FM Radio Station Power Monitor Part 13

Radio switch schematic

FM RADIO STATION POWER MONITOR PART 13

Follow the schematic diagram to wire in a power switch and a red LED power-on monitor light.

Guide

The switch turns the radio radio station transmitter on and off. When on, the red LED will remain lit. The LED monitor light does not interfere with the radio station transmitter. This is the first modification add-on to the radio station.

Parts required, 1 LED, 1 resistor, 1 SPST or SPDT (for a future add on) toggle switch. Use the LED wiring guide pictorial and schematic to determine proper LED polarity.

Testing the LED power on/off indicator circuit. The resistor value of 820 ohms was determined with the use of a resistor ohm substitution box.

The guide shows a "looking down view" from above the LED. Shown in the schematic is a SPST switch. The actual radio transmitter will have a SPDT switch.

The 3mm red LED costs NT$1 each (US$.033 each) in a package of 100. The SPDT toggle switch SW1 is priced at NT$18 (US$.60). The resistor R1 is 820 ohm or the next larger resistance.

http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/12/fm-radio-station-controls.html

FM Radio Station Part 5 Index
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/12/fm-radio-station-part-5-index.html 

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 Control Panel Part 18

Cortex DVM

BRAIN CORTEX CONTROL PANEL
The cortex is neither animal nor human, but a living machine. It lives within the fine line of a new emerging life form, albeit with a simplified intellect and life.

It can function autonomously and yet have a cortex control panel for human interaction and monitoring. This blog is all about the design of the

Temperature humidity monitor

cortex control panel and some of the features it might include.

First let's establish the duties and functions of a control panel. Here is the current design of useful functions (below).

Photoresistor circuit

It's not out of the question to have a second propeller chip with an additional eight micro processors to do monitoring and tune the control of the energy supply. For example, it could sense battery voltage and initiate recharging. It could sense battery temperature and stop recharging, or detect worn out batteries and ask for replacements. A chronometer could keep track of the machine's age and life intervals.

A night time photo-resistor sensor could induce the machine's sleep cycle and wake it up in the morning or it could determine when to use power from the solar panel or use the solar panel for charging or shut it off in dark conditions.

CONTROLS
BATTERY ON/OFF
SOLAR PANEL ON/OFF
SOLAR CHARGE: ON/OFF
DVM ON/OFF (DIGITAL VOLTAGE METER)
RESET (DUAL SAFETY PUSHBUTTONS)

MONITORED DISPLAY INSTRUMENTS
ELECTRONIC THERMOMETER (AUTOMATIC)
MECHANICAL THERMOMETER (AUTOMATIC)
HYGROMETER (AUTOMATIC)
VOLTAGE METER
 
ADD ON
CAS LIGHT DETECTOR (AUTONOMIC)

WITH 2ND PROPELLER CHIP
LCD 2X16
LIGHT LEVEL (DAY/NIGHT/DARK/BRIGHT)
CHRONOMETER (AGE)
MESSAGE 1 (REPLACE BATTERY)
MESSAGE 2 (TOO HOT)
MESSAGE 3 (TOO COLD)

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

Robot Explorer Log 10 Mission Control

Mission Control at Humanoido Labs, for Robot Explorer and sending of intelligent life to other planets at the outer fringes of the Solar System, is modestly modeled after NASA's new upgraded control center. Credit: NASA

ROBOT EXPLORER LOG 10
MISSION CONTROL
So now you've created a new life form, sent it to a new world and it's exploring the surface. You'll need a mission control center to gather its images, data, findings, and discoveries.

The Big Brain machine initiative continues to expand. Recent projects include Robot Explorer, designed to explore strange and erie new worlds at the outer fringes of the Solar System. Establishing and maintaining contact with remote robotic autonomous intelligent beings requires a control center, i.e. Mission Control, for the gathering of images and various telemetry signals for analysis.

HISTORY
The previous construction of Mission Control was a command center to control massive space telescopes and included the earthen supercomputer to conduct and make their projects possible.

NEW MISSION CONTROL
The new Mission Control is designed with several purposes, though primarily for establishing contact with autonomous intelligent beings created by the laboratory which will explore new distant worlds. 

SETUP
The current setup is a desktop proof of concept using frequencies centered around 1.2 GHz on four channels, and additional channels in the UHF, VHF range for long range wireless operations.

EXPERIMENTS
Experiments conducted include the camera eye on a robot that feeds images into a micro-miniature 1.2 GHz transmitter. The camera eye and transmitter remain on board the robot and wireless send images to the base station on one channel. This channel includes video and audio bands.

CONVERSION
The base station at Mission Control has a 1.2 GHz receiver that converts the signal to standard NTSC composite 1V p-p (AV) and feeds it into the TV. The TV has audio/video AV input.

MORE CHANNELS
A second Parallax Propeller chip, known as the sensor chip, transmits data telemetry on the VHF band USA channel 3. This is received directly by Mission Control's multi-band analog TV. Data transmitted includes information from sensors and various parameters including the condition of the robot and its decisions.

RECORDING TELEMETRY
The  TV monitor also has video out which can feed into a VCR or other digital recording device for a record of the mission's proceedings.

Robot Explorer Log 9 Interplanetary TV Monitor

INTERPLANETARY TV MONITOR FOR
ROBOT EXPLORER - LOG 9

Robot Explorer is designed to transmit images and telemetry to a base station with a monitor. The monitor receives data on TV channel 3 by analog and also requires AV input to display images from a receiver. The system gathers images from the robot on a remote solar system planet or moon.

The TV is not an easy find in Taiwan, since the country has moved from analog to digital cable and wireless stations no longer exist. Analog TVs are becoming more scarce as they are no longer made in Taiwan. So this "analog and digital" TV with multiple capability was a real find!

The Taiwan-made Poptron 5.6-inch TFT-LCD TV/Monitor, model PRVC-010, runs either in a car from the cigarette lighter adapter or a wall power supply. It receives UHF/VHF bands and American channels. It includes a whip antenna, remote, and a good array of plug in capability for AV video in and out, power, external antenna, earphone, band selector, etc. The AV is in standard NTSC composite 1v pp format. It includes a swivel mounting base stand. Controls include brightness, color, volume, on/off, and channel up down.

Uses include direct wireless reception from a Parallax Propeller chip on TV USA channel 3 for programming and a remote operations channel for telemetry. It can also direct connect by NTSC AV from a Propeller board, for programming the chip. Used with a receiver, it can display images from a miniature wireless camera and serve as a scientific monitor in a laboratory or a base station for interplanetary operations.

LINKS
http://poptron.en.ec21.com/LCD_TV--409079_409080.html

Mobile Transport Lab 56

MOBILE TRANSPORT LAB 56
No Parent Country
The Mobile Transport Lab MTL is one that can remain in flight without a parent country. The Mobile Transport Lab was flown over the North Pole and collected data. This is a mobile science and technology lab for travel. It represents a more modern version of the original Transport Lab Facility (TLF). New items include a smart phone computer and monitor with many digital scientific apps for scientific lab analysis, multiple cameras, a CCD, and Space Telescope. Classification: 2013 Mobile Transport Lab 56 (no parent country)

Jet Stream

BIG BRAIN MONITORS JET STREAM TO SEE THE UNIVERSE

The Jet Stream above Asia

Reference Map of Asia

The Big Brain has devised a way to see the Universe through crystal clear seeing conditions by monitoring the Jet Stream. The Jet Stream is a fast changing high velocity wind vortex in the upper atmosphere that grossly degrades seeing conditions. By going to this site, the Brain can monitor and view Jet stream conditions and know when to conduct telescopic observational programs extending to other planets and the far reaches of the galaxy and Universe. Look for gaps and holes, curvatures where the Jet Stream is absent. Maps are available for most world locations and include additional important climatology maps such as visibility, wind, dew point, humidity, wind chill, heat index and temperature. (source of land reference maps)