Voodoo Main Discussion

[Qiaozhi]

Yes im using a computer for the 12 volts and i don't want to build another detector why not call a ground a ground -5 -12 and +5 or +12 positive and yes i skimmed through it and im not the only in here who has had problems with this project and im sure they have built other detectors and i would make the same mistakes voodoo or pi surf and besides ordering 3.3 ohms and ordering 33 ohms its the first problem ive had and like i said before ill blow it up 100 times until i learn everything there is about voodoo so im not going anywhere

That's your problem then, as the computer's power supply will have one side connected to earth.

[SilverSurfer17]

And im not mad George like i said from the get go if i blow it up its not the end of the world i know i can always replace the parts and that $10 for the parts and shipping was worth it to learn that ground isn't ground lol

[SilverSurfer17]

Bizzaro world where the positive of a battery is the ground

[SilverSurfer17]

So then when it says tp5 channel 1 the hook goes on tp5 tp2 channel 2 tp2 is the hook and the both ground alligator clips go tp1 which is actually a positive ?

[SilverSurfer17]

But you both are also correct i shouldn't of skipped over parts of the book to learn a ground isnt ground if its plugged into a wall coming out of a power supply or out of a battery

[SilverSurfer17]

Yes im using a computer for the 12 volts and i don't want to build another detector why not call a ground a ground -5 -12 and +5 or +12 positive and yes i skimmed through it and im not the only in here who has had problems with this project and im sure they have built other detectors and i would make the same mistakes voodoo or pi surf and besides ordering 3.3 ohms and ordering 33 ohms its the first problem ive had and like i said before ill blow it up 100 times until i learn everything there is about voodoo so im not going anywhere

[waltr]

Got my VooDoo board stuffed, last parts came yesterday.
So far only have the LT1054 and the PIC chips installed plus the LCD.
These power up and the LCD display is working.
Next is to connect a coil and start inserting the remaining ICs checking with a scope as I go.

[Qiaozhi]

I got my 3R3 2w resistor and installed it and the wave looked more similar to the book but not the same yet on TP5 and TP2 i was reading that the clip is the ground for the probs on my oscilloscope and connected it to TP14 thinking that it might have to be grounded the screen went white boxes with just a back ground shut it off and now nothing on anything and 10 volts all over the board so i guess i get to learn how to check parts and repair it now starting with the 78L05 and the 79L05 and anything else i find i destroyed where is the clip suppose to be grounded to ?

As surfdetector said: TP1 is the reference point. See page 28 of the book.

Are you using a bench power supply or a battery pack? If it's a bench power supply you may find that the 0V line is connected to earth. If your scope's 0V line is also connected to earth then you could create a short-circuit.

I would suggest reading the book very carefully to gain an understanding of how the design works, otherwise you're going to encounter a whole host of other problems. Personally I would advise putting the Voodoo Project on one side and building a much simpler design first so that you actually know what you're doing.

As it says in the Introduction:
"Please do not even attempt this project without having built a standard (PI and/or VLF) metal detector before."

[surfdetector]

I got my 3R3 2w resistor and installed it and the wave looked more similar to the book but not the same yet on TP5 and TP2 i was reading that the clip is the ground for the probs on my oscilloscope and connected it to TP14 thinking that it might have to be grounded the screen went white boxes with just a back ground shut it off and now nothing on anything and 10 volts all over the board so i guess i get to learn how to check parts and repair it now starting with the 78L05 and the 79L05 and anything else i find i destroyed where is the clip suppose to be grounded to ?

TP1 (+12V battery) is the ground reference for the project. This is what your oscilloscope ground clip should be clipped to not TP14 which is (-5V ) supply
Have you read a copy of the book? It explains most everything in detail.

[SilverSurfer17]

Yeah i got 12 volts at the regulators but only mv coming out so those regulators are toast well i know not to connect those alligator clips to a ground again lesson learned until i figure out why that happened

[SilverSurfer17]

I got my 3R3 2w resistor and installed it and the wave looked more similar to the book but not the same yet on TP5 and TP2 i was reading that the clip is the ground for the probs on my oscilloscope and connected it to TP14 thinking that it might have to be grounded the screen went white boxes with just a back ground shut it off and now nothing on anything and 10 volts all over the board so i guess i get to learn how to check parts and repair it now starting with the 78L05 and the 79L05 and anything else i find i destroyed where is the clip suppose to be grounded to ?

[SilverSurfer17]

Im sure you wouldnt see any advantage to making this into a two box idea but i do one of the major reasons i decided to build this was because of the discrimination its open source and i could build it the way i wanted to i want the leds on the face idea for the ferrous and non ferrous so i dont even have to concentrate on the screen i can be looking at the ground because voodoo uses the same tone for ferrous and non ferrous so i have to look at the screen and with using a switch im limited to using only 4 colors with using the pwm circuit i can change it to whatever color is best in what light thats why i asked about contrast in the menu also instead of a pod inside the detector

[SilverSurfer17]

I have it already and ive seen whats involved just learning hello world or making symbols and i want to change the color for better visibility I've noticed already having the red on and the blue makes the letters easier to read but im also in a basement not in the sun id like to be able to use my detector without wearing reading glasses if possible and do it in sunlight with a shade built over the screen and i asked because what would take me days to figure out could be 10 minutes to someone else to do and i would make it up if i could maybe with some spare parts or in some other way but if its that big of a deal ill figure it out on my own like i have with most of this project already better yet ill just keep it on a switch

[Qiaozhi]

i have a rgb lcd and want to add functions to the menu to change the color hopefully with the pwm if its not used for something else and dont want the extra buttons on the case ill leave connected with switches for now to change the color any chance you can see if this possible with this project ?

The Voodoo Project is designed to use a 2-line x 16-character HD44780 compliant LCD module in 4-wire display mode. I cannot see any benefit to a metal detector of being able to change the LCD screen colour.

However, if you want to do that, it will require some hardware modifications and changes to the software. You will need to purchase a copy of Mikroelektronika's mikroC Pro compiler in order to modify the code.

[detecto]

I ordered some boards from JLCPCB and got them in under week.
PCB-s look nice, on some other revision i would like to see bigger pads for resistors for easier soldering.
Expecting book soon so that will be next project.
Cheers