The button NEXT is used to turn the cassette ON, ON+BEEPS or OFF.
Two buttons SET and NEXT are used to set the time, with a BiColoured LED and sound provide feedback.
The menu LED changes colour to indicate which digit is being entered.
Here is a design to turn a cassette recorder on at the times of the BBC Radio 4 Shipping Forecast. It is intended to be used at sea or on a mooring, possibly when the crew are asleep.
The design needs to be simple, and the timer must be independant of mains for timing and a computer/terminal for setting the time. Accidents happen, and the abilitiy to set the time, and change the on/off times was considered necessary.
The timer is based around a Microchip PIC 16F84 micro controller.
NEW!! - I have added a tape counter. When you rewind, the power is turned off at the start of the last timed recording. The code works without the counter electronic.I have taken this tape recorder to sea for about 4 to 5 summer cruises. It works well enough. The timer also outputs the time using RS-232 at 1200 baud. So to try out the timer, program up the chip from the supplied hex file.
Once set up, the timer turns on the power to the cassette recorder, at the start of the forecast and turns the power off at the end of the forecast. A single button is used to toggle the power on, so that the crew can listen to the forecast. Up to 8 forecasts can be programmed.
It was intended to fit the timer within a radio cassette recorder, so the use of an LCD display would make the unit too large.
| Buttons:- The button NEXT is used to turn the cassette ON, ON+BEEPS or OFF. Two buttons SET and NEXT are used to set the time, with a BiColoured LED and sound provide feedback. The menu LED changes colour to indicate which digit is being entered. |
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