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Electronics bod wanted!!
owelly - 26/6/08 at 09:33 PM

This should be a very simple task for the right person.
What I'm after is a timer that will beep at an adjustable rate from 10bpm-50bpm. It has to have the bpm displayed (probably by 2x 7segment display) and possibly have a flashing LED.
If someone could do me a diagram, I can soon get the bits from RS/Maplins, flop out the soldering iron and make the thing.
I've tried the standard musical metronomes but they only go as low as 40bpm (Largo!!)
Cheers folks!

[Edited on 26/6/08 by owelly]

[Edited on 26/6/08 by owelly]

stevebubs - 26/6/08 at 09:35 PM

no display

BenB - 26/6/08 at 09:36 PM

Sounds like a perfect job for a PIC to me

If you can solder and work a PC you can program a PIC Go on, go on, go on, go on.....

tegwin - 26/6/08 at 09:45 PM

You could achieve that with a monostable/astable and a decade counter....il be buggered if I can remeber how though!"

owelly - 26/6/08 at 10:08 PM

I should explain what it is for.
My chum and his chums are rowers. They are trying ways to be competitive and are sure that if they could accurately pace the distance with a timer, they could maintain a better average speed. This does work as they have proved but getting a way of keeping accurate timing on a wobbly boat in the middle of the sea isn't easy.

I'll buy the Maplins one and try to find one with a display.
Cheers folks.

02GF74 - 27/6/08 at 08:01 AM

it can ofcourse be done both of the ways mentioned (programmed PIC and digital hardware.).

the simplest would involve a multivibrator (steady!! ) but not have a display - in effect what the maplins kit is. you could make if for less but need to design it, at least you know that one works and is not major expense.

if you get really really stuck, I could look into both but got motrobike to get on the road so won't be for a little while.

omega0684 - 27/6/08 at 09:25 AM

Why don't you just get a drummer like the vikings used to do!

Richard Quinn - 27/6/08 at 12:59 PM

quote:
Originally posted by omega0684
Why don't you just get a drummer like the vikings used to do!

The metronome is to keep the drummer in time!!

As a slight aside, why do they need one that goes from 10 - 50bpm. Surely they need to adjust their rowing pace to the metronome, not the other way around, if they want to be competitive. Just get them a normal musical one that will go down to 40 and tell them they have to keep up with it and then they'll be faster!!

martyn_16v - 27/6/08 at 07:20 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Richard Quinn
Surely they need to adjust their rowing pace to the metronome, not the other way around


Yes, but they need to be able to set more than one pace. You can't go full tilt all the time, they'll be totally merked by about quarter distance. It's like asking a marathon runner to do it all at 100m pace

owelly - 27/6/08 at 09:42 PM

As said, they need to be able to adjust the pace. Speeding up and slowing down uses up energy. And going faster than you need to also wastes energy as the boats are displacement hulls. The faster you go, the bigger the bow wave which means that if they can find the optimum stroke rate (easy tiger), they'll win everything and they'll be heroes.....