General > General Technical Chat
Sharing some project planning phase: A (digital) ELECTRO-MECHANICAL Network
RJSV:
Capernicus, thanks for review !
(feels now, like you the Senior Designer, here )
For your points, some thoughts:
Not directly thinking about ANALOGUE, but just a couple posts back (approx 2/28), I'm discussing how an 'analogue positioned' moveable 'STOP' will adjust switching speed...That is, the distance that TIP GEAR has to swing, for contact with output gear.
So you can get manual input knobs etc. on a range of 0 to 99 for a somewhat nonlinear behavior.
(That's converted at BASE Station, being a Pulse Duration, where, for one example build, it's a max pulse of 250 mSec, where usable range is kept at 150 to 250, this you have a 100 point range, to some accuracy.
Thanks for your thoughts, on what I've been calling 'spurious back-feed', (or 'parasitic back-feed). Nice to have somebody watchin mybaac, even if it's finding faults. Numerous detail errors in there; not real bad, but I DID the MOTOR ELECTRIC POWER calc wrong:
It's up to 6 Watts, transient motor pulse, using 9 V pulses, approx 600 mA.
Ever listen to Dave Blank?
Capernicus:
Are u talking about moving the cog itself? That could be useful, maybe adding cranks (Like on the wheels of a train.) to your design might help.
Cranks will add nonlinear behavior, tho.
I'm Just watching a Dave Blank thing now, on nano-technology.
Resin 3DPrinters could print some really small cogs, but it would be a bitch to have to assemble it all together with tweazers.
I'll be back, I'm a bit busy atm.
RJSV:
Capernicus, coppercone2; MK14 : Here's more details:
The 'COG' moving ? Not sure what that question is?
I'd say, the 'GEAR's move, sometimes only, like 1/ 4 turn. Probably OK in (any) machine under light stress conditions, and modest working lifetime.
The gears do not, however, do not DIRECTLY have analogue encoding; most logic in each switch box / Station are for FULL actuation-switching, thus considered 'DIGITAL', in academic sense.
I've left open though, possibilities, especially with analogue easy conversions to pulse width (or duration if it's just a single impulse).
This morning, posting this display of one suggestible method, for generating electrical contact action, for SCOPE analysis.
One thought was to simply, symmetrically, connect another gear train and switch. It will be 'backwards' as you are sending into the second gear train's output.
Goal is just to 'wiggle' the motor, obtaining approx 1 V pulse, for timing studies.
Need caution as the 'motion reacting' gears probably take a lot of time, maybe too much, for valid timing measurements of the first gear train (that I'm interested in characterize).
In photo, the left side has electric motor to stimulate with a plus or minus direction impulse, say of 250 mSec (as the device likely switches in that 250 mSec time).
RJSV:
Here, in photo, shows a supplemental support, for 3-point support, of the little switch module, on that plastic base.
Picture is upside down, you can also see where the 'left side' output gear goes. That gear location is on rt. side, in this photo.
Goal here is to have a stable test stand, and provide (various) ways to get a wire-to-metal contact result, for measuring timing. SEE: in photo that eccentric mounted 'link piece' is underneath and pokes out a bit
for the temporary trials, to obtain timing and transit details, in the ARC swinging toggle with TIP gear for commutations.
The little cludged support was cut from a typical plastic parts slide drawer.
That 'push button' panel you see is from the Robot Toy;
With one push, you get + 3 V for CW rotation, or, on alternate button you get the minus (- 3 V) for CCW output, from motor, into the Direction Sensitive path switch.
RJSV:
A little self-awareness can often help. Looking back, (please see Nov 24, 2021 post, reply #18), and thinking,with the (mechanical logic switch tools, presently could attempt a binary-coded addressing scheme.
It might be lot like: Imagine telling the boss, as investor rep listens; "Fred, ...We gotta dump this whole line, ...our design has been 'OUT-INNOVATED'!
"Well, ...that's bad (sez boss)."
"Yeah, and it was me, disrupting my own technology..."
Oh, well: Just trying, to get the thing out the door, before another round of 'improvements' disrupts it.
It reminds me of similar post, there was a culture of spinning the pc board fab, too early for proper testing and bug fixing.
At any rate, the '''''''new''''''' scheme would involve, say, 4 shafts, binary coded:
First 3 shafts are address, in a traditional 3-bit code, while the 4th signal shaft is the 'STROBE' input, off the BUS. Typical 1 of 8 decoder (technically 'demux').
This is leaning towards addressability, of elements internal to any particular switch.
Those local available signals could do the logic functions needed, those being explained here, as the main 'A', 'B', and 'C' shaft signals.
Notice that I'm still not suggesting binary addressed (switch) boxes, or 'Stations', which actually might be something like 5 bits, for up to 32 Stations.
No, it's the control actions, locally...
With some of the aquired skill set, it might be simpler and, indeed faster, to use the conventional random access type (selection action).
But that way won't do 'unlimited' numbers of serial connected Switch Box Stations...
Hmmm gotta think on that overhaul....
Can anybody, see, the potential, and engagement such a project, purchased in kit form, brings to the classroom...
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