Persistence-of-Vision Display - Revision history

Alex Park: /* Additional Notes */

2009-03-20T06:09:39Z

Additional Notes

Alex Park: /* Additional Notes */

2009-03-20T06:01:43Z

Additional Notes

Alex Park: /* Mechanical Design */

2009-03-20T05:35:56Z

Mechanical Design

Alex Park: /* Mechanical Design */

2009-03-20T05:34:07Z

Mechanical Design

Alex Park: /* Mechanical Design */

2009-03-20T05:33:50Z

Mechanical Design

Alex Park: /* Mechanical Design */

2009-03-20T05:33:05Z

Mechanical Design

Kwang Sim at 03:11, 20 March 2009

2009-03-20T03:11:25Z

Kwang Sim at 01:39, 20 March 2009

2009-03-20T01:39:56Z

Alex Park: /* Results */

2009-03-19T23:16:05Z

Results

Alex Park: /* Mechanical Design */

2009-03-19T23:10:53Z

Mechanical Design

@@ Line 120: / Line 120: @@
 == Additional Notes ==
 === How to use the POV Display (a brief user's manual) ===
+'''Basic Operation'''
 In its most basic mode of operation, the display is quite simple to use:
 *Plug the power cord into the wall.
@@ Line 126: / Line 129: @@
 The display should spin up and the text "ME333 - Mechatronics" should be displayed. Try out the control panel knobs!
-It's also possible to draw your own images for the display in real time using the PC software. Note that the program will on run on '''Windows''' machines.
+'''Connecting to a Computer'''
-Here's how to install the program:
+It's also possible to draw your own images for the display in real time using the PC software. Note that the program will on run on ''Windows'' machines.
+Installing the software:
 *Download [[POV-PC.zip]] and save it in its own directory somewhere on your computer.
 *Unzip POV-PC.zip with WinZip or some other unzipping tool.
 *This will extract 3 files. The important one is POVController.exe. Running this will start the control program. You can run POVController.exe by navigating to the folder it's in with Windows Explorer and double-clicking on the icon.
 Starting up POVController.exe:
@@ Line 136: / Line 145: @@
 *Find out the COM port number of the POV device: in Windows Device Manager, look under "Ports (COM & LPT)" and you should see "USB Serial Port (COM#)," where # represents the appropriate COM port number.
 *Run POVController.exe and provide it with the COM port number when prompted and press enter.
 Using POVController.exe:
@@ Line 144: / Line 154: @@
 *Typing in the applet will make text appear in the GUI.
 *If the drawing or text doesn't show up you on the POV display, click the refresh button once. Avoid pressing the refresh button many times consecutively; refreshing takes several seconds and multiple clicks will cause the program to briefly become unresponsive.
 '''Troubleshooting'''
-'''I don't see any lights!''' - Did you turn on the battery pack on the display?
+''"I don't see any lights!"'' - Did you turn on the battery pack on the display?
-'''When I type none of my letters appear in the interface!''' - Try pressing backspace several times.
+''"When I type none of my letters appear in the interface!"'' - Try pressing backspace several times.
-'''None of the controls work!''' - Try turning off the motor, letting the display spin down, and then pushing the reset buttons on both PICs. Sometimes the communication between the two PICs gets misaligned and the PICs have to be reset.
+''"None of the controls work!"'' - Try turning off the motor, letting the display spin down, and then pushing the reset buttons on both PICs. Sometimes the communication between the two PICs gets misaligned and the PICs have to be reset.

@@ Line 119: / Line 119: @@
 == Additional Notes ==
-=== How to use the POV Display (a small user's manual) ===
+=== How to use the POV Display (a brief user's manual) ===
-In its most basic mode of operation, the display is simple to use:
+In its most basic mode of operation, the display is quite simple to use:
 *Plug the power cord into the wall.
-*Turn the battery pack on the rotating display on.
+*Turn on the battery pack on the rotating display platform.
 *Unfold the control panel, and flip the power switch.
 The display should spin up and the text "ME333 - Mechatronics" should be displayed. Try out the control panel knobs!
-It's also possible to draw your own images for the display in real time using the PC software. Note that this program will on run on '''Windows''' machines. Here's how to install the program:
+It's also possible to draw your own images for the display in real time using the PC software. Note that the program will on run on '''Windows''' machines.
+Here's how to install the program:
 *Download [[POV-PC.zip]] and save it in its own directory somewhere on your computer.
 *Unzip POV-PC.zip with WinZip or some other unzipping tool.
-*This will extract 3 files. The important one is POVController.exe. Running this will start the control program.
+*This will extract 3 files. The important one is POVController.exe. Running this will start the control program. You can run POVController.exe by navigating to the folder it's in with Windows Explorer and double-clicking on the icon.
-You can run POVController.exe by navigating to the folder it's in with Windows Explorer and double-clicking on the icon. If you want you can create a shortcut to POVController.exe and drag it onto the desktop for easy access.
+Starting up POVController.exe:
-Before you run the program you'll need to plug the USB cable into the computer. This creates a serial port on the computer which the program uses to talk to the POV. Serial ports are named things like "COM5" or "COM7". You need to find out the number of the com port. One way to to this is with the device manager. Open up the device manager and look under "Ports (COM & LPT)". You should see something like "USB Serial Port (COM5)", probably with a different number than 5. Remember the number; the program will prompt you for it when it starts up.
+*Plug the USB cable into the computer before running POVController.exe
+*Find out the COM port number of the POV device: in Windows Device Manager, look under "Ports (COM & LPT)" and you should see "USB Serial Port (COM#)," where # represents the appropriate COM port number.
+*Run POVController.exe and provide it with the COM port number when prompted and press enter.
+Using POVController.exe:
-So start up POVController.exe and give it the COM port number (i.e. if your USB cable is port COM5 just enter "5" when prompted). The graphical interface will appear. You can draw on the grid with your mouse and your image will appear on the display. You'll probably want to clear the display first. You can also type text. If your drawing doesn't show up you can try hitting the refresh button. Don't press the refresh button a bunch of times; refreshing takes a few seconds and if you click it say five times it will try to refresh five times and won't respond for fifteen seconds or so.
+*After starting up POVController.exe as described above, the graphical user interface will appear.
+*Click "Clear" to clear the POV display and start with a blank image.
+*You can draw on the grid with your mouse to make images appear on the display.
+*Selecting the "Erase" check box allows you to use the mouse to erase individual pixels.
+*Typing in the applet will make text appear in the GUI.
+*If the drawing or text doesn't show up you on the POV display, click the refresh button once. Avoid pressing the refresh button many times consecutively; refreshing takes several seconds and multiple clicks will cause the program to briefly become unresponsive.
 '''Troubleshooting'''
@@ Line 140: / Line 149: @@
 '''I don't see any lights!''' - Did you turn on the battery pack on the display?
-'''When I type none of my letters appear in the interface!''' - Try pressing backspace a bunch of times.
+'''When I type none of my letters appear in the interface!''' - Try pressing backspace several times.
 '''None of the controls work!''' - Try turning off the motor, letting the display spin down, and then pushing the reset buttons on both PICs. Sometimes the communication between the two PICs gets misaligned and the PICs have to be reset.
@@ Line 146: / Line 155: @@
 === Possible Future Improvements/Enhancements ===
-We have thought about using RGB LEDS to give the display panel more colorful. Also, we can use different sensors to make the display more interactive. For example putting on distance sensors on the display so that the panel color scheme changes when you wave a hand in front of it.
+The use of PICs in this project allows for a great number of possibilities for improvement to the display. For instance, different sensors could be mounted to the display platform or added to the controller PIC to make the display more interactive; proximity sensors, microphones, or even touch screens could be added to create more modes of operation. Additionally, using RGB LEDS could allow for a more colorful user experience with the POV display.

@@ Line 54: / Line 54: @@
 <Br><Br><Br><Br>
 === Parts List ===
-* (1) [[Actuators Available in the Mechatronics Lab#6W Maxon motor with 6:1 gearhead and 100 line encoder|6W Maxon Motor]]
-* (1) Toggle Switch
-* (1) 25-Ohm Potentiometer
 * (1) Radial ball bearing
 * Expanded PVC sheet

@@ Line 52: / Line 52: @@
 Because the display platform rotates rapidly during operation, all of the components were mounted rigidly onto two sheets of expanded PVC. These two sheets were screwed together at the center of the platform, such that a double layer of material was created at the slot for the motor coupler. At one end of the platform, the panel of 14 vertically mounted LEDs was mounted. The electronics of the platform (consisting of a solder board and a PIC board separated by standoffs) were mounted behind the LED panel. A 6V battery pack (4AA's) was mounted at the opposite end of the platform with Velcro. This non-permanent positioning of the battery pack was chosen so that the batteries could be easily replaced and such that the batteries could act as an adjustable counterbalance for the entire platform.
-<Br><Br><Br>
+<Br><Br><Br><Br>
 === Parts List ===
 * (1) [[Actuators Available in the Mechatronics Lab#6W Maxon motor with 6:1 gearhead and 100 line encoder|6W Maxon Motor]]

@@ Line 47: / Line 47: @@
 Several knobs, buttons, and switches were placed on a control panel to allow for user input: 1) Motor power switch, 2) Motor speed knob, 3) Selection knob for stored responses, 4) Selection button for stored response, 5) Message position knob, and 6) Scroll speed knob. These components were mounted on a piece of expanded PVC through appropriately sized holes. Specifics on the implementation of these components are described below in the Electronic Design section.
-<Br><Br><Br><Br><Br><Br>
+<Br><Br><Br><Br><Br><Br><Br>
 === Rotating Display Platform ===
 [[image:Picture of Display Platform|right|thumb|250px|Picture of Display Platform]]

@@ Line 66: / Line 66: @@
 == Electrical Design ==
 === Display PIC Electronics ===
-[[Image:POVschematicsmall.jpg|400px|right|Display circuit]]
+[[Image:POVschematicsmall.jpg|thumb|right|Rotating display circuit (click for high-resolution version)]]
 The rotating display platform has 14 LEDs which were controlled through Ports C and D of a PIC. Because bright LEDs were used, the amount of current need could not be supplied directly from the output ports of the PIC. As such, the LEDs were wired through two Darlington arrays (DS2003). These ICs consist of 7 [[Diodes and Transistors#Darlington Pair|Darlington pairs]] with a common emitter. The outputs of the PIC were connected to the bases of the transistors; when the PIC drives one of the bases high, current can flow through the transistor and the corresponding LED lights up. We did not find it necessary to use any resistors in this design.
@@ Line 75: / Line 75: @@
 === Controller PIC Electronics  ===
-[[Image:AP_KS_GM=Control_panel_schematic.jpg|400px|right|Control panel circuit]]
+[[Image:AP_KS_GM=Control_panel_schematic.jpg|thumb|right|Control panel circuit (click for high-resolution version)]]
 When using the first [[Persistence-of-Vision Display#Modes of Operation|mode of operation]], the control panel receives user input through three 1000-Ohm potentiometers and a push button. The states of these controls are read by the PIC which uses its XBee radio module to send appropriate commands to the display.

@@ Line 110: / Line 110: @@
 == Results ==
 === Mode 1: Canned Response ===
-In the first mode of operation, a user can just plug in the POV display into a wall socket, turn on the device and display an image immediately. This will allow a quick and easy demonstration without a computer. We have stored ten different responses on the PIC ROM sitting on the rotating display panel. Using a potentiometer, the device allow the user to set which canned response is being displayed.
+In the first mode of operation, the user can just plug in the POV display into a wall socket, turn on the display PIC's power, and turn on the motor to display an image. This allows for a quick and easy demonstration without a computer. We have stored eleven different responses on the display PIC's ROM. Using a knob and a button on the control panel, the user can set which canned response is displayed.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx5eXrf9oQI[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx5eXrf9oQI]
 === Mode 2: Real time image input ===
-In the second mode of operation, a user can interact more closely with the POV display. In this mode, the POV  display is connected via a USB port to a computer which needs to have Java installed. The Java program with the code listed above allows a user to draw pictures or type letters which will be tranmitted real time from the control panel PIC to the rotating display panel PIC through the wireless Xbee chips.
+In the second mode of operation, a user can interact more closely with the POV display. In this mode, the POV  display is connected via a USB port to a computer which needs to have Java installed. The Java program with the code listed above allows users to draw pictures or type letters which will be transmitted in real time from the controller PIC to the display PIC through the wireless XBee chips.
 In both modes of operation, we have set up knobs that will allow a user to scroll a message manually or set the scroll speed of an image.

@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 == Mechanical Design ==
-[[image:POV_CADdrawing|right|thumb|250px|CAD representation of POV Display]]
 === Base ===
+[[image:POV_CADdrawing|right|thumb|250px|CAD representation of POV Display]]
 The base box was fabricated using black expanded PVC. There are three rectangular faces (the back, top, and bottom), two trapezoidal sides and a door that is hinged at the base such that it opens outwards. The control panel was mounted on the inner face of the door.