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Old 16-10-2008, 09:08 PM
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Geoff45 (Geoff)
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Sydney
Posts: 2,631
Quote:
Originally Posted by shredder View Post
In terms of complexity its actually not that difficult to make, and if you are somewhat capable with soldering its something you might like to try making. What you end up developing is a 555 timer circuit that drives the on off state timing, and a transistor that controls the voltage throughput. There are some good circuits on the web specifically for it (and for astronomy uses). Well worth a look.

I built one and I am sure it was only a couple of dollars worth of parts. The other advantage of this approach is with the same circuit you can control multiple outputs at the same time (just like the commercial ones).
Yes, DYI is the way to go. Cheap and you can custom design it for your own gear. I built mine using the IIS articles http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-285-0-0-1-0.html
and http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-292-0-0-1-0.html
Geoff
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