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GCSE project involving PIC....

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right well i cant check till i get to school but that looks like it might work! And what does 2n2 mean on caps? And can I just ask why is there a 10k on the 3 wire coming off the mon1? As in what is it doing
 
right well i cant check till i get to school but that looks like it might work! And what does 2n2 mean on caps? And can I just ask why is there a 10k on the 3 wire coming off the mon1? As in what is it doing

hi,
2n2 is the same as 2200pF
If you dont have a 2200pF try a 1000pF or 3300pF.

The 10K is to hold pin 3 at +Vsupply, so when the switch closes pin 3 is pulled towards 0V. [ a negative going trigger pulse as required by the 555, refer the image I posted earlier]

Note: the trig pulse is generated when the input to the cap is pulled from high to low... OK:)

Woops!.
EDIT:
Just saw the ref is about pin #3.

I would add it, BUT its not essential, its one of those I prefer things... others WILL disagree.:rolleyes:
 
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I have just tried the circuit, but now not even C1 is charging...strange. Almost seems even when the switch is pressed nothing is happening. Hopefully you can help
 

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um its a school program, but do it another program if you want and send me the screenshot so i can test it. But I am running out of time
 
As you're in the UK you should know better, GCSE's are examinations taken at 15/16 years of age - the level of Electronics taught is absolutely minimal, with the teacher often knowing nothing about Electronics at all.

Generally, a teacher will be appointed to teach Electronics, and sent on a two day course - it could be an English teacher or anybody - and they almost certainly have zero Electronics knowledge previous to this.

So all they are able to do is follow the book exactly as they have been taught on the short course, it's really NOT a very good introduction to Electronics.

At the school where my daughter is now in 6th form, I used to know a guy (called John) who went in as a volunteer to teach Electronics and run clubs - now he was a VERY, VERY clever guy. He worked for Lowe Electronics and (amongst other things) designed their high performance HF band receiver.
My school was much better, I don't know whether the teachers actually had an electronics qualification but I'm sure they had an engineering degree and they seemed to know what they're talking about. The only time I remember have a not so good electronics teacher was when the electronics teacher was away and we had our history teacher who couldn't believe how much more well behaved I was in electronics than in history.
 
My school was much better, I don't know whether the teachers actually had an electronics qualification but I'm sure they had an engineering degree and they seemed to know what they're talking about. The only time I remember have a not so good electronics teacher was when the electronics teacher was away and we had our history teacher who couldn't believe how much more well behaved I was in electronics than in history.

I suspect you were very lucky! :D

Back in my day you didn't do electronics at school, but one of the physics teachers was fairly good with electrics, and helped me on occasion.

As for the quality of teaching - yet another new school regulation is shortly coming in to effect - where all primary school children have to be taught a foreign language (currently, only secondary school children have to). Where are all these language teachers going to come from?, how are they going to be paid for? - they aren't - the existing teachers are going to be sent on a course (one day I think?), and that's all they get. This was just how most Electronics teachers came to be!.
 
yeah i old teacher helped pioneer radar systems so he knew what he was doing but the new one hasn't taught electronics for 15 odd years (did computer science and resistant materials) so shes not a complete idiot, but neither completely on the ball. Anyway please help with my circuit!
 
well it still doesnt work but I am thinking is a there a mechanical way of making a switch which will go off/on/off/on . This will decharge the capacitor and then my circuit should work. So if anyone knows of such a device then I would be very grateful!

rich
 
I suspect you were very lucky! :D

Back in my day you didn't do electronics at school, but one of the physics teachers was fairly good with electrics, and helped me on occasion.
I did a GCSE in Electronic Products and got a B which I wasn't happy with but it was my own fault for being lazy.

As for the quality of teaching - yet another new school regulation is shortly coming in to effect - where all primary school children have to be taught a foreign language (currently, only secondary school children have to). Where are all these language teachers going to come from?, how are they going to be paid for? - they aren't - the existing teachers are going to be sent on a course (one day I think?), and that's all they get. This was just how most Electronics teachers came to be!.
I did French and only got a D. I blame the teacher who was a very patronising bully who told us all that even if we worked really hard the highest grade we would get is a D (I was in the bottom set and none of the class were expected to do well). I lazed around and messed around in class and still got a D so I may have got a C if I'd actually tried.

I think the government should import language teachers from eastern Europe and teach the children Russian which would arguably be more useful due to all the immigrants we get from over there.

Another thing is that GCSE French is useless because it doesn't teach how to speak the language but how to pass an exam.

It seems silly that children haven't ;aways been taught a forien language since the age of 5. It's been known for a long time that children loose their language learning ability as they get older - everyone knows that.
 
i totally agree i mean i know how to pass an exam but ask me to speak french and i would struggle. Which is completely wrong, they should take account of other countries such as the Netherlands in which children can speak fluent English to higher degree of accuracy than some English children by the age of 7!

Anyway back to the project, is there a way of making a mechanical switch which could do such a task!
 
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