_S5 Use software for circuit simulation
This area of the audit has been marked at '1' meaning very little knowledge if not any at all.
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What I learnt and what I now understand
Today in one of our taught sessions we were introduced to some programmes that I had never come across before, they were called:
At a later stage I realised that Flowol allowed me to look at circuits with a systems approach and is a very good introduction to the more complex programming that is predominately used with PICAXE.
I learnt that both of these programmes allow you to create basic system control circuits without having to build a PCB, I also was able to identify that they both also use basic and key principles to simulate a circuit. The concepts are displayed within the tool bars using shapes and are almost like a generic form of circuit language or basic commands.
(These basic commands can be seen below)
Today in one of our taught sessions we were introduced to some programmes that I had never come across before, they were called:
- Flowol
- PICAXE
At a later stage I realised that Flowol allowed me to look at circuits with a systems approach and is a very good introduction to the more complex programming that is predominately used with PICAXE.
I learnt that both of these programmes allow you to create basic system control circuits without having to build a PCB, I also was able to identify that they both also use basic and key principles to simulate a circuit. The concepts are displayed within the tool bars using shapes and are almost like a generic form of circuit language or basic commands.
(These basic commands can be seen below)
Flowol
The first programme that I used was Flowol, I feel that it was much more user friendly for me as a leaner and in some respects I would say that most of the class will agree with me. Although I did find it challenging at first to get my head around the concepts of simulation in circuits, the programme itself was relatively easy to use (ish)! after time It gave me a reasonable understanding of circuit simulation within systems and control without having to fabricate a real circuit. I have realised that this is a very important factor because if you are able to create a circuit using software and not materials it can potential enable you to identify and faults or errors that can be made during production, this ultimately saves you time and also cuts unnecessary costs in materials. In my opinion, it is good practice to teach students the importance of being sustainable whenever you are working in the Design and Technology classroom and in every day decisions as consumers.
In addition, I felt that the more I engaged and experimented with the flow chats the more I was able to come to grips with them and then I could hopefully transfer this knowledge when I was create real circuit simulations in my further projects.
After I had finished creating basic circuits using Flowol I decided to be brave and simulate/mimic a traffic light sequence. This was so much harder than I initially thought because there were so many things to consider and at first I really struggled with it. To be honest I did use a tutorial online to help me purely because I knew that I was out of my comfort zone.
You can see from the picture below that I managed to complete a working sequence and I am really pleased that I completed the tutorial. This exercise helped me to break down in steps the main concepts that I had learnt during the introduction to the software but in a much more complex circuit simulation. It also made me think how I could transfer these skills with another simulations that are available on the programme perhaps I can include these at a later date?
PICAXE
We were then introduced to the PICAXE programme which I quickly learnt used very similar principles and concepts to Flowol however the tools and commands were in different places so it took a while to adjust and find everything.
Flowol I think is very basic and easy to comprehend allowing it to be very user friendly and with PICAXE it takes a while to get used to it, but I had a play around with the software and created a few more flow charts and was soon comfortable within the programme because I was able to transfer my knowledge and principles from my past experience on Flowol. I soon was able to realise that you are able to develop your code or programme in not only a flow chart but also in basic coding language. Generally speaking I found creating a flow chart and then transferring the code was a lot easier to understand but it is important to be able to be familiar with it. However, I have in fact written code with HTML and using Flash in my degree whilst building websites so I tried to see if I could find some principles and there were but I was not really able to transfer much of my previous knowledge with this type of coding.
I now understand that with PICAXE you can create a programme or piece of code and then download it onto a chip or another system to create a functional circuit. This can enable you to do all types of things and we had the opportunity to see this in action by using a seven segment display. Which can be seen below.
We were then introduced to the PICAXE programme which I quickly learnt used very similar principles and concepts to Flowol however the tools and commands were in different places so it took a while to adjust and find everything.
Flowol I think is very basic and easy to comprehend allowing it to be very user friendly and with PICAXE it takes a while to get used to it, but I had a play around with the software and created a few more flow charts and was soon comfortable within the programme because I was able to transfer my knowledge and principles from my past experience on Flowol. I soon was able to realise that you are able to develop your code or programme in not only a flow chart but also in basic coding language. Generally speaking I found creating a flow chart and then transferring the code was a lot easier to understand but it is important to be able to be familiar with it. However, I have in fact written code with HTML and using Flash in my degree whilst building websites so I tried to see if I could find some principles and there were but I was not really able to transfer much of my previous knowledge with this type of coding.
I now understand that with PICAXE you can create a programme or piece of code and then download it onto a chip or another system to create a functional circuit. This can enable you to do all types of things and we had the opportunity to see this in action by using a seven segment display. Which can be seen below.
This screen grab from Picaxe is a diagram that programmes the seven segment display. I commanded it to flash at the top once, it then pauses for a second and then the bottom section flashes and pauses for a second. The sequence is then also repeated and the arrows represents the repetition.
I also looked at what it would look like in code and it was COMPLETELY different to the flow chart. I would like to tackle some code later on in the course but for now I think I will stick to flow charts!
I found this a fairly easy instruction to follow and I learnt that the programme would interpret one second as 1000 rather than 1.
Below is an image showing what the display would look like once programmed and running through the computer.
With this screen grab you can see that the flow chart is using a similar process. However, I learnt how to programme the chip using other commands, I edited the chart so that it would create a number 4, then after three seconds it would pause to display the four again.
The great thing that I found with Picaxe is that when you run your circuit on the computer you can actually see it flowing on the computer so it showed the step-by-step process that it went through and if there were any errors then you were able to alter them if need be. What I also found useful was to actually see how the code or flow chart that you create responds to a product, its quite a fast process and I can see now how quickly you can develop something if you spend enough time on it.
Below is an image that I created to represent how the seven-segmented display would have appeared when programmed with the computer.
I have found engaging with both of these programmes really useful and it has given me more of an insight as to how to simulate a circuit with a systems approach. I feel that Flowol is quite a good piece of software that introduces you to how flow charts work and how you can create/interpret them, and with PICAXE it leads you onto actually coding something to create a product or programme. I know that I will be coming back to PICAXE later on in the course because we have a systems and control project. It will be interesting to see how I can create more complex code at a later stage.
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Analysis of new knowledge and the next step
Initially, I marked this area of the audit as a '1' meaning little knowledge if any at all. I think that I have certainly developed this area and gained more knowledge than before and hopefully this can be displayed through my engagement with the software.
I found myself quite quickly getting used to the software which I found very successful factor during the learning process, during my degree I was used to learning new software for each module set and because of this I feel that it is something that I am not too afraid to experiment with. I was quite successful in my learning when I found sources on the internet to help me understand how to create simulations, and although I did use them as a guide, they helped me to understand more about what and how the circuit worked. As a result I will look for tutorials online when stuck or faced with new software, however I am conscious of being able to experiment and engage with something myself before using such sources because then you are becoming dependent and perhaps lazy during the learning process.
I have learnt that with anything the more time you spend on something new the more it begins to click. In regards to this,I found that I spent a good amount of time experimenting and exploring the different options and routes that you can take in the programme which allowed me to learn tricks and the basics. In addition, I think that it is important as well as a learner to be able to identify the key concepts and also discover that you can often transfer skills, I was able to transfer some basic commands and principles from software to software, and as a result I am pleased that I noticed this because obviously this can help with my progression but also allow me to portray these concepts within my teaching which in turn supports the learning and development for the students.
During this time whilst exploring and learning these new skills within the audit, I feel that I was less successful in plucking up the courage to play around and figure out the basic code in PICAXE. I realised that I was far to comfortable using flow charts. and almost ignored the code when using the software. Although, it is good to be able to practice the flow charts, I think I should have at least have given some time to explore the code to see if there was anything I could learn whilst using the software. In addition, I feel that I should have gone away and completed some other simulations without using a tutorials, in order to not only demonstrate my new knowledge but also develop and gain any further skills. So all in all these I feel were the unsuccessful factors of my engagement within this area of the audit.
The next step now for me is to experiment further with the code in PICAXE, and use the skills and knowledge that I have already learnt now within my project for systems and control. Hopefully evidence of my development and further engagement will be shown here in the next few weeks of the course.
I also would like to experiment with code to create sound, seeing if I can write some code to make noise using a buzzer is really going to help me get to grips with the concepts of the basic coding whats more, I think that it would be interesting and a nice new skill to gain.
Finally, I did not have the chance to explore Circuit wizard, I had to leave the session today early so I am now behind. I feel that I need to have a look at this software or at least become familiar with the programme so that I am able to teach it in the future. Maybe I will need to use it within my next project in systems and control but I am not really sure what it is so I can not really comment as of yet.
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Further Development
Today I introduced myself to the programme circuit wizard, I mainly experimented with simulated simulate circuits in order to develop my knowledge further within this area of the audit. I think that this was such a great programme and can be used to complete various different tasks, creating circuit diagrams, simulations, the PCB itself and also designing where the components can go. Just like Flowol I found it relatively user friendly and it did not take long for me to navigate through the software comfortably. What I found quite useful whilst using the programme as well was that it comes with sized components that you can put on the grid and then link with the tracks. Personally, as a learner I find symbols and pictures help me to learn and with this, it was even better because it showed what the components looked like if you were using them in a real life context.
What I also felt was useful and helped me understand systems and control further was that the software made you think about the value of a resistor for example with a LED. At first I did not use a high enough value and because of that the LED was not as bright, seeing this on a simulation made me realise that it is very important to produce practice simulations before going head first and creating your board. In some ways just by playing around with this it has saved me time, helped me learn even more about the important of resistors and also within the process i did not break any LED's.
All in all I think that all of these programmes that I have used in to simulate circuits are worth while tools to help you get your head around systems and control. It can most certainly can save time and money during the design process which is obviously important with any kind of project faced with in Design and Technology. I am pleased that I had a look at circuit wizard because I know that I will need to use it again for other things later on in the my progress with the systems and control module so at least I am a slightly familiar with it.
Below you can see a screen grab that I have captured showing myself using Circuit Wizard
Getting my head around the code using PICAXE
This screen shot is an example of me experimenting with the software PICAXE. Here i was trying to get my head around the coding and this section of code quite simply turns a LED light on pauses for 10seconds and then turns off and starts again.
Being able to translate the PICAXE language for example High means LED on and Low means LED off has been really important for me to understand mainly because I know for my project I will be using LED's so I thought this was a good source of research to aid my development.
This screen shot from PICAXE, shows what the flow chart looks like for the code above. I thought it was a good idea to have a look at both and compare the two in order to understand more about the code and how it works.
I have also looked and experimented with code to create sound. I did not download the code onto a chip but it played it through the computer and I found it really useful to play around with.
I used a template from the internet to help me and then I changed the tempo and the frequency and soon learnt that I was able to alter the lengths and create a little tune.
I used a template from the internet to help me and then I changed the tempo and the frequency and soon learnt that I was able to alter the lengths and create a little tune.
For my own electronics project as well I have decided to create a nintendo remote controller. I have used a LDR and I have needed to create some code in order to it to work. I did this by debugging using the software in PICAXE and I was able to learn quite a fair amount, just by using the debug I was able to understand how the LRD worked by covering it up and then exposing it to light, it then changed the readings. Here are two screen shots of the code, you can see that the final code has been changed and finalised only slightly but I now know that if you do not write the code properly then your programme is not going to work properly so attention to detail is vital!
Here is what the code actually looks like in PICAXE, the pictures above were images that I created in Illustrator for my portfolio.
Once all of my programming was complete I decided to prototype my circuit using a protoboard. This was in order to avoid any major mistakes before soldering components together and also to see whether or not my code/programming was accurate. I also wanted to see how my code was going to work just like I did in the early stages of the course with the seven segment display.
As you can see this image displays the protoboard with all of the components and wires in place. Luckily my circuit did work so now I was ready to solder all components in place.
As you can see this image displays the protoboard with all of the components and wires in place. Luckily my circuit did work so now I was ready to solder all components in place.