Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #01934
To: Nigel Joyce nigel.joyce@qr.com.au
From: Chiu-Yuan Fang chiumanfu@home.com
Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 19:10:16 -0800
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: The VoreBall
Low power solenoids are few and far between. They're harder to find than those
pesky gear motors! ;-)
As for the cybug circuit. Check that the "zener", which is actually just a
regular diode, is in the right way. The stripe on the diode must face towards
the 555.
Chiu
Nigel Joyce wrote:
>
> Hello Beamers,
> I have just started with BEAM (about 6 days ago), I have buggerall
> electronics knowledge but I am picking it up fast.
> I have a design in mind and thought I would run it past everyone out there
> and see what the response is like.
> Anyone is welcome to build this, as long as you help me build it as well
> with ideas, tips and problems that you experience. Basically the idea is
> this:
>
> An array of 12 or 20 solar roller or photo popper circuits arranged into a
> ball. OK this is how it will work, Each circuit when it fires, would fire a
> solenoid out the opposite side of the ball to the solar collectors
> (photovoltaic cells). The solenoid would push against the ground pushing the
> ball over onto the next side. That way, it would roll towards the light.
> To build a sphere out of components (The VOREBALL), we would need either a
> triangular "side" for a 20 sided sphere (bit of an oxymoron) and a
> pentagonal side for a 12 sided sphere. I will talk about a 12 sided to
> start off with. We have 5 photov cells in series, arranged around a
> photoresistor for lightsource detection. Also with a sphere there would be
> about 30 photov cells receiving light at 1 time, coincidentally the 20
> sided 1 made up of 3 photov cells per side would have 30 cells in light as
> well. Anyway each photovoltaic cell produces about 0.4v i think, that would
> make about 2v total - 0.6v drop over the diode = 1.4v per side. Enough?
> Are there higher tolerance diodes available with lower voltage drops? I
> have three thoughts here. 1. Use a photopopper circuit per side with a
> central supercap. (heaps of electronics) 2. Or don't use a supercap, and
> allow the current to flow directly to the solenoid opposite the circuit
> which is receiving the most light (if this worked (I recon) it would be a
> smoother movement, more like a spherical centipede then the delayed popping
> of a photopopper) 3. Or just use 12 solarroller circuits, allowing for a
> haphazard firing of the solenoids, but a photovore movement because the side
> receiving more light would fire more often, remembering the solenoids would
> be mounted opposite the photov cells in the same circuit.
> Now, for aesthetics, I see that the ball would be very tight with the only
> visible parts being the photovoltaic cells and the photoresistors, and to
> make it even more asthetic, have the photoresistor mounted on the top of the
> solenoid from the circuit from the opposite side.
> I think the 20 side concept would work better because there would be less
> drive required for the solenoids.
> you may also require rubber pads on each side to prevent it smashing itself
> to bits.
> This VoreBall Concept, is probably complicated, expensive and way out of my
> league, but if anyone wants to build it, put in the time and the
> maths/electronic knowledge be my guest, just acknowledge my input and help
> me build 1.
> It has also been suggested (by Ben Hitchcock, thanks for your help Ben,)
> that I build a 4 sided tetrahedron design for simplicity but (I think) the
> mechanics would not allow the ball to roll over onto the side firing the
> solenoid, the angles are all wrong.
>
> Please, any feedback would be greatly appreciated, even if it is something
> like "that is bloody impossible, wake up to yourself"
>
> Remember I have been into beam for about 6 days and I am trying to remember
> high school electronics from 11 years ago.
>
> Oh, BTW, I bought a cybug kit yesterday, wired it up on a bread board last
> night and the bloody thing won't work, some problem in the 555 timer area, a
> led lights up when I short across the zeiner (did I spell that right?) diode
> with my finger, any ideas?
>
> Blue Skies
> ---Buzz---
> I didn't just kiss death, I slipped it the tongue!
> nigel.joyce@usa.net
--
Chiu-Yuan Fang
chiumanfu@home.com
ICQ=5614919
http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/6897/beam2.html
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