Need help on Passive infrared motion sensor

DeShark

First I'ld like to say hello, my name is Mark and I live in NC. When it comes to BS I am totally at a standstill. I have the Parallax PIMS #555-28027 which was given to me because I figured I could put it to use. My situation is that I do alot of photography and my idea is to connect this component to a disposable flash and have it set off by motion, possibly make it adjustable so it doesn't behave too sensitive. I have never used a BS though I have the concept down. I need someone to tell me through a diagram the simplest way to create the programmer and then some basic instructions on how to use it. I also need to know from someone that has used this component a design that will set off the flash say from a drop of water or if possible a combination with a sound trigger. I've tried many of the DIY's on the net but none have worked as well as I expected. See so what I am asking is HELP and alot of it ; with the flash circuit, the BS (how to make and use) and possibly the addition of a sound trigger. If all I get is the motion sensor working I will be extremely happy. Last question; I have a few different PICxxxxx IC's and I wanted to know if they have to be programmed before use or do they have a function already placed in memory? Thanks to anyone who takes the time to help me on this, I am definitely a Noob when it comes to this. You can use my email to respond also it is : markliva@gmail.com

Mike Green

These motion sensors work too slowly for what you seem to want and require body heat. For a drop of water, you want to use a light source (probably LED) and a phototransistor or other light detector. You might look through Parallax's tutorials and Nuts and Volts columns. Start with "What's a Microcontroller?". Go to www.parallax.com and select the Resources tab. Go to the Downloads section and choose Stamps in Class Tutorials Downloads. You'll find a long list of excellent tutorials. Triggering a high speed flash is tricky and depends on the design of the flash and the trigger speed you want. The easiest way is to use a reed relay that runs off 5V. RadioShack has some of these. The "Industrial Control" tutorial shows how to connect any relay to a Stamp using a transistor. In the case of these reed relays, the Stamp can drive one directly, but you still need to use the protective diode mentioned in the tutorial.

PICs are a whole different story. They do have to be programmed to use them. The BS1 and BS2 use a specially programmed PIC that contains a proprietary Basic interpreter which is what executes your Stamp program.

DeShark

Thanks Mike,
As Far as making a programmer is there an easy way? I don't have a serial port and was wondering if it can be run through the parallel port or usb?Also noticed there are a number of different programmers to choose from so which is the best or easiest to start with?

Mike Green

The BS2 Stamps don't need a programmer. They use an ordinary serial port on your PC. The BS1 was designed to use a parallel port, but these have changed with successive generations of Windows, so now you need a $4 serial port adapter which you could buy or build yourself from some transistors and resistors. You can use a USB to serial adapter and some Stamp development boards have that built-in. Not all USB to serial adapters will work. Stick to those from Parallax or FTDI. For PICs, there are indeed a lot of programmers on the market. Microchip sells two that run off (and are powered by) a USB port, the PICkit1 and PICkit2. Download their datasheets from Microchip and read them. These two programmers cover different PICs although there is some overlap. Micro Engineering Labs (www.microengineeringlabs.com/) also makes several and they sell a Basic compiler for PICs.