Need help with project

[conchord]

I'm making a project that has to measure the speed of sound between 2 microphones 1 metre apart. The results have to be displayed and the circuit has to run from a 9v supply. I was going to use a microcontroller but I'm not really sure anymore.
Any help would be great.

 

[stevez]

This sounds like an assigned project. I'll offer some thoughts or questions -

1. What is the "sound" or do you get to choose that?

2. Is the measurement done once or is the measurement supposed to be continuous?

3. What will you display? Time, speed - what units?

4. Will your apparatus be arranged so that the "sound" source is closer to Mic#1 - with Mic#2 a meter further away?

5. With #4 above in mind - what kind of signal do you have from Mic#1 - what do you have from Mic#2? You'll probably need to amplify them.

6. You might use Mic#1 to start a timer - Mic#2 to stop it.

Hopefully this helps get you started.

 

[conchord]

hello,

1. yeah probably be clap of hands or something similar

2. once

3. The speed will be displayed

4. yes

5. yes I will amplify. This is the area I'm not sure about, and the signal stuff

6. Yes

 

[conchord]

Does anyone know if I should use microcontroller, sequential logic, fpga or c++?

which would be best?

 

[Torben]

Does anyone know if I should use microcontroller, sequential logic, fpga or c++?

which would be best?

I'd use C or assembly on a microcontroller myself, although you could also use a number of other methods depending on what you needed to do. If I had to use C++ I'd be tempted to do it on an older PC via the parallel port but I can't think of any reason to use C++ for something like this.


Torben

 

[Hero999]

A microphone, speaker and amplifier is all you need.

You set the gain so high it oscillates, the frequency of the oscillation will depend on the distance between the microphone and the speaker.