SW-COMPUTER-EVOLUTION!!

[Gandolf]

My only question is if this will be able to handle all of the numerous add-on boards that will surely come out..

That is 'just software'* and the raw chips are just $1.78 in cost    The wolfdragon LiPO board is the only one out there now and that is just plug and play since it's special software has been built in for some time now.  The mag sensor thing is out there and that will need a new software chip for sure.  But that is almost a trivial 'extra part'.  Being able to swap the whole computer chip and software easily is a big winner 

Next question: When are you going to be taking orders for these?

I ordered enough parts for production in the mean time.  So Monday the 21st unless a problem comes up.  All the functions and documentation are the same.  The motor wires coming out of the board are in a slightly different place but not a big deal at all there.  The Extreme-fire website will need a lot of work    That will take more time...  But all the raw files for those that are following along are here:

http://extreme-fire.com/SW-COMPUTER/SW-COMPUTER-3.0/


*Unconventional Airsoft has a nice tutorial on this!!   

http://unconventional-airsoft.com/2008/04/08/how-to-develop-for-the-trigger-master/#more-61

http://unconventional-airsoft.com/store/

Again I should point out that this is all totally open source stuff that anyone can copy, make, sell, and use themselves too!  I like the design part and the selling just pays for the R&D.  But I can only make so many a day, so others making them is supper cool to take the load off me 

Gandolf

[Rob]

I already have...

http://projectwolfdragon.com/Products/Products.htm
http://projectwolfdragon.com/Products/LiPO-PCB.htm
http://projectwolfdragon.com/Products/Conventional-PCB.htm

Although mine has a LOT more smarts and can either drive the IO for the SW-COMPUTER or function in stand alone with pretty much any MOSFET Trigger by supplying the voltage that goes thru the trigger contact to the FET itself

OOOPs
sorry about that


Are these plug and play?
As in can I just plug these into the li-po and play, as several of my aeg's are just ab-sw-long's not Comps and I run li-po's in them all now.

[wolfdragon]

for the sw-comp, yes they are plug and play, although it can be a pain to get to the AUX port of the sw-comp depending on how you install the thing

for any other mosfet trigger... eh kinda, basically the board itself would connect to one side of the trigger contacts while the other side would go to the mosfet trigger as normal. so if you made some connectors do the work for you, you can plug and play it

I set up my AUG to do that and will probably have to write up a diagram for that so everyone can see how to make the trigger modded board plug and play.

I wrote this:
http://projectwolfdragon.com/Products/Complete%20MOSFET%20and%20PCB%20Install%20Guide.pdf

It's a graphical guide on how to wire everything up, I think that would answer more questions than me just trying to explain them verbally.

[Gandolf]

Hi,

All is going well!  Everyone shipped my stuff when they were suppose too so now it is up to UPS to get it here 

I got the price of the EVOLUTION down to $70 too!  But no supplied connectors now.  You have to let me know what/if you specifically need:

http://extreme-fire.com/Connectors.JPG

I don't have a lot so only get the connectors from me if you have too.  I just get them from:

http://onlybatterypacks.com/items.asp?db=14

My only question is if this will be able to handle all of the numerous add-on boards that will surely come out..

Sure!  There are thoughts about a peripheral controller that takes like 20 inputs and condenses that to two for the computer.  But that is far off in the future.  I do wonder if it will someday need more than 8K of program space...

Wolfdragon caught the other questions well.  His boards could even do trigger wire block to the computer too as far as I know leaving all the AUX ports open!

Right now, I just want to get the hardware platform to the "indestructible" status.  Then it is all just software and who can make the boards in high volume.  Hopefully the hard work will all be done then    We learned a LOT there!! 

BTW - I get a lot of 'dealer' inquiries now.  I have to disappoint them since this project never had those middle persons in mind.  But once the thing is rock solid, I hope someone "else" can take care of the high volume stuff    "I" am all about R&D and I set it up for all direct customer stuff from my side.  I just don't do "dealers"...  But hopefully I have left to door wide open for others 

Gandolf

[wolfdragon]

Wolfdragon caught the other questions well.  His boards could even do trigger wire block to the computer too as far as I know leaving all the AUX ports open!

Actually I have included such a setup in my install guide:
http://projectwolfdragon.com/Products/Complete%20MOSFET%20and%20PCB%20Install%20Guide.pdf

Look at pages 9 and 10, specifically Figures 13-16 (the SW-COMPUTER is really just a smart 6 wire MOSFET Trigger)

[JCW8]

I thought  saw Gandolf say somewhere that he needed both of his trigger wires connected for feedback on the three shot burst timing or something... in the 6-wire diagram I only see 5 coming from the FET, unless I missed something or I just am not getting it (which is entirely possible).

[JCW8]

Another quick question: For people that have Crane stocks - will the Evolution board fit inside a collapsible M4 stock tube?

[wolfdragon]

I thought  saw Gandolf say somewhere that he needed both of his trigger wires connected for feedback on the three shot burst timing or something... in the 6-wire diagram I only see 5 coming from the FET, unless I missed something or I just am not getting it (which is entirely possible).

all of gandolf's stuff comes from what would be the gate wire, its orange,

the small red wire just supplies power for the trigger contacts, the orange brings it back

take the PCB, run the green wire (Trigger mod wire) where that small red wire would go (as shown in the figures, you have to look at the first couple pages to get the real big picture) and the computer is none the wiser. The gun wont fire if theres no voltage coming back from the trigger contacts (trigger not pulled) if the PCB trips, no power is supplied to the trigger contacts, thus the computer will think that you just haven't pulled the trigger

[ringsted]

Hello there

The evolution thing sounds nice

I just broke my replacement Computer (the old one)

I was ajusting my hop up and firing on Semi automatic. i think i shot around 25 shots off i all, then the Gun went beserk on Full auto again 

The battery i used this time was a 12v 1700 mah elite batteri, made from AA cells.

Just make sure this new thing is so strong i cant break it 

[eel one]

I'm truly amazed with you guys ability to make parts fail. But then again, you put them to the extreme and whats works best for you, will last for a LOOOONG time with the rest of us.

[Gandolf]

Hello there
The evolution thing sounds nice
I just broke my replacement Computer (the old one)
I was ajusting my hop up and firing on Semi automatic. i think i shot around 25 shots off i all, then the Gun went beserk on Full auto again 
The battery i used this time was a 12v 1700 mah elite batteri, made from AA cells.
Just make sure this new thing is so strong i cant break it 

I bet that was the noise problem.  Main FETs are pretty hard to break.  Or was it getting hot?  Drop me a note at Extreme-Fire and we'll get it fixed with the new version. 

[Gandolf]

Hi,

It's looking great!! 



It went together fine.  It failed all the tests at first but if you look close you might see the resistor that didn't get soldered      But then it worked perfectly!!

The size with cover is 0.7 x 0.45 x 2.25.  I may be able to get that down a little when I reorder the boards.  But as expected, it is bigger.

The parts list has been updated with minor changes:
http://extreme-fire.com/SW-COMPUTER/SW-COMPUTER-3.0/SW-COMPUTER-30-parts.jpg

Note that all the connectors are extra parts now to save cost and get exactly what you need:
http://extreme-fire.com/MotorConnectors1.JPG
http://extreme-fire.com/Connectors.JPG

The parts placement diagram is here:
http://extreme-fire.com/SW-COMPUTER/SW-COMPUTER-3.0/SW-COMPUTER-30-Placement.jpeg

For the changes:

The computer drop out time used to be 0.050 seconds.  If the battery voltage was lost or dropped while powering the motor with a weak battery, the computer reset.  That time is now 0.200 seconds or four times longer.  This should solve all that computer resting stuff unless something is really screwed up bad.



The break circuit voltage drift problem is also all fixed.  That may have helped burn the old breaking FET.



The active clamping is working again and that should keep the inductive kick on the battery wires below 40V:



If it does not, the TVS will clamp it absolutely at 40V in any case:



As for the breaking FET heating, it takes 20X the power now!  I took a big lead acid battery and a hopped up gear box without a piston and ran it from room temperature to 100C:

http://www.youtube.com/v/i7kWN_lFdBo

Of course, a mechbox with a piston will have 5X- 10X less heating.  But this was the worst way I could find to test it.  In normal use, no one should be able to break it now.  With a piston and all in place, the motor will probably burn up first.  With a normal battery of the 8.4V type and a gun in the normal 10 to 20 RPS range, nothing will hurt it now.

So everything should be fixed.  I will still have the regular SW-COMPUTER since it is smaller and very popular.  It has the TVS and Break voltage fixes now but not the big breaking FET or long battery voltage loss time.  It should do fine in most applications.  But for the bigger higher powered guns, the SW-EVOLUTION should handle everything you can throw at it.  The software and functions of both are exactly the same.

Gandolf

[Jawz]

Gandolf,

In the video, the gun seems to cycle slower at the end.  Did the temp protection kick in or was it just your trigger finger that got tired?   

Jawz

[Gandolf]

Gandolf,
In the video, the gun seems to cycle slower at the end.  Did the temp protection kick in or was it just your trigger finger that got tired?   
Jawz

I was getting pretty tired out    I was thinking of running it off the HP 33120A waveform generator at like 2.000000 trigger pulls per second to be 'scientific' (also has thermistor temperature probes), but it was just too much trouble.  I was also going to show the old FET blowing in like 5 trigger pulls in that test.  But tonight, the night is 'not' young   

The CPU was only getting to like 40C.  It is sooo far away.  I am thinking about a copper strip but that would make chip swapping harder.  And if it is just not going to over heat, it is not an issue anyway.

Terry

[kahuna92]

It went together fine.  It failed all the tests at first but if you look close you might see the resistor that didn't get soldered      But then it worked perfectly!!

Is that the left part of R1 on the CPU side of the board that didn't get soldered (only one I noticed)? 

The new board looks a lot easier to assemble, less tiny resistors to move into small spaces.

That lead acid (12v?) test is quite impressive. Did you try that with full-auto?