Regulated DC Power Supply

A regulated power supply aims at providing a constant voltage regardless of the changes in the current sources.  This article shows the making of a 5V constant power supply source using a Bridge Rectifier and Voltage Regulator IC. Before moving to the project let’s have a glimpse at the Bridge Rectifier and Voltage Regulators.

Bridge Rectifier is nothing but an arrangement of diodes and capacitors to convert AC into DC voltage. The diodes switch themselves on and off on the basis of polarity of alternating current, i.e. they act as a short circuit and open circuit according to the biasing that changes due to positive and negative half cycles of alternating current. This action clips some portion of the alternating voltage/current and we get some form of impure DC with curves called “Ripples” as shown in figure 2.  Rectification efficiency of Bridge Rectifier is 81.2%

The following circuit, figure 1 shows a bridge rectifier without voltage regulator and filters. The simulation leads to DC with ripples as shown in figure 2. 

Figure 1

Figure 2

Voltage Regulators are available in a wide range and types: Fixed output voltage, Adjustable output voltage, Switching Regulators and Special Regulators.

Here, we have used a fixed voltage regulator IC 7805 that gives an output of 5 volts. The 7800 series consist of 3 terminal positive voltage regulators with seven voltage options and can deliver currents up to 1 ampere. For further information on ICs you can consider the datasheet. http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/lm7805c.pdf

Note: If you want to make a negative power supply, than 7900 series IC can be used.

                                

IC	Output voltage     (v)	Maximum input Voltage(v)
7805	5	35
7806	6	35
7808	8	35
7812	12	35
7815	15	35
7818	18	35
7824	24	40

    

Capacitors used in the circuit acts as filter which bypass the ripples content through it and allows only DC to appear across the load. Figure 3 shows bridge rectifier followed by voltage regulator and capacitor filter which give pure DC without any ripples at the output as shown in figure 4        

Figure 3

Figure 4

  Components Required:

  ·         1 Step down transformer. Here used a 240- 12 v step down transformer of 1 amp. Rating.

  ·         4 (1N4007)diodes.

  ·         1 Electrolytic capacitor (1000uf).

  ·         2 ceramic capacitors (0.01uf).

  ·         1 resistance (330 ohm).

  ·         2 LEDs     

  ·         7805 IC             

                         Making the supply:

1.  Make the design: Design can be simply made on a zero PCB or can be made on a copper clad using masking and etching process. Here, we are making it on a copper clad (you can also use zero PCB for such small circuits). The design can be made on any PCB design software, I have used PCB Express.

      2.   Take a print Out on glossy photo paper.

       3.  Take a copper clad and mask the circuit using a hot iron.

      4.  Dip the clad into etching solution and after etching, scrub out the remained toner on the clad.

                   5. Drill the holes and solder the components.

             

                 6. The final supply

                   7.Test

LED's which works on DC glows up, which shows that we are getting DC at the output.Therefore, it demonstrates a Regulated DC Power Supply. 

JIBO- The Bot who knows your family

JIBO- World's first social & family robot.

Just think of a friend who is always with you, respects you, understands you , talks to you, welcomes you when you are back home, lives like a family member and makes you feel good with  just a difference that its not made of the flash and bones instead some electronic circuits and motors.

It is made possible by Cynthia Breazeal the developer of Jibo and her team.This robot lives like a part of your family. It clicks pictures, talks to you, notifies you,entertains through interactive applications and equipped with many high tech functions along with the cute looks. 

There are at least three things that make Jibo really exciting. The first is the price point, as little as $500 if you preorder. This price point reflects just how much the costs of sensors and other components of robots have come down in recent years. A second exciting aspect of Jibo is that developers will be able to write apps for it. It appears as though Breazeal’s team expects a marketplace for Jibo software. A third is that the team obviously put an immense amount of thought into how Jibo will interact with its users

How JIBO Works

Setup

1. Follow JIBO's instructions to connect him to your WiFi network
2. Teach JIBO to recognize your face & voice
3. Learn what you can ask JIBO to do
4. Download the JIBO mobile app (Android & iOS) to connect JIBO to your mobile devices

Connect to Devices
Your JIBO Network can include:

• Mobile devices
• Personal computers
• Other JIBOs

The JIBO Store
Expand your JIBO’s skills or customize his abilities through purchasing items from the JIBO Store. You will also be able to buy other physical accessories to make your JIBO unique. The JIBO Store will launch before the first JIBOs ship in Q3 of 2015.

Don't forget to watch this amazing video of JIBO...

Source: https://www.jibo.com/

Seabreacher- The Diving Monster..

Seabreacher- The Diving Monster..

If you are fond of unique experience of underwater flight to waterways around the world than Seabreacher is your perfect machine mate.

Powered by very high horse power engine to thrill you underwater and shake the adrenaline inside you to the highest levels and provide the most adventurous feel ever, that for only the seabreacher is made. 

Innespace Seabreacher (or Sea Breacher) is a two-seat submersible personal watercraft, with a shape based on that of dolphin, and the ability to imitate a dolphin's movement.

Designed by Rob Innes and Dan Piazza of the American company Innespace it is the production model of the single-seat Innespace Dolphin. The concept came from VASH (variable attitude submersible hydrofoil), which was invented by Thomas "Doc" Rowe and Dennis "Dusty" Kaiser in 1987 with his boat.

The two seat vessel is powered by an Atkins Rotary Marine engine coupled to a Hurth V-drive transmission.

It is a watercraft that pushes limits of what people can do in water: diving,jumping,rolling,porpoising and other amazing aquabatic tricks all within a safety & comfort of a dry, sealed cockpit.

Unlike conventional watercraft that only operate on a two dimensional plane, the Seabreacher operates more like a aircraft with full three-axis of control. This allows the vessel to carve left and right, jump over, dive under, and cut though the waves. The acrylic canopy and underwater view ports give pilot and passenger a near 360 degree view as they fly through the water at breathtaking speed.

Its Customized version costs around $81,000- $ 90,000 which can vary according to the needs and features.

The original versions of the Seabreacher, built almost a decade ago, sported high powered Wankel engines and even V8s, but over time, the most usable power-to-weight ratio and balance has been found from fitting the engines from Personal Watercraft.

Most of the Seabreachers to date have been fitted with the 255 and 260 horsepower supercharged Rotax powerplant fitted to top-of-the range Sea-Doo models, but because no-one spends six figures to have less grunt, the most commonly used power units of recent times have been the current horsepower king – the 300-bhp Kawasaki from the Ultra 300X jet ski.

Both the Sea-Doo and Kawasaki motors use forced induction and displace 1500 cc.

Another interesting option emerged recently when one of Seabreacher's wealthy clients specified the 1800-cc supercharged powerplant from the Yamaha FX SHO Waverunner, mainly to simplify servicing on his boy's toy collection which also included several Yamaha FX SHO Waverunners using the same motor.

"It produced a machine that accelerated harder and had a higher top speed than anything else we've built," says Seabreacher's Rob Innes, "but the additional weight robbed it slightly of turning and handling. It produced more of a Grand Tourer than a sports car."

The advantages of using a PWC motor are many, not the least of which is their robust nature. Though the Yamaha and Kawasaki motors are closely related to the respective motorcycle engines of those companies, the PWC versions are beefed up considerably by comparison.

A motorcycle is rarely held at maximum power for very long, because you can't do 300 km/h anywhere for more than 30 seconds, at least not legally. Airstrips aren't long enough, autobahns with no speed restrictions only exist in Germany, and racetracks have a corner at the end of every straight bit.

PWCs though, are often held "flat out" for very long periods of time on lakes, rivers and oceans where there are no speed limits and an endless expanse of flat water. PWCs are hence constructed so they can withstand considerable abuse – which makes them perfect for the Seabreacher. It is a toy that screams for more and the peace-of-mind of knowing the engine is pretty much bulletproof means that your adrenalin sessions will be largely carefree.

Designed by Rob Innes and Dan Piazza of the American company Innespace

Dan Piazza 

                                                                 Rob Innes 

Video featuring the Seabreacher..

Source: http://seabreacher.com 

Robotic Bird- SEAGULL

Robotic Bird that flies like a real bird!!

Innovation at its best."It is a dream of mankind to fly like a bird," designer Markus Fischer said who led the team at Festo that developed the first ultralight artificial bird capable of flying like a real bird.

 SmartBird is inspired by the herring gull. The wings not only beat up and down but twist like those of a real bird -- and seeing it fly leaves no doubt: it's a perfect technical imitation of the natural model, just bigger. (Even birds think so.) Its wingspan is almost two meters, while its carbon-fiber structure weighs only 450 grams.

Working:  It contains a microcontroller, four servo drives, and a lithium polymer battery. Its wings move in a split-stage helical transmission, and their positions are monitored with sensors that relay data to ground operators via a radio link.

The audience at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre applauded when the gull was hand-launched, tentatively flapping its wings and then beating the air to circle above the auditorium.

"It is a dream of mankind to fly like a bird," designer Markus Fischer said in his presentation, during which he hand-cranked a SmartBird to show how it flaps its wings. He added the company built it to learn about air flow phenomena and lightweight, energy-efficient models.

Markus Fischer

Video Featuring Robotic flying bird...........

3 Doodler

It's a pen that can draw in the air! 3Doodler is the 3D printing pen you can hold in your hand. Lift your imagination off the page!

What is it?

Have you ever just wished you could lift your pen off the paper and see your drawing become a real three dimensional object? Well now you can!

3Doodler is the world’s first and only 3D Printing Pen. Using ABS plastic (the material used by many 3D printers), 3Doodler draws in the air or on surfaces. It’s compact and easy to use, and requires no software or computers. You just plug it into a power socket and can start drawing anything within minutes.

The latest model 3Doodler

Oh, and it’s also the most affordable way to 3D print… by a looong way! With 3Doodler we’re making fun 3D creation accessible to everyone.

How does it work?

If you can scribble, trace or wave a finger in the air you can use a 3Doodler.

3Doodler in action

As 3Doodler draws, it extrudes heated plastic, which quickly cools and solidifies into a strong stable structure. This allows you to build an infinite variety of shapes and items with ease! Most people will instantly be able to trace objects on paper, and after only a few hours of practice you will be able to make far more intricate objects.

3Doodler is a brand new way of creating objects and artistic works. Whether you are an artist, hobbyist or 3D printing fanatic, we can’t wait to see what you 3Doodle!

Six little men and the other one said... 3Doodler! 3Doodler!

What can I make with 3Doodler? 

There are many ways 3Doodler can be used. 3Doodles can be created as flat forms and peeled off a piece of paper, as freestyle 3D objects, or in separate parts, ready to be joined together using the 3Doodler. The creative opportunities are endless, including:

• Basic 3D shapes and 3D models
• Jewellery, pendants and hanging ornaments
• Decorative art and fridge magnets
• Personalization of everyday objects (iPhone cases, laptops, pens, etc.)
• A mini Eiffel Tower or a soccer pitch for your Lego men
• And much much more…

3Doodler works on almost any surface, including plastic, allowing users to personalize items such as iPhone cases, or anything else they feel like 3Doodling on. 3Doodler can even be used for minor repair work.

3Doodler "stencils"

We’re particularly excited about 3Doodler "stencils" - sophisticated print-out stencil kits to help you create awesome objects (like our Eiffel Tower). We'll be making these available online for everyone. Simply print it out, 3Doodle each part according to the stencil and then join them with your 3Doodler. As time goes by we, and the 3Doodler community, will be able to create hundreds (maybe thousands) of stencil kits that can easily be emailed and shared with friends. We’ll be hosting these on our website, the3Doodler.com , for anyone to download and use for free.

2 ft Eiffel Tower Stencil

We’re looking forward to seeing what people create and supporting 3Doodler communities everywhere.

The Sellers of Etsy Special

We're collaborating with some fantastic sellers on Etsy , all wire artists, to showcase how 3Doodler can be used to create beautiful objects and pieces of art. We're thrilled to be working with Bud Bullivant , Ruth Jensen (Sparkflight) , Nakisha  and Ele McKay  to bring our vision to life. 

Wire Art by Ruth Jensen (Sparkflight) - sparkflight.etsy.com

 

Wire Art by Bud Bullivant (wiredbybud.etsy.com)

Bud and Ruth will be creating a limited edition run of the first professional 3Doodles (see the Seller on Etsy Special Reward above). The ideas are already flowing, and we'll be working together to bring you a truly unique 3Doodle creation from these top artists. The expected size of the 3Doodle is approximately 4 x 2 inches. It will be beautifully boxed and shipped by August.

Nakisha will be producing an exclusive template for anyone ordering a 3Doodler. Created especially for you, the template will showcase 3Doodler's capabilities and allow you to make your very own artist-designed 3Doodles. And we'll be announcing a special collaboration with Ele shortly.

Wire Art by Ele McKay (elemckay.etsy.com)

 

Wire Art by Nakisha (wireanimals.etsy.com)

More to come on all of this in an Update! Bud, Ruth, Nakisha, Ele, we're truly grateful for your support!

3Doodler Components & Accessories:

The pen: The 3Doodler pen is 180mm by 24mm. The pen weighs less than 200 grams or 7 ounces (the weight of a typical apple), although the exact weight will depend on the final shell specifications once in production. And we are using a universal power supply, so provided you have the correct adapter for your country, 3Doodler will work just fine on 110v or 240v.

The evolution of 3Doodler

3Doodler is not a toy for children (it's recommended for ages 12+). While the plastic extruded from 3Doodler is safe to touch once it has left the pen, the pen itself has a metal tip that can get as hot as 270C. There is no reason for any user to touch the tip while in use, but safety comes first, and we are creating a video series that will explain how to use the 3Doodler, covering off the different techniques and safety precautions necessary.

The Ink (i.e. ABS/PLA plastic): The 3Doodler uses 3mm ABS or PLA plastic as its "ink" - just like a 3D printer. Each 3Doodler backed on Kickstarter comes with at least one bag of plastic; each bag will contain ten 1ft strands of plastic; and each 1 ft strand produces approximately 11 ft of 3Doodling fun... yes, you read that right, a foot of plastic goes a very long way in the 3Doodler.

Some suitably attractive photos of ABS plastic

ABS is one of the most common plastics around. It's used in most of the plastic stuff around you. PLA is what we call a "bioplastic". It's made from corn, is biodegradable and has a lower melting temperature than ABS. We are offering both choices as each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

We plan to offer plastic sold in strands (making it easy to switch colours and create different styles), but 3Doodler-compatible plastic is also available in 1kg spools from between $30 to $55 from a variety of sources... such as here , here , here , here , andhere . And for some stunning PLA have a look here . This is no ink cartridge model !

Fun Fact: The average 1kg spool of 3mm ABS contains approximately 360-370 feet of plastic. That's approximately 3,960-4,070 feet of 3Doodling, or 3 Empire State Buildings with enough to spare for several more weeks of doodling.

The Future of 3Doodling: We have a ton of ideas for add-ons and accessories that will make 3Doodler even cooler, more useful, fun, and generally awesomer (is that a word?). We hope that the 3Doodler will be a big success so that we can share all our ideas and offer you even more 3Doodling fun...

Pete & Max, Inventors of 3Doodler

Source: http://the3doodler.com