Will a Propeller Motherboard be available anytime soon?

ElectricAye

I've got dreams of someday using the TSL1401-DB Linescan Camera to monitor the position of a syringe's plunger (mounted in a syringe pump) as a way of keeping a look-out for clogged lines or jammed components. But I'm a little confused on what would be required to get the TSL1401-DB up and running. The manual states that I must provide some sort of motherboard, but will a Prop-based motherboard be available anytime soon, like the next few months? or will I have to use some Stamp-based technology for this?

My application would view the syringe from the side and "watch" the movement of the plunger vs. commands given to the stepper motor that drives the system. If a liquid line gets clogged, then the plunger will stop moving even though the drive system is crunching down on it. I'm guessing it would be essential to have the ability to "see" what the line camera is seeing on a monitor of some sort so I can tweak the lighting, various parameters, etc. as I tinker with the system, and, for that, I think I need some kind of momma board to get that feature.

thanks,
Mark

Tubular

Mark,

I think a Prop backpack, also by PhiPi, might do the job
www.parallax.com/StoreSearchResults/tabid/768/txtSearch/backpack/List/0/SortField/4/ProductID/602/Default.aspx

I've also been playing with the TSL1401-DB directly connected to the prop via 3 pins, it works great (see John Abshier's object in the OBEX)

BTW it's on sale for $35 today, glad you brought it to my attention

Post Edited (Tubular) : 2/23/2010 3:43:21 AM GMT

ElectricAye

Tubular said...
Mark,

I think a Prop backpack, also by PhiPi, might do the job

I've also been playing with the TSL1401-DB directly connected to the prop via 3 pins, it works great (see John Abshier's object in the OBEX)

Tube,

can any of what you mentioned give you some kind of ready-made monitoring output (VGA, or laptop output) or is that something that would have to be rigged up?

thanks,
Mark

Tubular

Mark,

I'm just about to hook mine up to 640*200 2 color VGA (since it scans 128 across, 200 lines is great). I'm just using a standard proto board at the moment.

Not sure what you mean by laptop output?

You need to ask PhiPi about whether the prop backpack can do a low pin count VGA, using 3 or 4 pins (greyscale) or even 1 pin, I suspect there will be a way! While at it ask him about the extrusion for making it all look truly professional.

ElectricAye

Tubular said...
Mark,

I'm just about to hook mine up to 640*200 2 color VGA (since it scans 128 across, 200 lines is great). I'm just using a standard proto board at the moment. ...

Hi Tube,

Okay, that gives me confidence. I plumb forgot the VGA could be run with 200 lines, so that might work well enough for my needs. Grey shades would be better during the human tweaking process probably but once the system becomes totally automated, it will all be light/dark anyway.

thanks!
Mark

Tubular

Yep that's where I'm at, you really need grey scale for checking the focus is good, and once you have it set, it's back to the b&w world for processing as you point out.

Phil describes a useful technique for achieving greyscale using static images in his TSL1401 documentation by varying the exposure time, which is dead easy to do in John's object. Just needs that last bit of code for TV/VGA output monitoring... I may get to it tonight if you haven't already!

cheers
tubular

Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)

The Propeller Backpack is a one-slot motherboard that can accommodate the TSL1401-DB. Once the daughterboard socket is occupied by the linescan sensor, though, the only other external I/O is via the 3-pin and PropPlug ports, the TSL1401-DB's mezzanine connector and the analog A/V phone connector. This makes VGA interfacing a bit of a challenge, but possibly not insurmountable. NTSC output would be more reasonable, since there's a switchable cap to filter grayscale output from a DUTY mode counter.

I have a two-socket Prop MoBo on the drawing board (same form factor as the MoBoStamp-pe), but there are still some design issues to solve with the A/D circuitry, so I cannot begin to project when it might be finished.

-Phil

Tubular

Phil,
Slightly OT but is there a rule of thumb for setting the approximate focus based on turns of the lens? I'm thinking something along the lines of
1) screw the lens fully down (CW) - this gives a focus of say 50mm
2) 1 full CCW turn gives focal length approx 70mm
3) 2 full CCW turns - 95mm etc

Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)

Well, not that I've ascertained or been able to document. The best way to adjust the focus is visually, using a utility like the monitor program, or something similar.

-Phil