Craig n' Dale
Just picked up my APOX from my office where it was delivered but I haven't been 'cause I'm working from a clients office.
Anyway, it looks great. Unfortunately I won't have a chance to touch it for another week or so until I get done with this client (18 hour days are not conducive to kit building
)...
The quality looks fantastic and you guys must of spent a ton of time kitting them all up!
I'm beginning to feel guilty that it was so inexpensive...
Keep up the good work...
And I love the idea of a soft-start circuit....
<A>
Just picked up my APOX from my office where it was delivered but I haven't been 'cause I'm working from a clients office.
Anyway, it looks great. Unfortunately I won't have a chance to touch it for another week or so until I get done with this client (18 hour days are not conducive to kit building

The quality looks fantastic and you guys must of spent a ton of time kitting them all up!
I'm beginning to feel guilty that it was so inexpensive...
Keep up the good work...
And I love the idea of a soft-start circuit....
<A>
Hi Robert,
I'll post your answers here since it will be of general interest to those building the kit.
1) The resistor R4/R25 should be 10M (that's what I think we bought), but 1M works fine. It is just setting the length of the encoder pulses. The higher the resistance, the longer the pulses. I used 1M in the prototype.
2) U4 is indeed the SP721. Somehow, I put in the digikey part number. This part is only used to make sure that any static zaps do not cause a software crash of the micro. Probably not needed, but cheap insurance.
3) The input selector should get the 61C22 (16 detents). This is the left encoder as mounted on a front panel.
Dale
I'll post your answers here since it will be of general interest to those building the kit.
1) The resistor R4/R25 should be 10M (that's what I think we bought), but 1M works fine. It is just setting the length of the encoder pulses. The higher the resistance, the longer the pulses. I used 1M in the prototype.
2) U4 is indeed the SP721. Somehow, I put in the digikey part number. This part is only used to make sure that any static zaps do not cause a software crash of the micro. Probably not needed, but cheap insurance.
3) The input selector should get the 61C22 (16 detents). This is the left encoder as mounted on a front panel.
Dale
My goal: An APOX in every home.
So how many of your your rooms have an APOX now Dale!
Anthony
APOX-2
Dale,
Thanks for the quick replies.
***
More assembly questions, now for APOX-2:
1. I don't see R54 or XT1 in parts or on schematic. I would assume this is OK, but just checking.
2. It may be of general interest to know how the jumpers JP1-1 to JP1-3 work. There are no supplied pins or connectors for these, but could we discuss their potential use how we could use these guys? (And please take it slowly for some of us dummies.)
Thanks, Robert
Dale,
Thanks for the quick replies.
***
More assembly questions, now for APOX-2:
1. I don't see R54 or XT1 in parts or on schematic. I would assume this is OK, but just checking.
2. It may be of general interest to know how the jumpers JP1-1 to JP1-3 work. There are no supplied pins or connectors for these, but could we discuss their potential use how we could use these guys? (And please take it slowly for some of us dummies.)
Thanks, Robert
Hi Robert,
1) R54 is a 10K resistor (5% CF) and is required! It acts as a pullup for an open drain output on RA4. Any value from 4.7K to 15K will work fine in this application.
2) The XT1 is not required as the 18F4220 has an internal oscillator.
Dale
1) R54 is a 10K resistor (5% CF) and is required! It acts as a pullup for an open drain output on RA4. Any value from 4.7K to 15K will work fine in this application.
2) The XT1 is not required as the 18F4220 has an internal oscillator.
Dale
Robert,
For the APOX-2.
I put the ceramic resonator on the board in case someone wanted to use a different PIC micorcontroller. Or we could not get the 18F4220. But Dales correct, you do not need it for the 18f4220.
JP1 is the I2C address jumper.
It adds a binary offset to the address.
So if you had multiple boards, you could put a jumper on
one board so it had a different address than the other board.
Dales software scans every I2C address on bootup to try to detect all of the attached boards.
If a board responds, the APOX-IR1 then requests what type of board is attached.
pretty cool huh!
Coulomb,
I think Dale only has 1 room APOX'd so far.
-Craig
For the APOX-2.
I put the ceramic resonator on the board in case someone wanted to use a different PIC micorcontroller. Or we could not get the 18F4220. But Dales correct, you do not need it for the 18f4220.
JP1 is the I2C address jumper.
It adds a binary offset to the address.
So if you had multiple boards, you could put a jumper on
one board so it had a different address than the other board.
Dales software scans every I2C address on bootup to try to detect all of the attached boards.
If a board responds, the APOX-IR1 then requests what type of board is attached.
pretty cool huh!
Coulomb,
I think Dale only has 1 room APOX'd so far.
-Craig
APOX-2
Dale,
Thanks for clarifying.
R54 then needs to be added to the RefMemo column on the Kit List for APOX-2 after R53 in the 10K row (item 11), making a total of five 10K resistors.
Since I'm going through these lists, and since I'm fairly anal about checking things off and writing things up, I'll volunteer to make up a written assembly list.
I'll put it in a MS word doc and email it to you. You can then edit and use it as you see fit.
Regards, Robert
Dale,
Thanks for clarifying.
R54 then needs to be added to the RefMemo column on the Kit List for APOX-2 after R53 in the 10K row (item 11), making a total of five 10K resistors.
Since I'm going through these lists, and since I'm fairly anal about checking things off and writing things up, I'll volunteer to make up a written assembly list.
I'll put it in a MS word doc and email it to you. You can then edit and use it as you see fit.
Regards, Robert
rljones has written up some very nice instructions for assembling the APOX-2 kit.
Could you provide it in editable form (i.e. Word) so that we can make additions and corrections (should there be any!

I would be more then happy to contribute to the effort... I belive Word can be setup to allow collaborative efforts...
<A>
Alex,
I'll post the word document on monday.
(I left the file at work.)
Has anybody made any progress on the kits?
I'd love to see some pictures of what you guys are doing.
Has anyone finished a front panel yet?
Thanks,
Craig Beiferman
I'll post the word document on monday.
(I left the file at work.)
Has anybody made any progress on the kits?
I'd love to see some pictures of what you guys are doing.
Has anyone finished a front panel yet?
Thanks,
Craig Beiferman
dipchip said:
Now, its time to go see the "Matrix Reloaded"!
I can hardly wait!😀
Now I can't stop being ashamed that I went to see it on wed night at 10:30. Unfortunately, it was a HUGE disappointment for me.
The Wachowski brothers have definitely lost their cool.
One day, maybe, if they ever stop getting high on the smell of their own exhausts the they will have a comeback with a new project. The matrix is pretty much done.
grataku,
Yeah, I didn't leave the theater with a smile on my face.
I hoping for a much better story.
I even thought some of the computer generated special effects were done poorly. Some were great, but in some of the fight scenes Neo looked like a poorly animated low-res polygon figure.
-Oh well theres always the original on DVD.
-Craig
Yeah, I didn't leave the theater with a smile on my face.
I hoping for a much better story.
I even thought some of the computer generated special effects were done poorly. Some were great, but in some of the fight scenes Neo looked like a poorly animated low-res polygon figure.
-Oh well theres always the original on DVD.
-Craig
dipchip said:grataku,
Yeah, I didn't leave the theater with a smile on my face.
I hoping for a much better story.
I even thought some of the computer generated special effects were done poorly. Some were great, but in some of the fight scenes Neo looked like a poorly animated low-res polygon figure.
-Oh well theres always the original on DVD.
-Craig






The fact is that Neo shouldn't have had the need to fight and shouldn't have fought.
Man, there are so many things wrong with the movie I wouldn't know where to start. The combination of all the C-grade reviews on yahoo just scratch the surface. The first halfhour I felt like I was watching Star Trek DS9. Even Morpheus looked chunky, he must have gained 40 pounds.
Sorry. I guess I have been keeping a lot of feelings bootled up about this movie and I had to vent. 😉 Enough thread-jacking.
More thread jacking
I just finished buying a used Jet boat with a 175Hp engine. The thing can move. I am actually a little motion sick from doing spins in the demo.
Dale has a new toy. Who wants to play?
I just finished buying a used Jet boat with a 175Hp engine. The thing can move. I am actually a little motion sick from doing spins in the demo.
Dale has a new toy. Who wants to play?
I agree with the Matrix Reloaded comments. I've just viewed it. The lack of closure, explanation of sub-plots, or any kind of reality in any of the relationships was very disappointing. In one absurd car chase on an LA freeway the tricks and shooting was so surreal it was laughable. A car with 500 direct hits from a 30 cal machine gun and all windows broken does NOT keep on truckin'...... (not to mention the trucks!)
Hugh
Hugh
Assembly instructions
Hello all,
Did you have a nice weekend?
The first draft of the APOX-IS1 assembly manual has been posted.
Also, the APOX-2 assembly manual has been updated.
These manuals are now posted in WORD format.
please feel free to modify them, and I'll post any corrections.
If anyone cannot read the WORD format, let me know, and I'll also post the instructions directly in the web page.
Sorry for the long delay for the APOX-3, Dale and I have been trying to cleanup the web site and documentation.
I think the APOX-SHM boards will come back this week. So we'll be testing those boards soon.
I also tried to place the web page on one of those audio webrings, but I think its severly slowing down the page loading.
Maybe I'll remove that feature.
-Craig Beiferman
Hello all,
Did you have a nice weekend?
The first draft of the APOX-IS1 assembly manual has been posted.
Also, the APOX-2 assembly manual has been updated.
These manuals are now posted in WORD format.
please feel free to modify them, and I'll post any corrections.
If anyone cannot read the WORD format, let me know, and I'll also post the instructions directly in the web page.
Sorry for the long delay for the APOX-3, Dale and I have been trying to cleanup the web site and documentation.
I think the APOX-SHM boards will come back this week. So we'll be testing those boards soon.
I also tried to place the web page on one of those audio webrings, but I think its severly slowing down the page loading.
Maybe I'll remove that feature.

-Craig Beiferman
SPECIAL ALERT for APOX-2
Hello All,
Hopefully, only one APOX-2 board was stuffed incorrectly.
I sent out the wrong reference designators on some of the APOX-2 kits. R23/R46 should be the spot for the lowest value resistors. Basically, the order should be from R23/R46 down to R1/R24
R1/R24 should have the highest value resistors.
If you are confused, please drop me an email and I will send you the correct references.
Dale
Hello All,
Hopefully, only one APOX-2 board was stuffed incorrectly.
I sent out the wrong reference designators on some of the APOX-2 kits. R23/R46 should be the spot for the lowest value resistors. Basically, the order should be from R23/R46 down to R1/R24
R1/R24 should have the highest value resistors.
If you are confused, please drop me an email and I will send you the correct references.
Dale
General Question:
I got the remote control unit (IR-1) working this weekend. It is very cool. A RadioShack universal remote works well. A Sony setting of '0000' controls all of the features, including the standby mode when power pressed. (I put a red LED in place of the two color LED with the anode--long lead--closest to the LCD screen and it's cathode in the center; it lights up when in standby mode as the LCD turns off and vice versa. It did require a about a 5K resistor in series with one leg to lower the brightness.)
My question is, we have a Sony TV. So it changes channels and so on when the remote is used on the IR-1. I've tried other codes, but cannot seem to find one that fully works the IR-1 and leaves the Sony unchanged. Any ideas or 4-digit codes?
Thanks, Robert
I got the remote control unit (IR-1) working this weekend. It is very cool. A RadioShack universal remote works well. A Sony setting of '0000' controls all of the features, including the standby mode when power pressed. (I put a red LED in place of the two color LED with the anode--long lead--closest to the LCD screen and it's cathode in the center; it lights up when in standby mode as the LCD turns off and vice versa. It did require a about a 5K resistor in series with one leg to lower the brightness.)
My question is, we have a Sony TV. So it changes channels and so on when the remote is used on the IR-1. I've tried other codes, but cannot seem to find one that fully works the IR-1 and leaves the Sony unchanged. Any ideas or 4-digit codes?
Thanks, Robert
What about programming remote with Philips codes? On dipchip site it says that remote is compatible with both standards.
Hi Peter,
You beat me to the suggestion. Yes, the Philips RC5 code should work.
Let us know the results...
What model RS remote?
Dale
You beat me to the suggestion. Yes, the Philips RC5 code should work.
Let us know the results...
What model RS remote?
Dale
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