Electronics > Best WORKING circuits for WFC
Microprocesor Based VIC/PWM Controller
Goeytex:
It is in the works.
Tell me what you want it to do. I have my ideas but I also want yours.
So far a 4 x 20 Back lit LCD Display that can display Frequency, Current, Duty Cycle and Gating. I could go
with a graphic display, but that adds about $20 to the cost plus programming time. The graphic display would
allow display of actual waveforms.
The user controls can do whatever I program them to do. The turn knobs are rotary encoders as well
as momentary push button switches. Pushing a knob in can toggle various modes and programming options.
So tell me the features that you think will be most beneficial and practical. Don't worry I won't laugh at anyone.
Please don't ask for a USB interface for a PC because I cannot afford the time to write a Windows App.
If there is enough interest and I can keep the cost reasonable, I will consider building and selling a few of these.
Otherwise I will have the only one.
Goeytex
Donaldwfc:
A way to control the voltage by external input, for example, if one of us ever put this thing in a car, it would be nice to be able to vary the voltage with the gas pedal, so you would need an input to your circuit for external control of the input voltage and/or the duty cycle and/or gating... since each can control gas production, depending on the set up. You can't really play with the dials when you are trying to drive. This might be complicated or beyond the scope of this device, but I'm just throwing it out there :)
If you have a sweeper and pll, then there is no use for a frequency dial, but i guess you would want dials to play with gating, duty, and input voltage from 0-12 volts.
It might be interesting if you could have a memory in it, (like an SD Card) that would log the action of the device for several aspects, like frequencies that resonance was found at, and then use this to find effective sweep ranges.
If you wanted to get extremely fancy, for the sake of throwing out ideas, if you could come across an electronic gas flow gauge and pressure gauge, and have these as inputs to your circuit, then have the readings from these gauges matched up with the voltage/duty/gate/frequency and such, and then logged in your memory stick, for analysis.
A few thoughts for now, there are lots of possibilities, I guess it just depends on how far you want to go :)
Do you have a rough estimate on the price range of this device? And time-frame of completion?
(graphical display would be cool)
Hydrocars:
--- Quote from: Goeytex on June 23, 2009, 20:52:01 pm ---It is in the works.
Tell me what you want it to do. I have my ideas but I also want yours.
So far a 4 x 20 Back lit LCD Display that can display Frequency, Current, Duty Cycle and Gating. I could go
with a graphic display, but that adds about $20 to the cost plus programming time. The graphic display would
allow display of actual waveforms.
The user controls can do whatever I program them to do. The turn knobs are rotary encoders as well
as momentary push button switches. Pushing a knob in can toggle various modes and programming options.
So tell me the features that you think will be most beneficial and practical. Don't worry I won't laugh at anyone.
Please don't ask for a USB interface for a PC because I cannot afford the time to write a Windows App.
If there is enough interest and I can keep the cost reasonable, I will consider building and selling a few of these.
Otherwise I will have the only one.
Goeytex
--- End quote ---
Right now I am working with the attiny2313 and Nokia LCD. I have also considered the serial LCD from all electronics to be benifentual. The problem i am facing right now is there really isn't a good way to program the attiny's, We use to use the fun card programmer which was a small chip you could make in about 10 min's that only required 3 resistors and a parallel port connector. And a zif socket to release the avr. What I do not know about the attiny2313 is it must be programmed serially unless you use pony prog, and i do not like pony prog. The programming hardware alone runs about 20 bucks but you still have to have your target avr clocked externally.
This is why i've been spending time writing new user friendly software in visual basic. I don't like avr dude. I have currently been working with mscomm in vb. It does not look easy at all, its very time consuming. Perhaps i will give in and use pony prog, but i am unsure of how the fuses work. I dont want locked out because that would cost 10 bucks a mistake.
As of right now, I'm still learning how to activate the avr's internal clock to delete the use of the externall one, since the internal clock comes from the factory working if you know how to turn it on.
What microcontroller are you using, the pic?
Goeytex:
--- Quote from: Donaldwfc on June 23, 2009, 21:52:23 pm ---A way to control the voltage by external input, for example, if one of us ever put this thing in a car, it would be nice to be able to vary the voltage with the gas pedal, so you would need an input to your circuit for external control of the input voltage and/or the duty cycle and/or gating... since each can control gas production, depending on the set up. You can't really play with the dials when you are trying to drive. This might be complicated or beyond the scope of this device, but I'm just throwing it out there :)
--- End quote ---
This will be for Lab/Experimentation purposes and not intended to control a cell in a moving vehicle. A System designed for a
vehicle will be much different and would also need to include oxygen sensor compensation. Let's lean how make gas in a lab using the Meyer process before we start launching rocket ships to the moon ( or Porches down the Autobahn.)
--- Quote --- If you have a sweeper and pll, then there is no use for a frequency dial, but i guess you would want dials to play with gating, duty, and input voltage from 0-12 volts.
--- End quote ---
I have found manual control to be quite useful for:
1. Directly pulsing a cell with no transformer. ( Collecting baseline data)
2. Testing Coil various combinations where the resonant frequency or coil performance is unknown.
3. Most experimenters are control freaks and want to be able to do manual adjustments (like dialing
in a specific frequency)
--- Quote --- It might be interesting if you could have a memory in it, (like an SD Card) that would log the action of the device for several aspects, like frequencies that resonance was found at, and then use this to find effective sweep ranges.
--- End quote ---
Add $150 minimum for the SD card Interface.
--- Quote --- If you wanted to get extremely fancy, for the sake of throwing out ideas, if you could come across an electronic gas flow gauge and pressure gauge, and have these as inputs to your circuit, then have the readings from these gauges matched up with the voltage/duty/gate/frequency and such, and then logged in your memory stick, for analysis.
--- End quote ---
An A/D input can be reserved for gas pressure and flow transducers. Industry Standard Instrumentation specs for these devices is 4 -20 ma output full range. Drop this across a 250 ohm resistor and you have a 1 - 5 volt input that can be fed to a multiplexed A/D input. We probably only need to sample these inputs 10 times per second or maybe even less. That would only take a few extra components and a few lines of code. The gas pressure sensor could trigger a fault condition ( too high) or control the gating and/or voltage level
to the cell.
--- Quote ---Do you have a rough estimate on the price range of this device? And time-frame of completion?
--- End quote ---
At least 3 weeks to get a breadboard prototype up and running. Have no clue on the cost. It probably won't be cheap. How much are
you willing to pay ? ;D
Goeytex:
--- Quote ---What microcontroller are you using, the pic?
--- End quote ---
Good question.
I have not selected the micro yet. It be be selected based upon how many I/O's and ADC's
we will need need, and how well the micro can handle the multiple PWM outputs at 40 - 50Khz.
Also I want to select a micro that that has room for expansion (extra I/Os, ADC's, comparators, etc
so I don't have to spin a new board when something is changed or upgraded. Ideally we will design
it so that one basic board can be used for several different applications depending upon the code and
user interface.
I have development systems for PIC Atmel, and ST. So it will be one of these.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version