Need ideas if you have a free minuite

[marshallw]

I will start off by admitting I am a true ME, in that my electronics knowledge stops at RLC. So bare with me if you can.

Without getting into to much detail, I need a method to control multiple DC vibration motors. A simplified example would be a digital watch (with a vibration alarm setting). So basically I need some type of electronic circuit that can be programmed trigger these motors at a given time. Ideally I would like to be able to control the vibration pattern, but for now just on or off.

The only design constraint I have is to keep it small. Again, comparable to the circuitry in a digital watch. Any advice that could lead me in the right direction would be great. Thanks!

 

[MikeHalloran]

"BASIC Stamp" Google it. They're everywhere. The prototype board of the first, simplest one is the size of a (large) postage stamp or early digital watch. It's perfectly capable of doing what you want, and can run for a very long time on a 9V battery, even if you also use the battery to run a cell phone vibrator.









Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[marshallw]

"Basic Stamp" looks like it would do everything I need, but am I correct in that those are used with a "bread board"? I am looking for something that can be used in a mobile (small) environment. For argument sake, lets say I wanted to build some crappy wrist watch with an alarm. Would there be any way to get a small circuit already built for that purpose and just attach it to the motors? Or for that matter, with little electrical experience would it be conceivable to take apart a wrist watch to get one?

 

[itsmoked]

What you would normally do in your situation is build one using a stamp. Put it in a little plastic box. Figure out all the user controls/buttons and timing requirements. Then move it to a custom micro design for your really small end result.

Otherwise.. can't you find a vibrating alarm watch with multiple setpoints??

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.-

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[MikeHalloran]

The Stamp _is_ a breadboard. The actual chip would fit in a wristwatch. It's a custom PIC chip. It doesn't have a Real Time Clock function, so it doesn't keep particularly accurate time, or know the date. If that's important to you, you need a different chip. There must be thousands of PIC variants available, probably one that will do exactly what you want.

The PIC catalog CD includes a pretty decent simulator that may help you skip a few generations, but the usual way to do this stuff is make up a breadboard, develop the software and hardware on that, and then shrink the system to fit in the package you want to use.

This would probably be a good time to get a local EE buddy interested in your project....



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[itsmoked]

I hear an echo??

Sorry Mike I probably got here just as you started to answer.

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.-

http://www.flaminsystems.com