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Post by Jeff Lande on Jul 4, 2011 7:39:34 GMT -5
 just search for PICAXE, the best pricing I found was at a UK site where you can get the individual parts. The US sites I found made you purchase starter kits which included stuff I didn't want. At a minimum you'll need 2 of the 18M's, 2 of the connectors, and a serial programming cable. The rest you can get just about anywhere, RadioShack, ebay, etc. Let me know if you have any questions. |
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stevevw
Full Member
Part VW part Porsche , all Bradley
Posts: 117
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Post by stevevw on Jul 6, 2011 14:55:48 GMT -5
Really cool setup .
I have not ever put together a circuit , so is there some good info out there to learn how to do it ?
Thanks for sharing what you did .
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Post by Jeff Lande on Jul 7, 2011 7:35:16 GMT -5
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stevevw
Full Member
Part VW part Porsche , all Bradley
Posts: 117
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Post by stevevw on Jul 7, 2011 14:38:35 GMT -5
Ahhh getting an idea of how . And you mirror it for the other side ?
And the 4 way flasher is a dpst switch ?
Looks like a fun winter kinda project for me .
Thanks ,
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Post by Dan MacMillan on Jul 7, 2011 18:02:03 GMT -5
I remember the days of Radio Shack, you used to be able to get all kinds of components. We had 3 stores here. They got changed to Circuit City and started reducing the stock. Next name change was The Source, now you cannot get anything useful. Go in and ask for resistors and diodes and the sales rep gives you the blank stare and says "what are those".
Circuit City, The Source. What a joke..
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Post by darrenz on Jul 7, 2011 19:52:46 GMT -5
Don't feel bad... circuit city only lasted a couple yrs here and there are tons of radio shacks but none stock anywhere near the components they used to
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Eric A
Full Member
It's an obsession not an investment!
Posts: 223
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Post by Eric A on Jul 7, 2011 20:34:28 GMT -5
I use to work at RS back in the 90's and we were required to study the basics of all products we sold and take a test on it. You also had to pass a sodering test. Under the new ownership those days are long gone.
Eric
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Post by smyrnaguy on Jul 7, 2011 21:02:07 GMT -5
Radio Shack has become a phone store. A minimal amount of switches and fuses, a couple of diodes and regulators and a resistor assortment make up the parts selection at the local store. You couldn't build a radio out of the contents of that store if your life depended on it. There was once a time when the Tandy Corp companies were all about do-it-yourself. Now its "get it ready made from China" like every other company. I wouldn't be suprised if RS and maybe even Tandy ceased to exist within 5 years. I get my parts from Digikey, Crutchfield, Allied Electronics or Jameco now.
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Post by Gary Hammond on Jul 7, 2011 21:21:27 GMT -5
I get most of my electronic parts from Newark. Excellent service, huge selection, and competitive pricing. I even have an open account with them. www.newark.com/Gary Hammond,   |
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Post by Jeff Lande on Jul 7, 2011 22:46:44 GMT -5
Ahhh getting an idea of how . And you mirror it for the other side ? And the 4 way flasher is a dpst switch ? Looks like a fun winter kinda project for me . Thanks , Yes, a DPST switch would work great there... And yes, just repeat this exactly for the other side. The bonus now is there are a few unused inputs and outputs to use for other stuff, like maybe hi/low beam switch, maybe make your third brake light flash a few times then stay on solid like a motorcycle, etc, etc. |
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Post by Jeff Lande on Jul 7, 2011 22:48:42 GMT -5
I get most of my electronic parts from Newark. Excellent service, huge selection, and competitive pricing. I even have an open account with them. www.newark.com/Gary Hammond, mcm electronics www.mcminone.com/, ebay, lots of places, just no brick and mortar... just used RS as an example since they actually do still carry some of the basics.  |
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Post by smyrnaguy on Jul 8, 2011 20:50:13 GMT -5
Here's a cheap, (<$5.00 to build) down and dirty 10 segment LED sequencer.  . This circuit shows a bargraph display but individual LEDs may be used instead. The 470ohm resistors may need to have their values adjusted to suit the voltage requirement of the LEDs chosen. Varying the values of the 1meg resistor and the .01 uf cap will change the rate of the sequence. A voltage divider can be constructed of two 1000 ohm resistors to convert the input voltage from 12 to 6 volts. Since the 4017 is cmos and subject to static I'd recommend a small metal box for the final product. A matchbox size would suffice. It would probably be a good idea to install Jslande01's Picaxe sequencer in a shielded box as well. Another thing to keep in mind that electric welding on your car with either type sequencer installed will probably blow the Picaxe or the 4017. |
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Post by roughly on Jul 10, 2011 0:10:49 GMT -5
Gary is right , plus there is mouser and from "all electronics" for 'surplusy' hit and miss parts.... if you see something there -- buy it it wont be there next time you are back
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Post by Jeff Lande on Jul 11, 2011 6:47:55 GMT -5
so that will light standard 20ma LED's in sequence, but it won't flash the fronts at the same time and you'll need transistors if you want to drive brighter bulbs (I've got 1 watt LED's, they take about 125ma each).
I should add, since I didn't spell it out with the original post... The chip is programmable (hence the serial programming cable requirement). The software is free, for this circuit, it's basically building a visual flowchart and it writes the code for you. It can be used to do just about anything.
I got 2 of the chips, the serial programming cable, voltage regulators, and all the transistors for about $15 total. (I used a regulator since battery can range anywhere from 10VDC when starting the engine to 14VDC with the alternator spinning and the battery charging. (the PICAXE chip can't take more than 5V)
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Post by smyrnaguy on Jul 11, 2011 9:48:32 GMT -5
DOT standard 108, S5.1.1.26 (b)If a multiple compartment lamp or multiple lamps are used to meet the photometric requirements for stop lamps and rear turn signal lamps, the effective projected luminous lens area of each compartment or lamp shall be at least 22 square centimeters, provided the combined area is at least 50 square centimeters (73/4square inches). To be legal you have to have a lens. The full standard can be found here: www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/fmcsr/fmcsrruletext.aspx?reg=571.108 |
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Post by Jeff Lande on Jul 11, 2011 12:51:29 GMT -5
so that only discusses rear turn signals... the fronts should be ok. so I'm just a bit short 3.14 * 6 * 6 = 11.3 sq cm. 3.14 * 8.5 * 8.5 = 22.6 sq cm. So to be legal, I would have to make the holes 17mm in diameter, insert a short lucite rod and re-mount the LED's behind... If you read a little more of the standard, it discusses the reason for the law is to make things more visible and to reduce accidents. These suckers are nice and bright... waaay more visible than some of the Honda's out there with smoked covers. And unlike most drivers out there these days, I actually USE my turn signals. I may just leave them as-is and see if anyone hassles me. technically, that makes wyn's third brake light illegal as well since it isn't all behind a single lens.  |
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