Aloysious A Gruntpuddock
Lego shutter relay LEDs RS LED
Final shots of the third relay module I built for Woody. The white stuff is just foam packing to stop the module moving about.
The LEDs at the front are connected to the 'normally closed' pins on the relays and light when the switch is closed. When each relay operates, the corresponding LED goes out which confirms that the relay is working. Powered by 4 button cells in the bottom right which will be used up quickly so this will only be switched on for an occasional check on the relays.
I have now added LEDs on the inputs from the NXT (on the relay side of the diodes). These are powered by the NXT to show that the program is sending signals to the relays; they only operate when a signal is received. The case is now full and I can't get anything else in!
Please note that the relay voltage is defined as 6v. You should change this to the nominal operating voltage of the relays you used to avoid damaging them. The program automatically adds 0.7v to the applied voltage to allow for the drop over the diode.
You can open the program to read it using Wordpad, Write, etc.
Use this at your own risk, I accept no responsibility, etc.
NOTE - It has been pointed out to me that the NXT controls the motor speed by sending voltage pulses - the fewer the pulses the slower the motor. Each 'pulse' is still 9v so the use of relays with a nominal voltage of less than 7.5V might lead to damage. I have used 5v relays with a battery producing about 8v using the method shown here but there is no guarantee that there will not be a reduction in the life of the relays, especially if using the full 9v the NXT can provide with fresh batteries. If you have any doubt, use 9v relays. Relays will normally rated to work at about 75% of the rated value so a 9v model should still be reliable at 7V.
The unit could, of course, be used to operate more than a camera. The Songle SRD-5V-SL-C relays I used can handle up to 10A and 28v, enough to drive a substantial motor (not through a stereo plug though).
Here is a link to the latest NXC version of my progam which includes the code to operate the relays - not all sections fully tested but it does shoot panos. dl.dropbox.com/u/4174373/Woody NXC ZZ V1-2.nxc
You can read this file in any text editor (including Notepad) but will need the free Bricx Command Center to add it to your NXT (bricxcc.sourceforge.net/).
Lego shutter relay LEDs RS LED
Final shots of the third relay module I built for Woody. The white stuff is just foam packing to stop the module moving about.
The LEDs at the front are connected to the 'normally closed' pins on the relays and light when the switch is closed. When each relay operates, the corresponding LED goes out which confirms that the relay is working. Powered by 4 button cells in the bottom right which will be used up quickly so this will only be switched on for an occasional check on the relays.
I have now added LEDs on the inputs from the NXT (on the relay side of the diodes). These are powered by the NXT to show that the program is sending signals to the relays; they only operate when a signal is received. The case is now full and I can't get anything else in!
Please note that the relay voltage is defined as 6v. You should change this to the nominal operating voltage of the relays you used to avoid damaging them. The program automatically adds 0.7v to the applied voltage to allow for the drop over the diode.
You can open the program to read it using Wordpad, Write, etc.
Use this at your own risk, I accept no responsibility, etc.
NOTE - It has been pointed out to me that the NXT controls the motor speed by sending voltage pulses - the fewer the pulses the slower the motor. Each 'pulse' is still 9v so the use of relays with a nominal voltage of less than 7.5V might lead to damage. I have used 5v relays with a battery producing about 8v using the method shown here but there is no guarantee that there will not be a reduction in the life of the relays, especially if using the full 9v the NXT can provide with fresh batteries. If you have any doubt, use 9v relays. Relays will normally rated to work at about 75% of the rated value so a 9v model should still be reliable at 7V.
The unit could, of course, be used to operate more than a camera. The Songle SRD-5V-SL-C relays I used can handle up to 10A and 28v, enough to drive a substantial motor (not through a stereo plug though).
Here is a link to the latest NXC version of my progam which includes the code to operate the relays - not all sections fully tested but it does shoot panos. dl.dropbox.com/u/4174373/Woody NXC ZZ V1-2.nxc
You can read this file in any text editor (including Notepad) but will need the free Bricx Command Center to add it to your NXT (bricxcc.sourceforge.net/).