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Alarm Gate Infrared Filter

Utilizes an infrared sensor, a DC block, a band pass filter, and a peak detector to provide an analog voltage when provided with an oscillating infrared signal. With one of these circuits tuned to a specific frequency, we were able to figure out when the alarm gate was armed and when it was safe to pass through. We were also able to use it to find the zipline, which was marked with an infrared beacon of its own.

Analog Comparator

Since the TINAH (see "Software") we used to control our robot had a limited number of analog pins, it was necessary to translate some analog signals to digital signals. Since these analog signals would simply be compared against a threshold value in software, it was possible to set this threshold in hardware and output the result of the comparison only. The example below converts the reading of an infrared sensor to a digital value by comparing it to a threshold set by a potentiometer. 

H-Bridge

While the TINAH had several motor outputs, their power ratings necessitated the use of four H-bridges to drive our four DC motors. This circuit design was tailored specifically to the voltage ranges we would be using and was provided to us as part of a lab earlier in the term.

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