Block diagram

Weighing scale

• Load cell sensor will detect the weight of the clothes
• Amplifier will amplify the signal
• ADC will convert the signal from analog to digital
• The load is measured in kg and all the instructions is written in the MCU. Signal from the sensor will be send to HC-11. HC-11 acts as a transmitter and it will transmit the signal from weighing scale to the HC-11 receiver on the PC

PC

• HC-11 on pc acts as a receiver and it will receive the signal from the weighing scale. All the instruction is once again written in the MCU and it will be link to the PC
• After receiving all the signal, VB program will take place
• In the VB program, weight & price of the clothes will automatically calculated once the customer puts his clothes on the weighing scale
• Cashier will select the types of wash requested by the customer
• The wash selection usually different in price and in VB program calculation is made based on weight and types of wash
• Each receipt received by the customer will contain the different bar code in order to differentiate the customer’s record
• VB program will also act as database so the customer’s record will be stored in the program. If the owner of the laundry shop wants to check his customer’s record, he only need to scan the bar code at the receipt using bar code scanner and the VB program will display the record

Problem statement & Objectives

Problem statement

Calculation transaction error

For the current system, transaction calculating error may occur when the staff use the manual receipts. Human error can occur while using calculator to calculate the total payment.

Manual records of the customers not systematically organised

Manual records of the customers are not in order and it will take a longer time for the staffs to manage this record due to the mixing up of the data in the file.

Longer time taken to prepare the receipt

Customers need to wait for a longer time to get the payment receipt especially during peak time of the laundry shop. This show the inefficiency of the system and it will affect the productivity of the laundry shop.

Objectives

1. To produce a prototype using load cell sensor, micro controller and visual basic program in order to improve the laundry shop system.
2. To develop a system which is a user friendly to reduce the calculation error for the payment receipts.
3. To reduce the waiting time of the customers to get the payment receipts especially during the peak time.
4. To provide a proper data saving of the customer’s records.
5. To increase the productivity of the staffs.

Introduction

Most of the laundry shops in Malaysia still use the manual concept of weighing and calculating the price. This is not practicable if there are many customers at one time. There will be errors in calculations and customers need to wait for a long time to get the payment receipts. Besides that, they still save the records of the customers in filing system. The records have a higher tendency to lost due to carelessness of the staffs.

The main idea of this project is to develop a user friendly system for the laundry shop in order to reduce the waiting time of the customers and to reduce the price calculation error. This system will also provide a safer record saving because each receipt will contain different id (using bar code) and the data will be saved in the VB program.

This system will use the main concept of load cell for weighing and I will modify the available weighing scale into wireless weighing scale using load cell as the sensor to detect the weight of the clothes.

From this wireless weighing scale, weight of the clothes is detected. The signal will be send to PC and it will undergo the process of price calculation in the VB program.

When the customer arrived the laundry shop, he will put his clothes on the wireless weighing scale. After that , the staff will select what types of wash does the customer wants on the VB program. Finally, the price is calculated and the staff can print the receipt for the customer. At the same time the customer’s record will be save in the program according to the receipt id.