Design Advice

[rhino]

Use an IR transmitter on the trailer and IR receiver on the cab. Have the transmitter output the information at some time interval that is acceptable and maximizes battery life for the transmitter. No wires, No RF.

[Luciano]

Hi Isaac,

Connect an RF transmitter (PIC + 10mW TX module) to the brake lights of
the trailer so when the brakes are activated the data is sent to
the receiver located inside the cab. (PIC + RX module).

Example RF modules:
http://www.crownhill.co.uk/product.php?prod=435

http://www.rentron.com/PicBasic/RemoteControl.htm


Best regards,

Luciano

[isaac]

Luciano

Thanks for you idea

Use an IR transmitter on the trailer and IR receiver on the cab. Have the transmitter output the information at some time interval that is acceptable and maximizes battery life for the transmitter. No wires, No RF.

but wouldn't both IR Transmitter & Receive need to be Aligned facing each other?

Thanks
Isaac

[isaac]

Ooops
that was for Ryan Miller not Luciano

[rhino]

but wouldn't both IR Transmitter & Receive need to be Aligned facing each other?
Thanks
Isaac

They probably wouldn't have to be exactly lined up. Let's say you have a "cab" unit (receiver) that attaches to the back window in the cab. Then, a display up by the driver that the cab unit communicates to, to relay the information. That link could be wired, RF, whatever.... it sounds like your customer just doesn't want to have a wired unit between the truck and trailer. Then, I think you could align the cab unit and the trailer unit across from each other close enough that you could get the information (except during turns). I mean really, how much information are you really needing to transfer? It doesn't sound like much.
Here's another take on the touch memory (I-Button). Did you know that Rider Truck stores maintenance records for their trucks on I-Buttons? You rent one in Florida, drive it to California. At California, the pull up the service records on the I-Button and see what needs to be done next. Have a wand in the cab for the driver, when he gets out, he touches the I-Button on the trailer that transfers the trailer info to the wand. Driver hooks up the trailer, gets back in the cab, LCD displays the trailer info for the driver. The wand part is already a product. Our guard at work has one, there are check points through out the building. Once he's back to the office, he sets the wand in the cradle and it downloads all of the checkpoints. Kind of a check on the guard to make sure he's making the rounds. Just another idea.

[isaac]

. Have a wand in the cab for the driver, when he gets out, he touches the I-Button on the trailer that transfers the trailer info to the wand. Driver hooks up the trailer, gets back in the cab, LCD displays the trailer info for the driver. The wand part is already a product. Our guard at work has one, there are check points through out the building. Once he's back to the office, he sets the wand in the cradle and it downloads all of the checkpoints. Kind of a check on the guard to make sure he's making the rounds. Just another idea.

What is a wand?

Regards
Isaac

[isaac]

Thanks everyone
i have learnt a lot from you all and gone back to him
i emailed him that it has to be wireless modules or the barcode idea its up to him now.

Thanks again for your contributions

Isaac

[rhino]

What is a wand?
Regards
Isaac

I was thinking you could duplicate something like THIS. You can purchase a simple probe HERE. This would make the unit portable, but would require the driver to remember to scan the trailer when it gets hooked up...... I say scan, but what I really mean is take the probe/wand and touch the I-Button on the trailer to get the information off of it.

[isaac]

Hi All

I have just got an email from the customer he likes the idea of using an ibutton (Doesn't want wireless?)but he still insist that he does not want the driver to get out of the cab to touch the ibutton so i am nearly back to square one.(He wants to use the line for the revease line.
i was thinking i was thinking of using an ibutton but i need to isolate the 24v that is put on the line when its in reverse somehow.
i also dont know if the 1 wire protocol can withstand noise etc.
i need some guildance on this.
i attached the schematic which i would like to use but not quite sure if this would do the job

Regards
Isaac

[Darrel Taylor]

For iButtons, you have to have a Pull-up resistor that supplies both power and the high side of the data.

I don't think the pull-up can overcome the Pull-down from the filaments of the light bulbs.
And if it could, the lights would always be partially on, and the ibutton would be dead after the first pulse trying to drive that much current.

Due to the inductance of the filaments you might be able to pass a low freq RF over that line, but probably not DC.
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