The Custard Pit :)

[Jimbo]

Looks great! Good job. When will you be making panels to sell? ;)

 

Congrats on getting hitched, wait a couple of years when the kids start to arrive... then you'll know about struggling for time :)

[Devon Custard]

Actually that panel is awful! The hard coat ruined it, practically melted the engraving. Next one ill just use direct to plastic paint

[Mr_Burns]

Actually that panel is awful! The hard coat ruined it, practically melted the engraving. Next one ill just use direct to plastic paint

 

Ahh you learnt the hardway - I bought some form of matt aerosol laquer to cover my UFC - for some reason, which is completely out of charachter for me, i decided to follow the instructions and spray it on one of the keys I wasnt going to use.

 

Within 10 seconds the key was devoid of all grey paint.....

 

:doh:

[Devon Custard]

Uh huh pretty much what happened doh indeed

[Devon Custard]

Sometimes you try too hard..... Ive been trying to work out how to cut, paint and then engrave an acrylic sheet. Mainly because i read someones post a while back about how they spray painted several layers and then engraved through the top layer blah blah....

 

Today i remembered something that had been niggling away at me

 

 

http://hpclaser.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=28

 

seems a damn site easier...... just need to add a very thin face plate to the top of my panels budda bing! Oh happy day :) Problem is Ill have to buy in bulk... lol might be offering panel services after all

[Warhog]

DC

 

I use engraving plastic for all my panels. No muss, no fuss. The whole idea of using acrylic for the top panel really is problematic. With engraving plastic there is an additional step that's necessary if you want backlighting. You need to flip it over to pocket out under each engraved area so the plastic is thin enough to let the green LEDs light shine through. It's no biggy to do this though. It also helps to eliminate hot spots from the LEDs. The result you get with proper engraving plastic is something that looks factory made. It also does not scratch. Actually it does if you really try hard.

 

Btw, I was looking close at your acrylic and it looks like you have been getting some melting along the cut edges. If you were using a rotary type engraver I would say you spindle speed is to high and/or your feed rate may be too slow. Also need to use 2 flute cutters , not 4 flute. If your using laser I can't say what to do as I don't know much about them.

[Devon Custard]

Yeah i know what the melted edge is caused by, but it requires either an major investment in an engineer coming out and tuning my laser or doing it myself which scares the bejazus outtta me :) The beam is not 100% perpendicular i dont have the knowledge/tools to adjust it accurately. I found if i cut from the reverse side i got a very nice and sharp edge but then i have to flip it over to engrave and lining up to get exact placement is pretty tricky.

 

Alternatively i could learn to mask before i cut...... Been doing a lot of reading up on liquid laser masks today. Someone even suggested dish soap as a cheap alternative. Now that would be VERY Cheap if its effective.

 

At present im all about getting the designs to work properly, ill worry about the professional finished look at the end. I envisage doing one major run and cutting the top panel layers in one hit, until then ill just be tinkering with the process until i get it just right.

 

Oh and that last video , the melted look is from the gloss hard coat that stripped acrylic away.

[MacFevre]

Nice to see you back, DC! Nice job on the wiring. I never want to do that again. That's why I've been trying, key word is trying, to make my own PCBs, even if it's just for the CDU and UFC. Good luck on the house venture.

[donbinator]

Yep, I just finished schematic and am in layout now for the warning panel. What a PITA. Not complicated but I sure had to get my copy/paste/auto-increment foo down for the schematic. I'm seriously considering having the board house stuff the parts as well for me as I'm really not looking forward to soldering 46 0603 LEDs and their corresponding resistors...

[Devon Custard]

Multiplex the LEDs in a matrix, 8 resistors max.

[donbinator]

Multiplex the LEDs in a matrix, 8 resistors max.

 

Hmm, not sure what you mean. I don't see how I could multiplex the LEDs and still have individual control using fewer resistors. Multiplexing would involve have a duty cycle amongst a row of LEDs, I could have one resistor per row but then I'd have to make up for the 1/n duty cycle by increasing the current through LED quite substantially in order to make up for the lack of brightness. What am I missing? :book:

[Devon Custard]

The Custard Pit :)

 

That video is a matrix 6x8 driven by an arduino so 5v, the duty cycle is determined by how many warnings are run. So the whole panel lit will mean the LEDs are lit for less time than only 1 LED. When I have time I'll probably drop a few uln2803's in and drive it without a matrix.

 

Have just reread this post and realised it made no sense whatsoever. I should never try and type whilst under the influence... :)

Edited April 25, 2014 by Devon Custard

[donbinator]

That video is a matrix 6x8 driven by an arduino so 5v, the duty cycle is determined by how many warnings are run. So the whole panel lit will mean the LEDs are lit for less time than only 1 LED. When I have time I'll probably drop a few uln2803's in and drive it without a matrix.

 

Have just reread this post and realised it made no sense whatsoever. I should never try and type whilst under the influence... :)

 

ULN2803's are exactly what I'm using (it takes 6 :)). I get what you are doing but I don't feel comfortable playing with the higher-current-shorter-duty-cycle thing for the LEDs. If for some reason your multiplexer (not sure what's clocking it) were to stop you'd burn out whichever LED is stopped on. Not to say that's a bad design, I think it's likely a pretty common design. I just don't have the confidence for it :). For my ignorance I pay in lots and lots of little tiny solder joints. :(

[whartsell]

i use these...MCP23018

and for resistors these ..... resistor network

[Devon Custard]

Ah if my arduino does stop it's only drawing current for 1 led anyway which the resistor is rated for. I know some people drive the LEDs at a higher current because the led is only on for a short time but I'm not so its fine.

[donbinator]

i use these...MCP23018

and for resistors these ..... resistor network

 

Ah snap. I just realized my IO controller supports I2C and your part has 16 outputs :(. Sigh. Just got the parts for my design in the mail today...I'm tempted to ditch the ULN2803's. The MCP23018 would drastically free up IO and require fewer wires to the board. I was trying to keep it simple with 1to1 IO but in hind sight that was probably not a good idea. They support 25mA per output which is exactly the max current for the LEDs I'm using. Argh.

[doveman]

Yeah, same as on VGA cables or serial cables or the parallel 25 pins like you were thinking. Some do have the standard molex pins that can be crimped onto the wires and go into and out of the connectors with a tool that wraps around the shoulder so it can be slid past the internal stop. But your right. The solder ones can be a pain. It's what I used on my Aux Lighting panel. (The solder 15 pin.)

 

I tend to take the easy way out with this and just use pre-made cables, which I can cut one end off if I need to wire that to something else, or cut in the middle and re-join if I need it shorter/longer.

 

Still have to wire the sockets manually though, unless you use a pre-made extension cable with a female socket and cut the other end off. As long as it has the holes either side of the socket for securing it to the plug I guess you could screw it into the casing quite easily, rather than having to leave the socket dangling outside the case.

 

I'm not sure if it's cost-effective to buy cables to do this any more, as the price has probably increased due to most people using DVI/HDMI cables now (which are very cheap as a result) but I had a few lying around that I used for various things in the past.

[Devon Custard]

Sketches written for CMSP display and the Caution panel.

 

Just need to finish the data transmission protocol and the bridging software im writing. Mac has affectionately coined the name "DEVIOS" but for obvious reasons i slap him upside the head every time he uses it.... :)

 

Anyone here using Arduino Nano? loving the footprint. Pit wife called it cute and when put alongside the UNO who am i to argue.

 

Other news, got an offer on a new house accepted. Pit wife has agreed i can convert the garage into a workshop proper (hmmmm heated with flooring) so after a small outtage DC Industries should be up and running :)

[doveman]

Other news, got an offer on a new house accepted. Pit wife has agreed i can convert the garage into a workshop proper (hmmmm heated with flooring) so after a small outtage DC Industries should be up and running :)

 

Congrats on getting your offer accepted DC :thumbup:

 

I know there's been enough times I've put off jobs as I couldn't face going out into the freezing cold garage and it's hard / dangerous working with tools with a big coat and gloves on :no:

 

So if you get a heated workshop that'll be cool, just don't get too comfortable in there and end up using it as a TV room or dozing off ;) Maybe have the heating on a timer so that it cuts off every hour and gets a bit chilly to keep you on your toes :D

[Devon Custard]

If im going to be babysitting a laser for hours on end, im definitely installing a TV and comfy chair....

[agrasyuk]

Congrats on your upcoming housing upgrade. With that don't relax just yet , between "offer accepted" and closing many many things can happen so be on alert. Good luck!

[Devon Custard]

Its UFC weekend.

 

Nice faceplate cut n engrave so just need to sort the buttons (TACNO styleee) and wire it up.

 

Pictured here with the enclosure i designed and cut last week.

 

 

 

[MacFevre]

Very sharp. Looks like you found your groove with the laser.

[Devon Custard]

Yeah, it certainly came up trumps that time. Thanks to some great tips from metal and pete and others in my engraving thread.

 

Tempted to try the lasermax stuff just to compare but only if i run out of this laminate. I think once ive built all my panels ill probably spend time polishing off my process but for now i think that im pretty happy with the results im getting. I can go the expensive route later.

[Hansolo]

Looking great DC and I can see the CDU is also underway :smilewink: Have a good UFC weekend. Looking forward for the final result.

 

Cheers

Hans