Chip with simple program for Toy

[GPG]

W. Watson wrote:

pjdd@rediffmail.com wrote:

W. Watson wrote:

Well, I've had an older VCR unit for maybe 20 years, and now it seems only
capable of playing tapes in b/w. Am I missing something about settings? The
problem started recently. The last time I used it was six weeks ago. I can
plug another vcr into the same TV and out comes the expected color.


There are several possible causes, but if the VCR was in
regular use all those 20 years, the most likely reason is
that the recording/playback head has simply become worn out
and needs to be replaced.

The actual R/P points are two or more tiny chips of very
hard ferrite material, and protrude slightly from the drum.
Each bit has a microscopic magnetic gap in the center. Over
time, friction with the tape gradually grinds down the
chips and they no longer make proper contact with the tape.
The magnetic gaps also become wider.

These two effects of wear and tear result in a reduction of
the tiny electrical currents generated at the heads,
especially at the high frequencies. Color is often the
first to go since the high frequencies carry the color
information. Careful observation will also reveal reduced
sharpness in the picture.

The whole assembly, including the aluminium drum, should be
replaced - if it's still available. Replacing the head is a
straightforward job for a technician, but some mechanical
and electrical alignment may also be necessary. The
alignment process is a bit tricky and requires some skill
and experience.

Interesting. Thanks, but I'll forgo that exercise. I have two others that I
can use for this purpose. Two are new.

I reposted in repair.

Interestingly, when I used a Scotch VHS tape cleaner, their SCOTCH logo came
through in yellow. However, trying a commercial tape with color produced b/w
again. Probably time to junk it.


Wayne T. Watson (Watson Adventures, Prop., Nevada City, CA)
(121.015 Deg. W, 39.262 Deg. N) GMT-8 hr std. time)
Obz Site: 39° 15' 7" N, 121° 2' 32" W, 2700 feet
--
"There is more to life than increasing its speed"
-- Mahatma Gandhi

Web Page: <home.earthlink.net/~mtnviews

Check to see if it records ok. If it does it is not the heads.
The chroma is lower in frequency on the tape.

 

[John Larkin]

On Tue, 14 Nov 2006 20:15:58 -0600, John Fields
<jfields@austininstruments.com> wrote:

On 14 Nov 2006 17:37:29 -0800, "David L. Jones" <altzone@gmail.com
wrote:

John Larkin wrote:
On Mon, 13 Nov 2006 18:18:12 -0500, "Charles Schuler"
charleschuler@comcast.net> wrote:


"koko" <joanneo0322@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1163406208.449940.267000@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
New York - American chocolate lovers in growing numbers are discovering
how to pander to their

addiction and simultaneously help the environment by buying organically
certified chocolate.

So, again ! Is this one of the new marketing gimmick or does this
co-called organic chocolate

really make a different ?

No, and it so far off topic that it is _____________.


Chocolate is an essential component of professional electronic design.

Agreed. Now where is my vending machine money, I have a design review
this afternoon...

And most of the organic stuff tastes horrible.

Some of the organic stuff here in Oz is pretty good, but you can't
really beat that extra added and processed chemical taste. Organic
chocolate prices are insane though, I would rather have a 300g family
block of Cadbury which costs less than a 40g organic bar.

One organic bar you can get in Oz is associated with some save the
animal fund, so you can rid yourself of chemicals, save the polar bear
and feel good about yourself at the same time, so you don't notice
paying 10 times the regular price.

---
I like Cadbury and Nestlés Perugina well enough for sophistication,
smoothness, and all of that, but when push comes to shove and I
just want some kick-ass chocolate, Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate
does it for me.

Ritter Sport is really good for an under-$2 candy bar.

Hershey's is for emergencies only.

John

 

[jasen]

On 2006-11-13, W. Watson <wolf_tracks@invalid.com> wrote:

Well, I've had an older VCR unit for maybe 20 years, and now it seems only
capable of playing tapes in b/w. Am I missing something about settings? The
problem started recently. The last time I used it was six weeks ago. I can
plug another vcr into the same TV and out comes the expected color.

look for a color switch on the back of the vcr.

--

Bye.
Jasen

 

[Costas Vlachos]

hybrid_snyper wrote:

If you *are* using the proper
Ericsson cable (with the level shifter/inverter inside), then you need
to invert the signals again so that the PIC & phone can talk to each
other. Hope this is now clearer.

--
Regards,
Costas
_________________________________________________
Costas Vlachos Email: c-X-vlachos@hot-X-mail.com
SPAM-TRAPPED: Please remove "-X-" before replying

So to use the proper connector is going to require the max232 anyway,
so im going to be better off using some copper wire some resistors and
try and wire the phone pins to the PIC pins directly. I bought the data
cable on the assumption it would be the simpler option, connect the
data cable to a RS232 port wired to the PIC. But in this case it is
not, its def not the simpler way,

The simplest method is the direct connection (no cable). But since you
already have the proper cable, you could implement the circuit of the
Tiny MCU project (second link you posted earlier). You just need a
second transistor (NPN this time) between the Zener & the PIC, like this:

.. +5V
.. |
.. |
.. 10k
.. |
.. +----------> To PIC Rx
.. |
.. C
.. From Zener/4.7k ----------> B BC547
.. E
.. |
.. |
.. GND

No real need for the MAX232, and in this way your PIC circuit alone (and
phone alone) will be able to talk to other devices too, like a PC. Plus
your PIC can operate at standard +5V (no need to match the phone's logic
levels). If I was you I'd do it like this. I've used the transistor
approach to connect a PIC to a PC with no problems. Your phone+cable is
like a PC as far as RS-232 signals are concerned, so I don't see why it
wouldn't work.

--
Regards,
Costas
_________________________________________________
Costas Vlachos Email: c-X-vlachos@hot-X-mail.com
SPAM-TRAPPED: Please remove "-X-" before replying

 

[Rich Grise]

On Tue, 14 Nov 2006 19:00:52 +0000, Michael A. Terrell wrote:

Roger wrote:
joanneo0322@hotmail.com wrote:
CHICAGO - A small study

I can barely imagine how small a study it actually was. How many
calories in SPAM anyway?

Regular SPAM is 1044 calories per can, 822 calories from fat.

SPAM Lite is 660 calories per can, 420 calories from fat.

SPAM Turkey is 480 calories per can, 210 calories from fat.

The Armour version is 1080 calories per can, 840 calories from fat.

Serving size is 1/6 of a SPAM. ;-)

That's not SPAM, that's Spam. ;-) When I was a kid, we used to have
fried Spam for breakfast. Probably because my Dad grew up in Austin,
MN, where it's made.

Cheers!
Rich

 

[Rich Grise]

On Sun, 12 Nov 2006 18:15:01 -0800, lerameur wrote:

HI,

I am trying to find a part on the digikey website. My first language is
not english and I cannot pin point the technical word.
I am ordering this part : PQ1060SA-ND
http://dkc3.digikey.com/PDF/C063/1463.pdf
The slide are great and i will install thenin a case, but I would to
add a button on the moving part. What is that called.( I dont care what
shape it has) any part number ?

Try "slidepot knobs" or "slide pot knobs" - try it with and without
the quotes; sometimes that makes a difference.

Good Luck!
Rich

 

[Rich Grise]

On Mon, 13 Nov 2006 00:23:28 -0800, koko wrote:

New York - American chocolate lovers in growing numbers are discovering
how to pander to their
addiction and simultaneously help the environment by buying organically
certified chocolate.
So, again ! Is this one of the new marketing gimmick or does this
co-called organic chocolate

really make a different ?

http://www.chocolatebite.blogspot.com

I think this whole "organic" food stuff is a crock - who's ever heard
of _inorganic_ food? ;-)

Cheers!
Rich

 

[Rich Grise]

On Tue, 14 Nov 2006 19:33:17 -0800, John Larkin wrote:

On Tue, 14 Nov 2006 20:15:58 -0600, John Fields
On 14 Nov 2006 17:37:29 -0800, "David L. Jones" <altzone@gmail.com
John Larkin wrote:
On Mon, 13 Nov 2006 18:18:12 -0500, "Charles Schuler"
charleschuler@comcast.net> wrote:
"koko" <joanneo0322@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1163406208.449940.267000@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
New York - American chocolate lovers in growing numbers are discovering
how to pander to their

addiction and simultaneously help the environment by buying organically
certified chocolate.

So, again ! Is this one of the new marketing gimmick or does this
co-called organic chocolate

really make a different ?

No, and it so far off topic that it is _____________.

Chocolate is an essential component of professional electronic design.

Agreed. Now where is my vending machine money, I have a design review
this afternoon...

And most of the organic stuff tastes horrible.

Some of the organic stuff here in Oz is pretty good, but you can't
really beat that extra added and processed chemical taste. Organic
chocolate prices are insane though, I would rather have a 300g family
block of Cadbury which costs less than a 40g organic bar.

One organic bar you can get in Oz is associated with some save the
animal fund, so you can rid yourself of chemicals, save the polar bear
and feel good about yourself at the same time, so you don't notice
paying 10 times the regular price.

I like Cadbury and Nestlés Perugina well enough for sophistication,
smoothness, and all of that, but when push comes to shove and I
just want some kick-ass chocolate, Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate
does it for me.

Ritter Sport is really good for an under-$2 candy bar.

Hershey's is for emergencies only.

I once overheard a customer at a local convenience store ask for some of
those little chocolate-covered mini-donuts. The store guy said, "That's
not chocolate, that's brown wax!"

Cheers!
Rich

 

[Puckdropper]

Rich Grise <rich@example.net> wrote in
newsan.2006.11.15.17.02.08.860702@example.net:

I think this whole "organic" food stuff is a crock - who's ever heard
of _inorganic_ food? ;-)

Cheers!
Rich

You've obviously been out of high school for a long long time! Not only
is it not organic, it's barely edible!

Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

 

[John]

On Sat, 11 Nov 2006 11:25:35 -0500, Jamie
<jamie_ka1lpa_not_valid_after_ka1lpa_@charter.net> wrote:

javithkhan@gmail.com wrote:

what is bluetooth

when you drink blue cool aid ?

When you eat Smurfs and don't brush and floss?

 

[hybrid_snyper]

Costas Vlachos wrote:

hybrid_snyper wrote:
If you *are* using the proper
Ericsson cable (with the level shifter/inverter inside), then you need
to invert the signals again so that the PIC & phone can talk to each
other. Hope this is now clearer.

--
Regards,
Costas
_________________________________________________
Costas Vlachos Email: c-X-vlachos@hot-X-mail.com
SPAM-TRAPPED: Please remove "-X-" before replying

So to use the proper connector is going to require the max232 anyway,
so im going to be better off using some copper wire some resistors and
try and wire the phone pins to the PIC pins directly. I bought the data
cable on the assumption it would be the simpler option, connect the
data cable to a RS232 port wired to the PIC. But in this case it is
not, its def not the simpler way,

The simplest method is the direct connection (no cable). But since you
already have the proper cable, you could implement the circuit of the
Tiny MCU project (second link you posted earlier). You just need a
second transistor (NPN this time) between the Zener & the PIC, like this:

. +5V
. |
. |
. 10k
. |
. +----------> To PIC Rx
. |
. C
. From Zener/4.7k ----------> B BC547
. E
. |
. |
. GND

No real need for the MAX232, and in this way your PIC circuit alone (and
phone alone) will be able to talk to other devices too, like a PC. Plus
your PIC can operate at standard +5V (no need to match the phone's logic
levels). If I was you I'd do it like this. I've used the transistor
approach to connect a PIC to a PC with no problems. Your phone+cable is
like a PC as far as RS-232 signals are concerned, so I don't see why it
wouldn't work.

--
Regards,
Costas
_________________________________________________
Costas Vlachos Email: c-X-vlachos@hot-X-mail.com
SPAM-TRAPPED: Please remove "-X-" before replying

i think i will go with direct connection, just because i want to move
from a mobile phone to a standalone GSM modem make it my device into a
tidy unit, with modem mounted to the circuit board.

 

[Rich Grise]

On Thu, 16 Nov 2006 19:44:25 +0000, Jon Slaughter wrote:

"John Popelish" <jpopelish@rica.net> wrote in message
I don't understand what you mean by "a charged gass".

you cannot use a normal gas because the gas will not be effected by the
electic field. Or if it is, it is to slight and only comes from the polarity
of the particles. This polarity is due to the fact that there will be a
gradient across the particles... although it would surely be completely
insignificant. The charged gas exists so that the particles will be
attracted to or repelled alway from charged sphere.

Please define "charged gas".

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Jon Elson]

Jon Slaughter wrote:

you cannot use a normal gas because the gas will not be effected by the
electic field.

This is where you are going wrong. The gas doesn't HAVE to be affected

by the field. The BALLOON is the acoustic diaphragm, and IT is what moves
the air outside the speaker. It will be moved by the electric field and
produce
sound.

The balloon needs to be very close to the sphere, and therefore needs to
have a
VERY uniform thickness so that it forms a true sphereical shape. The
balloon
and sphere will have a large DC bias applied, on the order of 1000-1500
Volts.
The music voltage will be added to that, so the instantaneous voltage
will go
from near zero to near 2000-3000 V. The tricky thing is to get the
balloon VERY
close to the sphere so the elecrical field strength is very high, but
not so close
that the electrostatic attraction overcomes the gas pressure and pulls
the balloon
into the sphere.

I have built planar, bipolar-driven electrostatic speakers. I ran about
+ and - 1000 V
bias on the outer screens and used the thinnest aluminized mylar film
for the
diaphragm. I used filament transformers wired backwards to develop several
hundred volts of music signal, and the things were just barely audible.
These used
a 2 x 4' panel. The spacing was about .2" between each screen and the
diaphragm.
If I could have aligned the thing flatter, I could have reduced the
spacing a bit.

Jon

 

[Lord Garth]

<a7yvm109gf5d1@netzero.com> wrote in message
news:1163797283.241922.204680@h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...

Jon Slaughter wrote:

And the fact is that I never said this shit would work and thats why I
asked. The problem is that to many of you think you are experts on

Well, if you didn't think they think they are experts, why bother
asking them??????????

We have an apostrophe police department ... and they ticket for a missing
apostrophe as well.

 

[John Popelish]

The Flavored Coffee Guy wrote:

Do you understand what makes the Wimshurst Generator work? Well, it
isn't a different principal, and it is the same as this one constructed
around Lord Kelvin's Water Powered Electrostatic Generator.

It involves mechanically moving static charges together and
apart, while letting them move in response to the forces
they produce on each other, at appropriate points, to get
them to move where you want them to be.

http://www.cvcaroyals.org/~rheckathorn/documents/KelvinWaterDropGeneratoreXPLANATION.doc

It doesn't take any electricity.

But it does take mechanical force to push like charges
toward each other, and pull unlike changes away from each
other. Both these forces occur in the Wimshurst machine.

(snip)

The foil petals on Wimshurst Generator, really only represent capacitor
plates. You should always view one side as positive, or mostly
positive, and the other mostly negative. When a plate reaches a
discharge brush, it effectively neutralizes the charge potential there
in the gap between the two disks. In moving the wheel and contacting
all of these brushes in order, each capacitive plate is attempting to
stabilize with 3 different capacitve plates. All that is making it
really work starts after the instability has beaten the odds, and one
side of the disk is majorly positive, and the other majorly negative.
In theory, you should be able to do the same thing with a mechanical 8
pole 32 position rotory selector swich and a properly wired bank of
non-electrolytic capacitors, and one coil that would have a value of
.01 ohms at the resonant frequency of the pair. So, if you used 32
.01uF capacitors, you would need something like a 0.001uH coil to
represent a neutralizer bar. As long as the switching is organized in
the same fashion to for each position of the switch to play the same
role as to the brushes for the two rotating disks, the plates of any
given capacitor, treated the same as one disk or the other, and they
will charge up.
(snip)

They won't, but you shouldn't take my word for it. you
should build this and convince yourself. Your static model
eliminates the mechanical transport of trapped charge, that
takes place in the Wimshurst machine or the Kelvin generator.

 

[lerameur]

thank you

ken

Looks to me as if the data have been encoded in some way. Check your
docs for encoding implementations.

There is no encoding, just a simple serialout at the transmitter and
serialin at the receiving end.

k

 

[carneyke]

I use home thermostat's for my 12 volt solar system. The contacts are
rated for 12 Vdc at 1 amp. If you need more than 1 amp, use the
thermostat to "pick" a relay. Take Care, Kevin
jason.mancine wrote:

I'm looking for an extremely compact thermostat for a 12-volt project.
It should have a temperature display on it, and the ability to activate
a 12-volt heating element when the temperature falls below a certain
point.

Size is the main issue...the goal is to keep it smaller than a deck of
cards. Does anyone know of an existing product or kit, or have any
ideas for such a circuit design?

 

[redbelly]

Impmon wrote:

I tried Googling but all the formula for finding 555 timer frequency
is based on known capacitor and resistor values to find frequency.

I need to build a monostable timer to get 140Hz. I could throw in a
random capacitor and one resistor but my algebra skill is rusty (no
complex math formula in over 10 years!!)

The system will be running on 5v DC as it contains a few TTL chips.
--

The resistors obey the equation:

Ra + 2Rb = 1 / (frequency x C x 0.693)

Here is a procedure you can use to get those resistors. Like others,
I'm assuming you mean astable operation.

I'm using the Texas Instruments data sheet, where:
Ra is the resistor between pins 4 & 7 (reset & disch)
Rb is the resistor between pins 6 & 7 (thresh & disch)
C is the capacitor between pin 6 and ground

You'll need to:

1. pick a capacitor

2. calculate the value of
(frequency x C x 0.693)
(Remember to divide by 1,000,000 if the capacitance is in
microFarads)
Take the RECIPROCAL of that number ("1/x" key on a calculator),
and call this number S2

3. decide on what duty cycle (%DC) you want. It must be more than 50.

4. calculate the sum
Ra + Rb = S2 x %DC / 100
and call this number S1

5. Now that you have values for S1 and S2, we can calculate Ra and Rb:
Rb = S2 - S1
Ra = S1 - Rb

If you find you want to use larger resistors, choose a smaller
capacitor and repeat the process. Or use a larger cap if you want to
use smaller resistors.

Hope this helps,

Mark

 

[Ross Herbert]

On Mon, 27 Nov 2006 02:57:24 GMT, Impmon <impmon@digi.mon> wrote:

I tried Googling but all the formula for finding 555 timer frequency
is based on known capacitor and resistor values to find frequency.

I need to build a monostable timer to get 140Hz. I could throw in a
random capacitor and one resistor but my algebra skill is rusty (no
complex math formula in over 10 years!!)

The system will be running on 5v DC as it contains a few TTL chips.

You sure you aren't wanting an "astable" at 140Hz?

Using the 555 tool at
https://wwws.ee.ucl.ac.uk/facilities/teachlab/inter

You will still need to "select" a component to start with. Cap Ct is
easiest and experience suggests that for 140Hz a good starting value
is 470nF. Plug in the supply voltage and then experiment with Ra and
Rb values making sure they are equal if you want 50:50 duty cycle.
Just so you get a bit of practice start of with Ra = Rb = 8.2K and go
from there....

You can select another Ct value and experiment with Ra, Rb again.

 

[PeteS]

lerameur wrote:

thank you

ken
Looks to me as if the data have been encoded in some way. Check your
docs for encoding implementations.

There is no encoding, just a simple serialout at the transmitter and
serialin at the receiving end.

k

Be that as it may, the scope trace shows the data output following

certain transitions on the input, but not following the data. What is
interesting, however, is the transitions are not delayed particularly,
so there's a decent link apparently.

This is a case of read the manuals for everything that's connected.

Cheers

PeteS