My first project

[alpacaman]

PICAXE is great. I just finished my first project and I'm very pleased with the results.
I've always wanted to build a bank that would display the number of coins and the value. Not only for each coin but a bank total as well.
I have 4 optical sensors to detect the coins, 4 buttons to select which coin count/value to display, a subtract button which is used in conjunction with the other 4 button, and a `Bank Robbery` button - triggered when the lid of the bank is removed. Of course it has an LCD display. Without any buttons pushed the LCD displays the total number of coins in the bank and the total value. All of this using an 18x chip - which is also the only chip I used. All input, except the subtract button, produce an analog value which is read by a single pin. The subtract button uses a seperate pin for 2 reasons. Fist it is used in conjunction with the other buttons - so it couldn't be just another analog value. Secondly it calls an interrupt routine which does the subtracting.
When the lid of the bank is removed the LCD displays the message, `Bank Robbery - Stop Thief`, and it flashes an LED. I have a spare output which I want to connect a small speaker to - for a siren effect during the bank robbery routine.

 

 

[Michael 2727]

Good to see you are having fun.
Try picaxe_manual3.pdf for interfacing various devices, e.g. a piezo, speaker.

 

[hippy]

Congratulations and well done on what is quite a complicated project for a first one.

 

[alpacaman]

Yes - I've read all the manuals and they are loaded with very good, useful, and easy to understand information.
I also recommend the book: Programming and Customizing the PICAXE Microcontroller. There are good coding examples - like converting a binary number to BCD and the to ASCII (which I used in the bank). Also, going through the projects and seeing how the author did things can help in your own project. At least that has helped me on this project.

 

 

[Tom2000]

Clever idea! Have fun with it.

Tom

 

[toxicmouse]

good effort, how long did this project take you to complete?

 

[sedeap]

Great Work !!!!
post photos and code used
maybe be useful to other people.
If you want more fun, I can post some alarm devices with single Picaxe and few discrete components, and others made with picaxe and IC gates.

:0)

 

[alpacaman]

How long did it take? About 20 years. It is a project that I wanted to do for a long, long time. I've been out of electronics, as a hobby, for about 15 years. PICAXE has brought me back. In answer to your question it took about 2 weeks. From design, to getting the parts, building, and programming.