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Well that's nice to know.
Well that's nice to know. Perhaps you can put some designs forward so that we may all benefit.
Andy
Well that's nice to know. Perhaps you can put some designs forward so that we may all benefit.
Andy
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That's a slight exaggeration ,
That's a slight exaggeration , Michael
However, I did speak with the developer of Neptune some years ago and he was migrating onto C even then.
Andrew, unless you really want to develop a hobby programming PIC's etc (I did) I wouldn't bother to develop your own electronics. All the commonly used circuits (ESC's , switchers etc ) are so cheap nowadays that you may as well buy them and devote your time to the hull, dive system etc. which will take a long time anyway.
I still use my own design of switcher for ballast tank control and my own level controller but the home brewed ESC was retired last year.
IMHO only brew your own if there is no sensibly priced commercial unit or you have something really new to develop. (Am I thinking of my Pinger?)
DavidComment
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True enough. I wouldn't bother
True enough. I wouldn't bother making ESC's or commonly available electronics.
Piston tank control boards and levellers still tend to be expensive though. Model Controllers used to sell some nice cheap levellers (35 quid), but he doesn't seem to be around anymore.
The alternative is Subtech, Bruggen and Rieger. For a pitch and depth controller you're looking at about £100 or more.
There is another chap I've found who sells some interesting levellers alongside other electronics called Christian Feldmann. His prices are competitive (55 euro for a pitch controller), and the stuff is very small as he uses SMD.
His pitch controller has some special features including a 'super override' for extreme manoeuvres, aimed mainly at underwater fast electrics the Germans refer to as 'Subdogs' .
AndyComment
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lol, well I'll be honest
lol, well I'll be honest and say that I did forget about the relay and LED, which obviously takes up quite a few more lines of code....BUT try this for size. A 15 line program that does the same as his 'cept turns the relay on, but you could wire the LED in parallal to the relay should you need.
It reads the pulse from a TX, operates a relay on Pin 1 for direction control, then 'does some math' to work out the correct (scaled) value for the MOSFET duty cycle. All words after the " ' " are comments and so ignored by the Microprocessor (used at compile and for reading back later). The program is designed to run on the Basic Stamp 2 from Parallax.
' {$STAMP BS2}
' {$PBASIC 2.5}
PulseWidth VAR Word 'variable to hold output pulse value
Time VAR Word 'pulsewidth of input pulse
main: 'main program content
PULSIN 0, 1, Time ' measure positive pulse on pin 0
IF pulse < ConstantA then
HIGH 1
ELSE
LOW 1
ENDif
Time = time / totaltime * 100
PulseWidth = Time / 100 * ConstantB - ConstantC
PULSOUT 5, time
GOTO Main
Technically you should replace the PULSOUT command with the PWM one as you need to change the duty cycle, but it doesn't require any other lines to be added/changed. And the Constant(A/B/C) are values that need to be calculated when you have the circuit setup (once only) or you could figure 'em out with a bit of maths.
MichaelComment
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I wish I could read
I wish I could read german, I am sure there is a translation site somewhere. I will have to put alot fo time into the hull and dive system. I am looking at the piston ballast tanks, dont know how many I will need, but I also want to look at possible putting in a gas power "emergency blow" device, like a failsafe or something extra I will also have to do some playing around with the hull, since I dont have a vehicle that can accomodate a 7.5 foot sub, I will have to seperate it in the middle, but that would leave a nasty line in the middle of the boat, it wouldnt look that great. Any suggestions?
AndrewComment
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Hmmmm, I'm not so sure.....Every
Hmmmm, I'm not so sure.....Every sub (In theory) has to have some way of getting the internals out, and so you have to have a join in it somewhere. With a bit of attention to detail and a knowledge of what and how everything will fit into the sub you can combine the access split and separation split. There's a recent Revel type & build on this site and that cut is one of the best I've seen.
Study LA plans carefully and you should find a suitable radial line that you can utilise without spoiling the aesthetics of the sub.
Michael
PS Babelfish is used by alot fo member on this site. If you don't like typing it in. Scan it in, run it through some OCR software (make sure it can 'read' German) and then copy and paste that into Babelfish. Should be able to translate alot of it in no time. All depends on Scanner speed.Comment
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...or you have something really
Forgot to ask, does that mean you use a PIC with your Pinger unit? Surely you could do everything with a couple of Op-Amps...?<snip>...or you have something really new to develop. (Am I thinking of my Pinger?)
David
MichaelComment
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From my admittedly limited knowledge
From my admittedly limited knowledge of microprocessors vs analogue circuits-
PIC= very few external passives, and cheap if purchased in reasonable quantity.
Analogue equivalent= quite a few external components,increased cost and often more power hungry.
If you can crack the code, surely the former makes more sense?Comment
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Well now I think about
Well now I think about it, Davy can't be using a PIC certainly for the amplifier part anyway....
You would need read the positive/negative signal (the noise) and remember you can't pull current out of a PIC and detect it, then converting that to digital, then read a potentiometer for amplification magnitude (for want of a better phrase) then amplifying the digital signal, then converting signal back to analogue complete with its troughs as well as the peaks. As PICs can't (and I can't think of any other Microprocessor that could either) read/work with negative voltages you would require some (external) way to convert the negative to positive for processing. Whereas if you use Op-Amps, you only need the chip itself (and you can get 4+ on one package) an input resistor, a feedback resistor (which is the pot used for volume control) and I think another resistor IIRC - basically just a simple non-inverting amplifier.
MichaelComment
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Hello all again,
I may
Hello all again,
I may be starting on my project sooner then I thought (if all goes well) with part of my tax return....but I realized that all the modeling tools I had when I built static models...are nowhere to be found...so I ask all of you...where is the best place to get some good hobby toolkits? And what will I need? I can find some foam and stuff for the ribs. Also, does anyone know of a nation wide company that could enlarge the diagram for me? Thanks everyone for the help.
AndrewComment
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Nevermind.....Greg from Deep Sea Designs
Nevermind.....Greg from Deep Sea Designs e-mailed me and said there is a 1/48 scale diagram for the LA boats in the working, he is going to e-mail me with a price As far as tools go, I found a website that has a nice tool kit, comes with a coping saw, lots of exacto blades and some other stuff, I think there was a link posted about it somewhere on these forums. I still need some filler....where do I get the glassing cloth and liquid stuff? Can I get it from a hardware store? And the closed foam I suspet a hardware store as well. Thanks for your help...all of you, with luck and help from you guys, I will start building soon and I can start posting on the building forum.
AndrewComment
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Good New,
I just got
Good New,
I just got an e-mail from Greg with Deep Sea Designs, he has finished the 1/48 scale diagram for the LA boats and I have ordered a copy I have also ordered a book on casting and making molds from different materials as well as some tool to help me in my quest to build this boat. I think I may have to wait till I get back from my upcoming deployment to start on my project (hope to get a house when I get back), but this will give me time to study and learn. I will also try to stay active on these forums so I can learn from those that have done this before:-) I am also considering order that Model submarine technology book, it should help me understand how to build this boat right the first time and could mean the difference between enjoying the first time in the water or diving for it on her trial runs (maybe in a large tub for trial runs, just in case) I look forward to more insight from all of you and look forward to reading about other projects and hopefully soon embarking on my own.
AndrewComment
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Model Submarine technology is an
Model Submarine technology is an excellent book, a model submariners bible, especially if you intend to scratchbuild.
However don't expect any help regarding hull construction from that book though. It has some advice on materials regarding pressure hull strength etc. However you'll need to look elsewhere when it comes down to hints and tips making your plugs and laying up your LA hull.
AndyComment
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Well, I am going to
Well, I am going to have to postpone this project for a while. The transmission on my wifes car has gone out and dont have the funds to start. I may have to wait till after I get back from my upcoming deployment
However, I will post my build when I start Take care everyone.
AndrewComment
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