Yet another scope clock
Grahame Marsh
Mich...@aol.com
http://www.sgitheach.org.uk/scope1.html
Enjoy
Grahame
David Forbes
>
> http://www.sgitheach.org.uk/scope1.html
>
> Enjoy
>
> Grahame
>
Someone's really channeling the steampunk aesthetic.
Would be fun to make one that had a brass vacuum pump chuffing away to
make the vacuum on a bell jar that contained the electron gun and a
phosphor-coated glass plate inside for the screen.
--
David Forbes, Tucson AZ
John Rehwinkel
Curse you David! Now I'm going to have to go buy a lathe!
- John
Lucky
There is certainly enough information there to put together one of our own (which I shall be doing) I have in mind a novel case design and like the steampunk genre which this lends its self to.
I like your idea David, I would like to see more steampunk orientated devices actually using 'machinery' in their design. I came across this website the other day of a guy who actually makes homemade crt's I found interesting, he makes it sound so easy although you may have already seen it http://www.sparkbangbuzz.com/crt/crt6.htm
Grahame Marsh
Kits are too much work for me - the most I'll run to is a (home made) PCB and a programmed mega and eeprom.
None of the parts are hard to source.
Grahame
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threeneurons
> http://www.sgitheach.org.uk/scope1.html
>
> Enjoy
>
> Grahame
>Someone's really channeling the steampunk aesthetic.
David Forbes, Tucson AZ
Cobra007
check if a CCD barcode reader can decode it?
At first I was wondering why you use such large capacitors (100uF/
100V) for the voltage multipliers but then I saw you use the mains
frequency as input source, so that makes sense.
Some form of a brass bezel around the tube would be a nice finish I
think.
Michel
Grahame Marsh
On 07/03/2012 23:24, Cobra007 wrote:
> Nice clock Grahame! I like the barcode time as well, did you actually
> check if a CCD barcode reader can decode it?
No, it's just to annoy people and, in particular, one (non-electronics)
friend of mine. If I add other clock faces (Lucky Dave suggested
pingpong game which I'm putting in at the moment) then the barcode would
be one of the first to go when I've stuffed the mega full.
> At first I was wondering why you use such large capacitors (100uF/
> 100V) for the voltage multipliers but then I saw you use the mains
> frequency as input source, so that makes sense.
I have to admit I like those voltage multipliers; they take more space
than other solutions but have no semiconductors to let the magic smoke
out of. The equations for selecting capacitor values, number of stages
etc for a given supply voltage/current/ripple are simple to understand
and use as well.
> Some form of a brass bezel around the tube would be a nice finish I
> think.
I very much agree - time to source a chunk of brass and get it turned.
The far end of the tube has a turned tufnol plug so I might replace that
with a brass one now as well.
Cheers Grahame
John Rehwinkel
>> check if a CCD barcode reader can decode it?
> No, it's just to annoy people and, in particular, one (non-electronics) friend of mine.
I was tempted to try to read it with my CCD reader from the video on the computer screen. Similar displays (Hollerith, paper tape) wouldn't be hard, and would be just as (not) useful.
I'd be tempted to make an old A-scope style radar display with a few lines of shark-fin looking pips (hours, minutes, seconds), and have the pips slowly meander across the screen. A few index marks would make it easier to read. I don't know how hard that would be to code up, but the existing displays cover a lot of ground, so I'm guessing it would be feasible.
I'm hoping to get a look at the code soon, idiosyncratic or not. I have a fondness for strange real-time code.
> I have to admit I like those voltage multipliers; they take more space than other solutions but have no semiconductors to let the magic smoke out of.
They don't? What are you using as rectifiers? I can imagine a 50Hz supply with 5642s as rectifiers, but that would involve adding quite a few filament windings to the power transformer.
Which reminds me, the article mentioned adding a heater winding, but I didn't find a description of how it was implemented.
> I very much agree - time to source a chunk of brass and get it turned. The far end of the tube has a turned tufnol plug so I might replace that with a brass one now as well.
I think brass on both ends would look really sharp. I'd be tempted to make a slide out light shade as well, either a hood like a traffic signal, or a tube like the old Waterman pocket scopes. Not that it's necessary, but it's another fun thing to fiddle with, if you actually want peoples' fingers near the CRT.
I love the Latin markings too. Fiat lux, indeed!
- Cheers,
John
Grahame Marsh
> I'd be tempted to make an old A-scope style radar display with a few
> lines of shark-fin looking pips (hours, minutes, seconds), and have
> the pips slowly meander across the screen. A few index marks would
> make it easier to read. I don't know how hard that would be to code
> up, but the existing displays cover a lot of ground, so I'm guessing
> it would be feasible.
A-Scope:
Horizontal traversing pips/triangles, off a horiziontal line, taking (1
second,) 1 minute, 1 hour, 12/24 hours to go L/R or R/L - easy! I'll
code it when I have the pingpong clock finished.
> I'm hoping to get a look at the code soon, idiosyncratic or not. I
> have a fondness for strange real-time code.
I'll try to put the current draft code up tonight, so look back in about
24 hrs and the code.zip file should be there. Head straight to crt.c
and .h as that is where all the low level driver stuff is. Then look at
say, klingon.c and .h, and you'll see a simple case of how the lowlevel
stuff is called (each clock face lives in its own .c and .h files so it
should be easy to find an individual clock face's code). Then the main
code (sc01.c) where the clock face being displayed is called under 20mS
interrupt call. (BTW the 20mS is mains derived which I hoped would
avoid the display "swimming" in an external magnetic field as the clock
has no shielding. So far no problems.)
> They don't? What are you using as rectifiers? I can imagine a 50Hz supply with 5642s as rectifiers, but that would involve adding quite a few filament windings to the power transformer.
Yes, I was being a bit loose, just 1N4004, semiconductors of course. No
chips or MOSFETS to fry is what I meant :o)
>
> Which reminds me, the article mentioned adding a heater winding, but I didn't find a description of how it was implemented.
The heater winding details are lost on the schematic. Basically about
120 turns for the toroidal transformer I used. I wind on a measured
length (1m typically) and count the turns and load it to 0.3A and
measure the voltage. I discard this length. This method gives me the
turns per volt and the total length of the wire to wind on. I add about
10% more and then trim back to get the 6.3V. I was thinking of putting
a bit of text on the webpage about it. The extra winding is "easy" on a
toroid and avoids a second transformer or special, so is cheap. I used
multicore hook up wire that has a > 1kV insulation (PVC) and a couple of
amps capacity so is overkill for the duty.
> I think brass on both ends would look really sharp. I'd be tempted to make a slide out light shade as well, either a hood like a traffic signal, or a tube like the old Waterman pocket scopes. Not that it's necessary, but it's another fun thing to fiddle with, if you actually want peoples' fingers near the CRT.
Only, I'm trying to close the project down to get on with the next! The brass and copper is lacquered to avoid finger markers appearing - the copper tube forms a natural handle to pick it up with unfortunately. The light shield is a good idea, for this tube in particular, as it has no separate focus anode - the brightness control is both brightness and focus, and the best focus is when the tube is not bright.
> I love the Latin markings too. Fiat lux, indeed!
My wife's contribution. Getting her to contribute to projects is my
technique (not always successful) that permit projects to leave the
workshop and enter the house.
Thanks for the feedback - as always very good with this group
Cheers Grahame
Tidak Ada
Nice idea that clock !
My little penny: Cant you vind brass end-caps for the tube? Then you only
need to make a vieuwing hole at the front end, evenually equiped with a
contrast filter (preferrably polaroid foil, or may be the glass of an old
photographic polaroid filter). That's quick made.
eric
Cheers Grahame
Lucky
Grahame Marsh
This is the first time I tried etching so I was fetching it out every 10 minutes or so to see/feel how deep the etch had got. I knew I needed enough depth to hold a layer of paint. But was not sure if I would get undercutting or how the chemistry of etching copper/zinc as against just copper would work. I have some more sheet brass and I'll try some more experiments sometime.
What is of concern was my apparently poor application of the photoresist as there are a lot of pitting across the surface where I must have left a small hole in the photoresist. But in practice it just adds to the patina in this case but may be undesirable for other projects.
Grahame
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Nick
Nick
Grahame Marsh
Hi All
I have added a pingpong clock (suggested by Lucky Dave) and an A-Scope
(suggested by John R). Did I get it right John? I could find some
static images of an AScope and a description of it in use (I have not
added any ground clutter). The video is updated to show these modes in
action and they have menu commands now.
Following an enquiry from the USA, a I've added 50Hz/60Hz detection and
display synchronisation and US Federal DST rules (I've cleaned up the
naming to Standard Time/Daylight Saving Time and removed GMT/BST). Code
to follow.
I've added the two board version Eagle files as well.
Enjoy
Grahame
John Rehwinkel
Yeah, I like it. The distance tics are a nice touch.
> Following an enquiry from the USA, a I've added 50Hz/60Hz detection and display synchronisation and US Federal DST rules (I've cleaned up the naming to Standard Time/Daylight Saving Time and removed GMT/BST). Code to follow.
You've been busy. Software changes are gratifyingly quick, once you have the hardware in a state where
you like it.
- Cheers,
John
orange_glow_fan
Wow that is a piece of art! I wish I could do something like that but
alas I don't have the necessary talent...
You mentioned a willingness to supply a PC board micro and eeprom. Any
idea as to cost involved.........?
Kerry
John Rehwinkel
Also, for those folks who don't have 230V mains, a possible transformer is Farnell 306-8572 or Newark 38K4871 (Multicomp MCTA015/15 or Toroid International TA015/15). This is a dual primary transformer suitable for 115V or 230V mains at 50 or 60Hz.
- John
Grahame Marsh
John
Alas, yet another typo - should read K[LINGON] the [...] showing the
optional characters in the command.
Thanks for the part numbers, I will add them to the parts list; as you
point out the transformer I used is a single 230V secondary.
Grahame
Grahame Marsh
Kerry
I ask for GBP 5 for the PCB. But be warned, this is a home made
doublesided PCB so does not have plated thro holes, a solder mask or
silkscreen. I mention this becuase I wouldn't want you to be
disappointed. There are a number of wire links required and a few
components need to be soldered either side of the board. But I do use
laser jet/photo resist/UV and etch method and can get very good
registration between the two sides of the board.
The mega and eeprom will be the UK Farnell list price. However an AVR
programmer is not expensive and you will have the advantage of being
able to update the software in the future. One particular programmer
(Polulu) will also act as a USB serial connection so you can save some
money by not using the FTDI MM232R module and using the programmer
instead. The mega is GBP 3.17 and the eeprom GBP 1.53 each plus tax at
17.5%. Then there is P&P I normally post the items first so I can give
an exact cost. But GBP 3 for international postage is not a bad guess.
You need to think about the casing as there are two board layouts on the
web page, a single board and a split board. The split board allows
arrangements of tube & boards such as
||O
or
|O|
or
O
_
_
and so on.
Grahame
troncam
I have been emailing back and forth with Grahame over the last two or
three days.
Because I knew that I had to have one of these clocks.
So he is working boards for me, I got the tube and socket on order
from Ebay.
I was up to finding the transformer and this is what I found on Ebay.
Transformer 2x15V 0.63A 2x117V(P/N 701.152 Mfg. Toroid)
URL[http://www.ebay.com/itm/Transformer-2x15V-0-63A-2x117V-P-N-701-152-
Mfg-Toroid-/110851593232?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19cf451410]
You can get the spec sheet from Toroid web site.
I think that it will work just fine.
Sorry about the link don’t know how to make it a link and don’t have
time to sort it out.
Tom
J Forbes
Grahame Marsh
That sort of transformer is going to work fine. The clock uses a lot
less than 15VA - I used that size for its availablity and donut hole
(not potted) to wind on the heater (filament) supply winding. In
practice you could use two smaller transformers 2x 0-15V plus some sort
of 6V transformer. You could also use a transformer other than a
toroidal but most other transformer designs have a stronger external
magnetic field which would require a larger spacing between the scope
and the transformer or shielding etc Lots of tunes to play.
Grahame
On 29/03/2012 17:02, J Forbes wrote:
> here is the link all sorted out for you
>
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/110851593232
>
> troncam wrote:
>> Sorry about the link don�t know how to make it a link and don�t have
Cobra007
from corroding your copper parts?
Michel
Grahame Marsh
I use a clear protective lacquer spray that I normally use for
protecting PCB that are going in some location outside (eg greenhouse
watering controller):
http://www.rapidonline.com/Tools-Equipment/Electrolube-Clear-Protective-Lacquer-200ml-87-1204
Grahame
troncam
If there is two of these posts it is because I hosed it up.
I think the first post when to Grahame only Sorry!
A note on the Rotary Encoder.
The one listed is (last part of the number) BC0024L the B indicates
that it is not supplied with hardware.
An A in this location indicates that the encoder is supplied with
hardware.
I have sourced them at Newark here in the US P/N62K3102
I also looked up on Farnell in the UK P/N 1200080
Both placew have about 200 in stock.
Tom
>
> - Show quoted text -