Junior957

Hello Everyone, I've tried to figure this out but can't seem to. See post linked below for more information: http://www.electronics-lab.com/forum/index.php?topic=21584.msg95489#msg95489 If you are interested in this please let me know. I'm willing to pay a small fee via paypal if you can build this for me and essentially show me how to do it. Thank you very much. Ed

I've built my (fishing) device using basic wiring, however to achieve a more perfect device I know I need to make a board with a timer. It functions as an alarm and when the lever is pressed the piezo gives a nice steady beep (except when the lever is hit too quickly). I'd like it to run off of a button cell if possible, but a 9V is okay. Currently mine works on a 9V because snap connectors are so easy to use. I'd also like an off/on switch (anything simple will do). I use a small SPDT lever switch for my alarm currently and it works well. I would like that to be the trigger for the timer and of course the piezo be the output. I was thinking of the "timer" portion of it to be about a half or .75 of a second. I'm trying to pack all of this into a little housing so if it could be made really small that would be great.

Evening Hero, Thank you very much for your assistance. It seems one of the links you provided I've already been heavily reading from! (The 'KPSec' website) The other, ABCof Electronics was very useful as well. It seems to regulate time on one of these devices you need to use specific capacitors and resistors. Unfortunately I was not able to find any combination which would be useful for my application which would require at least one "beep" every second or, even better, the capability of 2 a second. (Unless the timer itself is capable of it as a preset?) I'm going to put together (well I already have started) a veroboard drawing of what hopefully I will need to do. Do you think I will need any other resistors or capacitors in my design if I am going to just going to first test it and let the timer do it's thing setting the 'wave length'? It seems that no matter what I do I can't figure out how to diagram this out. I'm just a real dud at this. I am going to post a request in the 'Job Offer/Requests' section and hopefully someone (for a small fee) would be willing to come up with a schemeatic and possibly put together a device for me so I can copy from so I can learn this. I'm a very hands on person so I feel this would be the best way. I would like to make a bunch of these as I'm using them for fishing and times 5 poles (plus another 5 for my father) would mean I need to make 10.

Ouch, no replies! :( That's quite alright though as I know how helpful this forum can be provided I give enough details and I learn some of this myself. So I spent a couple hours looking up information while I was at my in-laws yesterday. I realize now that I can cut veroboard to suit my fancy - which is great! :) However I'm still in the dark here a bit as I have really no electronics 'know-how' or experience for that matter. I'm going to try to draw up a little schemeatic of what I need to do but I know it will be a very rough diagram. I know it sounds really stupid but I don't understand how to make a full circuit (power, ground) using the veroboard as I'm using to simply hooking up red and black wires. So for a parts list I know I need: 1)Veroboard 2)A 555 timer 3)A Piezo 4)On/off Toggle Switch 4)A Battery Connector (I have a bunch of left over 9V connectors so I figured maybe use those until I get the hang of this stuff.. then I could order button cell holders.) One thing I do not understand though is the whole monostable, astable, bistable thing in relation to the timer. If I would like to take the input (from the lever switch being pushed) and make sure that each time that switch is depressed that the piezo gives the same "beep" whether I push the switch 10 times fast or just once every 10 seconds.... what mode would be the best? From looking at the charts it seems pin 1 and 8 are the 'ground' and 'power' - but from there I'm lost on how I would connect everything. As I mentioned I can show a video of my device in action if it helps. I figure though this is a fairly simple design/device for the experienced but for someone like me it seems very difficult. Once again I appreciate any help that can be offered to this electronics wannabe!!! :) Ed

Hello everyone, First off I'd like to thank you for visiting the my thread. Each time I've come to this forum I've left with assistance and more knowledge and because of this forum in the last year I developed a working device for myself. But I'm sure you all know that when you personally build something it usually can never be considered perfect! With that said I know my device is not perfect and I know how to fix it. I just physically don't know how to build that fix!! Hopefully you all can help. :) My device now is a simple piezo hooked up to a lever switch. When the switch gets hit of course the piezo beeps. I have it hooked up to a 9V via a simple 9V connector and the lever switch I used little connector spades clamped to the wires. (I can take a picture if needed - but probably not.) Anyways, the lever is usually at rest (90% of the time) but when it is struck it's multiple times and fairly quickly usually. Occassionally the piezo will skip or the tone will blend. I know a timer will help but I'm not good with this sort of stuff. First of all, I know I need a board for this to go on. All the ones I see at RS and the like - even the smallest ones are too big to fit in the housing I need it to. Can you cut those boards to size, carefully of course? Next, I'd like to add a button cell to the device rather than a 9V (if possible), I'm not sure how I'd achieve this. Going in line with how the device would operate, I'd like to add an on/off switch as my current build doesn't have one. I noticed however a lot of those were like the lever switch - they had "prongs" on the bottom... I'm not sure how you would attach those to the board. Then I'm not sure where you would put the timer. I imagine between the lever switch and piezo. As you can see I've got this worked out fairly well (I think!) but I'm just not very good at electronics. I've read a lot of resources but having no hands on experience is tough. If anyone could lend any general assistance with how I could accomplish this I'd appreciate it very much!!!

Hello, Thank you all for the help in the past and the future. I was wondering, if someone could help me out with the name of what I am looking for so I can research more and maybe a few specifics if you know. I am looking to make something fairly small, hopefully battery powered, which will put out 1-10hz. Does that make sense and is it possible? Thank you!

Hello Everyone, Thanks for all the assistance in the past and hopefully in the future as well. I have made a neat little device but I had to screw one part of it into the host because the enclosure could note support the lever switch in anyway. Does any one know of any odd shaped enclosures or how I could make/alter an enclosure to be able to hold or house that switch so I have one self contained device? (And won't have to screw the lever switch into the wood if I want to make another one.) Thanks! Ed

Thanks for the reply Hero. I really appreciate. So essentially you are saying that I have this under control and just need a little faith in myself? I realize this is hardly circuitry, just hooking up some wires - but when you are just going out and buying items with no other background info it's hard to have that faith. Up until yesterday I didn't even know a level switch exsisted. I just saw it, thought "wow thats exactly what I need" and went from there. Prior, my design involved having soldering the wire from the 9v to a small copper plate and the wite from the pizo to another copper plate. When the two meet the pizo beeps. Now that I've discovered the lever switch I can just have the same result happen by using pressure and not have to worry about having live pieces of metal around and fashioning little pieces of copper. My issue is that I've never been very mechanical. I can design all sorts of things start to finish on paper... things to build, wiring diagrams, plumbing diagrams. Come time to build - the first piece or cut or what have you, takes me an hour. Thanks again for the help. Ed

Sorry... here is my little diagram. Thank you.

Good evening everyone, I am little into the realm of electronics - but trying to use some simple pieces to make a few neat devices. With that said, I can put parts together and eventually figure things out, however I'd like to seek some assistance to make sure I am on the right track and also if I can improve what I am doing. Earlier the 9v I was using got very hot very fast, I don't think that is supposed to happen. Anyways. I'd like the pizo to beep every time the lever hits the button. I've figured out already that I need the connections on the last two (jumpers?) to make that happen. If it's on the first and third then the pizo beeps until you click. I tried to google more information but either I'm not searching the correct terms or there isn't much I could find. Am I hooking this up the correct way? Should the two black wires connect to eachother and then to nothing? If I were to add a switch (to turn the pizo off when I'm done) where would I put that and what type should I buy? I would really appreciate any advice! Thank you.

Thanks gogo, that cleared up my question perfectly. Assuming I cannot reconfigure my design I will have to go with the timer. It definently sounds like a fun device to work with! Heck its exactly what I was asking for (taking a short 'pulse' and converting it to a longer one for purpose of the auidble tone). Obviously I'm sure it has a ton of other more useful application but for my asking it is perfect and spot on. Thanks once again guys, you all have been more than helpful. I've already learn a ton already. I found a little 9V battery holder with a cheap switch so I don't have to wire one in and can turn it off when I don't feel like hearing it. Even that is neat to someone who doesn't typically play with electronic gadets like this. I'm typically someone who works with their head, not with their hands so I'm having fun with this project. (Although I realize it is both - you guys have basically put all the info in front of me so its easy to absorb.) Ed

Thank you very much for the information hero, I appreciate it a lot. I will read up on all that and report back asap. Were you indicating I need to use the timer to allow a charge of 1 second or so or I need at least 1 second of contact to make this all work? A full second may be a problem here with my current design - but simplicity is also a key function of success so maybe if I need a full second I'd be better off trying to redesign the item before trying to make the timer. (Although I fully intend to read up about it because it interests me and could be useful in improving the design.) Thanks again, Ed

Back once again for help gentlemen. With these Piezo buzzers. If you are making something like I am where you want to make an indicator alarm - and not an electronic alarm... your sort of subject to random movements and what not and therefore I don't always get full pulses through my buzzer. Sometimes it only gets a short zap of power from the battery while others it will make a nice connection and beep well, others the beeps will be incoherent, low in tone and mesh into one another. Is there a capacitor or anything I can do besides making the contact points as flush as possible to make the buzzer beep the same strength every time - regardless of the quality of the input comming in? (Sorry guys I know this is a terrible description of what I am trying to accomplish but keep in mind I do not have any electronics experience so I am very limited in how I can describe things.) Thanks again, Ed

Thank you Hero. I went to Radio Shack today and got exactly what I need. I found the 9V snap connectors as well. I appreciate you guys help very much!

Alex, One more thing. I hate to be an absolute pain but is there any way you could reccomend parts - or even a website or company for me to browse from. I searched for piezo buzzers as Hero had suggested that appears to be what I need and also from your diagram it appears to be it as well. Some of the websites however have many product listings and all the specifications are damn confusing. I need mine to be as small as possible. I told you the purpose for it, so its not like it will be used all the time, but you can imagine when deer are eating the thing is probably going to beep like crazy. (I actually might need an on off switch too, thats not hard though I can do that.) Also, I would imagine I would need those circular things that you connect to the top of 9V batterys to make the connection more solid. Could you possibly fill me in to the name of those? I appreciate you guys help a lot. Ed