Which optic sensor? (Winder build)

[other1152]

i'm looking for an optic sensor that is preferably one part that beams to a reflector, which i was hoping to attach to the back side of my bobbin faceplate.

please let me know if you know where i could get one or have a link, also if you have any pointers on wiring it up to a red lion counter, i'm interested.

i'll post some pics of my winder as i get it more assembled too. thanks guys!

[smili]

Here's a build w/ optic sensor and red lion counter and provides a circuit diagram. not a reflective beam though. hope it helps
Pickup Winder

[other1152]

thank you.

i'm sure that will be helpful but i was kind of hoping someone would know of a reflective optic sensor, because of how my winder is going it would work great to just put a small reflector on the back of my faceplate.. maybe i'll figure out a different way.

[other1152]

also, if anyone has any experience with the Red Lion IMD1, could you tell me a little bit how it works and what i need to do to get it to just count.. it seems that this may be more counter then i can handle.

[Sock Puppet]

To be honest, you could use just about any reflective optical sensor you can get your hands on.

e.g. Reflective Optical Sensor 950nm TCRT1000 - eBay (item 250534486128 end time Aug-18-10 09:11:33 PDT)

Datasheet here:

http://www.vishay.com/docs/83752/tcrt1000.pdf

Wire it as Smili suggested.

[other1152]

i picked up one of these awhile ago

OPB700Z Optek Photointerruptors

should do the trick. if i'm doing the blank cd trick and i paint it black and put a strip of relective tape on it, how wide does the reflective part need to be? or should it be half reflective and half black?

[Sock Puppet]

Half black would be best but I reckon most electronic counters would still be happy with just a small black section at the speeds you'll be using.

Great idea using a CD btw, must have missed that one on my travels.

[Sock Puppet]

You're not going to like this and I should have spotted it earlier but I've just looked at the datasheet for the IMD1 and intelligent as it is, it doesn't count pulses

[other1152]

is that going to make me unable to wire it with those sensors.. and have it count my rotations? i really dont know a whole lot about the technical side of this, the counting part of it is more of a necessary evil as far as i'm concerned.. its whats held me up thus far.

[Sock Puppet]

Unfortunately it means that you haven't got a counter!

Have a search on this forum for the counter threads and see what others have used in the past and digest some of those then sell or return the meter you have and go from there.

Counters should have count speed stated on the datasheet.

e.g. This CUB3 on ebay usa:

RED LION MINIATURE ELECTRONIC COUNTER PT# CUB3000049065 - eBay (item 260283013075 end time Jul-25-10 13:29:45 PDT)

datasheet here:

http://www.redlion.net/Products/Grou...Docs/01008.pdf

The datasheet for this gives:

"COUNT SPEED: 100 counts/sec (6000 counts/min). Min. input pulse width
5 msec, with 5 msec spacing between count pulses."

and would therefore be fine if the digit size is o.k. for you.

[other1152]

hmm i thought i saw someone on this forum who had the same one i bought. thats why i bought it. there would be no way to wire it up so it does count then..?

[Sock Puppet]

Nope!

[other1152]

thank you for the help! i'll be ordering a new counter very soon and be winding in no time!

do you recommend this counter in that ebay link above?

[Sock Puppet]

do you recommend this counter in that ebay link above?

That counter will certainly do the job and the price is right, if your eyesight is up to the task - personally I would prefer something with large, bright digits. It's entirely up to you.

Happy winding.

[Sock Puppet]

This one looks good, relisted as it didn't sell last time around:

RED LION APLT0600 TOTALIZING COUNTER, APLT - eBay (item 110568181920 end time Aug-09-10 06:32:58 PDT)