Hey folks, I have been searching these electronics forums and have asked questions on another but found a great deal of scuttlbutt. This one seems the most BS free and as I am stumbling head first (back) into trying to understand electronics and building little things I definitely need some guidance. I recently completed my first project in more than twenty years -- I converted a cheap driveway motion sensor (battery operated) system to switch on a 110v power strip for a set amount of time (1M pot, 555, a relay, some capacitors and resistors). I still need some help with placement of diodes, but I am working it...smoke-tests.
I did that so that I can start plowing into an idea I have for my hobby of road racing motorcycles. I am certainly no pro, but I enjoy doing it and have an interesting idea that requires a little thought but more so it requires the most efficient electronic components. I believe ultimately this idea could benefit the amatuer road racer and intermediate to advanced track-day rider.
Basically, I would like to use a laser diode or LED Tx/Rx set (which has the highest "resolution", ie., can read the most breaks to the beam in 1 (one second), I understnd that there is a chipset already built that can do this but don't understand the theory behind the chip as it appears the chip only gives the signal to a Tx and would require a Rx. Ultimately two of these will be used.
I'd then like to feed these signals into a componet and "sync" them the resulting out put being a baseline that does not change if there is a change in rate across both but only if there is a change across one. I am sure you have a lightbulb going off as I am trying to describe this as I have been told there is an Op-Amp or Opto-Comparator which can do this. I am told I will also need an Opto-Isolator to clean the signals.
Ultimately I am looking to trigger something for user-selectable amount of time (i.e., the 555 and mini-pot) from .5 to 2.5 seconds.
On the trigger side, I will use normally closed relays and the trigger will close them. I would like to feed the single tigger component into a ciruit which will "amplify" the trigger signal over 4 outputs and randomize it going to each of these outputs.
I know this sounds like a lot, but I am hoping not to have to incorporate programming and keep it extremely simple. Can anyone help???
I did that so that I can start plowing into an idea I have for my hobby of road racing motorcycles. I am certainly no pro, but I enjoy doing it and have an interesting idea that requires a little thought but more so it requires the most efficient electronic components. I believe ultimately this idea could benefit the amatuer road racer and intermediate to advanced track-day rider.
Basically, I would like to use a laser diode or LED Tx/Rx set (which has the highest "resolution", ie., can read the most breaks to the beam in 1 (one second), I understnd that there is a chipset already built that can do this but don't understand the theory behind the chip as it appears the chip only gives the signal to a Tx and would require a Rx. Ultimately two of these will be used.
I'd then like to feed these signals into a componet and "sync" them the resulting out put being a baseline that does not change if there is a change in rate across both but only if there is a change across one. I am sure you have a lightbulb going off as I am trying to describe this as I have been told there is an Op-Amp or Opto-Comparator which can do this. I am told I will also need an Opto-Isolator to clean the signals.
Ultimately I am looking to trigger something for user-selectable amount of time (i.e., the 555 and mini-pot) from .5 to 2.5 seconds.
On the trigger side, I will use normally closed relays and the trigger will close them. I would like to feed the single tigger component into a ciruit which will "amplify" the trigger signal over 4 outputs and randomize it going to each of these outputs.
I know this sounds like a lot, but I am hoping not to have to incorporate programming and keep it extremely simple. Can anyone help???