General > General Technical Chat
Sharing some project planning phase: A (digital) ELECTRO-MECHANICAL Network
RJSV:
Filling out the details, here's how a remote station Switch Encoder works:
(See Diagram), the two variations of (resolved) SWITCH positions are easily encoded; simply 'invert' by using odd number of gear interconnects, and mix the two possible (signals).
Using the rt. side layout scheme, you can see, one path gets through unchanged, while other gets rotary direction reversed.
Now, also here, please note that the method, for reading and sending back position, to the BASE Station, needs some additional logic, for (time) sharing the 'A' shaft. Otherwise the box, itself, will try to 'actuate' based on shaft 'A' sourced 'commands'.
RJSV:
For 'crude' analog, remote, a conversion to Pulse Duration allows for sending a proportional signal (back to the computerized BASE station).
First, the 'C' shaft rotations get looped back down, towards BASE Station, signifying pulse start.
RJSV:
Now, second photo shows: The timer runs approx from 150 mSec to 250 mSec. You want to skip the lower range, as that gear start-up is very non-linear.
After that Timer-Switch has rotated, to contact the Overflow Output wheel, the process is started, to pull the first switch OPEN, that way the rotation drive, 'C' to 'A', is interrupted, signifying the stop of time period, and also has to account for the 'Disconnect' pull, adding another 90 mSec or so.
Base Station gets pulse (by reading shaft movement) and will time the 100 or so points, between 150 and 250 mSec. Of course, a calibration helps, and temperature, etc can cause inaccuracy.
RJSV:
Switching hats, for a sec, this photo covers some current thoughts, on how to plan for Oscilloscope (Tektronix '465, YAY), the response involving getting some contact (or optical), and measuring timing, starts with electric impulse start, and interval would end on that diagnostic temporary electric contact.
High 'E' GUITAR STRINGs are very delicate and springy, for making temporary switch, (along with 3 V battery holder, and optional pulse indicating LED.
Another 'street' tech method, has that 'tickle wire' on a regular gear, obtaining ground, or whatever, by way of the metal shaft. That way the little springy wire goes round just sitting in top of moving gear.
Of course, other contacting switches (Microswitch Co.) do that, but I wanted high resilience for fast rotation movements.
Capernicus:
Are u making a mechanical analogue computer with cogs?
The illustrations are beautiful, nicely colour coded for clarity, How much paper have to got lieing around now about it? :) Your going to need even more, maybe 15 years worth and then u can probably start a toilet paper factory with it.
CCW subtract, CW add. I'm the same. and that gives u scalar values, (not just logic gates, which is digital.) you have a range from 0 - 360* (or 0-70* and dont use the full circle ever) for your minimum and maximum and u allow for half turns inbetween to get the scalars I think that's a good way to do it.
You get multiplies from the radius of the cogs. and I think doing that is what gets you amplification possible. U sorta power into the transmission gearing and it gives u amping.
You've got even more in front of you if u want to finish your computer!!! =) keep going! you'll make it and if u finish it you could be quite successful.
I wish I could help more, but I'm not using cogs, I'm using cranks. It's similar how its based apon rotation the same as cogs, but its a little different too, because I end up with a different set of problems, but I bet one thing mechanical does in general is to tend all LOCK up together, if one part of a mechanical system locks, the whole freezes all at once.
A tricky thing (And I think you also stumbled apon it.) Is that if you attempt a gate with two operands, if you affect it with operand a, it actually outputs and goes down operand b at the same time, (so it spits back into the input.) U need some way of separating that, one thing u can do I think is u can do operand a and operand b sequentially instead of at the same time.
If you cant get arithmetic to work, you can try and get logic gates and do it binary/digitally, may be easier, up to you.
I think cogs get solved slightly differently than what I'm doing, so its up to you keep at it!
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