User:Hebron

From uCtrl.net

Jump to: navigation, search

Me

Name: Thomas Jensen
Age: 27
Location: Vestfold, Norway
Occupation: Process engineer
Email
Subpages: User:Hebron/Computers; User:Hebron/Talk archive
Resources: My YouTube channel

My interests are electronics, computer monitoring/control, micro controllers and automation. I use AVR programmable micro controllers, these can communicate with the computer using RS-232, control inputs and outputs and much, much more.

MJ-8050

After three years in collage i went to the military for one year, then I started working at Sensonor the fall of 2003 as a technical operator. After one year I got the position of technical coordinator. February 2006 I got the job as a maintenance technician, maintaining, troubleshooting and repairing the production machines. In October of 2006 I became a process engineer, and had the total responsibility for 7 machines. This was right up my ally and I had a great time. The fall of 2008 I started technical collage, electronics. This is a school over two years, in the meantime I'm in a leave of absence at work. I hope to come back to a similar job that I had.

I have always enjoyed electronics and controlling units, ever since I was little. In primary school I created a small wagon to pull with my bicycle (images at the bottom). It had lights, flashers, horn, reverse lamp etc. Everything was powered by two car batteries, so it was kinda heavy to pull around. In the beginning of middle school i created MJ-8050, a I/O module for a computer parallel port.

Production stop alarm, Sensonor

A big drawback with the MJ-8050 is that it's dependent on a computer to work. And the computer has to run a application to handle the parallel port, and if the module is disconnected the outputs go low. A computer is big, noisy and uses a lot of power. I had always relied on a computer in my projects, but the tasks the computer could handle was small. Due to the low number of inputs and outputs. So I started searching for system that could run and function regardless of the computer, and I found the AVR micro controllers.

When I was done with the military and started making real money again I bought the STK500 AVR programming board, the same fall I started working at Sensonor. And that's where my first AVR module is still located. Sensonor wanted a simple device that could sound the alarm once if a machine failed, I took the collage and with some help from a colleague the module was complete.

Serial I/O system

The fall of 2004 I moved away from home and into an apartment in Tønsberg. Suddenly I had very few tools and no work area. I decided to make a work bench and a small electronic workshop at the end of my office desk, and I got some ESD mats at work. Almost every paycheck went to buying tools and basic components. I quickly got over 500 different components on stock, bought at a Swedish company called Elfa.

It was a small apartment, 34 m² and I had some problems finding range of use for micro controllers. I used the MJ-8050 to handle alarms from my Linux server, but I wanted to make bigger more complex systems. I got a rack box at work and placed it in the closet in the hallway. Actually I never had any clothes in that closet:p I then had a variety of usages for modules and I started building AVR modules, the first to be install in the rack box was MMU.

At most I had over 15 modules in the rack box, doing all kinds of tasks. The front-end of the system was the status panel. I also worked on a Serial I/O system, that allowed me control the rack box with my computer. The use of the computer was optional, the system was fully functional without. The biggest challenge with this system was to program Serial Server, the main program that controlled every serial module. Serial Client is the GUI and front-end of that system.

After two years learning electronics, school is now finished. I can finally get back to work. Also I am currently on the move again, destination unknown at the moment. The apartment is to be renovated before selling it. In the meantime I live with my mom and dad, not the ideal situation for making electronic modules, or anyone else for that matter. When that's done the plan is to buy a house, with lots of space or stuff:) So future unknown at the moment...

Images

Hiskia, home of Serial Server and thereby Serial I/O system.	Redqueen, making mrtg graphs and webserver.	The rack box	My oscilloscope
LED lights for a glass truck	Computers	Electronic workarea	Electronic workarea
Component storage and STK500	Entire Rack box closet	Main school project, mobile alarm unit