Far view on the external relay box (side 1)

Originally uploaded by cultured_society2nd

Well here it is! A custom made box for the 4 channel relay card. My plan was to store the relay card in a proper way, can't just have the card shown bare shish! But hey again the relay card will not work if i just put it in the box DOH! :D

So it will work the same way on how the 4 channel relay card works, it has 4 inputs/outputs with negative/positive terminals. It works with a 12V AC/DC adapter. I chose speaker terminal wire connector to simply connect wire input/outputs and had a AC/DC female adapter connection on the box.

Alright! Lets take a peek inside!

PEEKABOO!

Well it looks neat heh?

This part is a little fancy in its soldered connections, in addition it was custom hacked that the internal 12V DC will run on parallel through all 4 output relay connections. The good part is that the device connected will be fed with the free DC power supply, but only with any device that is capable on 12V DC.

An interface device output will be connected to the relay input connections. I thought the speaker terminal clips was too big for the box but I am lucky ha ha!

Why the orange wire connected in series you ask? Well it was meant for the ground input connections, the relay card only installed one way connection on ground "negative polarity". The relay output is for the custom made 4 solenoids xylophone player.

See those yellow and brown wire? I had removed all 4 small red led stock indicators...why!? It would be nice if I notice the indicator plus in a blue color outside the box; showing that it works ha ha :P

Used a small PCB to place all 4 new small blue led to indicate the input connection through the 4 channel relay card.

4 channel relay card kit package overview (1)

Originally uploaded by cultured_society2nd

To cut down time and soldering problems; I am in luck to stumble a 4 channel relay card but its $42 bucks sigh.

The use of this 4 channel relay card is to collect analogue audio input signals from a device thus it will create an analogue output trigger to the "Custom made 4 solenoids xylophone player" (will be shown on future posts)

Specifications

As noted in the image ;P

Top view of the piano synth board

Originally uploaded by cultured_society2nd

This piano synthesis circuit board was ripped from a kids piano toy. Normal range of piano midi tones with wide range of midi music and uses 6V of four 1.5V AA batteries to operate.

This piano synthesis circuit board can be circuit bended with a audio output, plus it could be a secondary device for the new prototype version 2 "photo resistors with IC 555".

The bottom view

A clearly viewed on the bottom of the circuit, it directly prints the types of different connections.

This piano synthesis circuit board is on hold from the effect on adding future implementation to the new photosensors on IC 555 prototype fixed version 2.

Square wave oscillator kit package overview

Originally uploaded by cultured_society2nd

I recently bought a square wave oscillator kit; cost me 20 bucks. I did fixed and experiment with it, I tell ya mine is more stable than this kit ha ha.

Well it has 6 different capacitors from Mylar, ceramic to electrolytic capacitors. All capacitors with different values thus produce different frequencies with 5V - 18V DC input.

Problem One

The disadvantage of this kit is caused by parallel connection on all different capacitors to IC 555 input trigger pin 2 and threshold pin 6. The jumper pin had been prepared for connection, but the problem conflicts when one jumper is connected thus only one frequency value will work.

Problem Two

Second problem is the output, in the manual diagram of the kit did not state any caution on audio output. Tried to just connect 8ohm small speakers to the output source, the result was the overheating of IC 555. I guess it lacked a resistor to DC ground.

Solution

The solution was to connect the output to an amplifier audio input.

Photosensors prototype fixed version 2

Originally uploaded by cultured_society2nd

Version one is a lot messy and had bad wire connections, so I decided to make a 2nd proper prototype. The electronic parts are the same as version one thus 100% workable on any audio input and its output.

How it generally work is simply by connecting an audio output source; currently i am adding a mini radio audio output into this experiment. And output connection audio jack to my custom made amplifier.

Why a radio and not other audio output source? I chose a radio because of its random audio transmission thus I am very interested of the low analogue audio resolution audio quality, this will generally enhance the detection of high noise frequencies output to the relay channel card.

This is just a prototype, a new electronic implementations and its design is still in progress.

What Implementations?

The wide range of audio sine frequency varies with different sub-units of microfarads (uF or MFD), nanofarads (nF) or picofarads (pF) ceramic or electrolytic capacitors. The capacitors in the image was all tested including (100pF, 1nF, 10nF, 0.1uF, 1uF, 10uF), the difference was the capability of the capacitors to store and discharge electrical current over time, "pF" High frequency / "nF" Mid frequency / "uF" Low frequency.

The implementation of different caps will be in connection to IC 555 on pin 6. Positive connection of the capacitor will be connected to the pin 6 where electrical threshold will takes place.

Other implementations?

A variety of photo resistors had been tested on the circuit, with their different sizes too varies with its resistance. Photo resistors acts as a variable resistor when in contact with light and shadow over distance.

With different sizes and types of capacitor/photo resistors will be implemented on a new circuit.

Photosensors prototype on bread board version 1

Originally uploaded by cultured_society2nd

In previous post on IC 555 diagram and its capabilities; the electronic circuit works. But in this experiment there will be an audio input (any audio output that have a female audio jack) and output (to amplifier) male audio jacks. More importantly this circuit will have 3 small photo resistors that react differently when in contact with visible variable light (distance direct light contact or shadow on contact).

The parts -

• Male audio jacks x2

• 5K potentiometer x1

• 220 Ohm resistor x2

• 10uF electrolytic capacitor x1

• 100uF electrolytic capacitor x1

• Small red led x2

• 9v battery holder x1

• 9v battery x1

• Small photo resistor x3

Lets look at the new update project work on the next blog post!

- New updates on

• 4 channel relay card / custom made relay box
• array of custom DIY made solenoid xylophone player
• Photo sensors DIY circuit prototype bread board and fixed version 1/2
• Square wave oscillator kit
• Kids toy piano synth electronic chip board

The second round of Superbike National Championship has just been held at Sentul International Circuit. Again, although I am still classified as beginner, I was allowed to participate in. This is the report.

Free Practice

As usual we got a free practice for 30 minutes on Friday (May 30, 2008). I managed to ride very relax and unofficially got a good time lap. Every single practice is very meaningful for me assist me a lot since practicing is a thing I really miss to improve my track riding skill.

I was practicing to get a better cornering.

At the same time, I was also trying to get closer to Akcong:

On another practicing time, I rode with Gentur and Samuel:

At the official Free Practice, I mostly rode closely with Bona:

This is Bona and Didi at “Small S”:

Saturday, May 31, 2008: QTT

I was not as relax as the day before (Free Practice day) on the QTT and did not manage to get a better lap time. Some faster riders tried to over take me at a corner. Hm.. I guess it was not so easy any more for them to do so:

Sunday, June 01, 2008: Race Day

The Superbike Race will start at 10.40 a.m. I was checking the bike on the Pit and get prepared:

After installing the transponder, we got the green flag to enter into the track. Here we go…

There were 24 starters ready to start. Wow.. that was a lot.

Immediately after the red lights were off, we started the race. GO…!!

The first corner was always a bit scary for me since it was still so crowded. I made a good start but I was traped in between other riders and can not open the throttle wide.

Managed to get a better view on the first turn, I was rode side by side with Didi and tried to get away from him:

Didi still faster then me and took me over and then joined the middle group lead by Gabriel (yellow bike):

I was lucky to have Pak Henk with me up to the last lap. It was lucky because he used to ride a lot faster than his speed on that day.

See Didi’s action over taking Edi on a corner. Wow… that was cool…

While on the back group Bona, Pak Henk and I rode very tightly up to the fish line. See these pictures of me and Pak Henk:

Pak Henk was really good mentor for me on that race. He usually over took me safely on the “Big or Small S” and using the bigger power of my bike, I then over took him again on the long straight and maintain my position up to the 4th Turn. It was happen at least 3 times. See the pictures below. They were at the 4th Turn. This time Pak Henk tried to over take me from inside, but I could still keep my racing line and opened the throttle widely thereafter on a fast light left turn. Wow… that was fun…

I made a mistake at the first Turn on the last lap and Pak Henk finally could get away from me on the last lap. I then have Bona trying to get closer to me. But sorry to Bona, I still managed to finish in front of him on this race.

But, the most important pictures that I have to keep safely were these pictures below; I was riding in front of Ahmad Jayadi, the Superbike National Champion:


Although it was not so long (before he over lap me). Hahaha…

Finally, the race was over, safely (with out any accident) and I manage to improve my lap time over 1 second. My best official lap time now is 1:51.420. Well.. for me, mission was accomplished and I was happy with the result.

Ochi, another Ducatista, also came to give a support:

This is the winner for Superbike/FFA Class: 1. Ahmad Jayadi; 2. Abel and 3. Matteo:

I finished third on Non Seeded Superbike 1000 Class:

Yes, as always, there were some pretty girls around:

But, one of the most important and enjoyable things of this sport community is the “togetherness” and having lunch together after practice or race. This time the lunch was not bought from the delicious foods of “Warung Jambu” but we went to a PSK Sate house in Sentul Selatan.

Ok. That was all for this race report. I’ll see you on another report.

The End.

On this Oct. 13, a big DorobekInsider slice of birthday cake to Steve Ressler.

I mentioned Ressler earlier this year -- he was part of the freshman class of FCW's Rising Star award winners. In the years since then, Ressler has become a friend. He is one of those people who just can look at problems in new and innovative ways. (I hate those people! Actually, I LOVE them!) He was one of the co-founders of the Young Government Leaders, and now is the pervayor of the social networking site GovLoop, which is a social networking site for feds. Federal News Radio had Ressler on our mid-day program, InDepth with Francis Rose. You can hear that interview here. [.mp3]

So... happy birthday Ressler.

As public radio's Writer's Almanac reports, it is also the birthday of Margaret Thatcher and Paul Simon.

It is also the birthday on controversial comedian Lenny Bruce (10/13/1925 - 8/3/1966), who was actually tried on obscenity charges. You can read the NYT's obit of Bruce here.

Other big events on this date in history:

1775 The Continental Congress ordered the construction of a naval fleet. (Happy birthday to the Navy!)

1792 The cornerstone of the White House was laid during a ceremony in the District of Columbia.

1960 Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy participated in the third televised debate of the presidential campaign, with Nixon in Hollywood, Calif., and Kennedy in New York.

1974 TV host Ed Sullivan died at age 72.

And, from the government IT world, from the archives of Federal Computer Week, this week back in 1996, nine companies won SEWP II contracts, the Defense Science Board report said the Defense Department need to "move aggressively to outsource most DOD support activities" -- and one of the attractive early candidates were data centers. And this week in 1996, VA rolled out its then new Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VISTA) system. VistA is now used across VA hospitals... and, I believe, is even used by some commercial hospitals.

And... happy birthday to Steve!

Come and have a trip on my carpet
It is embroidered, smooth like a cushion
I could make you discover Brooklyn
Or you'd prefer to travel over Mimate

Lay leisurely on my free magic carpet
It is fair, tacit, fantastically velvet
I wove it alone in a forgotten wood
Take a sit on it, even if a falsehood

Mae Linat © 2008

Anul trecut Ferrari a luat campionatul asa cum l-a luat. Poate stiti de scandalul in care li s-au retras toate punctele echipei McLaren.

Anul acesta au mers binisor. Massa de exemplu a avut unele curse in care a facut greseli de incepator care l-au costat cursa, implicit punctele. Acum a inceput sa se redreseze. Dar desteptii astia de la ferrari nu-l ajuta. In cursa din Singapore cand a intrat la boxe nu s-au coordonat mecanicii si cand sa plece a tras dupa el furtunul de benzina. Si a pierdut o gramada de secunde pana au fugit mecanicii dupa el unde oprise, sa-i scoata furtunul. Avea mari sanse sa castige dar n-a mai apucat. Nici macar un punct. Si el lupta pentru titlu, sau lupta. A fost ca-n filmele cu prosti.

Despre circuitul din Singapore ce pot sa zic ? E rapid pentru un circuit de oras. Mi-e imi place. Are si o zona in care se trece peste un pod. Imi place si mai mult prin faprul ca se tine cursa pe timpul noptii. Dar circuitul mai trebuie 'finisat'. Ce am observat: vibratoarele sunt confectionate din material plastic si in unele zone s-au spart; circuitul este pe anumite zone denivelat, spatele masinii lovindu-se de acesta.

«Il y a beaucoup de zones sombres. Personne ne semble comprendre quels tournois on peut ou ne peut pas disputer», assure celle qui sera n°2 mondiale dans quelques heures. L'an prochain, les tournois de Tier I et de Tier II vont être regroupés sous le nom de "Premiers", qui seront au nombre de 20. Certaines joueuses devront prendre part à au moins la moitié d'entre eux. «Ils disent que les meilleures joueuses devront participer à des tournois désignés, alors que celles moins bien classées auront le choix. Il n'y a aucune logique, estime Dinara. Et si les meilleures joueuses veulent toutes aller au même tournoi ? Que se passera-t-il ? Nous voulons savoir». Les obligations ne s'arrêtent pas là, et sont en effet de plus en plus contraignantes en fonction de la hiérarchie.

Un carcan doré pour le Top 10
Quatre tournois de premier plan (Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, et Pékin) seront obligatoires pour les mieux classées, qui devront prendre part à 4 des 5 tournois haut de gamme (Canada, Dubaï, Rome, Cincinnati, et Tokyo). Les dirigeants de la WTA se sont engagés auprès des organisateurs à avoir au moins sept des dix meilleurs joueuses mondiales à ces tournois. Ceux de moindre importance serviront aux membres du Top 10 mondial à compléter leur calendrier.

Svetlana Kuznetsova a emboîté le pas à sa compatriote. «On m'a dit que seulement deux joueuses du Top 10 pourraient disputer un tournoi de moindre importance, comme celui de Moscou», explique la n°7 mondiale. «Que va-t-il se passer si Jelena Jankovic et Serena ou Venus veulent jouer là ? Alors toutes les meilleures joueuses russes, et nous sommes cinq dans le Top 10, ne pourront pas jouer devant notre public. Cela n'a pas de sens». Safina a ajouté qu'un réunion entre joueuses devrait avoir lieu dans un mois, à la fin de la saison, afin de discuter de ces questions.

Teresa Carlson was named general manager of U.S. Government Civilian Agencies and International Global Organizations, and Brian Roach general manager of the Federal Department of Defense group. And Suzanne Behrens, former director of public sector marketing, was named general manager of the company's Business Marketing Organization, handling public sector communications.

Microsoft has a powerful federal team -- a group of people who are passionate about helping the government accomplish it's mission. Yes, they are also interested in helping Microsoft be successful, but...
I know Carlson and Behrens fairly well, and I have met Roach several times. Carlson was a powerful force in helping the government establish the Federal Core Desktop Configuration. (Read Microsoft's info about the FCDC here.) That is a case where the FCDC may have helped Microsoft, but... it is also an important piece of securing agency PCs... and it is a key part of OMB's cyber-security initiative. She did not win a Fed 100 award for her efforts -- Shelly Bird, chief architect at Microsoft Consulting Services did, and, from what I have heard, deservedly so. But I have also had insiders tell me that this initiative never would have come to fruition without Carlson's energy and efforts.

I think FCDC is an example where both government and industry can work together. It doesn't always work out that ways, does it?

I didn't get a copy of the press release -- in fact, I don't see it posted anywhere -- but... GovExec has it, so... I'm passing it along...

Curt Kolcun, Vice President of Microsoft Federal, is the over all leader of the team. Last year, Federal Computer Week honored Kolcun with a Fed 100 award for his impassioned work helping veterans and USO. Kolcun spearheaded a remarkable event in New York -- A Salute To Our Troops -- held at Radio City Music Hall. I mention it because they are holding the second annual salute again in November.

Read more about the salute after the break.

As promised, here is the full release on November's "Salute."

Kudos to Kolcun for his work... and to the others for their new jobs.

With the current financial crisis expected to take its toll on companies that rely heavily on credit or do not have enough liquid assets, Circuit City is one of those retailers expected to collapse by the end of the year.

Without a doubt Circuit City's dramatic decline in market capitalization looks astounding but other tech giants are also suffering from the stock market pain as summarized by a table at TG Daily.

Nvidia, for example, is down 81% from a year ago, Motorola -76%, RIM -60%, and even stock stars from the past few years like Apple and Google are both down 56%. Could consolidation extend to the technology industry, many analysts seem to think so considering the relative bargain some stocks are selling for right now.

With this last photo of the GA-5T's circuitry, it's time to move onto another dusty old amp.

1:5:10:278 EcoTip: In :074 I talked about using an electric circuit tester as a good way to check your electric outlets to be sure they are grounded and that the wires aren't reversed. This tester can be used on old two prong outlets to see how difficult they will be to upgrade to three prong grounded

The testers cost about five dollars and are worth every penny. I know one woman that had three brand new photocopiers fail in less than a month. The problem turned out to be the hot and neutral wires were reversed.

***********************************

 Additional Information:

Suggested Review:

Electric circuit testers are available at any hardware store. They are simple to use - plug them into any three prong outlet, then read-out if the circuit is good or has a listed problem. If there is an issue don't use that outlet until things get checked by an electrician. You can't simply switch wires around that can be dangerous and make matters worse by throwing off other outlets further away in the circuit. One electrical mistake in wiring often times results in a cascade effect with other problems developing elsewhere along the electrical path.

For testing two prong outlets to see if they will be easy to upgrade to two prong use a two prong adapter.

• Plug in the adapter.
• Make sure the ground wire or connector from the adapter is firmly screwed to the outlet using the screw that holds the electric cover plate in place - this is what will complete the ground - if it is present.
• Now plug the tester into the adapter. If it shows correct wiring then that outlet can easily be upgraded to a three prong outlet since the electrical box already has a ground coming to it.
• If the circuit tester says the outlet is ungrounded then it will be more difficult to upgrade. Never use an ungrounded outlet for a three prong appliance. Only use two prong ungrounded outlets for two prong appliances.

Would you like to receive an email alert for each new 1:5:10:365 EcoTip? Sign up for a Google Alert.

1:5:10:277 EcoTip: Ground Fault Interrupter Circuits are a from of electrical protection that can provide extra protection beyond that of the circuit breaker.

Everyone should be familiar with the GFICs that are required by code for protecting rooms with water like bathrooms, laundries, and kitchens. It also makes sense to use a GFIC protected extension cord when using electric trimmers, lawn mowers or power tools.

***********************************

 Additional Information:

Suggested Review:

The following is from the Consumer Product Safety Commission website:

The U S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends the use of a ground-fault circuit-interrupter (GFCI) with every power tool to protect against electrical shock hazards. Each year, CPSC learns of approximately 20 to 30 electrocution deaths associated with power drills, saws, sanders, hedge trimmers, and other electric power tools. Most of these deaths could be prevented by the use of a GFCI.

A GFCI constantly monitors current flowing in a circuit to sense any loss of current. If the current flowing through two circuit conductors differs by a very small amount, the GFCI instantly interrupts the current flow to prevent a lethal amount of electricity from reaching the consumer. The consumer may feet a painful shock but will not be electrocuted. Grounding may provide some protection for power equipment and double insulation of newer power tools presents lower risks of electrocution. However, GFCls are the most effective means for protecting consumers against electrical shock hazards.

Since 1973, homes built according to the National Electrical Code have varying degrees of GFCI protection. GFCIs were first required in outdoor receptacle circuits In 1973, bathrooms in 1975, garage wall outlets in 1978, some kitchen receptacles since 1987, and all receptacle outlets in unfinished basements and crawl spaces since 1990.

Three common types of GFCls are available for home use: circuit breaker, receptacle and portable types. The circuit breaker type needs to be installed by an electrician. The receptacle type may be installed by knowledgeable consumers familiar with electrical wiring practices. The portable GFCI needs no special knowledge to install Just plug the portable GFCI Into a wall receptacle and then plug the electric power tool into the GFCI. It is generally priced below $30 and is available at hardware stores, building supply centers and electrical supply houses.

Would you like to receive an email alert for each new 1:5:10:365 EcoTip? Sign up for a Google Alert.

In that vein, there is a interview with me in this week's issue of PRWeek.

PRWeek's Washington Bureau Chief Ted McKenna did a really good job.

I'm not sure I'd describe the government as a "beast," but...

Read the full interview here.

And, to get all the "me" stuff out of the way...

Regular readers know that there was a fire in my DC row house earlier this year. But, now more than nine months later, we have reached agreement with the insurance company and... we've started reconstruction. ETA: Who knows. But... at least it feels good to be moving forward.

If you are so inclined, you can see the reconstruction photos here.