tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3007699558259427782024-03-13T11:48:13.513-07:00BotsmakerBotronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-25850739806098554832011-03-19T09:42:00.000-07:002011-03-31T08:43:42.456-07:00Ustreaming Geiger Counter<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQxDaeSOgfxIiMJaFSnh3VJO0agAC4Hled9LHtgb7SbgitxIl57Inl0KB9VBW3msSafTkb9Ez-8sESGa2TkoMMDowB5719BoUnvvYsmK-WNAaK3lQ6LkgbZqRMTr7qwHRaUOriqYhY_AzS/s1600/counter.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQxDaeSOgfxIiMJaFSnh3VJO0agAC4Hled9LHtgb7SbgitxIl57Inl0KB9VBW3msSafTkb9Ez-8sESGa2TkoMMDowB5719BoUnvvYsmK-WNAaK3lQ6LkgbZqRMTr7qwHRaUOriqYhY_AzS/s200/counter.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585841214203258274" border="0" /></a><br />With all the interest of nuclear fallout from the reactors in Japan, I decided to get out my geiger counter that I made over 20 years ago. I thought it would be fun to Ustream the data from the counter. My counter has a optocoupler that makes a digital pulse everytime a particle is detected. To stream the data, some kind of presentation is needed to show on Ustream.<br /><br />Free and useful programs are always welcomed. So I searched the web for a geiger counter grapher and logger. I found one that was suitable. Its called "Digital Geiger Counter" and can be found at <a href="http://www.imagesco.com/geiger/geiger-counter-accessories.html">Images Scientific Instruments</a>. They have some nice kits for those who don't have a counter. The program connects to an interface at 9600 baud and receives a count for displaying inside the program. They also have instructions for building your own interface using a Pic MPU. I made mine with a Picaxe MPU instead. These are cheap pics that use Basic language for programming. You can get one from <a href="http://www.sparkfun.com/products/8308">Sparkfun</a> and the free compiler from <a href="http://www.rev-ed.co.uk/">Revolution Education</a>.<br /><br />Here is a drawing of my <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/GeigerCounter.pdf">Picaxe Interface and program</a>. Its very short and sends the count once a second to Digital Geiger Counter program through the RS232 link. For a more robust interface using a MAX232 use <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/interface2.pdf">this drawing</a>. You can also program the picaxe through both type of interfaces remotely. This makes it handy if the geiger counter is mounted outside.<br /><br />To present the data using Digital Geiger Counter, you need a way to present your desktop on Ustream. You can use <a href="http://www.ustream.tv/producer">Ustream's Producer</a> or <a href="http://www.manycam.com/">Manycams</a> as the presenter. Get a free Ustream account, connect your geiger counter and you got your own Web Station off and running. This is my <a href="http://www.ustream.tv/channel/geigercounter">Ustream Geiger Counter Channel</a>. It may or may not be running all the time.<br /><br />You can view an excel file of the <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/031911001.xls">first set of data</a> that I started on Friday, 3-18-11, that ran all night to Saturday morning. Each data point is 1 minute as counts per minute (CPM). The counts seem pretty random and I didn't see any rise in the background radiation. So unless you have a blown reactor in your backyard, you may not see a rise of the background radiation. Here on the West Coast in the SF Bay Area, I'm not seeing a problem.<br /><br />I also wrote an instructable on this project. You can view it <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Ustream-your-Geiger-Counter/">here</a>.<br /><br />So if you got a geiger counter and can interface a logger to it, get it out and count those radioactive particles. Share with us your results.<br /><br />Update 3-29-11 Plot of the Counts:<br /><br />I plotted the CPM on 3-19 and 3-28 to compare value. Didn't see any change. You can download the excel file<a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/0319-0328_comparison.xls"> here</a>.<br /><br />Update 3-31-11 New Hardware with a PIC 12F675 and 16 mhz xtal.<br /><br />Schematic: <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/interface3.pdf">Interface3.pdf</a><br />Program in Pic Basic Pro: <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/counter3.bas">counter3.bas</a><br />HEX code for 12F675: <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/counter3.HEX">counter3.HEX</a>Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-83785292829985212472010-02-12T18:05:00.000-08:002010-03-05T07:09:08.020-08:00Percussus, the drum machine<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirYPtMn0oUa-6L7uYj9_dPUMBIZrX0T_I46ILp-CbvpAC9tMmRyjvQztM83TFPBULyvO6hJG8BfCdtVxJjIDCu4lNaQqThe0-889VL6sBfaQDvjl2Rt_bm8GoUIfPK_05_-NIFX-WQfXmx/s1600-h/leds_thru_hole.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 166px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirYPtMn0oUa-6L7uYj9_dPUMBIZrX0T_I46ILp-CbvpAC9tMmRyjvQztM83TFPBULyvO6hJG8BfCdtVxJjIDCu4lNaQqThe0-889VL6sBfaQDvjl2Rt_bm8GoUIfPK_05_-NIFX-WQfXmx/s200/leds_thru_hole.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437547438694188498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL8qaENd3aAnizQtWH4zAzCdGWTyVRqZJQPyNavNS3QEsJnN_8U2hUSGaIKpML3JDXwoePsg5LxVlzcFJr57bTpn7W9VD2dd5p6-OCPhMgMHBfa7zS9i9_pyCvM1ohMo5_odlUwyMX1Vw8/s1600-h/leds_inside2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 161px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL8qaENd3aAnizQtWH4zAzCdGWTyVRqZJQPyNavNS3QEsJnN_8U2hUSGaIKpML3JDXwoePsg5LxVlzcFJr57bTpn7W9VD2dd5p6-OCPhMgMHBfa7zS9i9_pyCvM1ohMo5_odlUwyMX1Vw8/s200/leds_inside2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437547159272082930" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I always liked the way relays make sounds when clicking on and off. That gave me the idea of using them as a drum machine. I gave it a try and Percussus was born. To control the relays I used a midi interface with a drum sequencer program. One relay is wired as a buzzer, that is, you connect a normally closed contact in series with the coil. A capacitor across the coil softens the tone. The relays are all different sizes and each make there own distinctive click-clack sound. A guitar tuner pickup amplifies the sounds through a homemade guitar amp. Now I just have to learn how to play the drums. A sample of the click clack of little relays can be downloaded <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/relaybeat2.mp3">here</a>. Website on the project is <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/percussus.html">here</a>. I also did something similar with hard drives. A Instructable (<a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Hard-Drive-After-Life/">Hard drive after life</a>) shows the process with a different midi interface.Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-52124960067290333192009-11-28T21:07:00.000-08:002009-11-28T21:17:36.092-08:00Zi8 on button glows when off<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0KVE3LBSwlGGro_0HlZ3SI6XqGzmn5rk1Wq5Pdu0C0FhuozjHy-TrGJtaoR973JdDHCE2ifo-9M1FMGmaY8uitlqMQ_heMXVxWtNHcWSEBZRa6nessdQduoEKymvs6rfTCvlZ0cDHVJ7o/s1600/glow.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0KVE3LBSwlGGro_0HlZ3SI6XqGzmn5rk1Wq5Pdu0C0FhuozjHy-TrGJtaoR973JdDHCE2ifo-9M1FMGmaY8uitlqMQ_heMXVxWtNHcWSEBZRa6nessdQduoEKymvs6rfTCvlZ0cDHVJ7o/s320/glow.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409389659735115346" border="0" /></a><br />I noticed that the power button on the side of the Kodak Zi8 glows when off. Its just a tiny glow, but you can see it in a fully dark room. At first I thought it was side illumination leaking into the case, but not so in a fully darken room. Could this be wasting power as it sits in the "off" position? What the purpose of allowing the led to light? Could I have a leaky transistor lighting up the led?Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-23480709329749807532009-08-02T09:27:00.000-07:002009-08-02T10:53:24.529-07:0016F88 3-digit voltmeter<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1T5i7P3vLp8ClrbiMLonzEVEDCsN691dUYyiJYyKZdvc5Z0f7uMqT68Q2UOOH8tUns59v0my9rCp2TuhYnj27TnQaQ-kp8ulwFtohh1HlQj-KogRhACBlZuYN6Y0mNFQbRD1C6ohghePL/s1600-h/IMG_4850.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1T5i7P3vLp8ClrbiMLonzEVEDCsN691dUYyiJYyKZdvc5Z0f7uMqT68Q2UOOH8tUns59v0my9rCp2TuhYnj27TnQaQ-kp8ulwFtohh1HlQj-KogRhACBlZuYN6Y0mNFQbRD1C6ohghePL/s320/IMG_4850.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365408801198634370" border="0" /></a><br />I wanted to make a simple 3 digit voltmeter for mounting inside a power supply for troubleshooting purposes. Scouting around the internet, I couldn't find anything complete enough to make a meter. So I decided to make my own using Pic Pro basic to program a 16F88 PIC. Micro Engineering Labs has a good tutorial on how to interface a 4 digit led display to a pic. The tutorial was helpful enough that I was able to fashion a circuit and program into a usable meter. Then it dawned on me that the circuit could become an event counter by changing the input stage and program. The event counter uses a 16F628A or 16F88, since both pics have the same I/O pinout.<br /><br />The circuit is also compatible with a <a href="http://www.qsl.net/dl4yhf/freq_counter/freq_counter.html">frequency counter </a>I found on the net. This circuit uses a 16F628. Use code<a href="http://www.qsl.net/dl4yhf/freq_counter/freq_counter.html#cc_or_ca_display"> "COUNTER3.HEX"</a> for common anode display found at that site. This site got me started in making a multipurpose board.<br /><br />Below I included links to my programs and schematic for anyone else to make there own. You can use the programs and circuit freely, just don't make money with it.<br /><br /><br />PBP Basic <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/volt3.bas">Program</a> as 100V meter.<br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/VOLT3.HEX">Hex file</a> for 16F88 PIC<br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/4digMultiboard.pdf">Schematic</a> in PDF<br /><br />PBP Basic <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/count88.bas">Program</a> as event counter.<br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/COUNTUP.HEX">Hex file</a> for 16F628A<br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/COUNT88.HEX">Hex file</a> for 16F88Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-50031504482202860972009-06-28T13:56:00.000-07:002009-06-28T14:39:58.465-07:00Midi to Relay Controller<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqw2COK1CGtO-KR7UDdVXZVSu9ZuwIJIghfMEhiWP0aYcApxhsrGjh5KuiQEKO7lMNUaVkkCm8xVIaajpDxFFcPzLV5_5Mjn-NddtaytY1uzuvO6w8rXIvJXDeDFRihrYMBh2sfB9e1Lz6/s1600-h/drumflo1dot7.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqw2COK1CGtO-KR7UDdVXZVSu9ZuwIJIghfMEhiWP0aYcApxhsrGjh5KuiQEKO7lMNUaVkkCm8xVIaajpDxFFcPzLV5_5Mjn-NddtaytY1uzuvO6w8rXIvJXDeDFRihrYMBh2sfB9e1Lz6/s320/drumflo1dot7.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352489025726412450" border="0" /></a><br />I've been looking for a schematic and code for a <a href="http://www.victorseraphine.com/decomidi_english.htm">Midi to relay decoder</a>. I finally found one that actually works well. This circuit will work with sequencer software and commands relays or solenoids with Midi. I plan to make a robot drummer controlled by sequencer software. The decoder required turning on several solenoids at the same time with precision, following notes from a drum sequencer. The circuit and code is free and so is the drum sequencer software (DrumFlow 1.7) that I'm using to test the code. My <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeUzS4VKut8">video on youtube</a> show several outputs turning on at the same time. Just what I wanted. You don't need to wire up all 32 outputs, just use what you need and eliminate the other driver ICs. With just a 16f84 PIC and two other ICs you can drive eight drummer solenoids. Thats enough for a hell of a drummer.Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-73084649292365025502009-06-10T15:20:00.000-07:002009-06-20T21:49:31.885-07:00Hard Drive Afterlife<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_78mdsQzajRKbnxLIj7xJ_AnC5jtavaF10BbRVzA7_Hx5BXdM_6Gh3ui0HI5MrFKmppQcGoc5ZclXhj985RPwKSLcOUiSDirzAOvJhDRndhI15IHg71uBLD-CQYyGDFlePNo7eNBwp3td/s1600-h/HDstack.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_78mdsQzajRKbnxLIj7xJ_AnC5jtavaF10BbRVzA7_Hx5BXdM_6Gh3ui0HI5MrFKmppQcGoc5ZclXhj985RPwKSLcOUiSDirzAOvJhDRndhI15IHg71uBLD-CQYyGDFlePNo7eNBwp3td/s320/HDstack.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345828418775288114" border="0" /></a><br />So your aging hard drive can't hold its data any longer and you replaced it with a new one. Instead of letting it die by the hands of the recycling undertaker, you force it into a new life as a musical noise maker. A dying hard drive makes all kinds of grunts and groans as it starts up. The sounds it makes can be musical and percussive.<br /><br />This project uses a homemade PIC midi interface to allow sequencer software (Anvil Studio free) to turn on and off eight hard drives. Midi signals are serially transmitted by the sequencer software as sets of 3 bytes at 31,250 baud. A PIC 16F877 has been programmed to receive these bytes to turn on and off solid state relays. Each hard drive needs 5 volts and 12 volts to run. Two SSRs are used to turn on and off the hard drive. I tried leaving on just the 12 volts, then switch on 5v to start the drive up. This worked well for awhile until one smoked up. So I use two SSRs to switch on both 5 volts and 12 volts at the same time. A modified PC power supply is used to supply power. A tuner pickup and computer soundcard amplifies the sounds, making the point that something went horribly went wrong with those drives.<br /><br />The project is for testing the idea of making a larger kinetic/musical artbot "tree" consisting of 24 hard drives. Each hard drive will be mounted as a branch extending from a central trunk in a circular spiral.<br /><br />This is what happens when you don't throw away broken stuff, you make something cool out of it.<br /><br />Schematic <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/Midi24.pdf">here</a>.<br />Pic Pro Basic Code <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/mymidi7.bas">here</a>.<br />HEX code <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/mymidi7.hex">here</a>.<br /><br />You can download an mp3 file of the sounds<a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/harddrive8.mp3"> here</a>.<br />Email me (see my webpage) or leave a comment to check for updates as the code is evolving.<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7uEjS_72VZI&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7uEjS_72VZI&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-38240219246545377222009-02-08T13:59:00.000-08:002009-02-08T14:33:44.112-08:00Fix your Garden LightI bought several cheap Hampton Bay garden lights at Home Depot a few years ago. Part number 498-959. The clear plastic diffuser that supports the electronics has become brittle and fell apart. I suspect its the UV from the sun and has broken down the chains of molecules of the plastic. Instead of throwing them away, I discovered they will fit on top of a Ball canning jar with little effort. First remove the four Philip head screws that hold the two halves of the solar head.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGX5f7dv2GikUhKBZhXLzB21oNh5Q2ivnWySiPgfIkArgsJg9LHZPFh9GXK19wEm_4UAnZshaq0nl8cb4_VepoTiVcS_YGz5n2u71X-RLMggAIcE0-eUMMiHylQDy2aVQEVjqnzQhNxOlg/s1600-h/Inside.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGX5f7dv2GikUhKBZhXLzB21oNh5Q2ivnWySiPgfIkArgsJg9LHZPFh9GXK19wEm_4UAnZshaq0nl8cb4_VepoTiVcS_YGz5n2u71X-RLMggAIcE0-eUMMiHylQDy2aVQEVjqnzQhNxOlg/s320/Inside.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300553869309545186" border="0" /></a><br />There are four holes already in the solar head. Use two of them with 6-32 machine screws and nuts to attach the canning jar lid. You can see the screw heads in the photo below just inside the lid's rim. In the photo above, you can see the nuts of these two screws<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5g0C1KgLdt8Z7Lssf3VWI5aHWTd_bYBV5esIPJ2QMIlcTmno6vpYmuRKYct_aIXkRGWBpUcbt-k6ftppMnSUegKy5JedtBGuPMewxp-dszie4ZIpFEtkXNctro7Am87O2z0TD2fpmbcw/s1600-h/twoscrews.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5g0C1KgLdt8Z7Lssf3VWI5aHWTd_bYBV5esIPJ2QMIlcTmno6vpYmuRKYct_aIXkRGWBpUcbt-k6ftppMnSUegKy5JedtBGuPMewxp-dszie4ZIpFEtkXNctro7Am87O2z0TD2fpmbcw/s320/twoscrews.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300552447879596706" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_YUCqOByikvlzymVucuWGMcj7ASzTmr36xbzdewprainYATZvv0qG3j7ryBRmL55GkL-UHByiqCYOaoKQ_xCOPcHVetDYbCGsFgSuNsFGNZ96QfteYcJZgarfbtgzX_vY9hxLQkbrkRS/s1600-h/jar_light.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 223px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_YUCqOByikvlzymVucuWGMcj7ASzTmr36xbzdewprainYATZvv0qG3j7ryBRmL55GkL-UHByiqCYOaoKQ_xCOPcHVetDYbCGsFgSuNsFGNZ96QfteYcJZgarfbtgzX_vY9hxLQkbrkRS/s320/jar_light.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300552198739199858" border="0" /></a>Now the glass won't fall apart like the plastic in the sun. You may need a little caulk around the edges to seal out water. I intend to place mine in my window to light up at night, so theres no water proofing required. If you want more info about the schematic inside, go<a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/light.html"> here</a> to my webpage. I also wrote about the plastic falling apart problem in this <a href="http://botsmaker.blogspot.com/2007/11/dont-buy-hampton-bay-solar-lights.html">2007 blog</a>.Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-77909735070065435832008-12-01T10:36:00.000-08:002008-12-07T19:06:19.105-08:00USB Logger using a Vdrive2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvotD2PPFz-PhTdKhc_UANZBJxZCKYpT7F3erJCVwvpw2mOnOqo5i_zpp4Y3I307JUOcrV8qiGoaoesZBffOMc5CxVFu3qNqs0EaaOdkpXFuyenI3L1z_KgkSAGsugw0dzyCwBvpORM1UW/s1600-h/IMG_4211.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 277px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvotD2PPFz-PhTdKhc_UANZBJxZCKYpT7F3erJCVwvpw2mOnOqo5i_zpp4Y3I307JUOcrV8qiGoaoesZBffOMc5CxVFu3qNqs0EaaOdkpXFuyenI3L1z_KgkSAGsugw0dzyCwBvpORM1UW/s320/IMG_4211.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274905037978712162" border="0" /></a><br />I built a simple Data logger using a Vinculum Vdrive2. The logger records two sources of voltages within 0 to 5 volts. An 8 bit entry every second is recorded in a USB stick as a .csv file, suitable for use in Excel.<br /><br />When I first got my Vdrive2 module, I built an RS232 interface to allow sending commands and viewing the responses with Hyperterm. My schematic of the interface can be found<a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/rs232.pdf"> </a><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/rs232.pdf">here</a>.<br /><br />You can update the flash ROM on the module by going to <a href="http://www.vinculum.com/downloads.html">FTDI's website</a> and downloading a FTD file to the memory stick. By changing the name to ftrfb.ftd, the Vdrive2 will detect the file and upgrade itself when powered up. Once this is done, remove the file from the stick before starting again. Otherwise it will try re-flashing the ROM again. When I got the module, it had a pretty old version in it, version 2.08.<br /><br />Each entry into the USB stick is as follows:<br /><br />A time stamped number of YYMMDDHHMM,ADC value1,ADC value 2,cr<br /><br />2 hours worth or 7200 entries are placed in a file with the following date stamp.<br /><br />YYMMDDHH.csv<br /><br />How the logger works.<br /><br />A debug port from the logger allows one to follow the operation in realtime with a PC running Hyperterminal.<br /><br />The logger uses a DS1307 real time clock for date information. To set the date, a small file is placed on the USB stick. You can use notepad to make this little file. Name it "date.txt"<br /><br />Using notepad, format the date as follows:<br /><br />yy:mm:dd:hh:mm<br /><br />As an example, the time is 2008 on November 24th at 2 pm. 24 hour mode is used. The sequence would be:<br /><br />08:11:24:14:00<br /><br />When starting up, the little file is read and the date is set. Then the file is renamed to "ndate.txt" to prevent changing the time again. To reset the time, change the file to a new date and rename back to "date.txt". This makes setting the RTC easy.<br /><br />To prevent loss of data while a file is open, a backup supply is turned on. An opto coupler is used to detect when to start and stop logging. Power to the opto comes from the main source of power. When the power drops off, the file is first closed and backup power is disconnected when done.<br /><br />My first prototype was built on perfboard with plans to make PC boards in the future (if enough interest is generated). The pic microcontroller is a 16F688 and programmed using Pic Pro Basic. I used Microcode Studio as an IDE and programmed the Pic using the PICkit 1. To do ICSP, I made a little adaptor to bring out the connections from the PICkit 1 to the project. USB stick used with this project was a Kingston Data Traveler DTI/256.<br /><br />I'm not the best in writing clean programs, but it works. Any suggestion on improvement is welcomed. One idea for improvement is to start getting it to delete the oldest files when the stick gets full. That would require making the memory into a circular buffer. Just haven't figured the file management scheme yet.<br /><br />Schematic: <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/vdrive2.pdf">Vdrive2 Project</a><br /><br />Code (8 bit version):<br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/1_PerSec.bas">Program "1_PerSec.bas"</a><br /><br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/1_PERSEC.HEX">HEX file "1_PERSEC.HEX"</a><br /><br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/date.txt">date.txt</a><br /><br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/08120117.csv">Typical file "08120117.csv"</a><br /><br />10 bit version<br /><br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/10bit.bas">program</a><br /><br /><a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/10BIT.HEX">hex file</a>Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-67372819896813801262008-04-29T21:43:00.000-07:002008-04-29T22:29:06.060-07:00Joule Thief Artbots<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7aDUbVYp19zJbLqvCkxLeB3-8_dmYkVnTPox3Q5EF2u5Sm0HhrLQGYHqXK1XhvGF2Mfaf22cpSToGOC5KoSsQvbUWjm23n3aL08s5MSRShBkjVkBrH4YxM4AEA97zwtr24aSv7-9XdX2L/s1600-h/batterybot.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7aDUbVYp19zJbLqvCkxLeB3-8_dmYkVnTPox3Q5EF2u5Sm0HhrLQGYHqXK1XhvGF2Mfaf22cpSToGOC5KoSsQvbUWjm23n3aL08s5MSRShBkjVkBrH4YxM4AEA97zwtr24aSv7-9XdX2L/s320/batterybot.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194898672625525330" border="0" /></a> BatteryBot<br /></div><br />A popular circuit for electronic hobbyists called a "Joule Thief" has been making the rounds on the Internet.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-3NOUdgq0Q8XmJg51v4YKj8DBx0oJGJqRCYpbHnIxINwEA9P3uMOtJNbJcDy2SJGtEaM616OmW4ON6tgpf0K_6MqhQ44VCF7JF_HVC8p5wax2jiWmoac_ojvvyCzo15YORo8-r6koI24/s1600-h/Joule+Thief.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-3NOUdgq0Q8XmJg51v4YKj8DBx0oJGJqRCYpbHnIxINwEA9P3uMOtJNbJcDy2SJGtEaM616OmW4ON6tgpf0K_6MqhQ44VCF7JF_HVC8p5wax2jiWmoac_ojvvyCzo15YORo8-r6koI24/s320/Joule+Thief.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194897963955921474" border="0" /></a>When your batteries go dead, there is still energy or "joules" still left in that battery. Instead of simply tossing it out to get recycled, why not squeeze out the remaning joules of life to do something useful.<br /><br />With the Joule Thief circuit you can light a white led till the battery is down to .2 volts. Use it for a night light, it will run for days. Then, when it is good and dead, give it to the trash collector to get recycled.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWenL5DFqrMkv2ne5StqG9zm5dskeDAqUyrhLRcm4B5hYvsd_k_6sWNXjsT-jo0QlnrVDin44jQ0zGF1mWkZtfk4OjJmpiZOtssfdvLNQ1KQrGBycBPI7XpNJgH5mPm7Fv_V-rJ28PCzlk/s1600-h/2tenthsvolt.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWenL5DFqrMkv2ne5StqG9zm5dskeDAqUyrhLRcm4B5hYvsd_k_6sWNXjsT-jo0QlnrVDin44jQ0zGF1mWkZtfk4OjJmpiZOtssfdvLNQ1KQrGBycBPI7XpNJgH5mPm7Fv_V-rJ28PCzlk/s320/2tenthsvolt.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194901322620347010" border="0" /></a>2/10 volt and the led is still on!<br /><br /></div>The circuit consists of a ferrite core with a double winding, a transistor, resistor, led and the "dead" battery for power. Thats all there is. Sure you can put the parts on a perf board and make it work. I wanted more, so I built some artbots with the parts.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAe0eUnrQ_aLaKdf3Thlsd0I_J_DDltt94NHzXkdFFestP4Oq5PEcTZ4lLVND8PdINNmfRAwmsX5nDwrRLg_EXIyQV0cuCo2A2HJalGihvKO03W0_6K8aE4xtWFb90hQuQ8wKOwgvhrVC/s1600-h/ferrite.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAe0eUnrQ_aLaKdf3Thlsd0I_J_DDltt94NHzXkdFFestP4Oq5PEcTZ4lLVND8PdINNmfRAwmsX5nDwrRLg_EXIyQV0cuCo2A2HJalGihvKO03W0_6K8aE4xtWFb90hQuQ8wKOwgvhrVC/s320/ferrite.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194899209496437346" border="0" /></a>Ferrite<br /><br /></div>Ferrite uses a vintage germanium transistor to be able to run at very low voltages. Like all the way down to .2 volts.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiap5y9sJYOStCNqSthFLLN3Ik4nRN27GdIIknHdkh2VH08KTmaPDfx2uJaUHjhly2zLD9XFhGlibZBW6BSACKWT9oDYg25Opzlm-_U2MRKDahOlf5YAqhSRxhy4EkMC0H6DF_GCLZx6U2P/s1600-h/germanium1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiap5y9sJYOStCNqSthFLLN3Ik4nRN27GdIIknHdkh2VH08KTmaPDfx2uJaUHjhly2zLD9XFhGlibZBW6BSACKWT9oDYg25Opzlm-_U2MRKDahOlf5YAqhSRxhy4EkMC0H6DF_GCLZx6U2P/s320/germanium1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194900566706102898" border="0" /></a>Germanium<br /><br /></div>Germanium also uses a vintage (1966) germanium transistor. This one is from General Electric. "Ge" is also the elemental name of germanium on the Periodic Table of Elements!<br /><br />Here is a good modification you can do. Change the 1k resistor to something around 2.2k to 10k and place a CDS light sensitive resistor between the transistor base and emitter (or use a trimmer). This mod will make the circuit light sensitive and cause the circuit to shut down during the day. When its dark , the white led will light. Now how about that for a proper night light!<br /><br />So go ahead and google "joule thief" and see what you can find, then make your own artbot.<br /><br /><br /></div>Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-29258602644978282772008-04-29T21:32:00.000-07:002008-04-29T21:39:49.074-07:00Windsonics Album<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7Mkk95MM8WGJVuUM_357XV43hR86QpUqPATyP8N4DwbSZbGoC7bI80_sl8M96EdGAzmwuHPs-2vf4YgjWkcWaUmjbTIU9mwciJ31-AmF39e2HdnQpUau6iATnTo78Iw3ygIVTQS-WXTu/s1600-h/windharp1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7Mkk95MM8WGJVuUM_357XV43hR86QpUqPATyP8N4DwbSZbGoC7bI80_sl8M96EdGAzmwuHPs-2vf4YgjWkcWaUmjbTIU9mwciJ31-AmF39e2HdnQpUau6iATnTo78Iw3ygIVTQS-WXTu/s320/windharp1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194893273851634226" /></a><br />I have received a lot of great response to my windharp music. I put together a group of my latest work at Soundclicks. Just go to http://www.soundclick.com/windsonics<br /><br />You can download my "songs" or just listen to relaxing sounds created by the wind.Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-65898670167403777942008-03-22T09:11:00.000-07:002008-03-22T09:35:35.540-07:00Wind Harp for Maker Faire 08<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIunvah5Enj6nTEuGR8A-1FvGG7j_vFYfReQ3IhEz1vbw99naWWmK4a-WiKzVdRxvF64cgss1FCv2ab4t6i2Zq9ILl1i2M5H4-SHFFMOhMw9tYqmfzLwzlqT1pfk5OueTzcaUlHP4Cz7H/s1600-h/newharp1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIunvah5Enj6nTEuGR8A-1FvGG7j_vFYfReQ3IhEz1vbw99naWWmK4a-WiKzVdRxvF64cgss1FCv2ab4t6i2Zq9ILl1i2M5H4-SHFFMOhMw9tYqmfzLwzlqT1pfk5OueTzcaUlHP4Cz7H/s320/newharp1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5180601856956733106" border="0" /></a><br />I completed my second Wind Harp. This one will be shown at <a href="http://makerfaire.com/bayarea/2008/makers/">Maker Faire</a> in San Mateo California (Bill's Artbots, thats me!). Strings for the instrument are standard guitar strings, very much adjustable using guitar tuner machines. I wound my own humbucking pickup which is connected to a special preamp I designed using a LT1167 Instrumentation amplifier IC. The pickup is electrically balanced enough not to pick up surrounding AC hum, which was a problem with my other 8 foot contraption on my shed. The quality of sound is impressive.<br /><br />Information on its construction is at my Maker Faire <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/mfharp.html">wind harp</a> page. You can hear my <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/windsonics.html">Windsonics</a> album, my best work yet with more to come.Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-37162947591827324902007-11-25T12:54:00.000-08:002007-11-25T13:31:55.384-08:00Don't Buy Hampton Bay Solar Lights!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6hOKxUQ0x0-qx7JsDHOmJSSH0t3Foo8Lu-F__-PtWQpLPn7ORTzgx4-SW1EGOU8C91auW8V0PgcoHgBL1nD2FClK3U04QoHSgFxhhzJ2sexILnvuzYWNsfRMVDIG6ii1M7bT7gp8I5sH/s1600-h/IMG_2600.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6hOKxUQ0x0-qx7JsDHOmJSSH0t3Foo8Lu-F__-PtWQpLPn7ORTzgx4-SW1EGOU8C91auW8V0PgcoHgBL1nD2FClK3U04QoHSgFxhhzJ2sexILnvuzYWNsfRMVDIG6ii1M7bT7gp8I5sH/s320/IMG_2600.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136886589114115394" border="0" /></a><br />I bought two boxes of 4 each Hampton Bay #498-959 Solar Garden Lights at Home Depot. After about two years operation, the translucent plastic housing became brittle and fell apart. This plastic is not sunlight resistant! I wrote to Home Depot a complaint, but got no reply. For those who would like to know how to Hack a solar light and use them for other purposes, here is a <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/project.pdf">pdf </a>of the construction. Perhaps you should wrap aluminum foil around the translucent plastic housing to keep the sunlight from destroying the plastic.Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-31415150188294846662007-11-22T18:43:00.000-08:002007-11-22T19:53:46.852-08:00Electronic Candle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_J5IEaxBQ9D8iWT-gFo9n2tyB_mAe7UnPUDsWTnnoQb3fa3w-sRhTKA9XxQvims5jYNxr8MEuNpzID89z18mgsumS7hRMci8giXfN6QQSa3UjHKjkqZ2uy6R9MVl99W0UYoFVYxSkOOX/s1600-h/starcandle.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_J5IEaxBQ9D8iWT-gFo9n2tyB_mAe7UnPUDsWTnnoQb3fa3w-sRhTKA9XxQvims5jYNxr8MEuNpzID89z18mgsumS7hRMci8giXfN6QQSa3UjHKjkqZ2uy6R9MVl99W0UYoFVYxSkOOX/s320/starcandle.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135862617371141410" border="0" /></a><br />Build yourself a electronic candle that is safe from fire. I found a great program to load in a 12f675 PIC microcontroller from a website named<a href="http://mondo-technology.com/candle.html"> Mondo Technology</a>. I changed the circuit to allow using a mosfet to flicker a 12 volt light bulb to simulate the candle. I mounted the bulb inside a glass star to complete the effect.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_V6EgEyvONdwasqKB8v5M7_lSUxv-8qy6Cf81qCT31XWGrD1otJ2dkyjpfKLdhBXjbYwIHiqjFoJRQCYKFdhV-2CPhN2hyphenhyphen0leiC3y5Y-IhUrmwFIi8BnPmH2PxrUJdohhygNtS9OGg_Jb/s1600-h/prefboard.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_V6EgEyvONdwasqKB8v5M7_lSUxv-8qy6Cf81qCT31XWGrD1otJ2dkyjpfKLdhBXjbYwIHiqjFoJRQCYKFdhV-2CPhN2hyphenhyphen0leiC3y5Y-IhUrmwFIi8BnPmH2PxrUJdohhygNtS9OGg_Jb/s320/prefboard.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135862810644669746" border="0" /></a>The circuit can be built on a piece of prefboard. The circuit is attached between the lamp inside the star and the dc power source. You can get my version of the schematic <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/Candle.pdf">here</a>. You can also view a movie at Youtube <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2Yl2uHRHX8">here</a>.<br /></div>Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-35375439780080226692007-09-30T13:10:00.000-07:002007-12-16T08:34:30.706-08:00Wind Harp on SHOUTcastI stopped using windows media encoder to broadcast my wind harp. I'm now using Shoutcast. You can go to the <a href="http://www.shoutcast.com/download/">website</a> and get the latest copy of shoutcast server. The software will allow you to become an instant internet radio station. You will also need to get a copy of winamp and the winamp DSP plug-in. Its all free! An excellent tutorial and manual on how to set up a Shoutcast station can be found <a href="http://www.worldtvradio.com/blog/internet_broadcast/shoutcast.htm">here</a>. My harp can be heard <a href="http://www.shoutcast.com/directory/?s=instrumental+wind+harp">here</a>. If its not listed, check later, it may be down for maintenance.<br /><br />I play live recordings of the harp on my station and update every few days. The recordings get better as I improve the recording technique. When planes and helicopters fly overhead, the strings resonate and make some interesting effects. Other effects can be caused by insects landing on the strings or birds pecking at them. The strings will also react to loud nearby noises, tree branches swaying against the structure, cats jumping on the roof, trains blowing the horn.<br /><br />The electronics used to amplify the tiny signals from the pickups, are solar powered and have rechargeable batteries for backup power at night.<br /><br />Just about all the files can be downloaded at my files<a href="http://botronics.multiply.com/music"> storage site</a>. 45 files at the date of this writing. With the rainy season coming, many more interesting recordings are to be made.<br /><br />Remember to tune in <a href="http://www.shoutcast.com/directory/?s=instrumental+wind+harp">my station</a> and "listen to the wind" in a whole new way.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhquIWnmYBLJj4Jo59BNcPoNq8PpfTmfqThgVik1ItSiDQbKZQFUv6le7cfkq4c-sI_47ae89acevU-KNtpmLob6XSAlriGjVfLeNU44Nx8YcnucqhsZdpcCGYOq2VpMv6I2pRwQjAu67Xt/s1600-h/preamp.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhquIWnmYBLJj4Jo59BNcPoNq8PpfTmfqThgVik1ItSiDQbKZQFUv6le7cfkq4c-sI_47ae89acevU-KNtpmLob6XSAlriGjVfLeNU44Nx8YcnucqhsZdpcCGYOq2VpMv6I2pRwQjAu67Xt/s320/preamp.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116170363307171650" border="0" /></a>A LM386 is used for a simple preamp. I had some PC boards made for the circuit. See previous blogs about the development of the preamp.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ8r_OyuJW4CxVC2-_Y6ui3bLrhSUrbmi2Jz7hwrIKPZQCsqfc6s_9AeH554JddFVtG1LwJZb0w8Pa-gYr8XKgKoZeGdwD1yeHbVZLGBdxbNWz8txPDZKYAYq1z1smlJ8aG62H4qHIK51D/s1600-h/dualcoils.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ8r_OyuJW4CxVC2-_Y6ui3bLrhSUrbmi2Jz7hwrIKPZQCsqfc6s_9AeH554JddFVtG1LwJZb0w8Pa-gYr8XKgKoZeGdwD1yeHbVZLGBdxbNWz8txPDZKYAYq1z1smlJ8aG62H4qHIK51D/s320/dualcoils.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116169658932535090" border="0" /></a>Magnetic sensors (hand wound) pickup the sounds from the center strings. Two sensors are used to "buck out" the hum from surrounding EMF.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdXmM0xFKGfDpzCmdtNckMxQGhLY3Jzj-pOfYBZl-mwg2jnQ24wwOdT15kaDndNiflaP0WV82DinpLT7JLp197RnKwyHVdFvwsSFa40flMDXWttD9rUXopuWQtfL-3hmEHAht-zHmiuMY/s1600-h/4string.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdXmM0xFKGfDpzCmdtNckMxQGhLY3Jzj-pOfYBZl-mwg2jnQ24wwOdT15kaDndNiflaP0WV82DinpLT7JLp197RnKwyHVdFvwsSFa40flMDXWttD9rUXopuWQtfL-3hmEHAht-zHmiuMY/s320/4string.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116168409097051938" border="0" /></a><br />Photo of the 4 string wind harp on my shed. To the left are the solar garden lights that power the harp. Sounds are picked up from the two center strings by magnetic sensors. The two outer strings transmit their vibrations through the supporting frame. To protect from the rain, I throw a plastic cup over the coil assembly.Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-81995358597552230712007-07-27T20:00:00.001-07:002007-07-28T12:22:37.194-07:00Wind Harp Live!Its not too difficult to add live audio to your own web page. You will need to get Windows Media Encoder, a free program found<a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/forpros/encoder/default.mspx"> here</a>. To broadcast the sound on the internet, I connected the harp to the microphone input of my PC and run Windows Media Encoder. A good tutorial on setting up live broadcasting can be found <a href="http://www.parkansky.com/streaming/streaming.htm">here</a>. For the listener to hear the harp, I made a web page to launch Windows Media Player using the HTML code example found at this <a href="http://www.nunzioweb.com/streaming_audio-example.htm">webpage</a> . If it is windy and I actually have Windows Media Encoder running, you should be able to connect by going to <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/windharp.html"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">My Wind Harp</span></a> page.<br />You can learn more about my wind harp project by viewing some of my earlier blogs about the subject.Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-13579517414190674512007-07-21T19:54:00.000-07:002007-07-26T05:56:20.816-07:00Simpler Solar Powered PreampUsually the best solution is the simplest solution. I'm using a LM386 now for the preamp in my Wind Harp. The LM386 has low power needs and has good tonal quality, plus its use as a preamp is simple and efficient. I will also use two solar garden lights wired in series to supply power. To draw power from the solar lights just simply connect a set of leads from the the battery holder terminals. Bring out the wires and connect in series. Below is the schematic and photos of the solar lights.<br /><br /><br />The schematic of the preamp using the LM386 and two garden lights.<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImONDWlsfOqpAB1XQ9QyLXraB8rkEEwYG-NY8AGGx-RKKy1pu5IpksLkmu-yY9lmaeOsg3KqU2pV9lXjB3SxwJ2LlYegX8RtaaHhJdyjbSFHuRCoaZH2RaOcFZu3_fdoyD1h8OM_0dbhK/s1600-h/preamp5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImONDWlsfOqpAB1XQ9QyLXraB8rkEEwYG-NY8AGGx-RKKy1pu5IpksLkmu-yY9lmaeOsg3KqU2pV9lXjB3SxwJ2LlYegX8RtaaHhJdyjbSFHuRCoaZH2RaOcFZu3_fdoyD1h8OM_0dbhK/s320/preamp5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089854660438391938" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIS4x0hP2rL67-gV52HN84gx7wMc8wZsuR0bcDjuPKdTlnV96-mMYpgm6NAPRRSnzBejpd9N7FfdEs2trJBQs_FmZ_7tIaMfhSZ1Mttsy7YVGbaaIp-O5ILgN8oWQANnzCFfxPeBZCMuF4/s1600-h/IMG_2601.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIS4x0hP2rL67-gV52HN84gx7wMc8wZsuR0bcDjuPKdTlnV96-mMYpgm6NAPRRSnzBejpd9N7FfdEs2trJBQs_FmZ_7tIaMfhSZ1Mttsy7YVGbaaIp-O5ILgN8oWQANnzCFfxPeBZCMuF4/s200/IMG_2601.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089853569516698722" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Remove the screws that hold the two halves of the garden light together. Solder wires to the battery holders inside the garden lights and connect in series.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcPqKcV5_o3bI3vg4hhQpUN5lQsogX7Cg3Qd0GnWF9wXmJ7VanScyPlHMacrY7A84yPSpwZPLZZEaIeMs1a6nFHV3GV5cZbyiUgzUbKOm0oSFzy_sphGd4hZwTuyP16G9VtCdNPOnM7Gy/s1600-h/IMG_2591.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 168px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcPqKcV5_o3bI3vg4hhQpUN5lQsogX7Cg3Qd0GnWF9wXmJ7VanScyPlHMacrY7A84yPSpwZPLZZEaIeMs1a6nFHV3GV5cZbyiUgzUbKOm0oSFzy_sphGd4hZwTuyP16G9VtCdNPOnM7Gy/s200/IMG_2591.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089856125022239922" border="0" /></a>Closeup showing circuit board (perfboard), connectors for power, input and output. Hide all this wiring inside the bottom bowl of the garden light.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFx1Dut0zmhJi6WR3Ji-fFRfoY1BJtjMcuYs7cVLXDUTLXtdQ0dcqAY09zBcY7e3nT52TCRiUJfYV2_BwLTPdXr62qsJtrN54EOCgq0Nhy713C6voKMgJuH6zBjik0rodhBYhtghAvlKbC/s1600-h/IMG_2594.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFx1Dut0zmhJi6WR3Ji-fFRfoY1BJtjMcuYs7cVLXDUTLXtdQ0dcqAY09zBcY7e3nT52TCRiUJfYV2_BwLTPdXr62qsJtrN54EOCgq0Nhy713C6voKMgJuH6zBjik0rodhBYhtghAvlKbC/s200/IMG_2594.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089856700547857602" border="0" /></a><br /><br />For more info about garden lights and how they work, visit "Garden Light Autopsy" at my website <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/light.html">here</a>. Or get the pdf <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics/project.pdf">here</a>.Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-4366970213005613992007-07-20T15:07:00.000-07:002007-07-21T10:15:42.560-07:00Improved Preamp for Wind HarpI did some changes to the wind harp preamp, some of which <a href="http://watsonseblog.blogspot.com/">Acme Fixer</a> (see previous blog) suggested. Moving the preamp at the harp also reduced a lot of the 60hz pickup. I posted at You Tube a video of the waveform as shown by Visual Analyzer 8.<br /><br />View the YouTube video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_oUIdn1WbQ">here</a>.<br /><br />Improved circuit:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXVo69XYH5Ky_2nICVC-mlspBueig-R-5aCUdO7wuM7fbVbyI9xQulZcalS3Da_FwKDbQP-BE5l7TbPltyz8fZJCc_0pzeR_vuGwf7mnMz-R6_fdyoBjtDPXz_m1RhNfabNHg7rJdPRFd/s1600-h/preamp4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXVo69XYH5Ky_2nICVC-mlspBueig-R-5aCUdO7wuM7fbVbyI9xQulZcalS3Da_FwKDbQP-BE5l7TbPltyz8fZJCc_0pzeR_vuGwf7mnMz-R6_fdyoBjtDPXz_m1RhNfabNHg7rJdPRFd/s320/preamp4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089700002961030162" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSZ9tpOkrGFtHdaSeeFEiET_zIkFRX1xzMuW-Rz52q-irhNMI7Ai2OBp0-dSm6r-Q_mSoGb_n-kiGT7JIIW5cHJlXuD16nMTstAxqWlUHb9-pb4xlJPQaJOEYHe8xV-NyTX6cjqUWJ2XO/s1600-h/preamp4.jpg"><br /></a>Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-60684582654323973392007-07-14T16:31:00.001-07:002007-07-16T18:16:54.176-07:00Preamp for Wind HarpI built a preamp circuit for use with the wind harp. The amplifier uses a J-fet transistor to connect to a magnetic pickup without loading down the pickup too much. The rest of the circuit brings up the gain enough to drive a set of Amplified PC Speakers.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAiFE99ecHVAMADwGOD8iuUG94t-SPtwOJimYjaWHj1m_gFSmybWka3pJ3fgC40ieioZzkkAolsp1EO2nCgt84g_m2y0SYQeFJT3T7uWRCEpoYHQlo7brFVHV3a7KdjLM8KJ2BGOIbYAjF/s1600-h/preamp_proto.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAiFE99ecHVAMADwGOD8iuUG94t-SPtwOJimYjaWHj1m_gFSmybWka3pJ3fgC40ieioZzkkAolsp1EO2nCgt84g_m2y0SYQeFJT3T7uWRCEpoYHQlo7brFVHV3a7KdjLM8KJ2BGOIbYAjF/s320/preamp_proto.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087225576414667106" border="0" /></a>Bread boarded circuit while in the design phase. That mess really works!<br /><br />The preamp can also be plugged into the microphone input on a PC. Dual coil design is next to test out as a method to buck out hum. Right now, I'm just using a single coil with a magnet as the pickup. The circuit is still a "work in progress" and has not been finalized. I will post the final tweeks when done.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGb1JFZB0gwCTeBt-Z66avlcjFsPp-9WlMZjVlyN9CCRepG9dQbnJo8ceTbS2Unh0joP8W4RSy2DSqXmiJ9oRtMaebO9fFn-e_6qnL7adUiAbGBQ4wR2ejvJUk5XUHjL7nGafrbNtIoskN/s1600-h/preamp3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGb1JFZB0gwCTeBt-Z66avlcjFsPp-9WlMZjVlyN9CCRepG9dQbnJo8ceTbS2Unh0joP8W4RSy2DSqXmiJ9oRtMaebO9fFn-e_6qnL7adUiAbGBQ4wR2ejvJUk5XUHjL7nGafrbNtIoskN/s400/preamp3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087214289240613202" border="0" /></a><br />You can download a pdf of the schematic <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotronics2/preamp3.jpg">HERE</a><br /><br />I also made a Youtube video of the waveform. View it <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSI3WpJPYB8">HERE</a><br />The video shows a predominate frequency at about 440 hz and low frequency ripple from hum and vibration of the mount. When a truck drives by it will increase. More work on the preamp can be done to remove this.<br /><br />You can listen to the harp "Live", if I have Windows Media Encoder on. Just open Windows Media Player, click "File","URL" then copy and paste this URL: http://botronics.homeip.net:9004/<br /><br />I used a freeware oscilloscope/FFT program to view the signal. Get it <a href="http://hacca.altervista.org/index.html">HERE</a><br /><br />The author of Watson's eBlog has been very helpful in my design of the preamp. He also has an excellent design of a preamp of his own for bringing the sounds of the outdoors inside. The site can be found <a href="http://watsonseblog.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html">HERE</a>Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-9426238199566641872007-07-07T15:06:00.000-07:002007-07-07T16:00:51.271-07:00Wind Harp Experiments<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAygojO4k8J-1xSxI1I-X1WKrZcV0pKOc8FnK-xBf_Uj_qIaDSftlHlWkaNCwP9zli6_VMmjQ96L7HGu7sIsPovld3L4ypdngWK-rJIjziTE4TR0LHnyp3mULB9Y4fwt7ZI6eXfuq2pz1i/s1600-h/IMG_2573.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAygojO4k8J-1xSxI1I-X1WKrZcV0pKOc8FnK-xBf_Uj_qIaDSftlHlWkaNCwP9zli6_VMmjQ96L7HGu7sIsPovld3L4ypdngWK-rJIjziTE4TR0LHnyp3mULB9Y4fwt7ZI6eXfuq2pz1i/s400/IMG_2573.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084585674777760626" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-LZMq3wRKn7J8B_2reb5uS_T7WT4QjqlC2rAzNdVjPoUReOTtyHlPUFJ3Mir4RAs9KeMP5nFqBXtkuxUWoHkoKv-HUq1P8JJcM6pBUy8kQcdKD_HW07xbS0XUiLc8j1zevagN_JE3MtW3/s1600-h/IMG_2572.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-LZMq3wRKn7J8B_2reb5uS_T7WT4QjqlC2rAzNdVjPoUReOTtyHlPUFJ3Mir4RAs9KeMP5nFqBXtkuxUWoHkoKv-HUq1P8JJcM6pBUy8kQcdKD_HW07xbS0XUiLc8j1zevagN_JE3MtW3/s200/IMG_2572.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084585245281030994" border="0" /></a><br />After reading a lot about wind harps and hearing the awesome sounds they make, I decided to give it a try. I strung a steel wire between two "C" clamps separated by almost eight feet. The support is a 2" by 2" by 8 feet long pine stud I got from Home Depot. Each C clamp has a hole drilled on the side with a eye bolt installed to support the wire. The eyebolt is tensioned untill a nice tone is heard when plucked.<br /><br />Photo on the left show pickup placed near the wire.<br /><br />Photo on the right show the whole thing, about 8 feet high.<br /><br />So I don't have to use a sounding board to make the sounds audible, I used a magnetic pick up and a Radio Shack amplifier to amplify the delicate vibrations. As the wind "plucks" the string, musical notes and harmonic vibrations could be heard.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8JTKXOrAfa4Tcx8g1xr7-A_dailmwNh_BnetP9-tPCABczGvpNxuQIpd3vulneQxpB53atcUviajjO14j5R1FL3G1wXUFvyzfTDJbE7Acfngv4FNb8bmChzO_45HORohgE8HOoILvz5Q/s1600-h/IMG_2575.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8JTKXOrAfa4Tcx8g1xr7-A_dailmwNh_BnetP9-tPCABczGvpNxuQIpd3vulneQxpB53atcUviajjO14j5R1FL3G1wXUFvyzfTDJbE7Acfngv4FNb8bmChzO_45HORohgE8HOoILvz5Q/s200/IMG_2575.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084586800059192226" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">A 3 inch C clamp holds the wire on each end.</span></span><br /></div><br />You can hear what my wind harp sounds like at this <a href="http://home.comcast.net/%7Ebotsmaker/windharp2.wav">link</a>.<br /><br />The Harp I made just uses one string to prove it works. Now imagine using several strings.Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-17270358884377184842007-07-04T13:32:00.000-07:002007-07-04T14:10:46.959-07:00Wind HarpsI found an interesting wind harp design at this <a href="http://regexp.bjoern.org/archives/000164.html">website</a> . Wind Harps or more correctly called an Aeolian Harp is played by the wind. The wind causes the string to vibrate and if several strings are tuned to the same pitch, these sounds reinforce and modulate between themselves. The resulting sounds create a serene and peaceful melody. Such an instrument can be made with PVC pipe and nylon fishing line. The above website has a list of materials and full instructions on how to make one.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwdzFYUSrhyQANZRjnfnd1tuJj-_nVNBP_6pZ0fVDOp-8UfPlso03WxAlNQOi4nD4XQ6nCEgbwzX6zBoGTib9D1sQXg1Hh1tUYYw9NnwjCjNdlBKmx1CDiFHKm1umprDS4tdiw2NEgmXe/s1600-h/amy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwdzFYUSrhyQANZRjnfnd1tuJj-_nVNBP_6pZ0fVDOp-8UfPlso03WxAlNQOi4nD4XQ6nCEgbwzX6zBoGTib9D1sQXg1Hh1tUYYw9NnwjCjNdlBKmx1CDiFHKm1umprDS4tdiw2NEgmXe/s320/amy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083446030975570754" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-38244899158766566672007-06-30T20:34:00.000-07:002007-07-04T22:29:29.991-07:00Tech ShopToday was Open House Day for the <a href="http://techshop.ws/">Tech Shop</a>. Located in Menlo Park, Ca.<br /><br />The Tech Shop is an open source shop where you can go to build things. For $100 a month you get access to mills, lathes, welders, benders, and a super cool laser cutter. You get basic training for using machines for a small fee. Got a robot you want to build for battlebots? or want to do some sand casting for Burning Man? You have no garage or your neighbors don't like all that grinder noise? Then this is the place to be. The greatest thing for the geek without a garage.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkHhONnzxd2FC_OP8cugwty7LognwSpRlImOYmOft2mr18v1rria-VrvQcxUfOpa-F-jovd7n0mXCKaLOsv0A8oepVzkLMdsOXj1cbeZ7yKCkwdLkIrQPWy77Kc46qlqyZp65RgSoHmTC/s1600-h/IMG_2559.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkHhONnzxd2FC_OP8cugwty7LognwSpRlImOYmOft2mr18v1rria-VrvQcxUfOpa-F-jovd7n0mXCKaLOsv0A8oepVzkLMdsOXj1cbeZ7yKCkwdLkIrQPWy77Kc46qlqyZp65RgSoHmTC/s320/IMG_2559.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082071224829023026" border="0" /></a><br /><br />See some photos I took: <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/bill.botronics/TechShop"> My Picasa Album</a>Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-77395110228571522022007-06-29T18:26:00.000-07:002007-06-29T18:56:26.841-07:00Time Lapse at Robogames 2007Here is a time lapse of the activities at Robogames 2007 (June 14-17). A photo was taken every 10 seconds. Even at night when the public went home, some of the combat team members were working hard.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZv1QVmbc7hVlMmpjFaQ4l5u74fsKPaKQJheyHvrqJ-H_rPqGQ7CGJ0go7u5xjNVxfqK308DuLHwKCYZKLIfxwpPX8c3bbt8VIhS0mZEY8UhvP5b4Wl9NblYAdSrvSnR7yx2V7rZBRSz5x/s1600-h/06-16+02.02.14.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZv1QVmbc7hVlMmpjFaQ4l5u74fsKPaKQJheyHvrqJ-H_rPqGQ7CGJ0go7u5xjNVxfqK308DuLHwKCYZKLIfxwpPX8c3bbt8VIhS0mZEY8UhvP5b4Wl9NblYAdSrvSnR7yx2V7rZBRSz5x/s320/06-16+02.02.14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081668309652017682" border="0" /></a><br />2 AM Saturday and someone is still working on their Bot. Team dedication! Hey, where's the rest of the team? Click Here for the <a href="http://www.metacafe.com/watch/663360/robogames_07_day_1/">Time Lapse Movie</a>Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-63738764096545361432007-06-29T17:07:00.000-07:002007-06-30T08:50:18.545-07:00Plastic Wind Organs<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1tkN_Jb7LRr5XyEsM4FPq-UXkzgu2rQxEW06bwp6o5U85YfNVjGnOKexsIbTfgS367PaQyuyynOEGXMmq5pHb8lfGK_18fdAv3lV5PcGHAfET6ZdI7sMrH4E7CmTWKfAhOT3OWfjPZ-J/s1600-h/IMG_2549.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 174px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1tkN_Jb7LRr5XyEsM4FPq-UXkzgu2rQxEW06bwp6o5U85YfNVjGnOKexsIbTfgS367PaQyuyynOEGXMmq5pHb8lfGK_18fdAv3lV5PcGHAfET6ZdI7sMrH4E7CmTWKfAhOT3OWfjPZ-J/s320/IMG_2549.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081645503375675906" border="0" /></a><br />It's pretty common to see and hear wind chimes outside of peoples homes. But how about something different.<br /><br />Those two liter plastic soda bottles make great Wind Organs.<br /><br />Here is the <a href="http://w1.neuronnexion.com/%7Edferment/ukplasto.htm">website</a> where I got the idea.<br /><br />They really sound great when the wind really gets going.<br />I plan to set up a whole row of these things and let the wind blow.<br /><br /><a href="http://w1.neuronnexion.fr/%7Edferment/lab/lab.html#poche">Aeolian Laboratory</a> for other sounds.Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-300769955825942778.post-58088111387963356182007-06-29T08:13:00.000-07:002007-07-04T22:20:07.437-07:00A Electronic Didgeridoo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6sbUpcZH5O6arc4wJJemYWzwaBnd6pcn94wbwz-rh8k_dZEa-lLIzpjA_nPmJKPAXFS_5Gq1bVP_mr04NUjot5QnHFepzN6euTkyWZS58H2n3vfj7gLwOn0E6nYPdpEi3IWiA0mEKi2eN/s1600-h/IMG_2548.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6sbUpcZH5O6arc4wJJemYWzwaBnd6pcn94wbwz-rh8k_dZEa-lLIzpjA_nPmJKPAXFS_5Gq1bVP_mr04NUjot5QnHFepzN6euTkyWZS58H2n3vfj7gLwOn0E6nYPdpEi3IWiA0mEKi2eN/s320/IMG_2548.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081635105259852274" border="0" /></a><br />Project Start: June 29,2007<br /><br />The start of a new project<br /><br />I want to build an instrument that will sound like a Didgeridoo.<br /><br />The instrument will be a free standing constructed unit that will not use a computer. Sound generation will be digital and constructed using discreet components and PIC microcontrollers.<br /><br />The instrument will be played using hand controls similar to playing a Theremin. Hand position will be sensed with IR distance measuring sensors. One hand controls the pitch and the other hand controls the volume.<br /><p> </p>For an instrument to sound like that of a real Didgeridoo, I will be using Wav files of the real thing. These Wav files are binary representations of sound that can be pushed through a DAC, then through an amplifier. Wav files can be stored on a eprom and then counted through in real time to make the sound. Pitch can be controlled by changing the clock rate. Volume can be controlled by changing the attenuation before reaching the amplifier.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyygEqARFZI">Timelapse</a> video of experimental breadboarding.<br /><br />Links:<br /><br />This <a href="http://web.telia.com/%7Eu85920178/eprom/wave_00.htm">website</a> by Harry Lythall shows how wav files can be converted directly to sound using a DAC.<br /><br />So what does a Didgeridoo sound like? This<a href="http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/didjeridu.html"> link</a> has some wav files and explains how a Didgeridoo works.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div>Botronicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02024738224623064767noreply@blogger.com1