This blog will keep to a simple theme of my tinkering with electronic and computer related toys, gadgets, projects and the like. I do hope from time to time there is something for someone to find when they are exploring these things for themselves. From an early age, I was always attracted to electronic gadgets an I continue to enjoy myself with my hobby. Unfortunately with a busy life, time becomes short an I can not indulge myself like in the past.
The Bulbdial Clock kit was developed by Evil Mad Scientist based on a design concept by David Friedman. The Bulbdial Clock uses 72 LEDs to cast 3 shadows (hours, minutes, seconds) for telling time (indoor sun dial). This kit includes a pre-programmed ATmega328p microcontroller, 20 ppm quartz crystal, power supply, resistors, capacitors, gnomon spike, and mounting hardware. The 72 LEDs are driven using Charlieplexing. In addition to the Bulbdial Clock kit, I purchased a Chronodot to provide battery backup to the clock. The Chronodot is pre-assembled and easily fits into sockets on the Bulbdial blue PCB. This was a fun and simple DIY kit to assemble and the folks at Evil Mad Scientist provide very detail instructions. Below my pictures I will display more links for reference. This clock looks wonderful above my fireplace.
This PCB contains the bulk of components including a ATmega328p microcontroller.
Blue LEDs added to PCB for minute hand and Clock face with Gnomon spike.
Adjusting the LEDs for a Gnomon shadow for second hand.
LEDs in green Circuit Board before soldering for the minute hand.
The AK-510 is an Infrared Motion Detector. The Infrared Detector detects heat radiation. This detector can detect up to 10' away but Elenco recommends detection at 6'. The AK-510 circuit is made up of Amplifier, High and Low Filters. Sound Generator, Power Supply, and Infrared Detector.
This is my Work Bench at the start of the new year. I am hoping in this new year to explore microprocessor design and programming; in addition, one or two robots based on Parallax and Arduino themed microprocessor. If I have time and money, I want to explore DIY mini-computers like Raspberry Pi or Beagle Bone. I hope this will be a great year of my viewers, my friends, my family, and my blog.
There are three elements to the Fiber Optics Kit: transmitter, fiber-optics cable, and receiver. The transmitter is made up of a diver and source. The source is a light-emitting-diode (LED). The driver is a circuit that changes the electrical signal into a form required by the source. The fiber-optic cable in this kit is a plastic optical cable (in high-end cables glass is used). The receiver is made up of two basic parts: the detector, and the output circuit. The detector converts the light received by the cable into an electrical signal. The output circuit amplifies, and if necessary, reshapes the electrical signal.
The Metal Detector Kit is a basic Oscillator. When the transistor is turned on, it sends a current into the inductor-capacitor circuit. The inductor is made up of the winding red coil. This inductor-capacitor circuit has a resonance frequency in the AM radio band. Part of the energy in the inductor-capacitor circuit is feed into the emitter of the transistor, amplifying the signal and causing the circuit to oscillate at the inductor-capacitor resonance frequency. Metal is detected, when the magnetic field of the coil, comes into the presence of metal. The magnetic field can move easier causing the inductor-capacitor circuit to oscillate at a lower frequency. The video below will demonstrate this idea.
The Pocket Dice Kit is made up of fourteen LEDs to represent two dice, and three main circuits: Clock Oscillator, Presettable Counter, and Decoder Circuit. There are seven LEDs per dice for the six possible dice combinations. To create a number on the dice (LEDs), a switch is pressed down, causing a short, and producing a number. The Clock Oscillator is an IC that consists of two NAND gates that are digital integrated circuits that inputs are tied together to form an inverter circuit. The frequency of the oscillation is about 60 cycles per second producing a square wave. By pressing the switch one causes a short and the feedback stops hence the oscillator halts. The Presettable Counter function are two IC. These two IC convert the square wave of the Clock Oscillator. Every time the clock puts out a pulse, the counter will change its output. The two counters convert the clock pulses in six combinations of "1" and "0". The Decoder Circuit takes the output of the Presettable Counter and lights the correct LEDs. It consists of a NAND gate and an OR gate.
