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Re: [TowerTalk] Radio Button IC?

To: Jim Lux <jimlux@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Radio Button IC?
From: Charles Gallo <charlie@thegallos.com>
Date: Wed, 1 May 2013 10:47:22 -0400
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
Would a 74147 work for the encode side? 1 of 10 in, gives you bcd out, then 
feed to a 7442 to go back to the 10. Of course, the other families of chips 
should work too

On May 1, 2013, at 10:27 AM, Jim Lux <jimlux@earthlink.net> wrote:

> On 5/1/13 6:54 AM, Mike wrote:
>> Hello,
>> 
>> Is there a single IC that will provide the same functions as the old car
>> radio buttons?
>> 
>> Building a direction selector for an eight direction receiving antenna
>> system and would like to use push buttons to select the direction.  Desire
>> is to have the first button pushed to lock out the other buttons should two
>> or more buttons be push at nearly the same time.  Something similar to the
>> way the station selector buttons worked on old car radios.
>> 
>> An arrangement using several discrete ICs has been worked out, but would be
>> nice to have a single IC do the same thing.  I've looked through several
>> parts supplier catalogs, but haven't found an IC that seems to do the
>> functions as the old car radio buttons.
> If you don't want to use the mechanical approach (which IS still available, 
> by the way)..
> 
> I don't know how much design and construction you want to do.. (e.g. there 
> are off the shelf industrial PLCs that might do this).
> 
> Assuming you're thinking in terms of Normally Open Pushbuttons and LED 
> indicators..
> 
> You'll need a programmable part, since there's no off the shelf "1 of N" 
> latching selector.  The basic selector logic could easily be programmed in 
> the smallest CPLDs, but the tools aren't necessarily easy to get started with 
> or cheap.  And, as you've noted, It's not trivial to do with 1 or 2 MSI parts 
> like a '148 8:3 priority encoder, a 3:8 '138 decoder and some sort of latch.
> 
> So that pushes you to something like a microcontroller (AVR, PIC, etc.).  If 
> you have a software dev background, you have a wealth of options to choose 
> from.
> 
> If I didn't have anything, and was starting from scratch, this is the ideal 
> application for an Arduino or Teensy (or other microcontroller).
> 
> You don't need any special prom/PLD programmer, just a USB port on your 
> computer (any OS).  The Arduino Uno is available at Radio Shack (and a 
> gazillion other places). The Teensy3 is available from pjrc.com or 
> adafruit.com etc.
> 
> The code to do it would be easy to write.  The Arduino environment is easy to 
> learn if you don't come from a software development background (umpty 
> gazillion middle and high school students doing science projects can't be 
> wrong).  The code may not be the finest or most efficient or make a CS major 
> happy, but usually it works, and if it doesn't it's easy to change.
> 
> There are off the shelf boards that plug into Arduinos for the interfaces.. 
> push buttons, LEDs to light up, relay boards, etc.  take a look at 
> sparkfun.com or adafruit.com for a starting point. Once you know the keywords 
> to search for, google is your friend.
> 
> 8-10 buttons and LEDs is easy.
> 
> 
> If you want to go the CPLD route.. you might talk to the faculty at a local 
> community or 4 year college.  Your project is quite typical of a class 
> assignment in "introduction to digital logic using FPGAs" so you might find 
> someone willing to do it, and make the parts, etc. as a "senior project" kind 
> of thing.
> 
> 
> 
> 
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