1 mileage recording solution for small business owner/operators presented by:bergen fletcher (ceo,...
TRANSCRIPT
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Mileage Recording Solution for Small Business Owner/Operators
Presented By: Bergen Fletcher (CEO, HW Engineer)
Ali Abdul-Hussein (COO, FW Engineer)
Patrick Perrella (CFO, SW Engineer)
Lena Lee (QA Director, SW Engineer)
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Agenda
Company Profile
Vision
Other Existing Solutions
Our Solution
System Overview
Budget
Time Constrains
Future Work
Learning Experience
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Company Profile
Bergen Fletcher – CEO, Senior Hardware Engineer
Team/Project Management
Hardware Design/Development
Project Integration (Including SW/FW development)
Ali AbdulHussein – COO, Firmware Design Engineer
Software/Firmware Management
Firmware Design/Development Lead
Flowchart Design/Development Lead
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Company Profile
Patrick Perrella – CFO, Software Design Engineer
Finance Management
Software Design/Development
Firmware Design/Development
Lena Lee – Director of QA, User-Interface Design Engineer
Test-Plan Development
Graphical User Interface Design/Development
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Problem
Small business owner/operators
Use vehicle for business and pleasure purposes
Can deduct vehicle business use costs from income tax
Deduction based on percent business mileage to total mileage
Vision
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Vision
Need
Method of recording vehicle usage
Record mileage for all trips
Record should include (as specified by the CRA):
Trip purpose (business/pleasure)
Destination
Date
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Other Existing Solutions
1. Estimation
Simple/cheap, but inaccurate
Not compliant with CRA rules
Possible consequences
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Other Existing Solutions cont’d
2. Travel Log
Cheap & in compliance with CRA guidelines
Involves much more effort and more prone to error
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Other Existing Solutions cont’d
3. ON Board Diagnostic (OBD) Devices
Automatically provides accurate data
Expensive, not easy to use
Not tailored for mileage recording
Compatibility issues
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Our Solution cont’d
Our Solution Tailored for small business users
Specifically designed to record vehicle usage
CRA guideline compliant
Additional features
Easy to use
Low cost
Highly compatible
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Other Uses
1. Route comparison
2. Vacation trip tracking
3. Car usage in carpooling
4. Family car sharing
5. Company vehicle tracking
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Market Analysis
Positive initial reaction
Larger companies face similar problems
Potential CRA certification
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MRD Modules
Modules
MRDUI: LCD, 4 push buttons
PC-MRD: USB Connector
CAR-MRD: Vehicle Cradle Device (VCD)
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MRD Functionality
User Trip/Gas Data Input
Trip Data Gas Data
User Name User Name
Car Type Car Type
Data/Start Data/Start
Trip Type Cost ($/L)
Destination Volume (L)
Mileage
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Software Overview
Software Basic Features
Windows® XP and 2000 compatible
Standard GUI application
USB communication to MRD
Spreadsheet format
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Software Overview cont’d
Software Spreadsheet Functionalities
Separate data and gas sheets
Customizable:
Hide columns
Sort data
Save as CSV file format
Printable file
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Software Overview cont’d
Software Data Functionalities
Display in Metric units
Allow MRD configuration editing
Allow vehicle cost entry
Calculate trip type ratios
Calculate total mileage
Calculate total fuel usage
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Cost approx. doubled due to extra prototypes
Extra prototypes not required
Component/Equipment Cost Estimate
Atmel AVR STK500 Development Kit $100
Atmel AVR Microcontroller $10
USB Interface IC $10
Voltage Regulators $10
Discrete Logic, Opamps, Misc Discrete Components
$10
Passive Components $10
Liquid Crystal Display $20
Prototyping Perforated Circuit Board, Enclosure $20
EEPROM Memory $5
Real Time Clock (RTC) $5
Other/Extra(Back-up) Components $50
Total $250
Budget
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Possible Future Work
Intellectual property protection
Apply for a Patent
More sophisticated market analysis
Business incorporation
CRA certification
Reduced hardware cost
Less costly USB interface
High volume production
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Possible Future Work cont’d
Improved Hardware
Larger, possibly graphic-based LCD
Improve user interface
Smaller, more appealing industrial design
User upgradeable firmware
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Possible Future Work cont’d
Software Improvements
Enhanced file saving
Unit conversions
Graphical data presentation
Integration with tax software
Multi-platform support
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Learning Experience
Team/Project management
Product development process
Troubleshooting
Documentation
Application of engineering skills
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Acknowledgements
Dr. Andrew Rawicz , Professor of the School of Engineering Science
Steve Whitmore, Senior Lecturer in the School of Engineering Science
Leah Honkanen, Small Business Owner/Operator, Sunshine Bay Natural Products
Maria Bender, Canadian Revenue Agency