Final idea for target practice design

rxhul

Active member
Hello!

I have come up with the final function of a product which I am trying to make (of around GCSE standard).
I feel that it may have started to get too complicated, but I am going to put everything down here and then see where I am.

I am creating a circuit for my product on CircuitWizard and although I know that this is a pixace forum, I thought, maybe someone can help me out with a few things.

So, the circuit is:

There are 3-5 bi colour LEDs. On top of these is a pressure pad/PTM. So, randomly, one of the LEDs comes on (red), and when the user hits the pressure pad/PTM above, it goes green and a buzzer emits a sound.
Obviously, there is an on/off switch, but there will also be a switch to change between modes. Depending on complexity, there will be 2-3 modes.
Mode 2: 20 seconds timer, hit as many as you can. (can't use a 7 segment display so can't think of a way in which I could tell the user how many they hit)
Mode 3: two LEDs come on and you must hit them in quick succession.

Then there is the test box circuit which would be good if I could incorporate into the first circuit because ideally I can't have 2 circuits:

Using a three-point pin, if the sword if working, i.e. current coming down left two pins, then the LED goes green, if the circuit is short-circuiting then the LED goes red. If this doesn't make sense, I'm so sorry and will try to explain again.

Questions;: the LEDs are both my inputs and outputs - I don't get how I would lay this out on circuit wizard when drawing the connections to the PICAXE microocontroller
I require some guidance on the layout of the circuit in this matter and resistor values.
How could I indicate the number of hits in 20 seconds without 7 segment or is this impossible?
Could I incorporate the test box circuit into the main circuit or do I need 2 different ones.

Many, many thanks!!
 

rxhul

Active member
Sorry! - wasn't v clear -

this is a fencing target practice so, when I mention the sword I mean the test box tests if it is working properly or not!

Thanks in advance,
 

hippy

Technical Support
Staff member
What you seem to be basically describing is a vest of pressure sensors which, when contact is made, that pressure pad detects it, lights a LED and sounds a buzzer.

That seems simple enough and easy enough to extend to any number of pressure pads and bi-colour LED's -
Code:
            V+ -.-   .----------.       ___
               .|.   |      B.0 |------|___|-----.
               |_|   |          |                |
                |    |          |    .--|<|--.   |
            .---^--->| C.1  B.1 |----{       }---{
            |        |          |    `--|>|--'   |
Pressure  | O        |          |                |
  pad     |          |          |    .--|<|--.   |
          | O      ->| C.2  B.2 |----{       }---{
            |        |          |    `--|>|--'   |
            |
           -^-
Plus another output for the buzzer and an input or inputs to select mode..

Not sure why you can't have a 7-segment display, but you could add an LCD or simply flash a LED to show how many hits there were.

I think you are going to have to explain in more detail what this testbox does, what it's testing and how it's to be used.

If it's just to check that the circuit, software, pressure pads and associated LED's are working I would just have a test mode in addition to game modes and make each push of a pad beep the buzzer and cycle the associated LED between off, green, red and off again.

First off I think you need to define the game play in words. You'll need that as the introduction to your project. That should then allow the hardware to be defined to achieve that, and then you can design the circuit from that.
 

rxhul

Active member
Hi hippy,

Thank you very much for your reply:

It is a bit like a vest of pressure pads, but the pressure pads are only in 3-5 speciic locations (the targets).
If the 3-5 pressure pads are my imputs, which pins would they go to on a 14M2
Thre reason I cannot use a 7 segment display is because my superviser says it would be 'too complicated' (?) because each individual segment requires circuitry of its own.

Game play in words:
When you turn the machine on and start the exercise, one of the 5 LEDs will come on and you hit it, whereupon, the LED turns green and a buzzer emits a noise.
Then, if you change the mode, a 20 second timer begins and the same random LED lighting system begins but this time you have to hit as many as you can in the time.

This video may help explain it:


The test box is for the weapon not the actual target:
I think a video will be better than words:

- this explains how it is made and should hopefully show the function.

The sword is connected to a wire. When contact is made at the tip then the point will be registered in a fight.
The test box does the same thing. When the circuit is made the light goes green. If there is some sort of fault with the circuit then the red light comes on.

Alternatively, I was thinking that the LEDs on the target coud be used as my test box lights (to save me having to make 2 circuits)
but since that would reduce me to only 2 LEDs, the loss in stimulii could be made up by using the buzzer.
i.e. one light comes on do X, 2nd light comes on do Y, light and buzzer = do Z

or would that not work??

Many thanks everybody.
 

hippy

Technical Support
Staff member
If the 3-5 pressure pads are my imputs, which pins would they go to on a 14M2
Any digital inputs available could be used. There's an argument for using digital inputs with internal pull-ups as that would avoid having to add external pull-ups.

Thre reason I cannot use a 7 segment display is because my superviser says it would be 'too complicated' (?) because each individual segment requires circuitry of its own.
That is technically true but one can buy pre-built 7-segment display modules which only require power and two or three control lines. Just as an example -

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/382998797011

The sword is connected to a wire. When contact is made at the tip then the point will be registered in a fight.
The test box does the same thing. When the circuit is made the light goes green. If there is some sort of fault with the circuit then the red light comes on.
For something which should be 'mere wiring', it is incredibly difficult to find a clear description of what that wiring actually is.

https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Fencing/Electrical_Equipment_Repair

It is one of those cases where a picture really would be worth a thousand words.

Once the wiring is determined it should be easy enough to create a circuit which can test the sword and integrate that into the pressure sensitive target.
 

techElder

Well-known member
These "pressure pads" are just switches? The sounds on the video infer switches and relays. Is that correct?

Also, in the second video, with the "test box" being simple LED / resistor / connector setup, it seems that the "sword" has a switch on the end of it. Is that correct?
 

hippy

Technical Support
Staff member
Also, in the second video, with the "test box" being simple LED / resistor / connector setup, it seems that the "sword" has a switch on the end of it. Is that correct?
Looks like it to me. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_cord my interpretation of the wiring is -
Code:
               |
               |   .-------.
  Lame A ------{   |       |    
               |   |   |O  |   .- - - - - -
Weapon B ------|---'   |---^---|-------------)
               |       |O--.   }- - - - - -
               |           |   |
Ground C ------|-----------^---'
               |
The B-C switch goes open circuit when the tip is depressed.
 

techElder

Well-known member
The B-C switch goes open circuit when the tip is depressed.
This project sounds like a lot of the "old school" club/league/sport equipment that just keeps hanging around because of "that's the way its always been done" explanations.

The improvement that I would make is put the electronics on the wall and leave them out of the portable/handheld equipment.

Use actual pressure sensitive devices on an X-Y grid with the LEDs to indicate "hits."

Wouldn't it be great if the "armor" that is worn had the same pressure sensitive devices at the strategic locations with the "hit" indicators built in instead of having extra stuff in the handheld device? I suppose that the expense of it all is the main factor.

Pressure sensitive devices could be like these from Tekscan.
 

hippy

Technical Support
Staff member
The improvement that I would make is put the electronics on the wall and leave them out of the portable/handheld equipment.
That seems to be the intent. I would however treat that as a separate addition to come later, incorporated as a separate 'sword test' mode.

Providing three, perhaps four, I/O pins are kept free that would allow for 'sword testing' to be added later.
 
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