Well, that looks like it will work. I don't know if I ever would have
been able to come up with it. This is a circuit that you already
had?
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No, I designed it for you.
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What was it for? I still wish I knew what was wrong with the
other circuit. I suppose I wouldn't find out without breadboarding it
first.
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Just simulate it. That's easier than having to explain it.
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So just to be sure I have things straight, V1 is the 5V supply, V2
simulates the first hall sensor, V3 is a manual push button reset, and
V4 is the second hall sensor. The pulse from V2 causes A1Q to go hi
which starts to charge C1. I'm not sure what happens next with C1. I
suppose it just slows the signal that will clear A1. When A1 clears
then A1Q| goes hi so that A2Q will go hi when V4 sends its signal. I
guess it also shorts C1 to ensure that A1 doesn't somehow clear (I
never would have guessed that that was something that needed to be
done). Anyway, A2Q goes hi and then from what I can tell it stays
hi. The next time A1 receives a pulse both A1Q and A2Q will be hi at
the same time giving me an error. I suppose the circuitry from A1
could be repeated on A2 so that A2Q can go lo again. Is that how it's
supposed to work or am I looking at this wrong?
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Kinda...
What's supposed to happen is that the pulse from the first sensor
starts A1, which is a monostable multivibrator, and then if the
pulse from the second sensor happens before A1 times out, A2 Q will
stay low. However, if the disk is spinning backwards the signal
from the second sensor will occur before the signal from the first
one does and, since A2 D will be high under those conditions, A2 Q
will go high when the pulse from the second sensor occurs, signaling
the alarm.
In a little more detail... When V3 goes high momentarily, both A1
and A2 are reset. Thereafter, a pulse from V2 will cause A1 Q to go
high, charging C1 through R1 and causing the voltage at A1 CLR to
become more and more positive as time goes by.
Eventually the voltage on A1 CLR will rise to the point where it
will reset A1, and at that point A1 Q will go low and A1 \Q will go
high until the wheel completes another revolution and V2 generates
another pulse.
When \Q goes high it turns on Q1, which quickly discharges C1 and
also drives A2 D high. With A2 D high, if a pulse is received from
V4, A2 Q (the alarm signal) will be driven high, indicating that the
disk is rotating in the wrong direction.
The reasoning behind that is that if the disk was going in the right
direction, the pulse from V4 would occur while A1 was timing out
(while A1 \Q was low) and A2 D would be low, keeping A2 Q low.
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Nice catch on the floating input. I don't know if I ever would've
seen that. I would've just assumed it was alright since there were
wires connected to all the inputs.
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Let's see... I just tried adding the circuitry to reset A2 but that
doesn't give me what I need either because then it wouldn't trip in
reverse. I suppose I could change the value of C2 so that A2Q stays
hi longer. I don't know, I'm pretty tired. Maybe the circuit is fine
and I just don't know how it's used. Or maybe you're waiting for me
to tell you how long we can wait while the disc rotates backwards.
Well, the sooner the better of course but I could allow the disc to
spin in reverse for 3 revolutions before having to send an alarm.
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You shouldn't have to add anything to the circuit and, as shown, the
alarm will trip with less than one reverse revolution of the wheel
at any speed.