To increase one`s chances of seeing the northern lights, the uncertainties of existing aurora prediction methods can be bypassed by sensing the light from the aurora directly. The Aurora Alarm is a device which accomplishes this objective through the use of a narrowband optical filter, a photomultiplier tube detector, and a flexible microprocessor system for high voltage control and alarm determination.
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It features a wide dynamic range, flexible alarm levels, serial interfacing to a PC or simplified direct hookup to an alarm, remote programmability, single-supply operation, and a built-in heater for operation in cold weather. A prototype incorporating a compact printed circuit board design and core software routines shows good performance with numerous possibilities for future applications. The successful completion of the Aurora Alarm reflects the contributions of many people. I would like to thank my project advisor, Professor Carlton Cross, for his guidance in every phase of this project. During the mechanical design and construction of the prototype, the practical suggestions and assistance provided by Professors Ralph Stirling, Don Riley, and Ryan Mowat, Jim Forsyth at Technical Support Services, and fellow student Andrew Depaula saved me countless hours. I also wish to thank Physics Professors Claude Barnett and Gordon Johnson for their willingness to answer my optics questions and provide lab space, and Robert Batten for his Mentor Graphics tutoring. A special thanks goes to Ray Muller at Hamamatsu Corp. for the generous donation of the photomultiplier tubes and high voltage power supplies used in this project. I am also indebted to Bill Grenier at the Andover Corp. and Calvin Grandy at Omega Optical Inc. for their donation of the optical filters. Without their support, this project would not have been possible. The...
This project fits more for custom made battery casing that can have more space to hide things inside. This switch with few alterations can be used for any other project as well but is designed based on e-bike needs! This project use a clever functionality of....
The circuit described here uses ultrasonic oscillations and operates based on the propagation velocity of these oscillations in the air. Thus, we can easily determine the distance of two points if the time within which the wave travels this distance is....
Sometimes the precious metals are hidden too deep and are not detected except with complicated devices. In many cases, however, small pieces of precious metal buried near the surface can be detected by relatively simple means. Everyone is very attractive to....
Many times for various reasons we forget or can not water the plants that we have in our homes. And many humidity sensors units just notify us with a beeping sound or with a flashing light, that the pot needs watering. But what if we are away from home? This....
The principle behind a metal detector is really very simple. Proof of this is the circuit that follows, in which it proves that the construction of a metal detector can be done in the minute, with few components that we find very easily everywhere. With the....
The sub-harmonic bass generator is a sound producing unit for guitars. The sound it produces looks very much like that of the bass guitar. The octave generator is sometimes quite unusual since it does not produce any of the usual ways of coloring the sound,....
In the past the sounding (sea bottom measurement) was done with the "bullet", that is, with a heavy lead object that the seamen plucked into the sea hung from a calibrated rope. As soon as the "bullet" reached the bottom, the depth appeared directly from the....
This Amplifier was designed to have the following specifications: Distortion less than 0.1% at full power of 100W even at 20KHz. Power has to be attributed to an extended bandwidth. The output transistors must be protected against short circuits. The power....
A series of LEDs serve to alert the gardener when plants need water. Using two conventional digital integrated LEDs and a series of LEDs, we make a very useful device for gardening. The device detects the amount of water in the pot and alerts the grower.....
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