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Digital Counter triggering.....

fieldgadgets

Sep 16, 2010
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Man, I'm about to pull my hair out over these damn counters. I am in DESPERATE need of digital counters, well, I ordered some off of ebay out of China and while they are the perfect dimension for the project at hand, I cant seem to get them to count!!! I"ve done some reading on "square wave" and pulse but i am at a loss. Can anybody out there offer some friendly advice on what my next step should be??? I figured all I would have to do is pull them out of the box....apply the voltage and install a switch across the N+ and N- . but....no such luck! Tim.:mad:
 

davenn

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Sep 5, 2009
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Man, I'm about to pull my hair out over these damn counters. I am in DESPERATE need of digital counters, well, I ordered some off of ebay out of China and while they are the perfect dimension for the project at hand, I cant seem to get them to count!!! I"ve done some reading on "square wave" and pulse but i am at a loss. Can anybody out there offer some friendly advice on what my next step should be??? I figured all I would have to do is pull them out of the box....apply the voltage and install a switch across the N+ and N- . but....no such luck! Tim.:mad:

it mite help if we know what sort of digital counter you are referring to ??

is it an event counter, a freq counter ????

do you have a link to them and a data sheet we can look at, to see if any of us here can offer help?

Dave
 

fieldgadgets

Sep 16, 2010
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WOW.. I did'nt expect a reply so quickly. I will get the info and a pic or 2 and attach them when i get home from work today. Thanks so much Dave. Tim.
 

shrtrnd

Jan 15, 2010
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Mfgr, model number, any info off the ID markings on the counter, ...and exactly what it is you're inputting (what kind of signal). Are you sure you got the right kind of counter for whatever signal you're inputting?
 

fieldgadgets

Sep 16, 2010
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Not really sure. All I'm attempting to do is to use a momentary switch to make the unit count up , one digit at a time. Seems simple but....apparently not to me! LOL. I will have the info up this evening. Thank you....thank all of you!
 

NSklavos

Sep 5, 2010
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If it's a mechanical counter, you may have to provide a power source through your switch to get it to count.
 

fieldgadgets

Sep 16, 2010
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Digital Counter help...

OK, sorry for the delay in getting these images up...it was unavoidable! There are two different types i was working on. Both are digital counter boards and both Ive applied voltage and attached a momentary button for counting but nothing happens. PLEASE HELP!!!! This is the first one. Hopefully these attached ok.
 

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fieldgadgets

Sep 16, 2010
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Digital counter help...

The second one the warehouse actually attached the wires for me saying that this is what I need!!! Well.....actually, I need it to count! LOL. All this one does is light up with all "8" across the display. Does anybody have any ideas as to how I can get one of these to count "up" one number at a time via a push button switch????? Thanks Guys. Tim.
 

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(*steve*)

¡sǝpodᴉʇuɐ ǝɥʇ ɹɐǝɥd
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Jan 21, 2010
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Is it from "Sure Electronics"? It sure looks like it :)

At first I thought it looked like one of their frequency meters that read from 0 to 9999 (Hz).

You'll need to point me at some info on the web. The image you have given us doesn't contain enough info.

Is it one of these?

If so, this is the manual.

It looks like you need to set some switches inside and then apply a voltage of between 5 and 12 volts to the input to cause it to count up one count.

There's no real description of what the "isolated" vs "non-isolated" inputs actually mean, so it's difficult to tell you how to wire it up. They also warn against getting the polarity wrong, so I'd heed that.

My best guess is that you should set it for counter and non-isolated input. Then measure the resistance between the input ground and the -ve supply rail. If there is continuity there, then you can probably connect the +ve input to the battery +ve via a switch and a resistor (just in case -- make it 10k).

If all goes well you should be able to push the button and watch it count up. It will probably count up several counts each time you press and release the button -- if it does that then there's more work to do.

I offer no guarantee that these steps won't cause the smoke to come out...
 

fieldgadgets

Sep 16, 2010
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The one with the cardboard box was ordered off of ebay and listed as a counter. I had the same conversation with them saying that it apperas to be a measurement meter instead of a counter but, in trying to weed through the foreign language barrier of the seller, they claim that these are sold as counters. I'd even be willing to ship a couple to you if you'd be willing to aid. I have no problem paying you for your time as well. Maybe we can come to some sort of $$$ agreement ahead of time. Would you be intrested? Tim.
 

Resqueline

Jul 31, 2009
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The first one does indeed look like a panel meter. There's written AC30A on the label, that might mean something. Maybe it's meant to be used with an external shunt.
If you have a multimeter then set it to ohms (or diode test) and connect it to +in & -in and see if that won't produce a response.

The second one; my guess is that one input is used with a switch to ground, and the other with a switch to +12V. Connect a 1000 ohm resistor in series for safe testing.
 

(*steve*)

¡sǝpodᴉʇuɐ ǝɥʇ ɹɐǝɥd
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Jan 21, 2010
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Australia may be further than you want to ship them :D

Do they appear to be the device I highlighted? Can you point me to the (or a similar) eBay auction?

I agree that language issues can be somewhat of a challenge.
 
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