Junk Yard Dog
#1
Posted 04 September 2011 - 12:31 PM
Now! I've got to rush out and get a solder sucker!
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#2
Posted 04 September 2011 - 12:35 PM
I don’t know about you (or in your country) but the idea that we have become a throw-away society bothers me a great deal. And then there is the opposite aspect that you can’t afford to do the right thing. The other day, I saw an Ink Jet Printer at the grocery store (of all places) for $19.95. It came with a small pack of Kodak glossy photo quality paper and a full complement of ink cartridges. We happen to have one of those office supply stores next door, so I popped in there to see what the refills were. Replacing the cartridges alone would have cost $65! I’m glad I didn’t really need a printer! But the point being… you, (like I) probably have either thrown out or have several of these lying around in your junk yard. So while we all were watching the football game, my daughter and I dissected one of these printers. It’s been up in my attic for so long… I don’t even know why its ups there.
Haul
- 1 Stepper motor
- 2 DC brushed motors
- 1 Linear Encoder (Thanks CW2 for cluing me in)
- 2 Photo interrupter
- 2 micro switches
- 3 switches like on Netduino board
- 3 LED
- 2 High Current Transistors
- 1 Power Supply
- 1 low capacity Peristaltic Pump (Had to look it up). It looks like it's to drain away your ink and put is in some huge absorbent pad looking thing. Surely it’s so you have to rush out and buy new ink cartridges!
- Mess of connectors, capacitors, plastic gears, rollers, belts, and screws
- Arron Chapman likes this
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#3
Posted 04 September 2011 - 12:38 PM
Many of you younger members probably have many of these cluttering up the closet. Me… I had to go to Goodwill and found this little gem for $1.99. I’m not about to get caught even
Haul
- 1 Wireless transceiver - Don’t know what its compatible with yet. Crystal says “JF26.000” Plastic casing says 2.4 GHz.
- 2 Nice analog joy sticks with “fire” buttons built-in. They’re not made of plastic and have good feel.
- 1 D-Pad that can be detached
- 2 switches like on Netduino
- 1 slider switch
- 1 White LED
- 2 near frictionless potentiometers
- 1 AA battery holder that can be detached
- Several capacitors, screws
- Arron Chapman likes this
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www.MessingWithReality.com
#4
Posted 04 September 2011 - 01:08 PM
#5
Posted 06 September 2011 - 03:41 AM
Total BOCS Traveled Distance: 9708 miles | States Visited: 5
Track the Box
#6
Posted 06 September 2011 - 01:01 PM
This little Harbor Freight volt meter is dirt cheap even when it’s not on sale. When it’s on sale, it’s usually in the $3 - $5 range. It’s often given away for FREE in magazine ads or like this past Labor Day sale. It comes with a 9V alkaline battery that costs more to replace than the whole meter.
Score 1 – I’ve got about a half dozen of these from over the years. I now use them to great advantage with the Netduino. I can wire them in all over my circuit and check voltage and/or current at multiple locations while I test my software/hardware configuration. And for those with dead batteries, I’ve hard-wired them to old 9V power supplies that I’ve kept from other long dead equipment.
Score 2 – This is way above my abilities… Is there way to use this LCD display for our Netduino’s? Obviously actively creating some circuit and software driver would be great. But maybe… there is some way to use it passively (similar to the way Mario used the picture frame above) by using some particular volt meter setting and the two input leads. Just a thought. If you come up with a method to provide this FREE display… you might even be revered as a god in the eyes of the Netduino and Arduino world.
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#7
Posted 06 September 2011 - 01:36 PM
I assume you are interested in using the LCD alone (otherwise a little bit 'hacky' way would be to leave the meter switched to say voltage and 'measure' Netduino PWM output, perhaps with some smoothing filter), so you may want to check out Direct Driving of LCD Using General Purpose IO (pdf). The tricky part is that the LCD must be supplied with AC signals (square waves), if you connect DC signal you will probably damage it, and it requires the inputs to be biased at several levels of VCC. I guess there are segment LCD driver ICs available too...Is there way to use this LCD display for our Netduino’s?
#8
Posted 06 September 2011 - 01:39 PM
Edited by Mario Vernari, 06 September 2011 - 01:41 PM.
#9
Posted 06 September 2011 - 01:40 PM
My .NETMF projects: .NETMF Toolbox / Gadgeteer Light / Some PCB designs
#11
Posted 06 September 2011 - 06:39 PM
... (otherwise a little bit 'hacky' way ...
I'm not proud!
So far the my output's consist of blinking LED's or the Debug.Print statements. I'll take what I can get.
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