This week worked a lot on trying to get a thyristor dimmer working with an arduino and geiger counter.
Geiger Counter Integration
- Implemented a basic Arduino sketch to count impulses from the Geiger counter.
- Verified that impulses are correctly detected and displayed as “count” in the serial monitor.
Dimmer Integration
- Implemented and tested a basic sketch for controlling the RobotDyn dimmer.
- Weirdly- the dimmer activity LED blinks in response to impulses from the Geiger counter- without any geiger counter related code? I can’t find a useful data sheet on the dimmer to tell me what the led actually means. In the video on its amazon page it looks like it has a steady on, so maybe it’s just power? That doesn’t seem right. I am very confused. I suppose I should just attach an AC light and see what it does, maybe it’s already magically working
Combined Functionality
Initial Attempts
- Combined the Geiger counter code with the dimmer code using interrupts.
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Encountered persistent __vector_2 multiple definition errors due to conflicting use of interrupts by rbddimmer and the working geiger counter example.
- The __vector_2 error is caused by both the RBDDimmer library and my geiger counter example sketch trying to use the same interrupt vector for different purposes. This conflict arises because both the dimmer library and the sketch’s attachInterrupt function are trying to handle the same hardware interrupt. The Geiger counter example code uses attachInterrupt to attach the tube_impulse function to an external interrupt on pin 2. This works fine on its own, but when combined with the RBDDimmer library, which also uses interrupts internally, a conflict arises.
Polling Method
- Attempted to avoid using interrupts by implementing a polling mechanism for the Geiger counter.
- Encountered issues with no impulses being detected in the combined sketch.
Outstanding Issues
Vector 2 Interrupt Conflicts
- Persistent __vector_2 multiple definition errors when using interrupts in the combined sketch.
- The dimmer library uses the same interrupt vector as the Geiger counter code, causing conflicts.
Polling Method Ineffectiveness
- The polling method did not successfully detect Geiger counter impulses in the combined sketch.
- Serial monitor only displayed “CPM: 0” repeatedly without detecting counts.
Dimmer LED Activity
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The dimmer’s activity LED blinked in response to Geiger counter impulses, even in isolated tests. wat?
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Need to verify if this behavior indicates correct functionality before integrating with the AC lamp.
Next Steps
Dimmer Verification
- Test the dimmer in isolation to ensure it correctly controls an AC lamp based on programmed input.
- Add additional debugging messages to trace the exact state changes and function calls.
other stuff
- Making a big wood and paper maché sign that says “VIDEO GOLDMINE” for the front door. Should be ready to paint tomorrow.
- borrowed a nice ‘bordello’ looking lampshade for the uranium glass lamp from Laurel
- Got drapes up on the far wall of the space, mounted three monitors for the Video Goldmine piece
- Placed two of the plinths in spots I think they might work for the mac classic and spectrum next
