Alt-BEAM Archive

Message #09330



To: beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
From: Darrell Johnson beamtastic@yahoo.com
Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 11:55:53 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [alt-beam] Re:BeamBloxx


to get an image out of Express PCB, have the window
open to the size that you want your image to be, do a
then paste the image into the
image processing program of your choice, and save as a
GIF or JPEG, whichever has a smaller file size.

-darrell

--- Richard Caudle wrote:
> I've got a couple of drawings that I'm in the
> process of trying to get
> posted. I used the Express PCB software, but thre's
> not a good way to get
> the drawings exported. As soon as I can get my
> acrobat thingy working
> right, they'll be on my site.
>
> My version of the blox are square with + and -
> terminals on each corner
> (diagonally so the parts can be arranged in just
> about any shape), a pair of
> inputs, and a pair of outputs. They measure .500" X
> .500" and can fit
> inside of a LEGO-style block (with modification). I
> have a BiCORE, a
> suspended BiCORE, and a Nv/Nu. I'm planning on
> making a motor driving
> block, too.
>
> Richard
> www.geocities.com/frankendaddy/BEAM.html
>
> Always keep a litter bag in your car.
> It dosen't take up much space and it it gets full,
> you can just toss it out!
>
>

=====
____________________________________
BICOREEOS... They're BEAMtastic!!
http://www.geocities.com/beamtastic/
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9331 Tue, 18 Jan 2000 14:58:52 -0600 [alt-beam] Re: Interseting, additional idea.......................... beam@sgiblab.sgi.com Richard Piotter At my web site. Enter the site with my link below, go to the robots
section and then Quadrapod. There is a link to the schematic.

"Phillip A. Ryals" wrote:
>
> Which Richard? I don't think I've run across that circuit yet.. is there a
> link?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-beam@sgiblab.sgi.com [mailto:owner-beam@sgiblab.sgi.com]On
> Behalf Of Bruce Robinson
> Sent: Monday, January 17, 2000 6:23 PM
> To: beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
> Subject: Re: Interseting, additional idea..........................
>
> >I remember trying to analyze Richard's Quadrapod circuit when I first
> >got into BEAM. Never did entirely figure it out, even though I was
> >
>
> >Regards,
> >Bruce

--


Richard Piotter The Richfiles Robotics & TI web page:
richfile@rconnect.com http://richfiles.calc.org

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9332 Wed, 19 Jan 2000 08:01:18 +1100 (EST) [alt-beam] Re: FLEDs in Sunlight beam@sgiblab.sgi.com (mailing list) Hitch Bencock Hi,

----- Forwarded message from David Simmons -----

Newbie_s Here!!!

All joking aside, I am a Newbie and my question is, in all likelihood, a
real dumb one. But I_ll explain first. My son Kyle (nine years old)
constructed this first SYMET as he calls it. Using a FLED Solarengine,
solar panel, a pair 10000 uf Caps, etc. It is the first free form
circuit that he_s put together. Testing all the way! The beard board
circuit worked quite well but then for some reason when he free formed
the circuit and assembled on a CD with a motor glued in the centre,
LightBot One would just sit there doing nothing even in direct sunlight.
After hours of trying to find the problem I remembered reading once that
some LEDs are effected by direct sunlight. Once the FLED was covered
with a little black tape LightBot One came to life. The little brat
nearly jumped out of skin, after six hours of work he was quite excited
to see his first design in operation. So his question, _Why are LEDs
and FLEDs effected by direct sunlight, while some are not, and what is
happening inside the FLED when the light hits it?

Thank You

Dave and Kyle
----- End of forwarded message from David Simmons ----

To explain what's happening, I have to first clarify what's in a FLED.
Inside every FLED are three components - a LED junction, an
IC that makes it flash, and some form of current limiting (don't worry
about the current limiting for now, it's not relevant).

The IC is just basically a switch - it waits for a bit, then closes the
switch to turn the LED on.

All LED junctions (the bit that shines when you put current through it)
have a photoelectric potential. That is, when you shine light on them,
they will create a voltage. So they work a bit like transducers - you can
either put electricity through them to make light, or put light onto them
to create electricity.
You can use this effect to your advantage by using LEDs as light sensors.
I did this in my "Alf" circuit.
Try it - grab a LED (clear lensed ones work best), take it into the
sunlight and attach a multimeter to the legs. I can get almost a volt out
of some LEDs.

Anyway, back to the FLED SE design. THe way that the FLED triggers the SE
is that every second, the FLED will turn on, pulling a LOT of current from
the base of the PNP transistor. The reason it pulls current is that it
takes current to make the FLED turn on. That's when it's dark, of
course...

In direct sunlight, the LED junction is lit up brightly, so starts
producing electricity. When the IC inside the FLED turns the LED junction
on, there isn't much current flow (because the junction is already lit up
brightly and is producing electricity that opposes the 'normal' current
flow) so the PNP doesn't turn on, so the SE doesn't fire.

Think of it as the LED inside the FLED acting like a solar panel that
opposes the flow of electricity.

So no current - no base current - no SE turn-on.

By the way, by adding just two extra components, you can dramatically
improve the performance of your FLED SE especially in low light levels.
Check out http://wollongong.apana.org.au/~ben/fred/ to see a circuit.

I was experimenting last night, and it seems that replacing the 10 k
resistor with a 33 k improves the low-light ability even more.

It also seems as if this modification reduces the need to blacken the
FLED. At least, mine doesn't lock up in direct sunlight.

Anyway, hope this helps!
Ben Hitchcock



9333 Tue, 18 Jan 2000 15:06:33 -0600 [alt-beam] Re: Pertaining to the Hextile things. You should really make them beam@sgiblab.sgi.com Richard Piotter I am drawing up completed PCB layouts for the combo Tritile/DIP PCB as
we speak. I just have to copy the ASCII over to the GIF. I could send as
is, but I'd prefer there to be one single image that has ALL the info.
There is also a counter to a DIP argument that you can't use them to
follow the patterns of the network. You can, and infact, that's the very
reason I want them!!! Give me a little longer and I'll have them in the
gif. Not a refined PCB layout, but a workable idea.

Dane Gardner wrote:
>
> Have you tried drawing up a circuit or two? When your done... print six of
> them out...Then orientate them on your table into a hex. It's so easy I
> love it. Then take a look at what 4 would look like. A four sided pyramid.
> And if you continue with this style...you could make a rather large ring
> with 12 or so. Then if you designed right...or you designed two different
> models (right/Left) you could flip every other one over....and make a bar of
> them. Or maybe ever other odd. Wonder what that would look like. Point
> is...You can PROTOTYPE any shape you want with these. I love them.
>
> CYA,
>
> Dane
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Perry"
> To:
> Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2000 2:47 AM
> Subject: Re: Pertaining to the Hextile things. You should really make them
> hextiles and not DIP
>
> > okay let me make one of my goals clearer -
> > I want to see the NV net visually - when i build a NV with a 74hc14,
> > although on paper it has some order, on the breadboard it is a mess. I
> can't
> > see what is happening and i can't visualise how its working.
> >
> > By making DIP circuits, sure, they're the most expandable, you can create
> > any shape. But you can't get an idea of the actual shape of the NV net,
> all
> > the chips are in a row. So in other words this doesn't accomplish what i'm
> > looking for.
> >
> > By making them hextiles or some other configuration i want to be able to
> > link them into an actual ring, and see the shape of the NV net. (which is
> > why it is so hard for me to come up with a decent connector design).
> >
> > I definitely want to have the DIP chip intergrated, a little like a basic
> > stamp (i would use a socket though) but i want to make a visual shape, not
> > one on paper.
> >
> > okay i think i've straightened out my view,
> >
> > what do you think?
> >
> > David

--


Richard Piotter The Richfiles Robotics & TI web page:
richfile@rconnect.com http://richfiles.calc.org

-- Make Money by Simply Surfing the Net or responding to E-Mail!!!
-- Click below!!!

http://www.alladvantage.com/go.asp?refid=ATL147
http://www.spedia.net/cgi-bin/dir/tz.cgi?run=show_svc&fl=8&vid=329630
http://www.utopiad.com/member/getPaid?refId=284400
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9334 Tue, 18 Jan 2000 13:21:42 -0800 [alt-beam] Re: Pertaining to the Hextile things. You should really make them hextiles and not DIP "Jim Myers" David,


A simple solution to your dilemma would be to get yourself some ribbon
cable to your with your dip/hextile circuits. You wouldn't even need to
trim the hextiles corners to do test circuits. Just install dip throughput
sockets into the ribbon cable. Need odd multiple connections? Just stack
the sockets anyway you need, rewire individual pins as needed. The sockets
are a little expensive, but by keeping linkages to short reusable and fairly
standard pinouts would give you an extremely flexible way to both test new
circuits and see their topology visually.

Hope it helps.


Jim

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