Business Marketing

PIC-024 Audio Activated Light Indicator

This device can detect the audio/sound from a computer system or any audio devices. Any sound detected will trigger a relay to turn “ON” which you can use to turn on a light indicator or your machinery to automate a process.

This device is also an audio triggered switch, converting audio sound into a switch output.

Features

• Sound Input Stereo Audio 3.5mm Jack.
• Power Input USB type B socket
• Solid State Relay Output
• Manual Control AC Switch
• Indicators for power, audio input and relay activated output

Application

• Call Center Queue & Contingency LED Controller
• Convert a warning sound, or alarm from a computer to a light indicator (silent)
• Control external automation equipment when a sound is detected
• Convert audio from a computer to relay output.
• Convert from sound to any I/O signal for your controller.

Example 1 :

Sometimes you need the computer system to trigger an external device when the software is sounding an alarm. For old legacy software, you may not have the source code which you can edit or do further improvement and development work. With this device, your legacy software can still trigger the alarm through the audio speaker. This device will detect the audio alarm and activate an output to trigger external system or switch on indicator or buzzer.

Example 2 :

Your existing sounder alert system can be noisy and disturbing. You can use this device to convert an existing sounder alert system into a light indicator alert. You can get your alert without disturbing others.

USB Powered

Manual AC Power Switch (Manual Control)

Built-in Solid State Relay to switch 230Vac LED lamps

Customised Sound Audio Activated Lighting Device

Contact PIC-CONTROL for customising a sound activated indicator light.

Please provide us with the detail of your application and describe how you would like the audio relay operation to function. If you have a sample of the audio sound, please send it to us for our assessment.

Alternative Product

<- Click here for more information about this alternative audio activation device

Check out the other related products,

• Audio Activated Relay Switch Output [PIC-125]
• Alarm mute switch [PIC-124]

PIC-CONTROL provides cloning of your microcontroller IC chip (MCU) for your documentation and production use.

Many of our clients do not have their project source code (firmware) for their microcontroller circuit board product. The documentation was not properly kept and are lost in the transition when their key developer left the company.

PIC-CONTROL provides PCB copying, reverse engineering of electronics design and firmware development services to help you recover and safeguard your product documentation.

Cloning Microcontroller Chip Explain

The chip cloning process is not too difficult. The idea of cloning or copying a microcontroller chip is to extract out the machine code from the original microcontroller and write the same codes to a new microcontroller chip. The machine code is also sometimes known as the hex code. It is typically loaded as a file format with an extension “*.hex”. Some detective work is expected especially if the chip’s branding and the part number is not disclosed. Having experience helps speed up the detective work.

The first step is to identify the chip’s manufacturer and the microcontroller part number. Sometimes the production batch number or the chip’s version number is important too. The machine code used for an old chip version may not work correctly when loaded onto your new chip. So it is important to take note of the version. In today’s context, this poses less of an issue.

A software and a programmer are required to extract out the machine code. Before we even use these tools, we also need to understand how more about the microcontroller that is to be cloned. The datasheet of the microcontroller can be obtained from the chip’s manufacturer. Study the chip for its pin out. Know where the power supply and programming pins are. Design and construct a circuit for the microcontroller to allow the programmer to interface it to the software on your computer.

Through the software, we can then extract and download the machine code into a *.hex file on our computer. This *.hex will be the machine code that is required for the future production of the microcontroller.

• Check manufacturer, part number and batch version.
• Study microcontroller datasheet.
• Build and construct a programmer interface circuit.
• Connect up the software and programmer for the extraction process.
• Extracting the machine codes (hex code) by reading from the microcontroller IC chip.
• Archive the machine code in a *.hex file.
• Uploading of the machine code onto a new microcontroller IC chip.
• Reading of the microcontroller EEPROM (flash memory) to verify the data.
• Code protected microcontroller.

Common Questions

Some questions people may ask or will be concern about,

• Is it the same?
• Will it be reliable?
• Will the original chip be damaged in the cloning process?

The cloning of the microcontroller chip will be perfectly the same as your original version. It will be as reliable as your original version because the chip is from the same chip product manufacturer. If there is a problem, usually it is a manufacturer’s defect or may have cloned to a wrong chip or a different chip batch version.

The chip will be handled with care. Do let us know if the chip to be clone is the one and only piece available.

Cloning May Fail

Microcontroller cloning may fail. A microcontroller has code protection features which help prevent their competitors from stealing their intellectual property work. If the code protection feature is enabled, the codes that are extracted from the original microcontroller will not work at all.

An alternative solution to this will be to do reverse engineering and re-development work of the circuit board project.

Microchip Microcontroller OTP Chip Series

A typical microchip microcontroller comes with 2 series. One is the PICxxFxxx, and the other one is the PICxxCxxx.

The ‘F’ denotes a reprogrammable EEPROM or Flash series microcontroller which allows you to reprogrammable the chip many times.

The ‘C’ denotes an OTP (One Time Programmable, EPROM) microcontroller which only allows you to load in your firmware only once. Most of these ‘C’ series chip is going into obsolete.

PICkit3 programmer does not support for these ‘C’ series chip. The programmer requires a higher voltage and current for the programming of the chip. The good news is that there is usually an ‘F’ series chip which can be a direct replacement for the ‘C’ series chip.

Modify or Improving Microcontroller Firmware

Improving your existing microcontroller firmware will not be possible without the source code on hand. A source code is an algorithm written to operate the microcontroller chip.

Cloning of IC chip only reads out the machine codes that is stored in the chip. The codes are then written into a new chip. While it is not something impossible to edit the machine code, it will probably take up a lot of time and effort to do it. All these will translate to a higher engineering expense.

In a situation where you need to improve the microcontroller’s algorithm but you do not have the source code on hand, we will recommend to re-write your firmware. The firmware development work will involve reverse engineering of your circuit board, and coding of a new firmware which will operate similarly to your existing version. The work usually also involve copying of the PCB circuit and hacking/cracking of the design from your original circuit board.

The benefit of redevelopment work is that you will be able to recover the design documentation blueprint (schematic, PCB design file, and source code) which you will be able to use for your future production. In a situation of components obsolete, you can easily seek for alternative replacement with the project documentation on your hand.

Check out our microcontroller IC chip firmware programming services for

• Microchip microcontroller
• ATMEL microcontroller (Arduino programming)

EEPROM Cloning and Duplication Services

PIC-CONTROL provides IC chips cloning and duplication services for Microchip and ATMEL microcontrollers.

Microchip Microcontroller Part no.

• PIC16F877a
• more microchip microcontrollers…

ATMEL Microcontroller Part no.

• ATtiny44A
• ATmega328
• ATmega16U2
• ATmega32U4
• more ATMEL microcontrollers…

What You Need to Provide Us

The following is a guideline of the information that we will need for assessing your microcontroller cloning project,

1. The microcontroller chip part number
2. Photos of the circuit board operated by the microcontroller.
3. A detailed description of the application driven by this microcontroller.

*** We will not be able to help if any of the above information is not sufficiently provided.

Typical cloning cost is about $300 if it is NOT protected. Most of the time the chip is protected. We will not be able to clone a protected chip. An alternative way will be to reverse engineer your electronic circuit. Depending on the complexity of your circuit, reverse engineering cost can range from $500 to more than $30K. Check out our reverse engineering page for more information on the process.

Contact PIC-CONTROL to clone and copy microcontroller IC chips today.

PIC-CONTROL also provides circuit board copying and reverse engineering services. 

Click on the relevant links for more details on how we can help you to clone your electronic circuit board.

PIC-CONTROL provides electronic engineering services to our client in Singapore.

Check out our website for more details.

Reflow Tray for IC Chip Testing

Reflow tray for testing of IC chip through a PCB board reflow soldering machine. Test jig holding tray for IC chip testing.

Available reflow tray design

• RT-000 (base plate to protect the bottom of the board)
• RT-001 (middle plate to support the IC chip)
• RT-002 (top plate to hold the chip in position)

PCB board milling for different layers creating a 3D test tray for holding IC chip in position.

Specification

• Board thickness 3.2mm.
• Green soldering mask on PCB board. (also available in Black color mask)
• Text printing using white silk screen.
• Designed to hold 20pcs of BGA IC chips.
• IC chip holder space tolerence ±0.2mm
• Reflow tray size (100 x 100mm)
• 12x alignment holes (⌀3mm)
• Secure by 4x Button cap screw M3x6, a spring washer and a nut

Dimension

Use Instruction

1. Place the IC Chips (test subject) on the reflow tray.
2. Position the tray with the IC chips on a reflow soldering oven or the reflow soldering conveyor belt.
3. Reflow soldering takes about 5mins, with a temperature reaching a peak of about 250°C.
4. Allows the tray to be cool, and pick up from the reflow machinery.
5. Allow the tray to cool down before using it for the next round of reflow testing.

The PCB will turn dark green under normal usage after using it for a number of times.

Warning: If the tray is being over heated, the green mask can start to be decolourised. Burned mark with brown black color can be observed.

Typical Reflow Soldering Profile

1. Preheat (to 150°C in 60 sec)
2. Soak (from 150°C to 165°C in 120 sec)
3. Reflow (reaching peak temperature of 225°C to 235°C, holding it for about 20 sec)
4. Cooling (-4°C/s or free-air cooling)

Workflow Procedure for Water Dispenser Kiosk

1. A customer inserts their wireless card (Ezlink or NETS FlashPay card) to the water dispenser kiosk. The system holds the card.
2. The system checks the remaining balance on the card, and estimate the max amount of water it can release base on the card balance.
3. The user dispenses out the amount of water he needs. There is a real-time display to present to the user the amount dispensed and the cost incurred so far. The user cannot dispense more than the estimated maximum amount water (determined by the remaining balance amount on the card).
4. Once the user finishes dispensing, the user will hook back the dispenser or eject the card. It is also an acknowledge from the user to proceed with the payment.
5. The water dispenser kiosk will deduct from the card base on the amount of water dispensed.

Other Reference

• Washing Machine Centralised Kiosk Payment System
• Payment Kiosk for Multiple User Station
• EZ-Link Payment System Integration
• Payment Terminals for cashless transaction

Cashless payment kiosk for your laundromat.
from Fresh Laundry Pte. Ltd.

Payment Kiosk User Guide

Washing machine from Fresh Laundry

1. The customer put clothes into a washing machine available.
2. Customer press a start button on the washing machine to trigger for payment.
3. The washing machine will inform the payment kiosk to collect the payment.
4. The customer walks to the nearest payment kiosk and flashes their cashless card (Ezlink, NETS FlashPay, PayWave, PayPass card) for payment.
5. Payment kiosk will then instruct the washing machine to proceed with the wash after the payment is completed.

Custom Centralised Kiosk Payment System

Contact PIC-CONTROL for your customised kiosk payment system.

Washing machine from Fresh Laundry

Other Reference

• Multiple Station Kiosk Payment Solution
• Water Dispenser Kiosk
• Ez-Link Payment System Integration
• Cashless Payment System
• Payment Terminals for cashless transaction

Alliance Laundry System (Laundromat)

Speed Queen Washer/Dryer Wiring Connection

Central Cashless Payment Terminal
           

Reference Guide

Click here for the payment system installation for Speed Queen Dryer and Washing machines.