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USING LOGICATOR SOFTWARE

V. Ryan © 2002

 

There is an alternative to writing program lines manually when building a program for a smart box or most interfaces. Using software such as LOGICATOR will allow the programmer to build a program by drawing a flowchart of commands. This is an easier way of programming and it is outlined in more detail in the microcontroller section of this website. The screen below shows the typical layout to the screen when the software is loaded.

   

   

This flowchart has been drawn simply by dragging the commands from the menu on the right-hand side. The flowchart controls an automatic animal feeder which has been designed to feed a pet hamster automatically when the owner has gone out for the evening (photograph below).

   

   

The circuit is a home built light/dark sensor which detects when it is night-time. The program/flowchart detects when the sensor is activated by the 'dark' and a motor inside the dish rotates the dish cover in a clockwise direction, revealing food for the hamster to eat. After twenty seconds the cover of the dish rotates in an anticlockwise direction, closing the dish. This prevents the hamster eating too much food. The program can be altered with great ease - so that the food is available for a longer time and at different intervals.

   

Read the microcontroller/smartcard section of this site. This will help you gain a greater understanding of control technology and programming control devices.

   

 

   

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