Public domain (free project)

[T.Jackson]

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<h1 style="color: red"> Low-Cost Digital Storage Logic Probe MKII </h2>
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In essence, it's a multimeter for the digital domain w/ storage capabilities. The download includes
complete schematic, draft article, but no software or PCBs (I'm retaining copyright to them) -
If you're reasonably confident with 16f877a controllers then you should be able throw together
some code in no time at all. Prototype performed well.

<img src="http://www.picbasic.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1568&d=1177475899" align="left">
<img src="http://www.picbasic.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1567&d=1177475866" align="top">

Trent Jackson
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[RussMartin]

This looks like a really snazzy little tool. Are you marketing it? I'm interested!

[T.Jackson]

The biggest hurdle I see at the moment for any KIT supplier is sheer cost. Very few people would pay AUS $100 for this, when they know they can go and buy a top notch multimeter with all the bells and whistles, which possibly includes a USB interface, all for about the same amount of money. Frightening stuff knowing that I can go and purchase a brand new 10MHz oscilloscope (with full warranty) for under AUS $130. DIY test gear is history.

[precision]

Hi T.Jackson, Where is Offset, Zero and Span adjustment VR, for 0 to 15 v Calibration ?


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[RussMartin]

The biggest hurdle I see at the moment for any KIT supplier is sheer cost. Very few people would pay AUS $100 for this, when they know they can go and buy a top notch multimeter with all the bells and whistles, which possibly includes a USB interface, all for about the same amount of money. Frightening stuff knowing that I can go and purchase a brand new 10MHz oscilloscope (with full warranty) for under AUS $130. DIY test gear is history.

I'm not so sure, Trent. I've got four different Fluke multimeters, the oldest from the early 1980s. Not one of them was nearly that inexpensive. Nor were my three scopes. You may be doing yourself a disservice.

[T.Jackson]

Hi T.Jackson, Where is Offset, Zero and Span adjustment VR, for 0 to 15 v Calibratin ?

There's no real refinement for the AC domain, sorry.

[T.Jackson]

I'm not so sure, Trent. I've got four different Fluke multimeters, the oldest from the early 1980s. Not one of them was nearly that inexpensive. Nor were my three scopes. You may be doing yourself a disservice.

You would stand a better chance at winning the lottery than making a quid from this project.

[RussMartin]

Well, Trent, looking over this, and the scrolling LED project, I'm impressed.

Consider a couple of possibilities: Peddle the kits to someone like Gateway Electronics (they carry everything from little piddles to Ramsey).

Or skip the kit part and just collect several of your designs and publish your own books, a few projects at a time. God Himself knows it's less expensive to print a book of projects than to market the kits! (You probably aren't surprised to know that a lot of people will buy a $19.95 book to do one project out of it.)

Just a thought, because I'm impressed by what you do. (And sorry your scrolling LED seemed to get hijacked, however well-intentioned the others were.)

Good projects are good projects; those who fancy them don't really care how much they cost to build. It's the doing . . . !

[T.Jackson]

Thanks for the nice vote of confidence Russ. Unfortunately, I have come to realization that I don't quite have what it takes to pull off something like that. I've made a compromise and settled for IT instead (which is what I'm currently doing a bachelors degree in) No way I'd ever publish my own book without appropriate qualifications in that particular field. Good chance I'll write a beginners book on IT one day though.

[T.Jackson]

But for now, think I'm gonna go and buy that lottery ticket. CYA

[mackrackit]

Idea for another project.

Pocket sized random number generator for lottery tickets.
Calculate odds based on past winning numbers and selectable for different lotteries.

[T.Jackson]

I like that idea! Not like it hasn't been done before - but it is a realistic low-cost project that could be whipped up in no time at all.

[mackrackit]

I like that idea!

I thought you might.

Not like it hasn't been done before .

Its all in how you market it!!

[Melanie]

>>Pocket sized random number generator for lottery tickets

*laughs*

But all you're doing is transferring the responsibility/blame for number selection from yourself to a machine...

[mackrackit]

But all you're doing is transferring the responsibility/blame for number selection from yourself to a machine...

That way my wife can not get mad at me!!!

[pmcleod]

Idea for another project.

Pocket sized random number generator for lottery tickets.
Calculate odds based on past winning numbers and selectable for different lotteries.

Of course calculating the odds is easy, past numbers have no effect on future numbers

[mackrackit]

past numbers have no effect on future numbers

Maybe maybe not...
Now we would have to look into Chaos Theory, Entropy, Second Law of Thermodynamics, and my GRANDMA'S LUCKY BINGO CARD

[pmcleod]

Personally, I'd go with grandma's lucky bingo cared every time, it's alright I have been *discussing* with my father the tossing of coins, he insists that if I tossed 4 heads the next one was most likely to be a tail, blinking retired mechanical engineers, whatever next.

[mackrackit]

Personally, I'd go with grandma's lucky bingo cared every time, it's alright I have been *discussing* with my father the tossing of coins, he insists that if I tossed 4 heads the next one was most likely to be a tail, blinking retired mechanical engineers, whatever next.

You should always listen to your elders.

Welcome to the forum.

[T.Jackson]

I've seen the calculated odds in a Visual Basic program, believe me, not very good - many, many millions from memory. God the people behind it must be stinking rich, probably so rich in fact, that occasionally they fix a win to someone every now and them just to off load some money that they just simply don't know what to do with. Should I pass a couple of million onto someone who I know is gonna give half of it to charity or just let it sit beside the other 1,000 trillion that we have? Feeling generous today - lets fix a win

[Ioannis]

At least in my Country, from a lot of "evidence" I am strongly convined that this lottery thing is setup. Every now and then there is a jackpot almost every holiday! So no machine could predict the next numbers this way. Sure past numbers have no effect on future numbers that way.

I decided that the only way to make money is to work! And sure it feels good when you are paid for the good job you've done.

Ioannis

[T.Jackson]

Yeah - it's probably all bull. I think a lot of these game show on TV are like this too.

[Melanie]

>I think a lot of these game show on TV are like this too.

Big scandal currently in UK that a lot of them were fixed either in advance, or were fraudulently weighted against contestants. The regulator stepped in last month and 95% of all the phone-in shows have suddenly dissappeared, and the great BBC even cancelled all phone-in contests yesterday after a report divulged that the shows were rigged in at least half-a-dozen examples.

>And sure it feels good when you are paid for the good job you've done.

Actually orgasmic... especially when you play games like ensuring the total of this months 'high' is bigger and better than last months... I'm not saying you have to only get it once a month - but we're talking pay-cheques here...

[pmcleod]

You should always listen to your elders.

Welcome to the forum.

Thanks for thet welcome, i feel a bit of a fraud in here, I don't use PBP, though I did buy a copy years and years ago from RS I think, the manual then was about 25 pages with very basic info on, I never did get a project working, so I did it all in assembler. Now I have proton basic with a great thick manual, but hang around here because I've learnt a lot of general PIC things and you guys have some interesting ideas

[mackrackit]

Thanks for thet welcome, i feel a bit of a fraud in here, I don't use PBP, though I did buy a copy years and years ago from RS I think, the manual then was about 25 pages with very basic info on, I never did get a project working, so I did it all in assembler. Now I have proton basic with a great thick manual, but hang around here because I've learnt a lot of general PIC things and you guys have some interesting ideas

Give PBP a try again!!! Then you will not have to feel like a fraud

[pmcleod]

Give PBP a try again!!! Then you will not have to feel like a fraud

It was so long ago, I seem to remember it came on 1 or 2 floppies, even if I could find it I doubt it'd do much useful and finding it will not be easy it may well have gone in the bin during the factory move last year one awful lot of stuff did

[mackrackit]

It was so long ago, I seem to remember it came on 1 or 2 floppies, even if I could find it I doubt it'd do much useful and finding it will not be easy it may well have gone in the bin during the factory move last year one awful lot of stuff did

Down load the demo.

[RussMartin]

>Big scandal currently in UK that a lot of them were fixed either in advance, or were fraudulently weighted against contestants. The regulator stepped in last month and 95% of all the phone-in shows have suddenly dissappeared, and the great BBC even cancelled all phone-in contests yesterday after a report divulged that the shows were rigged in at least half-a-dozen examples.

I'm sure you're all aware that the first big fuss about TV game-show deception occurred here in the USA back in the late 1950s. Even the President (Eisenhower) said it was national embarrassment.

[pmcleod]

Down load the demo.

Will do that

[mackrackit]

Will do that

Let us know how it goes.

[billpoul]

Lets talk..This device is kind of interesting.

Reminds me of a test product once sold by HP called a signature analyzer...

Might be able to cut out a lot of costs and implement some interesting analysis software on the pc side of things.

Could make this into a multy function device, everything from a relatively slow logic scope to a multi channel temperature/data logger...

With a bit of cleverness, could even implement a rudimentary spctrum analyzer and signal generator.

Market could be hobbyist and also college electronic labs..

About 15 years ago tried marketing a Digital O'scope project..anyone hear of theACWIScope? The darn thing worked with beleive it or not, a Commodore 64/128 Computer!

in any case, if anyone wants to discuss, contact me. [email protected]

-Bill

[T.Jackson]

Yeah right.