TomGeorge:
Hi;
Will you be able to hold the P-CH MOSFET long enough to get a reading with a capacitor driving the gate?
I read the source, it will be interesting to try.
Have you been able to source a Logic Level P-CH MOSFET?
I have not tested the circuit yet. According to the source, it takes about 1 to 2 ms to pulse the MOSFET and get a reading. I guess the battery could be tested when you turn the device on and a new reading could be done immediately after a hit is detected and if the battery level comes below a certain level, a message could be sent to the base to get some audio/visual feedback.
I found a very nice project with a very small breakout board that might just do the trick.
Hummm ... I think that with this last circuit, if the battery is left connected while the circuit is powered off by setting the MCU to sleep, the DIO would go to LOW and would also set the gate to LOW, switching on the P-MOSFET and draining the battery. My circuit has no switches to totally disconnect the battery and will be sleeping most of it's time so that would not work. Must rethink this...
HAHA! That's what R3 is for. While the MCU is sleeping, R3 will drive the P-MOSFET gate HIGH keeping it off. So I guess it is a good solution for this project.
Hi!
How went the tests? I've been working on some wireless solution for epee 2 years ago but my efforts failed and I abandoned the project. I keep my fingers crossed for your prototype
Hello. The wireless part of my project was tested with a couple of friends and was a tremendous success. After a while we were no longer thinking about the modules anymore, only enjoying the sport we love. That is, for me, the definition of a good solution: one that you forget about, while using it.
The pairing of the modules is done by passing the module over the left or right side of the base, activating a hall sensor with a small magnet, and after that the module registers hits on its side. The MOSFET battery tester was implement successfully and now the module reports it's battery state to the base when it pairs. There are a lot of other small funcionalities in place to make it truly effective as a training aid, like double hit, dwell time, auto-sleep, battery charging and monitoring.
I'm now working on having the ability to pair a phone with the base and modules with bluetooth to use the module as a testing device with feedback on the phone and to register scores and timing on the base.
Next step, to figure out the lack of common ground to cancel the hits on the hand guard and floor. I'm very, very close to a working solution. I'll post a video today.
