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Frank N. Furter
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Joined: 28/05/2012
Location: Germany
Posts: 966

Posted: 08:02pm 03 Nov 2025

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@Volhout:

Thanks for your link - the project looks very interesting too.

@phill99:

Thanks! Now I just have to solder the voltage dividers together. Let's see if I can get around to it this week...

I just unscrewed the electronics again. A proprietary µC with 2x ULN2003 was installed. I bought it in 1994...

phil99

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Joined: 11/02/2018
Location: Australia
Posts: 2802

Posted: 05:54am 04 Nov 2025

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A rudimentary test setup with two PicoMites. The first is a simulated xylophone player with a Sub to make a random sequence of notes. The second Pico records the output of the first. GP0 - GP11 connect to GP0 - GP11 on the other, plus Gnd.

The Player and it's output.

'Xylophone player
Dim float SPD=50 'solenoid pulse duration
Dim integer n, Bell.note
Dim float Bell.time, interval

MakeFile 'Sub to create a test file

For n=0 To 11
SetPin MM.Info(pinno "GP"+Str$(n)),DOUT
Next

Open "BellSample.dat" For Input As #1

Print "Input time","Solenoid(s)",,"Output time", "interval"

Timer = 0

For n=0 To 20
Input #1, Bell.time, Bell.note 'get the data
Do While Timer < Bell.time : Loop 'wait for next note
Port(1,2,4,4,9,4,14,2) = Bell.note 'ring the bells
Print Bell.time, Bin$(Bell.note,12),, Timer, Bell.time-interval
Pause SPD 'solenoid pulse duration
Port(1,2,4,4,9,4,14,2) = 0 'all solenoids off
interval = Bell.time
Next

Sub MakeFile
Open "BellSample.dat" For Output As #1
For n=0 To 20
Inc Bell.time, (Rnd * 400 + 100) 'random intervals from 100 to 500mS
Bell.note = (1 << Fix(Rnd * 12)) Or (1 << Fix(Rnd * 12)) ' ring 2 random bells
Print #1, Bell.time;","; Bell.note
Print Bell.time, Bin$(Bell.note,12)
Next
Print :Print
Close #1
End Sub

End

> list "BellSample.dat"
481.4629415, 2052
685.9638557, 1088
1068.890898, 8
1426.471311, 1280
1703.731011, 513
2041.607806, 10
2521.895152, 2176
2973.670426, 272
3319.063016, 1026
3594.936921, 12
3897.402463, 320
4246.852904, 65
4572.434282, 66
4912.247204, 24
5308.362597, 2056
5558.917196, 96
6047.464737, 144
6296.664923, 17
6690.30336, 128
7141.14529, 9
7640.742658, 576
>

> RUN
Input time Solenoid(s) Output time interval
481.4629415 100000000100 482.564 481.4629415
685.9638557 010001000000 686.728 204.5009142
1068.890898 000000001000 1069.802 382.9270423
1426.471311 010100000000 1427.26 357.580413
1703.731011 001000000001 1704.547 277.2597
2041.607806 000000001010 2042.513 337.876795
2521.895152 100010000000 2522.739 480.287346
2973.670426 000100010000 2974.523 451.775274
3319.063016 010000000010 3319.816 345.39259
3594.936921 000000001100 3595.753 275.873905
3897.402463 000101000000 3898.184 302.465542
4246.852904 000001000001 4247.658 349.450441
4572.434282 000001000010 4573.378 325.581378
4912.247204 000000011000 4912.997 339.812922
5308.362597 100000001000 5309.247 396.115393
5558.917196 000001100000 5559.793 250.554599
6047.464737 000010010000 6048.339 488.547541
6296.664923 000000010001 6297.477 249.200186
6690.30336 000010000000 6691.216 393.638437
7141.14529 000000001001 7141.996 450.84193
7640.742658 001001000000 7641.568 499.597368
>

And the recorder.

'Reading the 12 outputs of a chiming bells ornament. (untested)
'It records the time (mS) when each bell is struck and the number of the bell(s)

Dim integer n, tmr

For n=0 To 11
SetPin MM.Info(pinno "GP"+Str$(n)),DIN
Next

Open "RecordBells.dat" For Output As #1
Print "Timer", "Solenoid", "Interval mS"

Do : Loop Until Port(gp0,12) 'wait for the first pulse
Timer = 0

For n = 0 To 20 'or whatever the sequence length is
tmr = Timer
Do : Loop Until Port(gp0,12) 'wait for a chime
Print #1, Timer; ",", Port(gp0,12)
Print Timer; ",", Bin$(Port(gp0,12),12),
Pause 59 'Wait for solenoid pulse to end.
'longer than a solenoid pulse, shorter than the shortest interval between chimes
Print Timer-tmr
Next

End
>

Timer Solenoid Interval mS
0.63 100000000100 60.155
204.649 010001000000 204.037
587.569 000000001000 382.963
945.156 010100000000 357.554
1222.416 001000000001 276.773
1560.298 000000001010 337.668
2040.59 100010000000 479.964
2492.343 000100010000 451.745
2837.741 010000000010 345.127
3113.62 000000001100 276.019
3416.073 000101000000 302.458
3765.537 000001000001 348.913
4091.158 000001000010 325.534
4430.916 000000011000 339.332
4827.065 100000001000 395.442
5108.852 000001100000 281.836
5566.197 000010010000 456.61
5815.364 000000010001 248.781
6209.013 000010000000 393.396
6659.849 000000001001 450.249
7159.442 001001000000 498.807
>
> list "RecordBells.dat"
0.31, 2052
204.47, 1088
587.42, 8
944.987, 1280
1222.252, 513
1560.135, 10
2040.435, 2176
2492.191, 272
2837.587, 1026
3113.471, 12
3415.919, 320
3765.39, 65
4090.978, 66
4430.765, 24
4826.909, 2056
5077.469, 96
5566.021, 144
5815.193, 17
6208.862, 128
6659.704, 9
7159.296, 576
>

It's been a wet day so stuck indoors.
Edited 2025-11-04 16:01 by phil99

Footnote added 2025-11-04 21:28 by phil99
In the first program (Xylophone player) the Port command can be simplified to Port(gp0,12) from Port(1,2, 4,4, 9,4, 14,2)

Volhout
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Joined: 05/03/2018
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 5417

Posted: 06:11am 04 Nov 2025

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PORT(GP0,12) ?

Volhout

PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS

phil99

Guru

Joined: 11/02/2018
Location: Australia
Posts: 2802

Posted: 06:27am 04 Nov 2025

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Yes, the Port Function behaves differently to the Port Command. It works so I wont complain!

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