Brain Cortex Spirit Thermometer Install Part 47

Thermometer locates between two power units

BRAIN CORTEX SPIRIT THER- MOMETER INSTALL 

PART 47

Position black and red wires behind the thermometer

It's important to monitor the jar's core battery temperature status when recharging. This inexpensive and simple solution will do just that!

At the moment batteries become warm during the charging process, it's an indication the charging process is complete.

It may also indicate that the trickle charger is trickling too much and adjustment to the charging power grid is required.

Unit is next to the solar panel grid

This blog details the installation of a low cost small spirit thermometer inside the Brain Cortex jar. The thermometer is placed in a position, opposite the electric thermometer and lower in between two twin power units to read their heat signature.

The position of the single spirit thermometer is a drop down in between the corners of two twin power units.

The spirit filled traditional small thermometer has ~ -30 to +50 degree Centigrade scale, intended for food freezer use. The unit is part number G-590. The glass tube is the same length as a 1.5-volt D-size battery. 

It has a scale in one degree increments. The goal is to attach or place this thermometer to the proximity of a battery and monitor the charging temperature during the charging process, and continuously monitor the battery temperature to assure everything is nominal.

Accurate reading of the tiny scale may need a magnifier

The thermometer can stay mounted inside the jar, remaining with close contact with a single battery for continuous monitoring and inspections.

The analog temperature will be read through the transparent jar by visual inspection, as the unit is placed in contact with the interior transparent jar wall.

Early tests show the higher mounted electric thermometer reading 73 degrees Fahrenheit and the spirit thermometer, which contacts the jar floor, reading 72 degrees Fahrenheit, a nominal temperature difference of 1 degree due to the strata positioning.

Like other traditional thermometers of this type, there is no maintenance. Purchaed from a dollar store, at more than a dollar, the cost was NT$85. The thermometer may be purchased at this source: http://www.double-sun.com.tw

The spirit thermometer can be used in tandem with the electric thermometer, obtaining a cross gradient and cross section of battery and jar room temperature, for better assessment of the jar's Eco-environment.

Principle concern is for the electronics, especially the Parallax Propeller chip which is rated at a median temperature of 50 C during tests according the to specification sheet.

There is a meltdown jar temperature and this limit may be reached long before the Propeller chip upper limit is reached.

LINKS
Index to the Brain Cortex
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/11/brain-cortex-index-part-16.html
Thermometers
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/10/brain-cortex-thermometers-part-9.html
Electric Thermometer Source
http://www.double-sun.com.tw

Brain Cortex Power Wiring Part 45

BRAIN CORTEX POWER WIRING PART 45
ELECTRIC JUICE  It's time to attack the brain cortex wiring and complete this phase of the project. Let's get some electric juice going! The jar is home to the brain cortex. Every home needs electrical wiring and the brain's jar is no different. The electric juice will power the brain, lighting, speaker, and sensors.

Wire each twin power unit like this

The next step is wiring the power unit. In this procedure, the battery holders are removed and the ends (+ and -) black and red wires are connected together with yellow twists. Be consistent by connecting the wires on the right sides of the twin holders.

Snap in a size D battery into each battery holder.

Insert batteries outside of the jar

Initially we're using Zinc Carbon batteries (Philips LongLife R20).

Now cut four black wires and four green wires, each 5-inches long, and strip the ends. Connect these with yellow twists to the left side wires on the battery holders. Attach a small piece of Scotch tape to insulate

Taped ends prevents shorts

one end of each wire to prevent a short during the installation.

Measure the voltage of each twin power unit. Remember, a twin power unit equals two batteries and two battery holders connected together in series to obtain 3 volts. (The voltage of new batteries not under load

Finished wiring - test shows 3.13 volts

will be slightly higher than 3 volts.)

Reinstall all battery holders, remembering their correct positions to fit into the jar holes.

Gather up all the green wires, insert one 5" length of green solid wire, and twist the ends together with the  yellow twist. Repeat for the red wires. The two lengths of solid wire will connect to the solderless breadboard. Use a plastic clothes pin to hold all the ends together. Test again for voltage. In the test, the meter shows 3.13 volts for new Zinc-Carbon D cell batteries connected together. Note: during this procedure, the Solar Panel red and black wires are left floating. These may connect later to the solderless breadboard.

The Chinese yellow wire twists are sold in Taiwan, in a package of 20 for NT$20 obtained from the dollar store. The brand is manufactured under authority of Sellery Inc. California USA, and the DIY item number is TE-18. http://www.sellerytools.com  886-2-26103915

Note: The battery holders each have a red and black connection wire. Supply a 5-inch length of wire and connect it to the lowest wire nearest to the jar floor. This enables it to reach the top where similar colored wires connect together. 

Index to the Brain Cortex
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/11/brain-cortex-index-part-16.html 

Brain Cortex Solar Panel Install Part 41

BRAIN CORTEX SOLAR PANEL INSTALL PART 41

The Cortex solar panel was installed inside the brain jar above the power unit's top level. The bottom of the panel is fit to the top ledge of the battery holder, which holds the bottom of the solar panel in place without any hardware. The top of the solar panel has two angle brackets holding it, connected together as shown. The back side of the solar panel has a sticky substance which nicely grips the angle bracket's long extension side. It can also serve as a wire holder as shown.

This is the larger solar panel rated at 3 volts and 120 mA designed to power the brain and trickle charge the batteries during the day. Tests show the panel works in available room lighting.

Index to the Brain Cortex
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/11/brain-cortex-index-part-16.html

Brain Cortex Solar Cells Part 21

BRAIN CORTEX SOLAR CELL POWER & CHARGING PART 21
Put together solar cells to match a battery pack for charging. The number of cells can determine voltage and supplied amperage. The acquisition of an additional panel for the cortex project enables more brains. Two panels, both 3-volt, have capacities of 60 and 120 mA. Series and parallel combinations are possible to drive a load at 3 or 6 volts and to charge batteries to balance battery pack mAh values. In particular, the 60 mA panel is useful for trickle charging. Although the estimated draw of the Cortex is around 30 mA, the actual value could run much higher depending on cog usage. More tests are in the works.

US$10.31 3v @ 120 mA   $.09 per mA
US$06.04 3v @ 060 mA   $.10 per mA

When using a solar panel for charging batteries, use a blocking Schottky 58117 diode to prevent the solar panel from drawing power from the batteries when there is no light.

Two panels will drive a low power 3 volt Propeller circuit and a 6 volt sensor circuit.

The small single solar panel will drive a smaller brain cortex with one Propeller chip.

Index to the Brain Cortex
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/11/brain-cortex-index-part-16.html

Brain Cortex Arrangement Part 7

BRAIN CORTEX ARRANGEMENT PART 7
Home decor and interior decorating is important to the Brain Cortex while living inside the jar.

The arrangement and placement of modules inside the cortex home jar is very important. Proper placement more readily enables battery changes and access to the electronics board for changes and upgrades, facilitates easier wiring, and more effectively routes the jar communications cable. It also creates available real estate for expansions in the future.

Several points are established today.

1) Twelve individual battery holders are mountable closer to the jar's curvature, thus creating more space inside the jar in the center area.

2) Twelve D size cells make up a battery pack. There are of six sets of two batteries to a set. Each set provides 3 volts. Six sets are wired in parallel. One alkaline battery is rated at 12,000 mAh. Two batteries in series have the same rating. Six sets (12 batteries) are rated at 78,000 mAh. At 30 mA drain, this gives 2,600 hours or 108 twenty four hour days of service (about 3.5 months).

3) If rechargeable zinc carbon batteries are used, one battery gives 8,000 mAh. Two batteries in series have the same rating. Six sets (12 batteries) are rated at 48,000 mAh. At 30 mA drain, this gives 1,600 hours or 66.7 twenty four hour days of service (about 2 months).

4) The jar bottom will have a circular desiccator plate attached by a center bolt with a wing nut for removal. It's smaller diameter must not interfere with any of the battery holders.

5) Both solar panel and mother board are mounted onto rectangular pieces of trans board (polymer transparent plastic). Brass spacers connect the transboard to the interior jar.

6) A small manual thermometer will be placed inside the jar to determine the condition of the batteries during charge. A warmer battery indicates a full charge.

7) The desiccator, at the bottom of the home jar, will help prevent the formation of moisture inside the jar as the temperature varies. Make sure the Desiccator disc clears the battery packs for easy removal to replace the desiccant when it becomes necessary.

— our project is to develop and demonstrate a machine brain transfer, in particular to accept some relatively simple characteristics of a human brain and transfer portions to that of a machine brain, whereby those characteristics could be given a life longevity far exceeding that of the original human, and perhaps establishing immortality — 

Brain Cortex Index Part 16 

Identify Battery Type

IDENTIFY BATTERY TYPE
Go to the store and buy a handful of batteries. The strangest thing is that most of the batteries are not marked with the type or chemical composition. So how do we identify these batteries?

Check the number on the battery and web search it. Sometimes the name only will find it. Most shelf batteries fall into one of several types. The types are typically listed below along with some common examples.

1) Alkaline - Energizer E95 (1.5V), Duracell
2) Zinc Carbon - Philips R20 LongLife (1.5V)
3) Manganese - Panasonic NEO R20NT (1.5V)
4) NiCd
5) Lithium Ion
6) Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) - Energizer Rechargeable
7) Mercury (obsolete)
8) Lead Acid (discontinued)

Brain Cortex Update Part 6

BRAIN CORTEX
PROJECT
UPDATE
PART 6

SUNDAY OCTOBER 27 2013







IN THIS EDITION!
* BATTERY SIZE
* BATTERY COMPOSITION
* JAR SIZE
* MODULE ARRANGEMENT
* BATTERY CAPACITY CHART 
* BOE DECISION

JOIN US AS WE BUILD a real live electric brain cortex. The cortex lives in a tiny home inside a hermetically sealed jar, eating and dining on continuous power, and can talk to the outside world. You can make the cortex your friend and teach it about life. It will learn from you and maybe carry on some your knowledge from generation to generation.

To assure uninterrupted flow of energy to the hungry and continuously dining Cortex, the use of tiny and weak AA batteries was dropped. In place, a series of more massive supply energy capable D size cells are now in use. A single D cell provides 12,000 mAh while the AA cell is only 2,700. The use of four D size cells wired to give 3 volts to the Propeller powered Brain Cortex will supply a full 24,000 mAh.

2) As a result of switching to more massive D size cells, the one liter jar is no longer large enough. The project is examining a 3 liter jar for current use.

3) The use of super capacitors is currently dropped in the overall design due to their unavailability.

4) The arrangement of modules inside the brain is paramount. The solar cells must be at the front. Two sets of large batteries cling to 90 degree opposing sides. The back and bottom are being examined for non-obstructed attachment without battery insertion and removal interference. Switching to jars larger than one liter, such as the three liter jar, has opened up possibilities for other module arrangements.

5) It's noted that other composition batteries cells don't provide the full 1.5 volts and combining two batteries would be insufficient to operate the Propeller chip for the defined term. For this reason, and for the common availability, alkaline batteries were selected.

6) A decision is made to switch from BOE ON to BOE OFF. With the BOE Brown Out Enable switch off, the cortex will operate on lower power as the battery has less voltage during the night. With BOE ON, when the voltage supply approaches 2.7 volts, a Propeller reset will occur. If at all possible, a reset condition is exactly what we want to avoid. For wiring, see the link below.

http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/08/propeller-simple-spin-board-part-6.html 

http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/07/propeller-simple-spin-board-part-2.html

DISABLE THE BROWNOUT DETECTOR

In this first modification to the Propeller Simple Spin Board, the connection from BOEn to Ground is removed. Insert a new connection between BOEn and Vdd. This will disable the brownout detector by connecting it to high, and prevent the board from resetting at 2.7 volts or less. (not shown on schematic) 

I can't seem to disable brown out detection, if I connect BOEn to Vdd even at 3.3v the Prop won't do anything.
 
Put an external pullup on RST (a 220 ohm resistor from RST to VDD).

When BOE Brown Out Enable is grounded, the Propeller chip has an internal pullup activated. When BOE is held high, the internal pullup is not active, and an external pullup is required on RST to restore functioning.

TYPICAL CAPACITY OF BATTERIES (UNITS IN MAH)
 
AAA size, 1,200 alkaline, 540 carbon–zinc, 800–1,000 NiMH

AA, 2,700 alkaline, 1,100 carbon–zinc, 3,000 Li–FeS2, 1,700–2900 NiMH, 600–1000 NiCd

C BATTERY, 8,000 alkaline, 3,800 carbon–zinc, 4,500–6,000 NiMH

D BATTERY, 12,000 alkaline, 8,000 carbon–zinc, 2,200–12,000 NiMH

9 VOLT, 565 alkaline, 400 carbon‑zinc, 1,200 lithium, 175–300 NiMH

120 NiCd, 500 lithium polymer rechargeable, 580 mercury, obsolete

Brain Cortex Index Part 16

Brain Cortex Machine Part 4 - Batteries

BRAIN CORTEX MACHINE
BATTERIES - PART 4
BOOT YOUR BATTERY OR GIVE IT THE BOOT?

A market survey of batteries in common stores will reveal the banning of lead acid batteries and the proliferation of alkaline batteries. Reading up on the care and feeding (recharging) of a variety of finicky batteries is complicated and sometimes confusing.

THE FINICKY BATTERY
How many times did a trusty rechargeable battery go dead in your lifetime? A battery is not a simple thing to maintain. It needs levels of charge, specific voltages, specific currents, and specific charging times. It requires a charging cycle involved with timing variants that cannot be too much or too little, too frequent or too infrequent. Plus, to add to the confusion, no two batteries are exactly alike.

UNENDING MISERY HAS COMPANY
It doesn't end there. Nickel metal hydride and nicad batteries have memory, so trying to trickle charge these is either impossible with simple charging or it becomes a complicated set of rules to follow with a smart programmed charger that can not only recharge batteries but sense their condition as well. Even more complicated is that devices drain batteries at different rates and different batteries may drain at different rates even with the same machine.

MAINTAINING BATTERIES
Batteries must also be maintained. Overcharge, undercharge, and the frequency of charging all effect the battery life. Charging may never reach the full capacity of the battery, depending on its age life cycle. Environment is also a factor as batteries can give up the ship when the temperature drops to freezing temps in winter.

NEW TECHNOLOGY SUPER CAP
The dream is to perhaps toss the battery altogether and use another technology like a super super capacitor that can hold a large enough amount of energy so that it can be drained over several days. However, these are often quoted as having the ability to last only minutes or seconds!

SUPER CAP LONGEVITY
We determined the longevity (time in which it can deliver useable power) of a massive super capacitor using calculus dv/dt = i/c. At .03 amps and rounding to 3 volts for the Propeller chip, a 100 F super capacitor can provide only 2.7 hours of drain, while a 500 F super capacitor is more practical at 13 hours. Two of these capacitors in tandem could indeed help the Cortex make it through the night without solar power, providing the caps are fully charged during the day and the batteries have full reserves.

CORTEX REQUIREMENTS
Our requirements are to supply some charging energy from a solar panel that may have periods of lessened energy during the day (as if the sun went behind clouds, or more realistically, a light was turned off inside a room.

During the night, the machine will draw energy and the solar panel will automatically disengage. The battery, or super super capacitor must have enough energy to survive the night. In this situation, we set the bar at 2 days reserve.

TRI LEVEL ENERGY SYSTEM
Now considered is a tri level energy system. The TRI POWER includes the solar cells, super super capacitor, and batteries. Room lighting will activate the solar panel and trickle charge the super capacitor which helps maintain the battery during the night.

CHARGING COMMON ALKALINE
A number of sources describe charging common alkaline batteries, but this is complicated too, as its important to sense the heat level of the battery to ascertain when the charge cycle should be completed. This does not fit into a simple charging scheme.

CONCLUSION
It's still up in the air as to which battery type will work the best with a simple charging system. Alkaline is most common, yet the availability of Nickel Metal Hydride is still a consideration. Lithium Ion has charging requirements that are not met by the solar panel. Lead acid batteries are not available in the size required. Yet, energy supplied to the Cortex must be constant, reliable, or the brain will die and cease to function. This is why the consideration is now from three electric sources - solar, capacitive, and battery. Solar is renewable energy and the capacitor can store it and release it over time. The challenge is now finding a suitable battery.

Brain Cortex Index Part 16