Search found 18 matches

by BobCochran13
Fri Mar 29, 2013 7:23 pm
Forum: Nuts & Volts Magazine Discussions
Topic: Garage Door Closer Featured in January 2012
Replies: 7
Views: 18280

Re: Garage Door Closer Featured in January 2012

I think you make a great point. Some sort of downward looking sensor mounted on the...garage door?...garage ceiling?...is needed that can spot obstructions like those you describe. A range finder could do it: if the door opener code can be set with the exact distance from some overhead point x to t...
by BobCochran13
Tue Mar 26, 2013 6:36 pm
Forum: Nuts & Volts Magazine Discussions
Topic: April 2013 "The Retro-Shield" Article by David Goodsell
Replies: 1
Views: 13952

April 2013 "The Retro-Shield" Article by David Goodsell

This is a very interesting project. I wish there was another article discussing how to work with vacuum tubes. I am not sure about doing this project, but supposing I do, I see that MDB Ventures has 12K5 tubes by different makers. I'm not sure which one to pick or how to get a coil for it -- or eve...
by BobCochran13
Sat Mar 23, 2013 6:57 am
Forum: Nuts & Volts Magazine Discussions
Topic: Garage Door Closer Featured in January 2012
Replies: 7
Views: 18280

Re: Garage Door Closer Featured in January 2012

I know this is a really late post, but I worked with someone's garage door opener for a while. The unit has a safety device that prevents the door from closing if someone moves into the path of the door. In fact I had to replace the safety device itself because it would not allow the door to close;...
by BobCochran13
Mon Jan 09, 2012 7:32 pm
Forum: Nuts & Volts Magazine Discussions
Topic: Pill Timers -- Dec 2011 -- Creating Eagle Files, Help Needed
Replies: 1
Views: 7105

Re: Pill Timers -- Dec 2011 -- Creating Eagle Files, Help Ne

I think I need to specify the Eagle "WIREPAD" parts for the "LOAD" through-holes in Figure 1 of the article. Power connections are Eagle "VDD" parts and ground connections are Eagle "GND" parts. I am not sure how to represent JP1 of Figure 1 on my Eagle Schem...
by BobCochran13
Sun Jan 08, 2012 8:33 pm
Forum: Nuts & Volts Magazine Discussions
Topic: Pill Timers -- Dec 2011 -- Creating Eagle Files, Help Needed
Replies: 1
Views: 7105

Pill Timers -- Dec 2011 -- Creating Eagle Files, Help Needed

I am quite interested in the pill timer circuit that appears in the December 2011 issue, and the circuit looks simple enough for me to use it to help me learn how to make Eagle files and have my own boards made. I am just learning Eagle. This will be my first PCB design project. I'm working on the ...
by BobCochran13
Sat Dec 03, 2011 8:59 pm
Forum: Nuts & Volts Magazine Discussions
Topic: Pill timer board.
Replies: 3
Views: 9564

Re: Pill timer board.

In the article the author states he would like some of the through holes for the board to be just a little larger. Would it be easy to modify the ExpressPCB layouts to accomplish this?

Thanks

Bob Cochran
by BobCochran13
Thu Oct 13, 2011 2:41 pm
Forum: Nuts & Volts Magazine Discussions
Topic: Peanut Butter Jar Monster Detector
Replies: 14
Views: 15891

Re: Peanut Butter Jar Monster Detector

Another photo of this project as I continue to breadboard it. This one is a test of speaker #2 and one of the two green LEDs. I've learned not to expect tinned, stranded wire to connect to a breadboard hole. It's better to use solid wire. My next step is to install the green LED into the scan head....
by BobCochran13
Mon Oct 10, 2011 11:18 am
Forum: Nuts & Volts Magazine Discussions
Topic: Peanut Butter Jar Monster Detector
Replies: 14
Views: 15891

Re: Peanut Butter Jar Monster Detector

Hi Vern, Thanks for responding -- and you can take your time about replying; I get really busy too. This photo shows what I did with my digital recording module to "short" R3. It works, according to my wife...so I'll move on to the challenge of installing LEDs in the scan head. I am a lit...
by BobCochran13
Sun Oct 09, 2011 6:03 pm
Forum: Nuts & Volts Magazine Discussions
Topic: Peanut Butter Jar Monster Detector
Replies: 14
Views: 15891

Re: Peanut Butter Jar Monster Detector

Vern, I have a question about shorting R3 on the Radio Shack sound module. Does this mean: remove the existing resistor R3 on that module, solder a wire in it's place, and connect that to a 100K resistor which is in turn connected to the "P3" pin on the Basic Stamp 1 module? With my sound...
by BobCochran13
Fri Sep 30, 2011 11:38 am
Forum: Nuts & Volts Magazine Discussions
Topic: Peanut Butter Jar Monster Detector
Replies: 14
Views: 15891

Re: Peanut Butter Jar Monster Detector

Hi Vern, Thank you so much for responding. I'm really obsessing about the switch connections to the BS1, and listed the wire colors to see if I am correctly understanding how you connected the switch. I am not very experienced with switches. Then I pulled the lamp and microswitch out of the pushbut...
by BobCochran13
Thu Sep 29, 2011 7:23 pm
Forum: Nuts & Volts Magazine Discussions
Topic: Peanut Butter Jar Monster Detector
Replies: 14
Views: 15891

Re: Peanut Butter Jar Monster Detector

Hi Vern, I got my pushbutton ( All Electronics LPS-1R ) today and I am trying to understand the meaning of the 5 connectors on it and how you configured it specifically. Based on reading your article again, and trying to match wire colors with the connections I can see on the "extra pictures&q...
by BobCochran13
Mon Sep 26, 2011 5:48 pm
Forum: Nuts & Volts Magazine Discussions
Topic: Sep 2011: Circuit board Assembly Jig - John D. Collier
Replies: 3
Views: 8220

Re: Sep 2011: Circuit board Assembly Jig - John D. Collier

Hi John,

I want to thank you for all the help you have given me over the weekend. I really appreciate it.

Bob
by BobCochran13
Mon Sep 26, 2011 2:45 pm
Forum: Nuts & Volts Magazine Discussions
Topic: Peanut Butter Jar Monster Detector
Replies: 14
Views: 15891

Re: Peanut Butter Jar Monster Detector

Thanks Vern, and I have no problem with the response time. I've ordered all the parts and even found a pretty decent pill bottle. Thanks for offering the radio podcast -- I'm deaf, so I focus on text and graphics. I think with this project I'm reaching some sort of an personal breakthrough with res...
by BobCochran13
Sun Sep 25, 2011 7:10 pm
Forum: Nuts & Volts Magazine Discussions
Topic: Peanut Butter Jar Monster Detector
Replies: 14
Views: 15891

Re: Peanut Butter Jar Monster Detector

Hi Vern, I reviewed the documentation for the PBMD. I discussed the project with my daughter who thinks it is a good idea and wants me to do it. I have ordered all the required parts. I went to the store looking for 40 ounce containers of Peter Pan Peanut Butter. I noticed a set of empty plastic &q...
by BobCochran13
Fri Sep 23, 2011 3:25 pm
Forum: Nuts & Volts Magazine Discussions
Topic: Peanut Butter Jar Monster Detector
Replies: 14
Views: 15891

Re: Peanut Butter Jar Monster Detector

Hi Vern, Thanks for providing the links. they are making great rainy day study for me here in Maryland. I may help myself to one of my wife's plastic containers for this since we are not at this time a peanut butter and jelly household, but plan to be what with the grandchild. Regarding the servo t...