RE: Conceptual Diagram - NEW Advanced SSTC Controller

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Original poster: "Mccauley, Daniel H" <daniel.h.mccauley-at-lmco-dot-com> 



Thanks for the feedback Jim.  Definitely great suggestions.

That could definitely be one possibility to have a rackmount SSTC power
system, and then a handhelp user controller which
could be powered by a fiber optic serial connection.  I'm currently
using PIC16C66x, PIC16C76x type devices (since I already have a complete
emulator system which I'm doing for some consulting work i have) and
that has full capability of
serial communication.

It would definitely keep the operator a bit away from the SSTC when
making adjustments etc...

Dan



If I could offer a suggestion about user interfaces..

It might be nice to use something that provides an internet/Ethernet
interface, and then implement your control as either something that
listens
on a socket for UDP, or uses something like telnet to control it.

Anybody who runs something this sophisticated is likely to have a
computer,
and you could implement a very simple program on the PC that could allow

setting and manipulating parameters.

You could also use a serial link, which could be connected with optical
fiber or even just optoisolators.

You could put the LCD and keypad on the controller, or, use a second PIC

with the "control head" and the first pic talking to it.

Simple serial comms at 9600 bps would probably be enough, and allows all

manner of useful interfaces (IrDA, RF, etc.)

You could use the cheap 1000 micron plastic fiber as the link.

That would allow the operator to be some distance away from the HV and
sparks.. always a good thing.

Rabbit Semiconductor makes a lot of nice single board things that are
cheap
that have a lot of interfaces (including programmable timers), and
programmable in C.