Home Electronics Project - Need some advice
by Need to do more research, but maybe dean can put me in the right direction.
I want to make a circuit board, I'm thinking with a PIC, take's as input a varrying line of voltage (a range) converts to digital signal (A->D), spit the digital value through rs232 to PC.
Now there's clipping involved, so the digital value only gets sent if the voltage reaches a certain height, so it's like a trigger ON and OFF, one time hit. imagine a push button single throw, push the button, the box would send an event msg to the PC.
It's a pretty simple operation, so I'm thinking that I wouldn't need a huge board like a rabbit semiconductor, but more of just a PIC like the intel keyboard (forget the # 8159?) chip that talks serial with PC.
Am I close?
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oh I just remembered, you'll probably need a MAX232 chip to interface with the serial port. they're very simple to use if I remember right. you need this because serial ports communicate at certain rates and other things, basically the data needs to be "prepared" to be sent to the port.
you can get free samples of the MAX232 chip from the manufacturer (I did this a while back when I had to wire a serial port onto an I-opener internet appliance, but it was a while back)
http://www.maxim-ic.com/ (Go to Samples and Literature)
thanks dean i appreciate it, i may start out with doing a dev board, but this might come out handy
and also remember you'll need some defibulators and discombobulatorizers with snazz-lite driveshafts (www.startrek.com). make sure you tell them barbara streissand sent you.
hmm. coincidentally I just came across this project:
http://www.dimensionengineering.com/appnotes/Gmeter/Gmeter.htm
it uses an accelerometer as it's voltage source, and an LED display as its output, but it's a similar concept. might give you some ideas.
(I just got back from my vacation, so I'm reading last weeks www.hackaday.com posts)
yes this si close thank you.
was talking to an old friend of mine who is an EE, so he had some good input this past weekend.
you disappoint me ezabelites
i need to rule the worth with my gadgets and you only gave me a tooth pick!
so pull a macgyver and use some gum and make a BOMB!
PIC like a microntroller? sounds a little over-the-top, I don't know. my digital electronics ain't that great. this doesn't sound that complicated though. maybe find a good book on electronics from Radio-shack or something. you just want a flag sent to your computer over the serial port?
oh wait... you want a digital rep of the actual voltage ? like umm.. 1001 for 9 degrees? then yeah, maybe a pic would be good...
haha I don't really know, but now I think I'd like to figure it out now. I've got too many geek interests... I just picked up a book on Python.
haha yeah man its one geek hobby to another kinda frustrating though i have so many unfished projects
PIC, programmable IC, small little guy I can flash with some assembler
I've done embedded work, but nothing quite this small of a footprint
Ill keep ya updated of progress
First tep would be to look for some ICs designed to measure voltage. or find an old digital multimeter and hack it. I'm all about the hardware hacks.
Ok yeah. I kind of have the idea already....
I'm taking the input of a piezo (measures velocity, 'how hard' it's been touched/hit) so that is in voltage
Take that line of voltage, sample with an A->D chip. Then that value needs to be pumped into the rs232 line by the PIC with some event messages, like start of text, end of text, the command, the value
Again what makes this easy is its a one shot.
I got all these other extended features I want too, but I gotta get this at least work first
Ooooh, you should call Adam. He's got 30 years of geek experience to help you out with. :)
wow, he musta started early, lol... right outta the womb!
Hahaha.....yeah, his inner geek was always there.
please expose more of your true inner geek
BILL GATES'D
well, ok
http://www.nitechinc.com/ADSL.htm
Heh, I used to work on this tester mostly software, but sometimes had to get my hands dirty. It was actually really fun, despite I was making just enough for gas to make the 1hr15min drive one way.
Feels like it never happened
Had USB, 40mhz Z80, ethernet, serial, lightweight protocol stack
oh yeah? well... one time, i replaced the enter key on my keyboard. and it was really hard.