06/18/2026
The Mechatronics Senior Class presented its Capstone Project to industry partners and ONC Administration: a Portable Power Monitoring Device (PPMD) developed from an initial sketch into a fully functioning prototype. Throughout the project, students maintained an Engineer’s Notebook, documented work hours, created a bill of materials, tracked costs, requested bids, recorded change orders, and completed a full project summary.
Working with Corning Inc. in Oneonta and Bartell Machinery in Rome, the class designed the PPMD as a flexible, modular platform capable of tracking and trending power usage across a wide range of voltage levels and power systems. Built using the Klein Tools ModBox platform, the device includes three components that can operate independently or together to monitor everything from household appliances to large three‑phase industrial machines and power distribution panels.
Students collaborated closely with Jeff Sciera of Ralph W. Earl Inc., the program’s automation and integration partner, to coordinate design needs with component manufacturers. The first real‑world implementation will support Corning in comparing power consumption between new autonomous pallet movers and older models, helping companies better predict return on investment through accurate power‑savings data. The second implementation will assist Bartell in monitoring the power usage of machines shipped worldwide, providing compliance testing to verify performance at various voltage levels.
We were honored to have representatives from both companies attend the presentation. Corning’s Rylan Caseman, Nate Morgan, and Tony Russo supported component selection for their application, while Bartell’s Jeremy Leary, Kevin Razy, and Luke Anderson guided industrial voltage considerations.
Instructor Nils Anderson, "I am proud of the Class of 2026 for taking on an idea and bringing it from a piece of paper to a working prototype in less than three months. We would also like to extend a thank you to the Corning Inc. Foundation for supporting this project with a grant. As a teacher, this is a great way to conclude the year!"