You can go to Borders and get a magazine called Nuts and Volts. It's a
large format (bigger than a regular mag) magazine that has all kinds of
simple hardware projects in it. But equally as good are the ads for PIC
and stamp controllers. They are quite cheap and quite capable. Most
are programmable in a BASIC like language that you down load to them via
a serial connection. Then you can run the program and watch what it
does. They have simple circuits for reading or controling all kinds of
things. I think Zworld advertizes here too.
Todd
> -----Original Message-----
> From: slug@lists.nks.net [mailto:slug@lists.nks.net] On
> Behalf Of Patrick (at work)
> Sent: Monday, April 29, 2002 2:44 PM
> To: slug@nks.net
> Subject: Re: [SLUG] Control, I need CONTROL
>
>
> Zworld Engineering (http://www.zworld.com) and Allen-Bradley
> have some low cost simple controllers. Embedded industry
> always avoid a PC making critical controlling decisions. The
> PC becomes little more that an interface, passing commands
> off to the controller to carry out. You are better of having
> a controller that can operate independent of a PC. At one
> time this was my career: Zworld has a great learning package
> that includes the controller, PC interface manuals etc. A
> great kit. I embarked on a home thermostat, hot water
> controller, sprinkler system. I never finished it, but I
> learned quite a bit.
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Todd Robinson" <mtrob@penguix.com>
> To: <slug@nks.net>
> Sent: Monday, April 29, 2002 9:24 AM
> Subject: RE: [SLUG] Control, I need CONTROL
>
>
> > Radio Shack has a couple mini-handbooks that have a lot of simple
> > sample circuits in them. A couple of transistor relay drivers and
> > switches. You'll also need an 8 bit latch to catch and hold
> the value
> > written to the parallel port. You'll have to work out all
> the loads
> > backwards to make sure the relay can handle the solenoid, the
> > transitor can drive the relay and that the transistor
> ciruit doesn't
> > over draw the latch, but hey that's the fun of hardware. With that
> > you would have 8 on/off devices. If that isn't enough, you
> could add
> > a flip-flop and a couple And gates to make an addressing
> scheme where
> > the 8th bit is a solenoid/address indicator and the lower 7
> bits are
> > solenoid or address indicators. Then you just clone the
> circuit with
> > minor And gate changes for each address of 7 solenoids. If you do
> > more than 2 or 3? of those, you'll need an 8 bit buffer so
> the latches
> > don't over draw the parallel port. I would advise going
> and getting
> > an add on printer board, they are cheap, just incase you
> blow up your
> > printer interface.
> >
> > Todd
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: slug@lists.nks.net [mailto:slug@lists.nks.net] On Behalf Of
> > > Chuck Hast
> > > Sent: Monday, April 29, 2002 8:00 AM
> > > To: slug@nks.net
> > > Subject: Re: [SLUG] Control, I need CONTROL
> > >
> > >
> > > On Sunday 28 April 2002 13:40 L, you wrote:
> > > > Here's one possible solution:
> > > >
> > > > http://www.sealevel.com/catalog/8007.htm
> > > >
> > > > This card will give you 32 relay (solenoid?) drivers.
> Other cards
> > > > with different I/O specs are available.
> > > >
> > > > Sealevel provides Linux driver modules -- source. It's
> > > very easy to
> > > > use. Your program talks to the board (telling it which port to
> > > > turn
> > > > on/off) by opening a device file (/dev/dio?) and writing to
> > > it as if
> > > > it were a flat file using fseek(). You can use python or other
> > > > scripting languages as long as they have the open() write() and
> > > > fseek() commands or their equivalents.
> > > >
> > > > Now you have CONTROL!
> > > > Ed.
> > > >
> > >
> > > Ed, and all that replied, thank you. I now have some routes to
> > > follow. I do have one question, this is my own system so
> I an going
> > > to at least start it out on the cheap. (I need to do some major
> > > sheckle scraping to purchase that card)
> > >
> > > I recall having seen control systems using the printer
> port as the
> > > control port, which in turn talks to transistor drivers and from
> > > there to relays. Does anyone have any ideas on that one I
> can build
> > > up a lot of boards with transistors and relays on them
> for what one
> > > of those boards will cost me, later on as the system needs to be
> > > more reliable I will go to the board right now I would
> like to build
> > > something that is not quite so costly and though it may not be as
> > > trustworthy it will work 90% of the time.
> > >
> > > I can visualize the controller part based on such devices as
> > > 2n2222's and buffers with the 2n2222's driving small relays.
> > >
> > > --
> > > Chuck Hast
> > > KP4DJT
> > > kp4djt@tampabay.rr.com
> > > To paraphrase my flight instructor;
> > > "the only dumb question is the one you DID NOT ask
> resulting in my
> > > going out and having to identify your bits and pieces in
> the midst
> > > of torn and twisted metal."
> > >
> > >
> >
>
>
>
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