+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 12 of 12

Thread: Reversing a DC motor without sensor/external signal

  1. #1
    menirva Newbie
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Posts
    21

    Default Reversing a DC motor without sensor/external signal

    Anyone have any idea on how can i make this possible? For example a 2 wheeled robot bumped to a wall, then after few second it will start reversing.

    Can anyone give me some idea how can i start to do this? Thanx!


  2. #2
    weegee Okay
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    South Wales, UK
    Posts
    133

    Default

    i cant give you a circuit, but i would imagine that you would be monitoring the motor current. when you hit a wall, the motor will stall, at which point it will draw more current. when you get this current spike, you.... depending on configuration, but if using a relay to control direction, you would trip the relay to reverse direction. i imageing you would have to filter out the first spike after changing direction to avoid the starting current to the motor causing it to reverse again.

    these are just whats bouncing around my head, and untested, so please go easy if ive made an obvious mistake.

  3. #3
    Super Moderator Nigel Goodwin Excellent Nigel Goodwin Excellent Nigel Goodwin Excellent Nigel Goodwin Excellent Nigel Goodwin Excellent Nigel Goodwin Excellent Nigel Goodwin Excellent Nigel Goodwin Excellent Nigel Goodwin Excellent Nigel Goodwin Excellent Nigel Goodwin Excellent
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Derbyshire, UK
    Posts
    29,759

    Default

    Bumper switches - that's all most use, as it bumps a wall it presses a switch under a bumper, and that tells the circuit it's hit a wall.
    PIC programmer software, and PIC Tutorials at:
    http://www.winpicprog.co.uk

  4. #4
    menirva Newbie
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Posts
    21

    Default

    wow thanx! i'll try all this idea this week.

  5. #5
    weegee Okay
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    South Wales, UK
    Posts
    133

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin
    Bumper switches - that's all most use, as it bumps a wall it presses a switch under a bumper, and that tells the circuit it's hit a wall.

    i thought from the thread title that you couldnt use a switch 'Reversing a DC motor without sensor/external signal '

    obviously if you can use external input then nigel is spot on!

  6. #6
    Wingmax Excellent Wingmax Excellent Wingmax Excellent Wingmax Excellent
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    163

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by weegee
    i thought from the thread title that you couldnt use a switch 'Reversing a DC motor without sensor/external signal '
    That's what I thought too. I thought this is going to be a hard one, how does the robot know when it hit something if no sensor is used.
    May the force be with you.


    My project: Simple White Line Follower

    http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z_MmrdH4oc

    http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...nefollower.jpg

  7. #7
    menirva Newbie
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Posts
    21

    Default

    I also thought about the 'overload' current. When the robot hit something, the motor will draw more current. I thought i can use this to make as a signal. But is there any comparator for current? Pity me now i only know how to use voltage as signal, i can use inverter for example.

  8. #8
    weegee Okay
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    South Wales, UK
    Posts
    133

    Default

    not sure this is right, as im an 'experamentalist' when it comes to electronics, but i would assume that youd run the current to the motor thru a shunt, then measure the voltage drop accross it. but as i know many people on here know the theory inside and out, im sure someone could elaborate.

  9. #9
    Wingmax Excellent Wingmax Excellent Wingmax Excellent Wingmax Excellent
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    163

    Default

    I don't know the application of this project, but won't it be much easier to use sensor or switch?
    May the force be with you.


    My project: Simple White Line Follower

    http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z_MmrdH4oc

    http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...nefollower.jpg

  10. #10
    kurt_issac Newbie
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Posts
    2

    Default

    I have decided to use a switch to trigger an external signal.

    Reversing a DC motor without sensor/external signal-forum1.jpg

    How to design, so that the motor will reverse when received HIGH INPUT from the oscillation? I have a reason why the T_LOW must be longer than T_HIGH.

  11. #11
    kurt_issac Newbie
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Posts
    2

    Default

    Reversing a DC motor without sensor/external signal-forum2.jpg

    The problem with my design now is, the current_a period is too long. I want the current_a period to be the same as current_b

  12. #12
    Diver300 Excellent Diver300 Excellent Diver300 Excellent Diver300 Excellent
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    England
    Posts
    1,095

    Default

    Your oscillator circuit seems over-complicated and also seems to have a design flaw. It relies on Q1 and Q2 not having too much gain.

    It would be simpler to get rid of Q1, Q2, R2 and U2A.

    Just wire R1 from input to output of U1A, with C1 connected from the input of U1A to ground.

    http://www.fairchildsemi.com/an/AN/AN-118.pdf, figure 6 shows how it is done.

+ Reply to Thread

Similar Threads

  1. The Oscilloscope
    By ElectroMaster in forum Electronic Theory
    Replies: 12
    Latest: 3rd February 2008, 01:45 PM
  2. Using Oscilloscopes
    By mechie in forum Electronic Theory
    Replies: 9
    Latest: 29th November 2007, 09:49 PM
  3. Enquiry For some signal questions
    By shermaine in forum General Electronics Chat
    Replies: 6
    Latest: 5th December 2006, 06:02 AM
  4. Anybody got information on line driving a c-sync signal?
    By FusionITR in forum General Electronics Chat
    Replies: 8
    Latest: 15th April 2006, 04:16 PM
  5. Yet another LED taillight controller......
    By NickK in forum Electronic Projects Design/Ideas/Reviews
    Replies: 1
    Latest: 31st March 2003, 05:38 PM

Tags for this Thread