Has red "heart beat" when idling.
More spectacular when being accessed.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
"The Brain" Finished Product
Months after hand-over, I thought I ought to show the finished product:
It meets the brief really well: It is a 1Tb USB external drive in the form of a transparent brain on a plinth. It has a simple "heart beat" display when it is idle and a range of animated light regimes when the drive is accessed.
Friday, September 07, 2012
"The Brain": Step 7 - Base, plinth, PCBs, 'spine', etc
Lots of progress on a broad set of fronts. Construction of the black base; ordering and delivery of the main acrylic plinth; producing two more LED controller boards and one 'distribution PCB' for connections in the base; design, laser cutting, and building of a 'spine' type construction inside the plinth; and various other 'bits and pieces'.
A few random captions to give an idea of what has been going on:
1) The base
2) The acrylic plinth
The design drawings for the plinth were sent off and it was manufactured and sent via courier.
3) More PCBs made
Three printed circuit boards are used to control the 120 LEDs which are included in "The Brain". Each board is based on a similar design, but modified to carry out its specific task. These boards are mounted on an acrylic plate which is supported on a 'spine-like' construction (see below).
Inside the base are a series of connections for power, USB, inerfacing, etc. A small board will simplify these connections.
4) 'The Spine'
A construction similar to this sketch has been built - in the final version, the 11 discs are decreasing in size, the further up the column it gets.
The acrylic discs and top-plate were designed and then laser cut.
Each disc has three LEDs mounted in it
The discs were bonded to the tube:
The LEDs were wired up to the top plate and connected to the controlling PCB
The final result is excellent!
5) Other bits and pieces
Various other components are now ready for fitting. For example the fan, USB interface, power supplies and hard drive shown here:
6) Putting it all together
The final stage is approaching!
A few random captions to give an idea of what has been going on:
The MDF for the base, cut to size.
Cut-outs for the fan, vent, mains supply and USB.
Glued and screwed
Hinged lid being constructed
Cut outs on the inside to clear the fan, etc
The design drawings for the plinth were sent off and it was manufactured and sent via courier.
It arrived intact. Hard to photograph!
3) More PCBs made
Three printed circuit boards are used to control the 120 LEDs which are included in "The Brain". Each board is based on a similar design, but modified to carry out its specific task. These boards are mounted on an acrylic plate which is supported on a 'spine-like' construction (see below).
Inside the base are a series of connections for power, USB, inerfacing, etc. A small board will simplify these connections.
Photo-developing of the base PCB
Copper tracks
Final board
4) 'The Spine'
A construction similar to this sketch has been built - in the final version, the 11 discs are decreasing in size, the further up the column it gets.
The acrylic discs and top-plate were designed and then laser cut.
Laser template
Each disc has three LEDs mounted in it
LEDs mounted
An acrylic rod was marked up...
...and drilled.
The discs were bonded to the tube:
Note the protective covering on the discs
The LEDs were wired up to the top plate and connected to the controlling PCB
The final result is excellent!
5) Other bits and pieces
Various other components are now ready for fitting. For example the fan, USB interface, power supplies and hard drive shown here:
6) Putting it all together
The final stage is approaching!
Saturday, August 18, 2012
"The Brain": Step 6 - Main controlling electronics
To control what the brain does when a file is accessed, is achieved using a PIC microcontroller mounted on a custom designed printed circuit board (PCB).The end result looks like this:
This design will probably use a 'master' board plus two or three identical electronic control boards (depending on how much control is to be achieved).
Some of the main stages in producing a control board are described below:
1) Design the circuit
This starts on the back of an envelope and on a prototyping platform (a 'breadboard').
It progresses to designing a schematic diagram on an electronics CAD/CAM suite (I use KiCAD).
The final schematic looks like this
Key features are:
2) Pick the actual electronic components
Tell the CAD/CAM software what components are available for the circuit. For example, the main 'spinal cord' wires will be connected using several 3-way screw-terminals. In order to produce a PCB, the software needs to know the exact dimensions of the component, so it can lay-out the correct copper pads.
3) Design the PCB
Decide on the board size. Drop the component 'footprints' onto the board. Slowly make each connection from pad to pad, until the whole schematic diagram is correctly wired-up.
The design is printed and then transferred optically (using a UV light box), to a light-sensitive layer on a new PCB.
The optical image is developed (much like an old 'wet' photograph negative).
The board is then immersed in an acid etching bath.
The holes are then drilled:
5) Solder on the components
Add each component
The board does nothing until the micro-controller is 'told' how to control the outputs. This is done using a programming language on a PC, with the finished software being saved on the micro-controller, by connecting the PCB to the PC using the special programming port (the white, 6-pin plug).
7) Finally, see if it works!
Hopefully, if every step has been fault-free, everything will work as it is supposed to. The spinal cord is connected up, so is the power supply. A simple, test program is installed and the brain is switched on.
The software lights up the bottom half of the brain like a 'pulse' and continually animates the rotation of the dummy hard drive.
The infant brain is born!
Next: Add some more of the brain LED channels to the existing control PCB and adjust the software to make the brain react to a signal (the accessing of the real hard drive).
This design will probably use a 'master' board plus two or three identical electronic control boards (depending on how much control is to be achieved).
Some of the main stages in producing a control board are described below:
1) Design the circuit
This starts on the back of an envelope and on a prototyping platform (a 'breadboard').
It progresses to designing a schematic diagram on an electronics CAD/CAM suite (I use KiCAD).
The final schematic looks like this
Key features are:
- Lots of flashing LEDs on the board itself!
- 11 high-current channels of LED control
- Programmable
- Some user-control using two jumpers
2) Pick the actual electronic components
Tell the CAD/CAM software what components are available for the circuit. For example, the main 'spinal cord' wires will be connected using several 3-way screw-terminals. In order to produce a PCB, the software needs to know the exact dimensions of the component, so it can lay-out the correct copper pads.
3-way connector details
3) Design the PCB
Decide on the board size. Drop the component 'footprints' onto the board. Slowly make each connection from pad to pad, until the whole schematic diagram is correctly wired-up.
Wiring-up the pads
The finished board design
4) Etch and drill the PCBThe design is printed and then transferred optically (using a UV light box), to a light-sensitive layer on a new PCB.
The optical image is developed (much like an old 'wet' photograph negative).
Copper is exposed ready to be etched away
The board is then immersed in an acid etching bath.
Etching starting
Etching nearly finished
The finished board:
The holes are then drilled:
Top of the finished board
Bottom of the finished board
5) Solder on the components
Add each component
Components being added
The finished board
The finished board
6) Program the micro-controllerThe board does nothing until the micro-controller is 'told' how to control the outputs. This is done using a programming language on a PC, with the finished software being saved on the micro-controller, by connecting the PCB to the PC using the special programming port (the white, 6-pin plug).
7) Finally, see if it works!
Hopefully, if every step has been fault-free, everything will work as it is supposed to. The spinal cord is connected up, so is the power supply. A simple, test program is installed and the brain is switched on.
The software lights up the bottom half of the brain like a 'pulse' and continually animates the rotation of the dummy hard drive.
The infant brain is born!
Next: Add some more of the brain LED channels to the existing control PCB and adjust the software to make the brain react to a signal (the accessing of the real hard drive).
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