Difference between revisions of "UCBeacon"

Revision as of 23:00, 7 August 2016

We need a new beacon to identify a campsite in a dark location, so it needs to be more subtle than the previous Burning Man-oriented designs.

2016-08-04: Completed the schematic, pending checklist.
2016-08-03: Completed the charging section, last major section left is the power supply.
2016-08-02: Started putting basic schematic and BOM together.
2016-06-13: Ordered a 12" section of 8" diameter SatinIce acrylic tube to use for the ring.
2016-06-12: Started looking at how to source the acrylic for the LED ring.
2016-06-04: Started talking about a need for this and thinking about designs.

Small portable-ish unit that can sit on top of the trailer at camp.
LED ring like on ParkAssist lights, but all RGB
Round solar panel inside ring to power it?
LT3652 solar charging IC
2x 18500 LiFePo4 cylindrical batteries in parallel?
Remote control to go from "subtle help-us-find-camp beacon" to a brighter mode, or disable when not at camp
Arduino-compatible, based on ATMega328P
On at dusk and off at dawn based on solar panel voltage rather than a separate sensor
Need to think about weatherproofing and drainage since it will get rained on and the ring design would otherwise trap water

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 == Project Status ==
+* 2016-08-04: Completed the schematic, pending checklist.
 * 2016-08-03: Completed the charging section, last major section left is the power supply.
 * 2016-08-02: Started putting basic schematic and BOM together.