Multi Prop Laboratory Data Logging Continuing Project
Duane Degn
Posts: 10,588
I started off informing Humanoido of my multi Prop design in this tread but I added so many details I thought I should post the details in a new thread and just add a link to the multi prop thread.
Humanoido,
How does wireless communication Props fit into this?· I have a two Props working together with a wired communication line (TTL).· One of the Props is mainly used to drive a 1280 x 1024 VGA display with a secondary task of driving an Emic module.· The display board is a slave to a master board monitoring two balances, a spectrometer and a barcode reader.· The master board records the data on a USB datalogger and also transmits the data wirelessly across the room where the data is backed up on a SD card with an added timestamp.· The data is also displayed on a TV from the SD backup Prop board.· So if wireless Props are counted, I have a three Prop system.· If only wired connections count, I presently use a two Prop system.· Most of the boards mentioned are Prop Proto Boards.· I lost a voltage regulator on my SD·backup·board so I'm now using a PPDB to temporarily replace the Prop Proto board.
If you're also keeping track of planned·projects, I'm in the midst of upgrading my system to four wired·Props and two wireless Props.··The additional wireless·Prop·(on board F) is attached to a second barcode reader so we (myself and employees)·won't have to be tethered to the Prop master datalogging board.· The master datalogger (board A)·and slave VGA (board C) will be changed to a·four Prop (wired) system.· There will two Prop Proto boards (boards A & C)·joined together (physically and electrically) by a third board·with a Prop.· This third board (board
is small (2" x 2") and doesn't have its own voltage regulators.· It will share board A's power.· Board C might also share board A's power.· I'm adding memory (Winbond 2MByte flash) to board A·and I will be logging data on another SD card instead of the USB datalogger (I don't really like the USB datalogger).· The additional memory will be used as part of a primitive database so the Propeller (hopefully) will be able to find mistakes in data entry as they occur.· Board A will also have a XBee (replacing a·Nordic tranceiver).· Board B will take on most of the data collecting tasks.· I'll add a serial connection that will monitor pH and I'll likely have additional data (analog) from the spectrometer to record.· Board B will format the data collected and relay it to board A.· Board A will send record (with a time stamp) the data received to a SD card and transmit the data via XBee to the backup logger (board E).· Board A will also send the data to board C for display and will also send items to be outputed audiably from the Emic (warnings, errors, etc.).
You might have noticed I skipped board D.· Board D with receive commands from board A, either directly or via board C, and display data (or when there isn't new data, the time) on a six digit seven-segment 6.5" tall (the digits) display (this looks so cool).· Board D (perf board with a DIP Prop) is physically connected to a larger circuit board with and array of 36 (6 x 6)·high power LEDs.· There are also 18 smaller LEDs around the sides and front of the array.· A rack of 36 cuvettes (optical test tubes) will be placed on top of this LED array so cuvettes needing to be filled with a sample of inserted into the spectrometer will·be identified faster and more reliably (this·LED array looks cool too).··Board D·has nine, one meter, wires running to the previously mentioned·seven-segment·display.· One the back of the·display is a circiut board with six·high power shift registers (the digits are common anode).· Six of the nine wires·control the shift registers and the remain wires are 12V,·5V and ground connections (it's strange·not·having 3.3V on a board but this board doesn't have its own Propeller chip).
The backup board (E) and wireless barcode board (F) both have XBees to communicate with board A and each other.
Board E will have a GPS unit attached to update the time occasionally since the real time clocks I'm using aren't particularly accurate.
Board C, which drives a 19" 1280 x 1024 VGA monitor, breaks the screen into eight vertical columns of·9 characters each (with one unused character between columns).· I double space the rows so 16 rows can be displayed per column.· I didn't want the newest data to appear in the bottom right corner of the screen once the display filled with data so programmed the display to push old data down and display the newest data in the top left corner.· Data progresses from top to bottom of the far left column and once data reaches the bottom of the first column it then progresses to the top of the second column and so forth.· This allows 128 data elements to remain on the screen at once with the most recent data in the top left corner of the screen and the oldest data in the bottom right corner of the screen.· Board C also has two PS/2 ports (boards·E (backup) and F (wireless barcode) each have a single·PS/2 port).· I haven't used any of the·PS/2 ports yet.
All of the hardware is complete on these boards but I still ave ways to go with the software.· The data base programming will be the most difficult.· I might have to connect a PC to the system to program·a useful data base.
So additional plans for the future:· (I have most the hardware for these)
Use a·Hydra·XPort (or other·ethernet device)·to·send automatically generated emails·reporting the results of the tests performed.
Use stepper motors attached to each of the four spectrometer nobs to automatically adjust and calibrate·the spectrometer.
Use stepper motors to maneuver a platform above·a lab table.· A robot arm will be suspended from the platform and the robot arm will pickup a vial, place in the balance, wait for the mass to be recorded and then return the vial·to an appropriate place and continue with the next vial.
Take over the·world with·robot army.(Oops, that stays on my private todo list.)
Duane
Humanoido,
How does wireless communication Props fit into this?· I have a two Props working together with a wired communication line (TTL).· One of the Props is mainly used to drive a 1280 x 1024 VGA display with a secondary task of driving an Emic module.· The display board is a slave to a master board monitoring two balances, a spectrometer and a barcode reader.· The master board records the data on a USB datalogger and also transmits the data wirelessly across the room where the data is backed up on a SD card with an added timestamp.· The data is also displayed on a TV from the SD backup Prop board.· So if wireless Props are counted, I have a three Prop system.· If only wired connections count, I presently use a two Prop system.· Most of the boards mentioned are Prop Proto Boards.· I lost a voltage regulator on my SD·backup·board so I'm now using a PPDB to temporarily replace the Prop Proto board.
If you're also keeping track of planned·projects, I'm in the midst of upgrading my system to four wired·Props and two wireless Props.··The additional wireless·Prop·(on board F) is attached to a second barcode reader so we (myself and employees)·won't have to be tethered to the Prop master datalogging board.· The master datalogger (board A)·and slave VGA (board C) will be changed to a·four Prop (wired) system.· There will two Prop Proto boards (boards A & C)·joined together (physically and electrically) by a third board·with a Prop.· This third board (board
is small (2" x 2") and doesn't have its own voltage regulators.· It will share board A's power.· Board C might also share board A's power.· I'm adding memory (Winbond 2MByte flash) to board A·and I will be logging data on another SD card instead of the USB datalogger (I don't really like the USB datalogger).· The additional memory will be used as part of a primitive database so the Propeller (hopefully) will be able to find mistakes in data entry as they occur.· Board A will also have a XBee (replacing a·Nordic tranceiver).· Board B will take on most of the data collecting tasks.· I'll add a serial connection that will monitor pH and I'll likely have additional data (analog) from the spectrometer to record.· Board B will format the data collected and relay it to board A.· Board A will send record (with a time stamp) the data received to a SD card and transmit the data via XBee to the backup logger (board E).· Board A will also send the data to board C for display and will also send items to be outputed audiably from the Emic (warnings, errors, etc.).You might have noticed I skipped board D.· Board D with receive commands from board A, either directly or via board C, and display data (or when there isn't new data, the time) on a six digit seven-segment 6.5" tall (the digits) display (this looks so cool).· Board D (perf board with a DIP Prop) is physically connected to a larger circuit board with and array of 36 (6 x 6)·high power LEDs.· There are also 18 smaller LEDs around the sides and front of the array.· A rack of 36 cuvettes (optical test tubes) will be placed on top of this LED array so cuvettes needing to be filled with a sample of inserted into the spectrometer will·be identified faster and more reliably (this·LED array looks cool too).··Board D·has nine, one meter, wires running to the previously mentioned·seven-segment·display.· One the back of the·display is a circiut board with six·high power shift registers (the digits are common anode).· Six of the nine wires·control the shift registers and the remain wires are 12V,·5V and ground connections (it's strange·not·having 3.3V on a board but this board doesn't have its own Propeller chip).
The backup board (E) and wireless barcode board (F) both have XBees to communicate with board A and each other.
Board E will have a GPS unit attached to update the time occasionally since the real time clocks I'm using aren't particularly accurate.
Board C, which drives a 19" 1280 x 1024 VGA monitor, breaks the screen into eight vertical columns of·9 characters each (with one unused character between columns).· I double space the rows so 16 rows can be displayed per column.· I didn't want the newest data to appear in the bottom right corner of the screen once the display filled with data so programmed the display to push old data down and display the newest data in the top left corner.· Data progresses from top to bottom of the far left column and once data reaches the bottom of the first column it then progresses to the top of the second column and so forth.· This allows 128 data elements to remain on the screen at once with the most recent data in the top left corner of the screen and the oldest data in the bottom right corner of the screen.· Board C also has two PS/2 ports (boards·E (backup) and F (wireless barcode) each have a single·PS/2 port).· I haven't used any of the·PS/2 ports yet.
All of the hardware is complete on these boards but I still ave ways to go with the software.· The data base programming will be the most difficult.· I might have to connect a PC to the system to program·a useful data base.
So additional plans for the future:· (I have most the hardware for these)
Use a·Hydra·XPort (or other·ethernet device)·to·send automatically generated emails·reporting the results of the tests performed.
Use stepper motors attached to each of the four spectrometer nobs to automatically adjust and calibrate·the spectrometer.
Use stepper motors to maneuver a platform above·a lab table.· A robot arm will be suspended from the platform and the robot arm will pickup a vial, place in the balance, wait for the mass to be recorded and then return the vial·to an appropriate place and continue with the next vial.
Take over the·world with·robot army.(Oops, that stays on my private todo list.)
Duane
Comments
humanoido
sounds like an interesting project. I'm faced with automating a small lab set-up, too, and have been trying to learn about Xbee modules so I can avoid being choked to death by sea serpents of wire.
It does seem like learning how to integrate and coordinate multiple Propellers, stepper motors, etc. naturally leads to building a robot army capable of taking over the entire world. But I'm willing to negotiate. Which half would you like?
One of the biggest time savers for me has been using barcodes.· I use the reader SparkFun sells.· I've seen lots of less expensive readers on eBay, but I don't know if I could interface the cheap ones with a Propeller.· I had to make my own cable to use the SparkFun reader as a serial device.· I've posted the method I used to convert it from USB to serial in a comment on the items page.
Ever vial and bottle has a barcode on it.· Every sample I receive gets a barcode.· I can the keep track of what container a sample is in since we always scan the container a sample is coming out of follow by the contain it is going into.· When an item is weighed, the contianers barcode is scanned and the weight is then recorded (with a press of a button).· This practically makes work fun.
Have you used barcodes?· I'm interested in other solutions for reading barcodes with the Propeller.
Duane
I haven't used them yet. So far I haven't got to that point, but it certainly makes a lot of sense considering how fast test samples and archived samples, etc. can stack up. Thanks for the tip on the reader. I'm sure I'll need to cross that bridge within the next year or so.
cheers,
Mark