Development of a Working Ultrasonic Time-of-Flight (TOF) Prototype

About the project

This is a hardware development project. I require a fully functional working prototype, not a simulation, research paper, or theoretical design. The final deliverable must demonstrate ultrasonic TOF measurement on small non-ferrous metal components through a working prototype and demonstration video. I need help taking a lab-bench concept for measuring ultrasonic wave velocity and turning it into a rugged, handheld instrument that works reliably on Platinum, Silver, Nickel, and brass samples. The core tasks include designing the full analog front-end (pulser/receiver, low-noise pre-amp, gain control, anti-alias filters), selecting and driving the piezo transducers, and implementing a precise time-of-flight algorithm in an embedded platform. I am open to ARM, DSP, or FPGA solutions as long as we can achieve micro-second timing resolution and keep power draw low enough for a battery-powered unit. On the digital side I will need firmware that triggers the pulse, captures echoes through a high-speed ADC, processes the signal (envelope detection, filtering, thresholding), and converts flight time to velocity with temperature compensation. A simple menu-driven interface on a small LCD/OLED plus USB-C data output should round out the user experience. Because the device must differentiate among Platinum, Silver, Nickel, and brass, repeatability and calibration routines are critical. I would like a calibration workflow that lets the user store reference blocks and automatically correct readings. Deliverables • Schematics and PCB Gerbers for the analog and digital boards • BOM with production-grade components • Firmware source code and build instructions • Signal-processing algorithm documentation (MATLAB or Python reference OK) • 3D files for a compact enclosure, including battery bay • One working prototype verified on all four metals against known velocity tables Acceptance criteria 1. Velocity error ≤ ±1 % on each listed metal over 15–35 °C. 2. Battery life ≥ 6 h continuous use. 3. Complete, compilable firmware and reproducible PCB files provided. If you have proven experience in ultrasonic NDT, low-noise mixed-signal design, and embedded C/C++ (or VHDL/Verilog), I’d like to review relevant past work and discuss your preferred approach.

Skills required