why moving isnt a good idea

[large_ghostman]

first off i am not asking for help (yet ) but wanted to air my feeling's!! having moved i have not been near a pic in months and months, so today decided that at last i could get the bread board fired up and start one of my many many projects on my list. first problem

1. cant find any of the 18f4685 chips that are normally my weapon of choice!!! [self moderated bad words] so opted for a new and shiny 18f45K22

2. realized i didnt have a clue anymore how to set pragma config!!! [self moderated bad words again] so downloaded datasheet (are data sheets like instruction manuals?? if so then as blokes surely we are meant to ignore them?? (BTW i am now 13 so officially a bloke), anyway downloaded datasheet despite it being against the bloke code and found i could no longer figure out wich setting i needed! [again self moderation here], then decided that actualy i remeber a help file with 18f configs dig that out and find the settings, so here i am slowly going through the process of setting pragma configs and feeling like a total newb again

i will not give up or ask for help untill i have spent at least 4 hours stuck on something!!! i am really surprised how easy it has been to forget everything i know if i asked you would all help but first i need to struggle through so it might stick a bit better this time, seems like alot of work to flash a LED when i can buy a flashing LED from ebay for 30p lol

LG (now 13)

 

[Ian Rogers]

Welcome back little G... Are you using C18 or XC8... As the pragma's are different...

You'll need to change your signature again..

 

[picbits]

I'm still unpacking (and rediscovering) stuff that we packed up for my move 7 years ago !

 

[large_ghostman]

i am using c18, havnt dared download XC8 yet, and like pic stuff i have forgotten how to change the sig! i should download XC8 but will probably stick to c18 for now. first time i have used the 18f45K22 and everything seems different even using the ADC, part of me think's i should stick with chips i know the other part thinks it's better to use all kinds. HMMM i dunno.
still is good to be messing with pics again, i still have loads of boxes to unpack but got impatient so have started messing, my new school dosnt do electronics but i have a maths teacher thats into it and he might start a after school club

 

[alec_t]

Just a bit more refreshing your memory and you should be able to act as co-instructor for the club

 

[large_ghostman]

i am really lucky i should be able to learn as i have kind of inherited most of dad's stuff as he dosnt get time, so i have a great lab with loads of components and plenty of equipment so no excuses about not having XYZ. but having to teach myself is pretty hard google helps but is hard to weed out the rubish from the good stuff, once i am back upto speed i have a new project i want to start with the CTMU, my other hobby is fishing and we have a broken old boat that i want to replace the switches with cap touch ones, and replace the lights with led lights to save the battery. We swapped the old ride on mower for the boat but it needs loads of work doing to it before we can get it wet

 

[alec_t]

i want to replace the switches with cap touch ones,

Before you do, there's another thread here about problems with soft switches. Worth a read?:
https://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/tablet-computer-turns-itself-on.136157/

 

[large_ghostman]

Before you do, there's another thread here about problems with soft switches. Worth a read?:
https://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/tablet-computer-turns-itself-on.136157/

ive read it now, what i was thinking of doing was changing things like the switch that raises and lowers the outboard motor, the one it has now has corroded completely even tho it had a (worn)rubber boot on. so i thought a simple cap pad with on/off up/down on it would solve the corrosion problem, also i am wondering if salt water would give a false trigger so many things on a boat could work well with switching by touching a plastic panel, would get around alot of problems but only if it worked well, randomly moving the motor up or down could be a really bad problem especially when trying to load back onto the trailer!

 

[JimB]

LG (now 13)

I remember 13, 51 years ago.

I suggest that you now edit your signature line and your location.

But the main point I want to make is...

You have been away from the stuff for a few months and forgotten a lot, this is why computer code (software) should be well commented as you write it giving a description of what it is doing and why.
Otherwise when you come back to it, one week, one month, or one year later to try and make some changes you will not have the faintest idea what it is (supposed to be) doing.

JimB

 

[large_ghostman]

signature is finaly changed! i do comment code but the problem i was having was remembering were i found settings for chips i hadnt used before, it's slowly coming back to me tho

 

[large_ghostman]

just starting to do out my room! a work in progress lol

 

[large_ghostman]

did some better pics, excuse the mess the room isnt done yet and i have loads more stuff to fit in!!

 

[JimB]

There is some serious looking test equipment you have there.

JimB

 

[dr pepper]

I moved to a new house last year and I built a bench from 3 sheets of 3/4 mdf, its really good and just fits in the spare room.
You have a lot more storage and test gear than me, and I've been into this for 3 decades.
I wonder if yer old man has anything to do with it, my old man is a retired engineer thats why my garage is stuffed with machine and hand tools.

 

[large_ghostman]

its actualy mostly dads stuff but he dosnt use it much, shame to have it just sitting around so i use it there is a load test gear still to unpack and loads of boxes of components i have to sort through but beats playing on the play station lol

 

[killivolt]

If you do a cap touch make sure you cover it with spray, this will avoid the salt water from corroding your board and rusting components. I did one that worked pretty well.

I was spoon fed but, in the end it worked. Fun Project.

https://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/touch-activated-switches.102791/

 

[dr pepper]

'but beats playing on the play station lol '

Glad to hear that LG.

 

[fezder]

hey ghost, your lab looks cool do those storage organizers even have something inside, or is it just for show? ;D just kidding....

 

[large_ghostman]

yeah the storage has stuff inside lol most is still in box's but will be in the racks later this week. your project looks cool KV, i am going to do something slightly different to that, i am hopeing to use a water proof box and mill out some the inside to make it thinner then mount a pcb touch plate behind. i have been looking at the CTMU on the pic i have. MC's app note and the datasheet have some sample code and getting the CMTU to work for touch dosnt look too bad looks alot harder if you want to measure cap values but i dont need to do that just measure if a touch has taken the reading over/under a threshold. will start working on it tommorow with luck.
Off school today as i have a interview with another school later, shame more schools dont teach engineering oe electronics more i really want to do it as a job but finding places to learn is hard, i have started to collect books tho i like to read real books (i get that from mum and dad) so i can get comfortable and i take it in better. updated pics later in the week when room is more sorted!
LG (13)

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Serious amount of storage cabinets

Don't you think you might have put some sort of floor covering down before you moved all the gear in though?.

Quick edit:

Here are a couple of pictures of my new MUCH smaller workshop at work, just taken on my phone.