CEB Press/Manufacturing Instructions/Controller Box/FeF Liberator Controller

=Step 2= Source the electronics. Here is a diagram of the controller box



Here is the complete controller installed:





Gross Electronics:


 * Electronics Box - local hardware store
 * Extension Cord
 * Or house wiring with Female Plug and Male Plug.
 * 2 alligator clips for battery connection - auto parts store
 * House wiring box (blue box in picture above below the Arduino Shield - hardware store
 * Fuse holder - car parts store
 * 12v quick connect plugs - 5 pairs - for quick-coupling to solenoids out of controller box - car parts store
 * Stranded 5A wire for solenoid connections
 * Spade terminals (10) for connection to solenoid terminals
 * Underground phone cable - makes very tough connectors for sensors
 * Potting compound
 * PVC pipe - with 1 end capped
 * Stranded Cat 5 wire for sensor connections
 * [5] Supermagnets -

Microelectronics:


 * [2] Hall Effect Sensors - Sparkfun
 * [1] Arduino shield kit - Makerbot
 * [1] Arduino - Makerbot
 * [2] RepRap PWM Driver Boards

Components for PWM Driver Boards


 * [1] Replacement MOSFETS -
 * []

=Step 3=

Shopping list for items which are shipped:


 * [1] Arduino breakout shield - $25, Makerbot
 * Assembly instructions -
 * [1] Arduino (Duemilanove) - $30, Makerbot
 * [2] Solenoid drivers -$13 ea., Makerbot
 * Assembly instructions -.
 * total cost with shipping - $88.25
 * [4] MOSFET replacements (see discussion) for solenoid drivers, VNP35N07-E - $3.34, Future Electronics (if not available, search at Octopart) (grate shaker is automated, no sensors needed for it)
 * Notes: The cheaper version recommended by Nophead from RepRap was this . See discussion.
 * Total $25.70 (for 5)
 * [2] Hall Effect sensors - $0.95 ea, Sparkfun
 * Total $9.16 (for 5)
 * [4] 3/8" V-groove bearings - $7.77 ea, VXB
 * Total $42.47
 * [6] Supermagnets - $0.48, Gaussboys
 * Total $11.11 (for 12)

Grand total for electronics, magnets, and bearings - $176.69


 * [1] Potting Compound - $22 for 48 oz, Polymer Composites
 * Molex connector for powering solenoid drivers -
 * [1] Fuse holder -

=Step 4= Put together control box and test sensors


 * Assemble entire Control Box
 * Blue spacer box - Arduino attached on top with 2 small screws. Slightly slanted attachment to make screw holes fit on blue spacer box
 * Terminal in electrical outlet box cut in half on metal cutoff saw to create + and - terminals
 * Plastic mount on bottom of electrical box was shaved to allow 2 solenoid drivers to fit


 * Test Arduino on laptop - for example by blinking Channel 13 output on Duemilanove.


 * Test sensors by passing magnets over them. See this sample code.
 * Data Sheet
 * Supply voltage is 5V from the Arduino breakout shield
 * The pins are +,-, OUT reading from top (printed / smaller face)
 * The output is "Open Drain" - this means you need a "pull up" resistor on the output (10K connected to +)
 * This model is "latching" which means it turns on from one pole, and off by the other, remembering its state in the meantime.

=Step 5=


 * Test solenoid valves by attaching power to battery and running this sample code for 2 solenoid channels.
 * Note we can reduce 3 solenoid channels to 2 by running both the shaker motor and the drawer cylinder from the same channel - the shaker is activated at every stroke of the drawer, as there is ample hydraulic fluid flow available in that part of the overall CEB operation cycle.

=Step 6=

Build sensor and magnet mounts, attach to the machine

=Step 7=

Mount control box and solenoid valve on the machine

=Step 8=

Test the entire machine
 * Test motion of main cylinder with this code
 * Test motion of soil drawer cylinder with this code.
 * Test motion of both cylinders, and machine is ready to run.