Grand Prize
PolyMoniCon

The Poly stands for “many,” and MoniCon is short for “monitoring and control.” This sophisticated wireless network system is designed around an eZ8F6401Encore! microcontroller and an eZ80Acclaim! module, which serves as the master and provides a web interface. The application is designed to monitor the throughput of coins in multiple arcade machines. Using a standard Internet browser, information is displayed on a PC monitor. An RF data transceiver fitted to the master and each slave allows for communication between the devices. A customized HDLC protocol facilitates data transfer. Additionally, it provides the high degree of error tolerance and recovery necessary for RF communication. The eZ80Acclaim! can monitor up to 127 slaves. The slave modules, which connect directly to the machine being monitored, provide four counter inputs for counting pulse signals, three control outputs, and eight analog inputs, which can be used to measure voltage, temperature sensors, etc. The versatility of this project makes it well suited for numerous applications, including home automation, process monitoring, and alarm control.

Lionel Theunissen
lionelth@big.net.au
Australia

Abstract | Entry