First off i’m new to the pololu forums. I wish to discuss the components i’ll need and help on a secure lay out. My project has many layers. here are the ones i need help with…
I am creating a custom nerf gun using nerf titan ammo(sgnerf.blogspot.com/2009/03/nerf … eview.html) rocket launcher 8 chamber compressed air propelled gun. I have so far gotten the ammo chamber rdy to put together and make solid. I am not going to assemble the chamber, untill i know if any components need to be apart of it. This website offers parts for three specific systems, to help my project. They include:
-First I would like to make a “break beam sensor counter” with the digital distance sensor 10cm (pololu.com/catalog/product/1134). Place this at the exit side of the barrel and relay the wires to the other end of the gun for a counter, displaying two digits.
-Second I want each chamber to have a digital distance sensor 10cm (pololu.com/catalog/product/1134) at the rear of each chamber. not in the rotating part but in the stock of the gun. If possible to have the L.e.d. moved to the back of the gun in a circle (8 lights all together) to show the status of the chambers (loaded or not). i’ve noted the problem with this sensor is the more complex it gets with a circuit the worse it is at accurate detection. So each one can be separate (hopefully not the power source.
-Third and the most complicated (to me), I wish to use the shift bright system (pololu.com/catalog/category/20). once the gun either detects a rocket exit the gun, via counter, or after the electronic trigger is fired. i wish to send various chained shiftbrites to pulse a color or two inside the gun like it’s recharging.
Any help would be awesome. I am no pro just a few kits and projects under my belt, basic knowledge. If i ask silly questions i apologize.
I don’t see any specific questions, so I’m not sure what you’re looking for in terms of help. I’m not really picturing your project very well, but your breakbeam sensor and “chamber loaded” sensors seem redundant. I would generally be concerned about the digital distance sensor being fast enough for the breakbeam application, especially if you want to do something fancy like figuring out the speed of the foam missile.
I guess if I were to narrow it down to specific, I would have to ask.
What would be needed for me to make a break beam sensor that it’s only function is to tally a count of passing items aka the foam arrow, with a reset switch.
How do I take off the L.e.d. on the product “digital distance sensor 10 cm” and reroute it to another location?
How do I initiate a program for shiftbrights by either using the “break beam counter” mentioned above or a trigger switch aka a gun trigger?
The Sharp distance sensors are a lot more than just an LED and phototransistor; you’re unlikely to get anything functional by separating the LED. You should be able to get by with just an IR LED and phototransistor; they might even still be available at Radio Shack. The rest of your questions depend on what you’re using for your main controller.
Is there a way to chat with a member of the community ? live ? I don’t think i’m being clear enough threw forum. possibly in the mornings or on a week end ?
We don’t have any live chat feature. However, I think it’s worthwhile to think about your questions and put up 1-2 paragraph posts that you spend some time making complete but concise. Thinking about how to present your design or questions will often force you to think more analytically about what you’re trying to do, and you might find the answers to your questions (or figure out what kinds of searches to do) more quickly than through a bunch of back-and-forth sentence fragments. (Then again, I’m the kind of person that doesn’t use twitter or texting.)
I believe I have looked through almost the entire forum. I must say that I can’t find hide nor hare of what I am looking for. This website and its followers are very high teck. So i would like to ask a simple question that is not answered in any of your forums or any links in your website (p.s. google gets more complex). How do you make a break beam counter/sensor? no more complex than just that. My level of knowledge is not in robotics and electronics area, matter of fact i am a mechanic (tearing apart a transmission or engine is a breeze). I understand how resisters and capacitors work but not what they do when you put them together. At least not anymore. I am missing so much of the knowledge base to actually get a programmable controller to work much less a break beam counter. So the question still remains.
What do i need to make a break beam sensor, for a passing foam projectile? I need banter back and forth to figure this out. I don’t know anything but to ask the question and very very basic parameters of my needs. The foam projectile is slightly under three inches diameter 12.5 inches long. The foam projectile is launched threw a tube by compressed air, from a rotating chamber(to allow for more than one foam projectile hence the need for a counter). I have found your “digital distance sensor 10cm” said it can be used as a counter. The description says so but all the resources don’t say how. The pages i’ve looked threw from forum to the actual selling page, there is no real description on what to buy or if the items are included that help you make it into a “non contact sensor counter”. Maybe i’m missing something, if so please point to the instructions :).
A complex idea is simple, now making it come true is complex.
I think you’ll have to look for a pre-made solution (I don’t know where) or spend a while going through those Google results and learning some electronics and microcontrollers. There are many beginner-oriented examples out there for BASIC Stamps and Arduinos; you could get something like the BASIC Stamp Discovery Kit or Arduino Inventor’s Kit to give you a more structured approach. (The manuals for both are available as free downloads, so you can look there first to see if you think the kits are appropriate for you.)
Um are you telling me I should learn about contollers because I need to use one? Or are you still not understanding? I am not asking for the answer, mearly the equation. For example a(sensor)+b(batterie)+c(display)+d(controller)=e(break beam counter). I am asking to be pointed in the right direction. I think that you want me to give you the equation and let you solve for x. I want help putting the equation together and I’ll solve for x (that’s the fun).
So the question now is, are the kits able to help me on my way with my project? Or do you have an idea on what parts can help me make the pre mentioned sensor? (btw I read there pages and am unsure how the controller might help with a counter display)
Anybody else in this community have something to add please throw me in the right direction. I like being tossed into the thick of it. Makes for more intencelearning. Sorta. Neat little fact your website was top three in 6 different google searches. I’m coming back for a reason :).
If you can’t find a premade solution, you will need a controller to process sensor inputs and generate outputs for your counter display, so finding a suitable controller is a good place to start. Jan pointed you to two that are rather beginner-friendly. For example, if you start out by doing some of the Arduino Inventer’s Kit projects, you will develop some of the basic skills needed to implement your project. Very generally speaking, you will need a power source, a sensor (break-beam or reflectance), a display, and a controller to act as the brain.
You might not need a break-beam sensor; you could potentially use our shortest-range digital sharp distance sensor or our QTR reflectance sensor to see the projectile as it flies past. They’re not very expensive, so you could get them and play around with them to see if they can detect the dart.
Thanks you two, I will definitely check out one of the two kits mentioned. Hopefully i’ll be able to answer most of my questions from one or both kits. I am digging on doing the basic stamp 2 kit first. Wish me luck.
My level of knowledge is not in robotics and electronics area, matter of fact i am a mechanic (tearing apart a transmission or engine is a breeze). I understand how resisters and capacitors work but not what they do when you put them together. At least not anymore. I am missing so much of the knowledge base to actually get a programmable controller to work much less a break beam counter. So the question still remains.