikhilsettyr@gmail.com