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This page provides an index to all the projects available. Each entry has an abstract from the full Project Article and a photograph of the completed PCB. In an attempt to grade the projects a set of four codes is presented denoting each activity and its level of difficulty as described in the following table.
For each project, the full Project Article file details are given and it may be obtained by clicking the 'PDF' icon. To start the download process right click the icon and select the 'Save Target As' option, or equivalent, which should present a Save dialogue box from where you can select a destination folder. For details on parts and assembly prices see the Parts & Prices page. |
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Transmitter Low Battery Alarm | |
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Numerical Display Glitch Counter | |
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Data Logging Rx Supply Voltage Monitor | |
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Simple Microprocessor Based Motor Speed Controller | |
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Versatile Microprocessor Based Servo Tester | |
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This small, lightweight unit is
designed to be permanently fitted to your transmitter and produces
both an audible and a visible indication of low battery charge
level. The unit continuously monitors the battery pack voltage
and when it has fallen to a preset trip-point an intermittent
tone is produced as an early warning. As the pack discharges
further the tone becomes an ever more insistent alarm. Simplicity was a key issue during the design along with versatility. To this end, the circuit comprises a single IC and a few passive components. By choosing the value of two of the resistors the unit may be configured to operate with packs containing between 3 and 12 cells. The complete unit consists of the assembled PCB and a separate piezo buzzer which may be mounted in any convenient location within the transmitter case. The LED may, optionally, be fitted to the transmitter front panel to provide the visual indication of a low battery condition. |
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This is a small lightweight unit
designed to monitor the servo control signal supplied by an R/C
receiver. In the event of erratic model behaviour it can be installed
in the model and connected to the suspect servo channel where
it will continuously monitor the servo control signal measuring
and logging the four important waveform parameters. The number
of failures, up to 99 for each parameter - any more than this
is displayed as an ‘over-range’, is shown sequentially
on a 7 segment LED display on a continuous round-robin basis. Pressing the Arm button while the model is still on the ground causes the unit to calibrate itself to the Tx/Rx in use and reset its four error counters to zero. On landing the unit will be displaying the number of each type of failure detected during the flight. This project is designed to fit into the Maplin JX56L plastic case, which may be purchased additionally (see Parts & Prices), and also requires either a plain servo lead or servo extension lead (not supplied). |
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This is a small lightweight unit
designed to monitor and ‘log’ various parameters of
the R/C receiver supply voltage and in use it is mounted in the
model and connected to any spare servo output. When power is
applied, the on-board micro-processor measures the battery voltage
100 times per second ensuring that any dips in battery voltage
due to heavy servo demands are sure to be detected. The software
calculates and records the following battery parameters:- Maximum,
Minimum, Average and Current Voltage. The unit operates over
a total range of 3.5V to 6.0V and is suitable for 4 cell NiCd/NiMh
battery packs. The 4 measured parameters are displayed simultaneously
using the on-board 10 segment LED bar-graph display which is
arranged to display the useful range of a 4 cell battery pack,
i.e. from 4.0V to 4.9V, in 100mV steps. This project is designed to fit into the Maplin JX56L plastic case, which may be purchased additionally (see Parts & Prices), and also requires a suitable servo lead (not supplied). |
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This is a small, microprocessor
based light- weight unit designed to provide Forward Only proportional speed control of a Speed 400, or similar, electric motor. The design takes advantage of recent developments in MOSFET device technology so reducing the weight and complexity. The software features include Safe-Start, Input Signal Glitch and Jitter Rejection, Lost Signal Safety Mode and a choice of two output signal Control Laws. The control laws provided are Linear and Exponential with Linear providing a straight relationship between input signal pulse width and motor speed while the Exponential mode provides better performance if either a ‘fast start’ or finer control of higher motor speeds is required. This project is designed to fit into the Maplin JX56L plastic case, which may be purchased additionally (see Parts & Prices), and also requires a suitable servo lead and flight-pack and motor connectors (not supplied). |
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This project is a compact, low-power
micro- processor based unit able to perform a wide range of servo related tasks and tests. In 'Measure' mode it monitors the servo control pulse width being produced by the receiver and displays it on the 21 element LED bar- graph display. When switched to 'Simulate' mode it can be set to generate the full range of pulse widths normally produced by the Tx/Rx and can thus fully exercise standard radio control servos. The buttons may be used to 'fine step' or to sweep the servo, either manually or fully automatically, over its entire range. The unit has a useful additional feature not available on other servo testers; it can be used to set up the models control surface throws, based on a previously set transmitter stick position, with both hands free and the transmitter switched off. An 'enclosure kit' consisting of the RX2010 plastic case and a set of 4 mounting nuts and bolts may be purchased separately (see Parts & Prices). A suitable servo extension lead cut in two is also required, but not supplied. |
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