Dilshan R Jayakody’s Web Log

CoCA "Emerge + Tech" - Musical plants is an electronics, software and plants base exhibit we developed for Cinnamon Colomboscope 2016 exhibition. This installation will feature a touch-sensitive sensor that will generate a soothing sound from each plant. By interacting with individual plants, the audience can create musical compositions. The sensor unit of this project consists of 14 high sensitive, configurable level detectors and USB interface. In this sensor unit, we use Samsung's KA2284 as an amplifier, level detector, and PIC18F4550 8-bit MCU as data multiplexer and USB I/O controller. PC817 optoisolators are used to interface between analog front-end and digital data processor. In this design, both analog and digital circuits are physically and electronically isolated to minimize the noises and interferences. In this design, we use KA2284 because it is commonly available in the local market (in Sri Lanka) and costs less than 0.1 USD. To reduce the interfer...

TC-500 is 4 track stereo reel to reel player which is built around 1960 - 1970 by Sony Corporation. This is vacuum tube base reel to reel player with 2 × 3W audio output power. TC-500 is dual speed (3¾ and 7½ ips) tape recorder and it support reels up to 7 inches (18cm). Amplifier stage of this tape recorder is built around 12AX7, 6AU6 and 6AQ5 vacuum tubes and the 12BH7 tube is used in biasing oscillator. Other than above tubes, 6CA4 is used in PSU for rectification. Restored Sony TC-500 reel to reel tape recorder. Recently we got a chance to restore TC-500 reel to reel player which we got from our friend. The player which we got is heavily damaged and we spend nearly 2½ months to restore this player. In the first stage of restoration, we disassemble mechanical parts of this player and clean everything. In this player capstan idler wheel and take-up, idler wheel is damaged beyond repair and we reconstruct those wheels using rubber sheets.