Hello! Brand new here, just found this forum while looking for help on an idea I want to pursue. Is this a good place for a novice to ask questions about how to build a particular circuit?
What I would like to do is add a visual alert to a radar detector on my motorcycle. The whole visual vs audio alert has been debated at length on MC-related forums, but for my purposes, I believe the best solution is a visual alert.
I've looked at a few commercial products, and some may work for me, but may not be ideal. So I'm exploring the idea of making my own.
Hopefully I'll be able to add an image of a system block diagram to help explain.
I want to be able to take the audio output from the RD earphone jack and trigger an array of flashing LED's as my alert that a radar signal has been detected. I want the LEDs to flash at a fast rate that will easily get my attention in my peripheral vision, perhaps about 5-6 times per second.
I also want to be able the vary the LED intensity according to ambient light levels. Needs to be very bright to be seen in direct sunlight, but that would be blinding at night. One commercial product claims to vary the intensity by changing the audio output level at the earphone jack. That's a possibility, but ideally I would like to be able to use a photo sensor (photoresistor?) to accomplish this automatically.
**broken link removed**
System Block Diagram.
I'm hoping I can find some help with this. I understand circuit theory, although it's been a long time since I've worked with electronics. I have access to the tools I need to make some kind of prototype.
To try to make this easier for myself, I want to tackle this in separate chunks.
The first would be driving the LEDs, being able to experiment with flash rates and intensity, and getting a feel for how much intensity it takes to easily grab my attention.
Second would be figuring out how to process the audio signal and use it to trigger the LED flashes. Third would be figuring out the ambient light sensing part of it.
If I could figure all these out through experimentation, then I'd like to design a circuit that puts it all together that I can test on the bike.
I appreciate any and all thoughts here. I'll try adding a second post for a few questions about "Phase 1".
Thanks!
Keith
What I would like to do is add a visual alert to a radar detector on my motorcycle. The whole visual vs audio alert has been debated at length on MC-related forums, but for my purposes, I believe the best solution is a visual alert.
I've looked at a few commercial products, and some may work for me, but may not be ideal. So I'm exploring the idea of making my own.
Hopefully I'll be able to add an image of a system block diagram to help explain.
I want to be able to take the audio output from the RD earphone jack and trigger an array of flashing LED's as my alert that a radar signal has been detected. I want the LEDs to flash at a fast rate that will easily get my attention in my peripheral vision, perhaps about 5-6 times per second.
I also want to be able the vary the LED intensity according to ambient light levels. Needs to be very bright to be seen in direct sunlight, but that would be blinding at night. One commercial product claims to vary the intensity by changing the audio output level at the earphone jack. That's a possibility, but ideally I would like to be able to use a photo sensor (photoresistor?) to accomplish this automatically.
**broken link removed**
System Block Diagram.
I'm hoping I can find some help with this. I understand circuit theory, although it's been a long time since I've worked with electronics. I have access to the tools I need to make some kind of prototype.
To try to make this easier for myself, I want to tackle this in separate chunks.
The first would be driving the LEDs, being able to experiment with flash rates and intensity, and getting a feel for how much intensity it takes to easily grab my attention.
Second would be figuring out how to process the audio signal and use it to trigger the LED flashes. Third would be figuring out the ambient light sensing part of it.
If I could figure all these out through experimentation, then I'd like to design a circuit that puts it all together that I can test on the bike.
I appreciate any and all thoughts here. I'll try adding a second post for a few questions about "Phase 1".
Thanks!
Keith
