Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #01278
To: beam beam@corp.sgi.com
From: Richard Piotter richfile@rconnect.com
Date: Thu, 04 Mar 1999 17:33:14 -0600
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: Microcore help...
I sure hope you didn't give it 9 volts without regulation! I know that some
people have gotten lucky, but getting lucky is not an incentive to always over
power the chip. I believe the chip runs from 2-6 volts idealy and will hold it's
voltage at lower voltages. I know some versions of the chip can go up to 15
volts. I personaly ALWAYS use a 5 regulator (such as the LM340 in a TO-92
"transistor" style package). You can use the 9 volt battery WITH the regulator.
I'd higly recomend it if you want to use 9 volts. My Walkman Jr. is running the
same batteries it used for the August taping of Algo's FACTory! Of course it
uses some extremly nice Escap motors, but it does run quite nicely.
While I'm at it, I'll mention that CMOS chips are STATIC SENSITIVE! I keep
hearing about dead microcores, and I REALY believe people are blowing the chips
with static electricity! You can pass well over 1000 volts without even KNOWING
it! I have had ALL but one microcore not work for me. That one microcore was the
ONLY one built on a carpet. My cat kept bothering me, and I had no grounding
strap. The microcore had abnormal outputs, and didn't always compltely cycle.
All other microcores have worked perfectly! Those were built in rooms with no
carpet, no cat, and one with a grounding strap.
I think a lot of microcore problems could be solved with a simple look at the
datasheets and proper grounding procedure. With that one exception, I have never
had any trouble! Heck, my microcores still work when I build them WRONG! I had
all the output wires connected to the inputs of the inverters instead of the
outputs! It still worked, and more than once! I seriously wonder if it's almost
MORE stable! I should build a NORMAL microcore and compare them on the same
mechanical frame! That could be interesting! Hehe! (:
--
Richard Piotter
richfile@rconnect.com
The Richfiles Robotics & TI web page:
http://richfiles.calc.org
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