Quick question before i open my wallet.

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Captainlvsac
 
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Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2012 5:26 pm

Quick question before i open my wallet.

Post by Captainlvsac »

I am completely new to arduino (i had to double check the spelling.....) and i am looking to make a simple device to solve a problem i am having at work.

Basically all i need is a device that i can remotely control with my smartphone that can open and close a small shutter on a box that contains a laser. The laser is used to align steel before it's welded in place, and due to the nature of the work the laser is always directly below the welding, so we obviously can't have the molten slag melting a very expensive laser, it has to be removed and then re-setup after each piece is welded in. The device i have in mind is a metal box that will sit over the laser, and i can use a app on my android phone to trigger a shutter driven by a hobby servo.

From what i have read, an arduino main board with a built in bluetooth module and a motor/servo shield should get me going in the right direction.

I am not asking for anyone to hold my hand through this project, i just don't want to waste my time and money on the wrong equipment.

If a experienced member of this board could give it a quick thought and point me in the right direction i would really appreciate it. Thanks.

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Franklin97355
 
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Re: Quick question before i open my wallet.

Post by Franklin97355 »

My question would be why do you need it controlled by your smart phone when a switch would work as well for less (and you could turn off the laser at the same time?

Captainlvsac
 
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Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2012 5:26 pm

Re: Quick question before i open my wallet.

Post by Captainlvsac »

franklin97355 wrote:My question would be why do you need it controlled by your smart phone when a switch would work as well for less (and you could turn off the laser at the same time?
It needs to be wireless so I can operate it from the elevated work platform.

I guess it made sense to me to use something to control it that I have in my pocket anyway. But if there is a easy way to make a controller I'd love to hear about it. Making a separate controller is something I have thought about as a future project if this one works out.

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philba
 
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Re: Quick question before i open my wallet.

Post by philba »

A couple of thoughts/questions:
- how much lag are you willing to tolerate? Using a phone might have a fair amount of lag.
- how RF noisy is your environment? (could be an issue)
- have you thought of a foot operated switch? Might be easier than fumbling with a phone.

You can find remote control parts that will work out pretty well. I don't see anythig in adafruit's store so I think it's ok to point you to this one http://www.rentron.com/remote.htm The holtek encoder and decoder chips paired with transmitter and receiver are bone head easy to use. They used to sell a little hand held clicker but I didn't see it on the site.

Captainlvsac
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2012 5:26 pm

Re: Quick question before i open my wallet.

Post by Captainlvsac »

philba wrote:A couple of thoughts/questions:
- how much lag are you willing to tolerate? Using a phone might have a fair amount of lag.
- how RF noisy is your environment? (could be an issue)
- have you thought of a foot operated switch? Might be easier than fumbling with a phone.

You can find remote control parts that will work out pretty well. I don't see anythig in adafruit's store so I think it's ok to point you to this one http://www.rentron.com/remote.htm The holtek encoder and decoder chips paired with transmitter and receiver are bone head easy to use. They used to sell a little hand held clicker but I didn't see it on the site.
Lag isn't an issue, Most of the work is on construction sites, so there might be some 2-way radio and cellphone use but thats about it. A foot pedal would stand a serious risk of being kicked off the platform to it's certain death. The cellphone just seemed like an elegant solution. it really only needs to be operated a couple times per hour, so i don't need anything fancy. Just looking for simple and cost effective. It does need to be able to operate at a reange of 50-60 feet tho, so bluetooth could be a problem there. And this will be my very first arduino project, so i am looking to keep it as simple as possible.

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floresta
 
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Re: Quick question before i open my wallet.

Post by floresta »

What you need is a radio controlled garage door opener without the garage or the door or the opener. I just replaced the radio in my mine with one from Seco-larm. http://www.seco-larm.com/RFCat.htm

Don

Captainlvsac
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2012 5:26 pm

Re: Quick question before i open my wallet.

Post by Captainlvsac »

floresta wrote:What you need is a radio controlled garage door opener without the garage or the door or the opener. I just replaced the radio in my mine with one from Seco-larm. http://www.seco-larm.com/RFCat.htm

Don
Now THAT is a fantastic idea. Cheap. Clean. Easy. I love it.

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