Gentlemen :
I recently came to an epiphany regarding the 2103 . As a hardware oriented type
, this conceptual thing made me treat the Armite as a KERNEL level machine
rather than something more full blown . As such , rather than trying to relegate
software intensive routines to the micro-controller , I went back to a more
hardware intensive approach leaving the controller more lightly loaded . This
overall approach releived a lot of headaches developing software and thus mated
my system components more effectively . " Just let the micro-controller ; micro
CONTROL ! "
Thusly , my current solar heating project with the 2103 brain is coming
together better than expected .
The development of a pair of MODULUS 359 up/dn counters with 7 seg displays to
indicate Azimuth and Heading in degrees was easier handled in hardware . The
2103 need only provide a count direction logic level and a clocking pulse for
each counter while monitoring a " zero crossing " overflow/underflow flag .
If anyone in the group is looking for this kind of hardware , I can whip up a
schematic and E-mail it to them .
Rick Never Give up !
Solar power controller
-
YahooArchive
- Posts: 1462
- Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2012 5:11 am
Re: Solar power controller
Gentlemen :
I am finally becoming froficient with the code design for my progressing SOLAR
Heating project thanx mostly to YOU GUYS who actually take time out to respond
to my ; personally frustrating / your pain in the butt EASY questions ! I am
learning from listenening to your
corrospondences on this website . THANX a million ! Lately , friends like Don
Hamilton and Bruce / basicnode ; have been the most help .
As I have explained earlier , I am an OLD 1980's kinda HARDWARE guy . Hardware
design never presents a problem . Making the firmware go , for me : IS a problem
.
Since I have a whack of older 8080/6502 based IC's in my junk boxes , I tend to
design around the older 8 bit MICROBUS kind of technology .
The ARMite Pro ( 2103 ) really interfaces well to this kind of thinking , for
me at least ; as I can assign the first 8 I/O bus signals
as an 8 bit DATA BUS , the next 4 I/O's as a shortened ADDRESS BUS and still
have a couple of lines left over to handle the old time Chip Select / READ /
WRITE kinds of signals . 8255 PIA's can handle ALL of the subsequent I/O
interfacing and data / address bus controlling ; and are expandable !
FOR ME : If I set up the HARDWARE design based upon an 8 bit architecture using
the 2103 , the ARMITE can do 32 bit processing / 10 bit A/D conversions that
those earlier CPU series never could . All on my old timer's 8 bit architecture
of an 8 bit system . This thing is amazing as to its KERNAL power !
For the NEWBIE who recently asked about " what can I do with this thing ? " ;
RULE the planet IF you had enough BUX , pull with this resource users group ;
and the will to do your " dream project " .
Just break the project down into REALLY SMALL BITES TO CHEW ON , don't be
afraid to ask we guys for help , and just keep going ! ( forward )
NEVER GIVE UP !
Thanx for all who take the time to help us NEWBIES !
Regards to All of you guys , Rick
I am finally becoming froficient with the code design for my progressing SOLAR
Heating project thanx mostly to YOU GUYS who actually take time out to respond
to my ; personally frustrating / your pain in the butt EASY questions ! I am
learning from listenening to your
corrospondences on this website . THANX a million ! Lately , friends like Don
Hamilton and Bruce / basicnode ; have been the most help .
As I have explained earlier , I am an OLD 1980's kinda HARDWARE guy . Hardware
design never presents a problem . Making the firmware go , for me : IS a problem
.
Since I have a whack of older 8080/6502 based IC's in my junk boxes , I tend to
design around the older 8 bit MICROBUS kind of technology .
The ARMite Pro ( 2103 ) really interfaces well to this kind of thinking , for
me at least ; as I can assign the first 8 I/O bus signals
as an 8 bit DATA BUS , the next 4 I/O's as a shortened ADDRESS BUS and still
have a couple of lines left over to handle the old time Chip Select / READ /
WRITE kinds of signals . 8255 PIA's can handle ALL of the subsequent I/O
interfacing and data / address bus controlling ; and are expandable !
FOR ME : If I set up the HARDWARE design based upon an 8 bit architecture using
the 2103 , the ARMITE can do 32 bit processing / 10 bit A/D conversions that
those earlier CPU series never could . All on my old timer's 8 bit architecture
of an 8 bit system . This thing is amazing as to its KERNAL power !
For the NEWBIE who recently asked about " what can I do with this thing ? " ;
RULE the planet IF you had enough BUX , pull with this resource users group ;
and the will to do your " dream project " .
Just break the project down into REALLY SMALL BITES TO CHEW ON , don't be
afraid to ask we guys for help , and just keep going ! ( forward )
NEVER GIVE UP !
Thanx for all who take the time to help us NEWBIES !
Regards to All of you guys , Rick
-
YahooArchive
- Posts: 1462
- Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2012 5:11 am
Re: Solar power controller
Gentlemen :
I am currently testing the final mechanics and firmware ( 2103 ) for my solar
tracking / heating controller with some difficulty . My mentored high school
student pointed out a few things as a reminder for me .
The overall PHYSICS of the systems was in question . Mass , moment arm force ,
ballistic trajectories of the panels being moved by the 2103 micro-controller
and mechanics were in question .
The lad was "right on" the money on this one . While I was focussing completely
with the software to make the baby work , I forgot about the underlying physics
of what the project was to be in conception . I should have known better as my
minor in college was applied physics .
Having re-assesing the software from my student's point of view , I ended up
installing a counterweight mass to offset the panel's angular force on the
stepper motor driving it . This saved a whack of time in software trying to
prevent this "setpoint hunting" condition . DAMPENED the system response with a
counterweight rather than an extensive software routine .
Out of the mouths of BABES sometimes comes the solution to a problem . I gave
the lad an EH ( Canadian Huh )
NEVER give up ! Rick
I am currently testing the final mechanics and firmware ( 2103 ) for my solar
tracking / heating controller with some difficulty . My mentored high school
student pointed out a few things as a reminder for me .
The overall PHYSICS of the systems was in question . Mass , moment arm force ,
ballistic trajectories of the panels being moved by the 2103 micro-controller
and mechanics were in question .
The lad was "right on" the money on this one . While I was focussing completely
with the software to make the baby work , I forgot about the underlying physics
of what the project was to be in conception . I should have known better as my
minor in college was applied physics .
Having re-assesing the software from my student's point of view , I ended up
installing a counterweight mass to offset the panel's angular force on the
stepper motor driving it . This saved a whack of time in software trying to
prevent this "setpoint hunting" condition . DAMPENED the system response with a
counterweight rather than an extensive software routine .
Out of the mouths of BABES sometimes comes the solution to a problem . I gave
the lad an EH ( Canadian Huh )
NEVER give up ! Rick
-
YahooArchive
- Posts: 1462
- Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2012 5:11 am
Re: Solar power controller
Sounds like an interesting project.
Post some pics somewhere, maybe a block diagram of your system.
Thanks
don
Post some pics somewhere, maybe a block diagram of your system.
Thanks
don
-
YahooArchive
- Posts: 1462
- Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2012 5:11 am
Re: Solar power controller
Nice work. Motion control is full of surprises. You can write and solve the
differential equations, but the world is still full of exceptions.
--
Ron
differential equations, but the world is still full of exceptions.
--
Ron
-
YahooArchive
- Posts: 1462
- Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2012 5:11 am
Re: Solar power controller
Gentlemen :
I have been cruising thru the TRAFFIC regarding the com problems / protocols .
As my project is not quite there yet , I only cruise the messages at this point
.
A small FAVOR from the group : What is the big deal about this SPI stuff ?
Please EDUCATE ME as to the problems .
In the good old daze of the 1980's , we had chips from the likes of Texas
Instruments and National Semi that handled this stuff . Hell ; your own junk-box
probably has a 56K MODEM from an old 486 that will DO this stuff . Just
interface it ! What is the problem ?
Okay , 19.2K @ 32 bits is STILL under the OLD T1 telecom speeds of 1.545 MHZ /
sec. ( carrier speeds freq ) . So just source out a couple of 8060 / 8070 24
channel by 8 bit Tranceiver chip sets from Advanced Micro Devices to do the gig
. These things handle ALL of the protocols including the " SINGLE WIRE TX
TRANSMISSION " with error correction ; ON CHIP ! Just feed the info and a
standard clock rate ! I used this chip pair to transmit digitized audio data
from the stage inputs thru a 1 mil OPTICAL fiber to my mixing console for my
band in 1987 ! LAN can do it better now , these daze .
The above mensioned AMD chips were designed to work at T3 telecom protocols
actually ! How many bits at 19.2K do you want to transmit ?
This is ONLY just above audio freqs , boys .
On another tact ; I was privy to some CLASSIFIED protocols of which I was
released in 1993 which may prove useful . The SPI format is a really watered
down version of what we used to use in the early 1980's in the seismic data
industry called NARZI ( Non Return To Zero ) format . A single wire format .
Check out the SEG-A , SEG-B , and SEG-Y formats of the time . The project of
which I had input to had to do with the IN FLIGHT TX/RX between F-16 Falcons and
their controlling E1C EWAC . "Manchester Code" . ( DIGITAL law of Bi-Polarity
Rules )
As this thing is directly interfaceable for RADIO TX/RX by any of the common
formats from AM,FM,PFM,PAM,FSK,MDMF,thru burst carrier , only 2 commonly
available audio transformers used in cheap raios be employed to both encode and
decode the information . Around $ 5 US for the pair .
UNLESS I MISSED THE BOAT on this whole thing , could somebody please enlighten
me as to these TX protocols and WHY they are supposed to be so special ! It
sounds to me like re-inventing the 56K modem thru software whereby a hardware
solution is already in the landfill !
Never Give Up ! Rick
I have been cruising thru the TRAFFIC regarding the com problems / protocols .
As my project is not quite there yet , I only cruise the messages at this point
.
A small FAVOR from the group : What is the big deal about this SPI stuff ?
Please EDUCATE ME as to the problems .
In the good old daze of the 1980's , we had chips from the likes of Texas
Instruments and National Semi that handled this stuff . Hell ; your own junk-box
probably has a 56K MODEM from an old 486 that will DO this stuff . Just
interface it ! What is the problem ?
Okay , 19.2K @ 32 bits is STILL under the OLD T1 telecom speeds of 1.545 MHZ /
sec. ( carrier speeds freq ) . So just source out a couple of 8060 / 8070 24
channel by 8 bit Tranceiver chip sets from Advanced Micro Devices to do the gig
. These things handle ALL of the protocols including the " SINGLE WIRE TX
TRANSMISSION " with error correction ; ON CHIP ! Just feed the info and a
standard clock rate ! I used this chip pair to transmit digitized audio data
from the stage inputs thru a 1 mil OPTICAL fiber to my mixing console for my
band in 1987 ! LAN can do it better now , these daze .
The above mensioned AMD chips were designed to work at T3 telecom protocols
actually ! How many bits at 19.2K do you want to transmit ?
This is ONLY just above audio freqs , boys .
On another tact ; I was privy to some CLASSIFIED protocols of which I was
released in 1993 which may prove useful . The SPI format is a really watered
down version of what we used to use in the early 1980's in the seismic data
industry called NARZI ( Non Return To Zero ) format . A single wire format .
Check out the SEG-A , SEG-B , and SEG-Y formats of the time . The project of
which I had input to had to do with the IN FLIGHT TX/RX between F-16 Falcons and
their controlling E1C EWAC . "Manchester Code" . ( DIGITAL law of Bi-Polarity
Rules )
As this thing is directly interfaceable for RADIO TX/RX by any of the common
formats from AM,FM,PFM,PAM,FSK,MDMF,thru burst carrier , only 2 commonly
available audio transformers used in cheap raios be employed to both encode and
decode the information . Around $ 5 US for the pair .
UNLESS I MISSED THE BOAT on this whole thing , could somebody please enlighten
me as to these TX protocols and WHY they are supposed to be so special ! It
sounds to me like re-inventing the 56K modem thru software whereby a hardware
solution is already in the landfill !
Never Give Up ! Rick
-
YahooArchive
- Posts: 1462
- Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2012 5:11 am
Re: Solar power controller
Gentlemen :
Thanx to Don Hamilton and Mr. Shelar for their recent postings for me . I had
nearly given up on this group as I feared that NONE of my postings were being
read . Trash as necessary ; I always say .
I try to pass along the info that I have from my years of experience and AIM IT
especially to the Newbies ! These guys tend not to get any kind of info from any
of we experienced types usually . I would like to change that somewhat . I DO
remeber the old BBS daze where I used to get my info from the user groups !
BETTER than MegaBall Lotto ; I would be more willing to bet that at least ONE
of the NEWBIES has an idea that he is ready to give up on that is worth a
Ga-Zillion bux because nobody here will give him the info that he needs to keep
him going !
I'll take the NEW blood nearly every time . I CAN still learn something from
lesser experienced guys ! My senior high school student keeps reminding me of
the fact . Sometimes ; he is RIGHT !
***************************
As to posting JPEG's of my project for anyone who wants them ; HOW ?
Can I post them here ? Just attach to an E-mail ? I can send them directly to
the inquiring party's mail if this is easier . If it is a GROUP thing though ,
can I post here ?
Never Give Up ! Rick
Thanx to Don Hamilton and Mr. Shelar for their recent postings for me . I had
nearly given up on this group as I feared that NONE of my postings were being
read . Trash as necessary ; I always say .
I try to pass along the info that I have from my years of experience and AIM IT
especially to the Newbies ! These guys tend not to get any kind of info from any
of we experienced types usually . I would like to change that somewhat . I DO
remeber the old BBS daze where I used to get my info from the user groups !
BETTER than MegaBall Lotto ; I would be more willing to bet that at least ONE
of the NEWBIES has an idea that he is ready to give up on that is worth a
Ga-Zillion bux because nobody here will give him the info that he needs to keep
him going !
I'll take the NEW blood nearly every time . I CAN still learn something from
lesser experienced guys ! My senior high school student keeps reminding me of
the fact . Sometimes ; he is RIGHT !
***************************
As to posting JPEG's of my project for anyone who wants them ; HOW ?
Can I post them here ? Just attach to an E-mail ? I can send them directly to
the inquiring party's mail if this is easier . If it is a GROUP thing though ,
can I post here ?
Never Give Up ! Rick
-
YahooArchive
- Posts: 1462
- Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2012 5:11 am
Re: Solar power controller
You can not attach anything to an email sent to the Yahoo Group. This makes
security, anti-virus, etc much easier.
But you can upload files to the files page, and photos to the photos page, at
least on my machine that's on the left side of this group page.
As for SPI, nothing real magic about it, just its an easy way to interface A/Ds
D/As, and then all those other oddball things out there, magnetometers,
acceleration sensors ...
We chose to bit bang SPI, to make it more flexible and give you more potential
hookups. The problem with SPI is its not really a standard and not all SPI
devices can share even a clock line.
The advantage of SPI is speed (many devices > 20 Mb). For an ARMmite to do that
would require using the onboard hardware SSP.
No real need to go to more elaborate protocols from bygone days, and I was
around during those days. Mostly they would add a heck of a lot more complexity
to what really should be a simple task. A micro wants to talk to a peripheral
and not use up too many of the limited resources of pins or code space.
This is no longer true in this forum, files including pictures, code, even .EXE files can be attached as long as they are < 1MB
security, anti-virus, etc much easier.
But you can upload files to the files page, and photos to the photos page, at
least on my machine that's on the left side of this group page.
As for SPI, nothing real magic about it, just its an easy way to interface A/Ds
D/As, and then all those other oddball things out there, magnetometers,
acceleration sensors ...
We chose to bit bang SPI, to make it more flexible and give you more potential
hookups. The problem with SPI is its not really a standard and not all SPI
devices can share even a clock line.
The advantage of SPI is speed (many devices > 20 Mb). For an ARMmite to do that
would require using the onboard hardware SSP.
No real need to go to more elaborate protocols from bygone days, and I was
around during those days. Mostly they would add a heck of a lot more complexity
to what really should be a simple task. A micro wants to talk to a peripheral
and not use up too many of the limited resources of pins or code space.
This is no longer true in this forum, files including pictures, code, even .EXE files can be attached as long as they are < 1MB
-
YahooArchive
- Posts: 1462
- Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2012 5:11 am
Re: Solar power controller
Yahoo limits the amount of space a group can store.
Using a free photo site would be easier and less hassle.
I am sure you can google for a "free photo hosting" in you area.
>
> As for SPI, nothing real magic about it, just its an easy way to interface
A/Ds D/As, and then all those other oddball things out there, magnetometers,
acceleration sensors ...
Yes, SPI is the way of the future.
Google "spi interfaces" for examples.
don
PS: To the OP, Google is your friend.
Using a free photo site would be easier and less hassle.
I am sure you can google for a "free photo hosting" in you area.
>
> As for SPI, nothing real magic about it, just its an easy way to interface
A/Ds D/As, and then all those other oddball things out there, magnetometers,
acceleration sensors ...
Yes, SPI is the way of the future.
Google "spi interfaces" for examples.
don
PS: To the OP, Google is your friend.
-
YahooArchive
- Posts: 1462
- Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2012 5:11 am
Re: Solar power controller
Small one, but your spelling is bad, NRZI. See here for further details for
anyone interested:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-return-to-zero
Greetings from
Andy Mathison
anyone interested:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-return-to-zero
Greetings from
Andy Mathison