The Purchase of Parts for Prototype I.C Slider Project

Since Mr Yu request to emphasize on the Inter Conveyor Slider Project, so today Mr Khow and I went out to purchase the expected items required to built the prototype. Actually, the reasons we want to built the prototype first is simply due to the fact that we are trying to construct the best idea. In other words, we just want to visualize the best ideas into reality first. Later on, once everyone is agreed with the best option, then the actual stainless steel one would be constructed.

As for today, we bought one roll of 20 feet zinc, and one piece of 20 feet aluminumtogether with one metal sciscor for cutting. Our plan is to use the proposed design and it onto the zinc. Next we gonna cut that zinc into pieces that we are going to assemble into prototype. This prototype would be rest onto the aluminum platform. We might add some wood to add some some weight so that the platform wont be moving while doing testing in workshop.

Tomorrow I'm going to SS2 to buy the blank PCB and IDC PCB connectors to built the UIB so that later on the USB and PCI interface card can be tested.

The Universal USB8255 IOIB

As you can see in the project block diagram above, the central of the project board is the Universal IO Interface Board. This board can be linked both by USB Black Box and Futurelec ET-8255PCI. As such it is very important to fabricate the board so that either of the programs from USB or PCI can be tested via it.

This is the basic Input Pins Configuration for the three main input to and output from this Universal Interface Board. I call it CN-A, CN-B, CN-C. CN-B is a 40P IDC male connector coming from USB Black Box. CN-C is a 34P IDC male connector coming from Futurelec ET8255PCI. Actually there are 3 outputs from Futurelec plus another relay contact NC & NO. However, I just prepare one for this UIB since for the time being there is no specific big project that requires 72 IO at one time. Yet another, if for testing purposes, the other two can use the same one connection by exchanging the connectors only. CN-C is the output 40P IDC to the existed 8255 IO Interface Board.

This is how the basic wiring for the Universal looks like.
Actually the main reason why I designed this UIB in such a way is simply because the 8255 IO Interface Board is already tested and worked nicely with the previous ISA 8255 IO board. Since that old board is no longer available and now we have both the USB and PCI 8255 based interface boards, so I guess it is wise to use the proven working inrface board. While it saving development time it also cut the research cost. Yet another, both USB and PCI are based on the same IC's which is 8255. However, since both of them are from different companies, so the ports of addresses and communication would be a bit different. What more, USB and PCI would give some opportunity for us to learn new knowhow or knowledge of how to program the hardwares as previously we only worked with ISA. The most important, this time we will within Windows environment, rather than DOS. This is also another experience of a lifetime.

The Block Diagram of the whole project

Due to www.eggdisk.com system upgrade failures that destroyed all of the hosted files, so in order to ensure that the information written here can be understood better, as for temporary countermeasure, today I make the whole project diagram and posted it on the front page. This I wish would help the reader to understand the project better without downloading the supplied documents. This is the thumview of the said block diagram.

The USB Tester Board Part 3

Today I completed the other half of the 40P for 2nd USB of the dual USB tester board. However, I havent fully check the wiring whether there is any short circuit or not. Its pretty tiring doing the soldering of tiny components after half day doing it. Anyway, with this acomplishment, then the next stage is to test all of the done hardwares for USB. But of course I have to double check the wiring prior to turning on the devices.

As for Futurelec, the PCI card had been successfully installed. One thing that hinders progress for the time being is the interface board to do testing. While it requires some hardware design, it also need some hardware fabrication. I think it will take some time to do that. So for the time being, I guess I wil concentrate more on the USB board first.

The Basic of Futurelec ET-8255 PCI

Futurelec Full Demo Test Program looks like this,
Futurelec also gave demo I/O programs for Output test, Input Test, and both Input and Output.

These are those three demos programs.

http://www.eggdisk.com/files/167567_c55wp/ET-PC8255Test.jpg

http://www.eggdisk.com/files/167568_5vzxx/8255-ContWordModeDefFormat.jpg
http://www.eggdisk.com/files/167569_qk010/8255-IOBasicOperation.jpg
http://www.eggdisk.com/files/167570_ozkgc/8255-Mode0portDef.jpg
http://www.eggdisk.com/files/167571_xzi4w/8255-Mode2StatusWordFormat.jpg


http://www.eggdisk.com/files/167572_5u3it/8255-ModeDefSummary.jpg
http://www.eggdisk.com/files/167573_kcuaw/8255-Pin%26FunctDesc.jpg

The Test of the Futurelec ET-8255 PCI Interface Board

Today we prepare the PC to test the Futurelec ET-8255 V3 interface board. These are obstacles that we found out with our existed workshop PC.
1- The display card is using 16 colors only and need the right display driver which is 86C394-397 S3 Savage4.
2-The datasheet requires Adobe Reader
3-The programs need a compiler
4-The demo and test program require PS/2 mouse to use with
5-All 3 IDC connectors on the IB are 34P rather than 40P as we used to used with old 8255 board.
6-No CDROM

Due to these reasons, then before we go ahead we have to get those things ready prior to proceeding to the next level.
As for #1, the driver already downloaded and installed. Now the display is using 16bit 800x600 resolution.
As for #2, we have the software and just pending installation only.
As for #3, Mr Khow will bring the Visual Basic V6 compiler CD by tomorrow.
As for #4, temporarily no device available yet, but it could be taken care of once the need arise
As for #5, sometime this week I will go to SS2 PJ to buy the necessary components ASAP
As for #6, the old CDROM from store is being used now since that PC have 2 devices.

The driver s for the PCI board have been installed, and so far when the test program being run, no error message come out. However, full testing would only be done ASAP once those above obstacles were settled.

As for the time being, we will go through the manuals and try to understand and do some comparative study with the old board. It seems like the materials support for this interface board are quite extensive, meaning a lot of reading are required prior to actual programming can be done.

The Inter Conveyors Mooncake Transfer Conceptual Design

The concept for our next project had been finalized last month. Its about the transfer of the Mooncake from one moving conveyor to another moving conveyor of the packaging machine. As for testing purposes, we are going to use the Film Seal Machine as the mooncake supply conveyor and the packaging machine would be the Fuji horizontal packaging machine. This is the film seal machine, and this the Fuji.The film seal will be aligned at 90 degree with the Fuji conveyor, which is at the middle of the above picture between sachet auto feeder and Fuji controller.

Anyway, the objective of this project is actually to ensure the supply of the mooncake can automatically loaded into the packaging conveyor resulting in reduction of a few manpower. What more, the cleanliness can be ensured as its fully automatic process.

This is what we plan the process should be. First, one operator load the mooncake on the seal film conveyor. Once the mooncake reach at the auto pusher slider, it will slide and stop just infront of the pneumatic pusher. Since we already add one switch to detect the mooncake presence, thus once the mooncake presence signal is being triggered, then the pneumatic pusher will push down the mooncake. The mooncake then will slide and guided into the packaging moving conveyor where it will be combined with the oxygen absorbber, that later on both will be horizontally packed automatically. This is how this conceptual design would be. The actual will be altered accordingly to the best result obtained later on.