LC Meter PIC 16F84 - Phil Rice VK3BHR

An inductance / capacitance meter by Phil Rice VK3BHR, Almost as published in Amateur Radio magazine, April 2004.

A Surprisingly Accurate Digital LC Meter

Phil Rice - vk3bhr - Home Page

"The AADE web site gave details of how their design worked and a circuit diagram. This led me to propose a design using their oscillator, but in a slightly different way. Like theirs, mine would measure the free running frequency of an LC oscillator, then successively apply a known capacitance then the unknown inductor (or capacitor)."

Der hier vorgestellte Nachbau des LC-Meter von VK3BHR, Phil Rice, verwendet einen PIC 16F84 und eine Punktmatrixanzeige. Der Messbereich geht in etwa von 0 bis 10 mH für Induktivitäten und von etwa 0 bis 100 nF für Kapazitäten.

LC-Meter nach VK3BHR mit PIC 16F84

Wide Skill Spectrum by Building a Robot

These valuable learning materials are partly derived from Robot Builder's Guide of Fred Martin, the course notes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Wide Skill Spectrum by Building a Robot

When you build a robot, you are dealing with Mechanical, Electrical, Electronic and Computer Technologies with the Interfacing.

The improvement in the Wireless Communication, Low Power Hi-Speed Semiconductors coupled with compact gigabytes of Flash/HDD may help build a Creative Robot with a smart brain.

Sections Cover -

Basic Mechanics- Describes basic mechanics, friction, and simple machines. Basic Electronics- Introduces the concepts of charge, current, voltage, and components. Circuit Board Data PCB and Schematics too.

Applied Magnetics by Barry Hansen

Barry Hansen enthusiasm for Coilgun Designs has created an EE education portal.

See the RLC Simulator and Inductor Simulator. By building a Gauss Gun which is like a Solenoid, Electromagnetic Relay or 3 phase contacter, you can learn electromechanics. This may be like a sequential solenoid which makes things move.This leads us to the Linear motor.

Applied Magnetics by Barry Hansen

There is also a very interesting learning article. PID in Control Systems in reading a DIY levitator design In Popular Electronics May 1996 - James Cicon.

Why build a coilgun?

It demonstrates many basic concepts of magnetic machines. A coilgun is foremost an example of a solenoid. These appear practically everywhere, from car door locks to doorbells.

(Youngsters Should do Basic Electricity Experiments with the Supervision and Guidance of a Technician, Engineer, Experienced Enthusiast or an Amateur-Radio Operator

My own interest into electricity-magnetism came with a failed Doorbell in my Schooldays, from collecting gramophone and chemistry lab parts i got escalated to the Iron-n-Copper Age - delabs)

ABACOM LochMaster - BreadBoard projects

A Schematic design has been made, either from experience coupled with testing out application note blocks together. It could also be trying out an idea from a Magazine. If you have simulation tools, you may want to simulate parts of the design and iron out some flaws.

Now if this design is small or made of tested blocks and maybe verified by a seasoned designer. Then you can move to pilot production of 7 Nos.

If you cannot afford the risk and the cost of iterations. Sometimes making the PCB may delay the design so much, that the "Time to Market" will be too long. Then you lose out to the competition.

So... or Hence or even Thus ... A quick Breadboard or Stripboard testing not only validates your schematic, but improves your design skills by making you more familiar with the components and their behavior. The real world limitations and the non-ideal electrical specifications of passives, semiconductors and chips too. This brings us back to the word Didactic. We should always have both the feet on the Ground.

I wrote this note above inspired by the LochMaster, few years ago.

ABACOM LochMaster - BreadBoard projects

LochMaster 4.0 is a developers tool for BreadBoard projects. It has useful functions for designing, documenting and testing project
boards.

G8NQN - Martin - Keadby North Lincolnshire UK

Amateur Radio Station operated by Maerin Bancroft. The Online Website includes a Technical section with drawings and building instructions for many projects/

G8NQN - Martin - Keadby North Lincolnshire UK

He has links to various sites that cover the RAE exam theory in detail, this section can be used as a reference for those taking the RAE at a training centre.

See also - Components Symbols and Pinouts

Technical Backround pf Lucky Martin

"In the early 70's while still working as an electrical engineer, and as a Dj in the evenings I was given the opportunity by a Dj friend to visit the then new BBC Radio Leeds, they wanted anyone interested to go out with recording equipment and collect interesting stories on a freelance basis, both my friend and I where keen and during the following evenings and weekends we would get together and visit youth clubs etc, collecting news and interviews returning them to the studio's and editing them, yes on the old 1/4 inch real to real tape machines .."

SpikenzieLabs - Kits and Projects

It is nice to see many building solutions over the Arduino base like this Prototino.

Prototino an Arduino clone for Prototyping

Both hardware and software of Arduino are Extensible. This gives opportunity for New tools and Solutions over this compact system Framework.

One Idea can be an Arduino with a CPLD and Universal I/O driver for robotics. This can come with a Visual IDE which is close or better than the old Visual Basic 6 in usability.

An Youngster can just Drag Drop Components and Link them to build his Robot or Home Automation Solution. Robotics Designers can have the option of looking at the code/hex if needed.

SpikenzieLabs - Kits and Projects

More Reading -

Here is a simple illustrative way in which an Arduino on your Breadboard method is explained. This helps in quick prototyping and testing. Even develop your own custom shields.

Another one to note is the Boarduino - Breadboard - compatible Arduino Clone. The Super Shields i would like to try - I/O Expander using CPLD, Multimedia Shield, Robotics Shield and Mechatronics Shield.

Arduino on a breadboard - Physical Computing at ITP

RobotProg - Learn Bot Programming

Program a virtual robot with a flowchart : first you draw the flowchart, then you run the program and watch the robot executing your program. You do not have to own a Robot to start with.

RobotProg - Learn Bot Programming

With RobotProg you can learn programming bases by means of gradual levels.
At the last level, you may program several robots playing games on the same ground.

See also Solve Elec

Draw and analyze electrical circuits functioning in direct or alternating current. Get literal formulas and values for current intensities and voltages defined in the circuit. Verify circuit related equations.

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"Not all bots like to be told what to do, Then these are Instructed Bots. Some Bots later Evolve or Mutate into Fuzzy Bots. Then they will take their own Decisions." - delabs