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Re: IR Remote Control [message #73916 is a reply to message #73716] Mon, 24 September 2012 01:06 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18669
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

gofar99 wrote on Fri, 31 August 2012 21:25
Hi Wayne, my pleasure on the build. Smile A departure from tubes for a while and a learning experience. I noticed you used the two stage regulators. I believe that was important in the one I built as it made it quite stable and really quiet. The LM3916 is a good choice. They are inexpensive and work well with LEDs. I have one of the LM39XX series that has a built in led bar graph and wish I had more. They are scarce and last time I checked quite costly. I think the original cost was something like $4. Now about 10 times that.

I got LM3916 chips at DigiKey for about two bucks each.
I've put the IC sockets and relays on each of the four prototype boards. Going at a snails pace because I have so many more things on my plate. But it is a pretty simple circuit so I should have 'em done in the next few months, hopefully by the end of the year.

I'm using a little 5V relay that has excellent contacts and only takes 30mA holding current. So it's nothing for the regulators to drive:
The metal shop should have the front and rear panels done this week, so I'll post pictures when I get them.

Re: IR Remote Control [message #73995 is a reply to message #73916] Sun, 30 September 2012 11:46 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18669
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

I got the front and rear panels back from the shop last week. If any of you want to follow in my footsteps, the shop has the drawings for these panels and I told them it was OK to sell panels from my drawings to anyone that asks. The front/rear panels fit the Metcase M55-02-119 box, available from Newark electronics and other vendors.

Each panel costs about $60 - $75 each, so a front and rear panel is around $120.00 - $150.00. Prices vary with quantity and number of punches, of course, so the "blue" processor panels are a little less expensive than the "red" because there is less machining required for the blue panels.

You can drill your own, of course, but if you have the money it's nice because all the holes are uniformly spaced and exactly the right size. Just contact Ideal Specialty in Tulsa and ask for the red or blue sound processor panels, and mention my name. They'll know what to send you.

index.php?t=getfile&id=861&private=0


I chose blue LEDs for the blue processor and red LEDs for the red processor. They're all designed for panel mount, and the holes in the front panels are sized to fit. The blue LED is a Dialight 558-6003-007F and the red is 558-0101-007F, both available at Digikey. There is one hole just to the right of the power switch for the IR receiver.

The pushbutton switches are kind of cool, with the power switch having an internal LED that glows when the unit is on. The rest of the switches are just momentary pushbuttons. I debated on whether to have the volume up/down buttons colored to match the processor, i.e. blue for blue and red for red. But I think having all the switches black looks better.

index.php?t=getfile&id=862&private=0

Part numbers for each of the switches are shown below:

index.php?t=getfile&id=863&private=0

I only inserted a few of the LEDs into the front panel to test fit. They look really good to me when they're on. I plan to limit current so they aren't glaring. Subtle.

The picture below shows the approximate layout of the board and transformer in the chassis. Actually, I may mount the transformer near the front panel because most of the audio lines stay near the back panel. This would have a twisted pair from the power connector up to the transformer, and a braid of three lines coming back to the board, all run along the edge of the chassis. Then again, I can always put the transformer right by the rectifier on the board, keeping the lines very short. Probably doesn't matter, but I'll try both and put a scope on the signal lines to see which layout couples the least 60Hz.

The transformer I chose is a (12CT, 1.0A) Signal Transformer 241-5-12 and the proto board is a Vector 8016, both available at Digikey. The board is much larger than needed though, even for the six-channel red processor. You need about 1/2 the area of the 8016 board, and even that is pretty sparsely populated in the blue processor. The red has 15 relays though, so it covers the board a little more. Either way, you can see I'll have the whole right side of the 8016 proto board empty:

index.php?t=getfile&id=864&private=0

Re: IR Remote Control [message #74140 is a reply to message #73995] Tue, 16 October 2012 10:58 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Shane is currently offline  Shane
Messages: 1117
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (3rd Degree)
Wayne, has anyone worked on a circuit to incorporate a LCD type display for this where you've 0-99 or something? I think Bruce did that one with a display kind of what I'm talking about.
Re: IR Remote Control [message #74141 is a reply to message #74140] Tue, 16 October 2012 11:22 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18669
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

Yes, I've used three different displays. One is a numeric display - that's the one Bruce did, as you've said. Another is a bar graph, just a line of 10 LEDs. That's what I'm using in my prototypes. Then there's a third, a single LED to show volume setting by the intensity of the light. It's super easy - just take an unused RDAC output and put power and ground across it. Then connect the wiper to an LED through a 220Ω current-limiting resistor. I like this simple single-LED approach quite a bit, especially for the six-channel version. One indicator light per channel.

Re: IR Remote Control [message #74143 is a reply to message #74141] Tue, 16 October 2012 13:49 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Shane is currently offline  Shane
Messages: 1117
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (3rd Degree)
What about using a multi color single LED?
Re: IR Remote Control [message #74144 is a reply to message #74143] Tue, 16 October 2012 15:23 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18669
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

Might be kinda cool. But the multicolor LEDs emit one color when current flows one way and another color when current flows the other. The third color is made when presented with AC, alternating between the two colors and blending them togther to form a third. So it woudn't be quite as simple as the earlier approach I just mentioned, connecting an unused RDAC output to an LED through a current-limiting resistor.

Re: IR Remote Control [message #74180 is a reply to message #74144] Fri, 19 October 2012 22:19 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Shane is currently offline  Shane
Messages: 1117
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (3rd Degree)
The LED's are cool Wayne, but I really like the look of the LCD readouts like these that Uriah had at LSAF a couple years back. With a two digit display they look pro, but it may be more expense and hassle than it's worth to implement, I don't know?

http://lonestaraudiofest.com/2011/Photos/LSAF_2011_022.jpg
Re: IR Remote Control [message #74184 is a reply to message #74180] Sat, 20 October 2012 10:14 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18669
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

If you want a seven segment display - no problem - use the same one Bruce did. He used a display with red LEDs, but you can substitute another color or LCDs, if you wish. They're sold as panel mount meters, and there are a bunch of different styles to chose from.

Re: IR Remote Control [message #74307 is a reply to message #72817] Tue, 30 October 2012 22:00 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Shane is currently offline  Shane
Messages: 1117
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (3rd Degree)
Just wanted to let everyone know that Uriah has his boards and build info up on his website:

http://www.buildanamp.com/Remote-Control-Attenuator-Remote-Control-Kit-5V.htm
Re: IR Remote Control [message #74313 is a reply to message #74307] Wed, 31 October 2012 20:50 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18669
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

Uriah's boards are nice and I would highly recommend them. Add a +/-2.5v supply and some switching logic and put it in a nice case. Sweet!

By the way, I've added some schematics for the power supply and the 10-LED indicator to the application notes:
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