If you had unlimited electronic parts to work with...

(1) For about 46 years I have been thinking about a unit to convert a standard manual (stick shift) automobile gearbox into automatic.
Actuators would operate the gear leaver (stick shift), clutch, accelerator, and brakes. Inputs would be, driver speed command (accelerator), engine RPM, road speed, and acceleration.
Control would be by a microcontroller of some sort.

(2) Automatic lawnmower- very small. You would chuck a handful of them on your lawn and they would spend all their time nibbling away at the grass, rather like a sheep

(3) Automatic vacuum cleaner, also very small- that could clean all surface including ceilings. It would thus have to be able to fly (helicopter). Similar to the lawnmower above in general operation.

spec

ericgibbs said:

I have plenty of time/bits and build all sorts of gizmo's, problem is I have no real applications for the projects.
Design > Build > Program > Test > Dismantle.
It's very frustrating no longer being in business. !!

Eric

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Maybe you could do a consulting business from your home. You could call your business Genius Emeritus

Mikebits said:

Maybe you could do a consulting business from your home. You could call your business Genius Emeritus

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hi Mike,
I do effectively run a 'free' consulting/repair business from home.
I guess most grand parents do the same for their children/grand children.
[the gene pool head count is now 29!]

You would be surprised at the range of 'can you fix this' jobs that family and friends drop in your lap.

I am always busy doing something in the electronics/programming field, I also still post to three techno forums.

Hope you are well and busy.

Eric

Another design would like to do would be an IC: nothing too complicated. Perhaps a timer similar to a 555 but more accurate, easier to use, and with extra facilities.

spec

spec said:

Another design would like to do would be an IC: nothing too complicated. Perhaps a timer similar to a 555 but more accurate, easier to use, and with extra facilities.

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It's called a PIC 12F675 - it can easily replace a 555 with MASSIVELY better performance, and unbelievably extra facilities.

Nigel Goodwin said:

It's called a PIC 12F675 - it can easily replace a 555 with MASSIVELY better performance, and unbelievably extra facilities.

Click to expand...

Nigel Goodwin said:

It's called a PIC 12F675 - it can easily replace a 555 with MASSIVELY better performance, and unbelievably extra facilities.

Click to expand...

Hi there,

I was just telling someone that a few days ago when we were talking about stretching a pulse.
It's amazing what we can do with a microcontroller these days, even a small baseline 2 dollar chip

Long time ago we had trouble testing some things in the lab because we needed a repetition timer that could turn things on for a set time then turn them off for a set time then turn back on, etc., etc., and those things were expensive back then. These days we can use a 12F675 and program it with on/off delays from microseconds to thousands of years. Some things really have changed a lot.

It's just too bad that social structures did not follow a similar course. With all our technical advances we are still threatened daily with global catastrophe due to one or more groups that are completely unhappy about the way their lives are going.

MrAl said:

Hi there,

I was just telling someone that a few days ago when we were talking about stretching a pulse.
It's amazing what we can do with a microcontroller these days, even a small baseline 2 dollar chip

Long time ago we had trouble testing some things in the lab because we needed a repetition timer that could turn things on for a set time then turn them off for a set time then turn back on, etc., etc., and those things were expensive back then. These days we can use a 12F675 and program it with on/off delays from microseconds to thousands of years. Some things really have changed a lot.

Click to expand...

I know, it's crazy what you can do with one