Cockpit build electronics thread

[Bubi]

Jeepers....

Just looked up Croydon on Google Maps, and being so close to seawater it has to be a factor in making good kit go dodgy. Maybe so for all of an island nation for that matter. Bet it makes used motor buying a real challenge.

Seriously, keeping electronics running that are not covered with conformal coating or non-hydroscopic lube in humidity and around sea water has to be a probable source of problems. There are many ways to deal with it, including Vranac's suggestion, and then protect it with lithium grease.

[Dickie]

OK I'm looking for photosensors now, switches which have a continuous led beam (IR prolly) over a gap and when the beam is broken they break the circuit (ie turn off).

So they need to just cover a gap of max 2cm, led + sensor, to make the circuit.

[Bubi]

Another way would be to employ an optical reflective sensor that can sense a reflective object as it passes by, like maybe a shiny metal lever. Here's one that can work up to a distance of a 15mm gap. The inverse could also be done with a non reflective moving surface, but drill a hole through the lever and have the light bounce back via a mirrored surface on the other side, or a mirror on the lever itself.

http://www.vishay.com/docs/83760/tcrt5000.pdf
http://courses.cs.washington.edu/course ... RB1134.pdf

How to create the detection pulse, which can then be sent to an interface board (like a Bodinar)

[Dickie]

Thanks Bubi but that's above my head. I am just buying the part and having a clever whippersnapper do the skilled work (Nitrous will laugh at this)

[Bubi]

Now you've gone and done it...
You used head and Nitrous in the same sentence


The electonics references suggested above pretty much provides what you were looking for, a LED light source and detector in one package that sit on one side and sense the movement of the lever at up to 15mm away. The circuit schematic is just thrown in there to provide a means to convert the optical device output into a pulse signal that can be used to generate the game function.

The weakness of any optical solution is heat and dust bunnies, especially if an encoder wheel with slots are used and get plugged up. The strength of them is to detect without any electro-magnetic interference issues. Typically fast moving targets like a spinning shaft is ideal for optical detection because the movements create their own wind that keeps the gap clean. Slower targets are better handled with Hall Devices, mechanical position encoders, pressure sensors and good old potentiometers.

[Pariah]

Now you've gone and done it...

You used head and Nitrous in the same sentence

Nah, there's a full stop in between the two.

[Bunny]

Just looked up Croydon on Google Maps, and being so close to seawater it has to be a factor in making good kit go dodgy.

Oh Bubi, you had me creasing up here over that statement It never occured to me that Croydon could be classed as 'coastal' It's over an hour's drive to the seaside (well - Thames estuary), but then it shows how big the States is I guess. I live practically as far from the coast as you can get, and yet it's only a 2 hour drive to the seaside and all its fish and chip supper goodness.

I'm just waiting for the estate agents of South London to pick up on that 'seaside location' nugget, along with 'bracing sea breezes across the M25' and 'coastal walks' in Coombe Woods

[Bubi]

Yeah, our concepts of distance are different. Croydon is essentially London I guess, which is what, 20-25 miles north of the Chanel? Beach city in our parlance.

Last Friday I made a quick turn from my house to pick up my kid from Uni 725 miles round trip. Some shots I made for CASCA as we where texting across the States whilst I was crusing the desert highway.

[Dickie]

It's 50 miles from Croydon to Brighton (the sea) down the A23/M23. In England, unless you live within walking, or cycling distance of the sea then it's not seaside. Generally a seaside town has to be directly on the sea, or a beach actually, because rivers and ports don't really count if there's no beach

Hall sensors, I'll take a look.

[Dickie]

Smokey and the Bandit? Ah, that was a Firebird not a Corvette.