It's a cheaper solution than programming but since it's a long-term investment (for real this time!) we're going a bit overboard on the parts. We'll show you the parts as they come in, for now you'll have to do with the schematics, our plan and an e-bay link if you want to try it yourself!
The whole module we're building is designed around this Timer-Relay board: Switch Module Timer
Since it's from China it was troublesome to understand what it was actually meant for, the manual is a disaster, if you can even consider it a manual... Gump took the plunge and ordered a few to test them. Since I'm the handy-guy with the electronics and a shitload of parts/wires/etc. in stock Gump gave one to me and urged me to try and get it to work. After following some instruction Gump typed out I concluded that the behavior of the board was not as intended. I started observing what was going on when I pressed or held down the button and after some quick thinking and a sudden idea popping into my head I rewired the device and was glad to note that it was almost working as intended.
Here's a video before we eliminated the last glitch in the system, which was solved by installing a simple diode to prevent the current from changing direction.
So what this system does is the following, it waits for someone or something to press the button and then start running the motor for a preset time (which can be adjust using a few jumper wires and a trim-potmeter all included on the board). When the timer runs out the motor stops until the button is pressed again. Here's the simple schematic for everyone to use if you buy one of these boards. Trust me, it's really really easy, you can probably even do this without any soldering required just by twisting those few wires together!
The system we are going to build will use this timer-relay board, but since we want it to be easy to use, transport and maintain if something breaks we've decided to invest more into it than necessary. Please don't get confused if you see us buy extra parts or things that look complicated, it's really not!
So for our modular system we've added some parts, we've set ourselves some criteria which we have to met. Here's our list:
-The projectbox housing the TimerRelay, the power input(DC), motor output and button output must fit within a 2x1x1 blue base. (Excluding wiring outside the box)
-The button people will press must light up when the model is not running to attract attention.
-The system must support up to at least 4 motors
-Motors must be able to run in independent directions
-Button, Powersuply, motors, Timer Relay box must all be able to be disconnected from one another. (Aka all separate parts)
-The wire coming from the button must be able to disconnect by itself if it is pulled on by the public to prevent damage to the model.
-In case of the model breaking down the system must be able to be shut-off quickly without pulling the powercord. (A hidden switch to cut the power to the button.)
-The plate/box the button is mounted to must be able to hold information about the model and be attractive and eye-catching to the public.
We began with drawing out the full schematic of the system:
(The only thing not included is the hidden switch to cut the power to the button in case of an emergency.)
Then we started shopping around for parts, comparing them for price/build quality/size/etc. When we had the full list of parts I drew them out to scale in basic shapes to get a visual idea of the spacing inside the project box.
The projectbox we chose to house all the components is slightly bigger than probably needed, but considering we are in a rush to get this done (less than 2 weeks!) it's nice to have some space to work with all the components inside.
A couple of notable things we've ordered:
-BACO Industrial Push Button with a green LED element.
-Stereo Audio Cable (6.35mm Jack male-male 34ft/10m)
-8-way stereo bus spring connector
I'll explain more about these parts when they arrive and I'm able to take pictures of them.
Stay tuned!
Edited by Maxlaam, 29 October 2014 - 09:34 PM.
