Monday blues..every worker has it. The weekend is never enough to relax the mind, body and soul after 5 days of hard labor. Is it just me or time seem to flow faster during the weekends? If only Mr. Einstein lived a little longer and invent the time machine..

Today is mainly about rotary encoder and counters. I was asked to test the newly purchased counter device and a rotary encoder. The rotary encoder is used as the input to the counter. Basically, a rotary encoder is a kind of motor that converts its relative angular position to digital signal that is then used to precisely measure length, angle and robotic components. In my case, the angular position is output-ed at the counter. Here's the setup to test both the counter and encoder:

First and foremost, read the manual. The reason why is that I need to know the circuit connections and how to setup the counter to meet the customer's specifications. What I meant by setup is the number of decimal value, enabling the memory function and some other parameters. One revolution of the encoder equals to 1000 units at the counter. Once that value is reached, the counter resets. One can easily understand the application of a rotary encoder and a counter by looking at the picture below: (taken from the manual)

Briefly, it is used to precisely cut a preset length value of paper/sheet/whatever you can think of. The rotation of the encoder that correlates to the length can be easily calculated by applying some formula (not shown here). The purpose of the counter is to set and display the length values.

After lunch, Mr. James brought me and my collie to a factory in Kapar, Klang to deliver some stuffs to the client. Then we went to a food manufacturing factory in Shah Alam to install a counter. To enter the manufacturing department, visitors (me) must wear a safety jacket, hair cover, face mask and a specialized plastic bag to cover the shoe. All provided by the factory. Then before entering the department, we have to go through a small chamber. Inside the chamber were air blower that blows off any dirt from us. Its like in the movies where there's a "clean room" where anyone who wants to enter must go through the cleaning chamber. Too bad  I have no pictures of myself wearing all those stuff. Somehow I feel like a doctor wearing that face mask and the safety jacket..

On the way to the factory we went through Section 7 of Shah Alam. Guess what I saw? Mansions! Oh my God those mansions are HUGE! Some were as big as a mini shopping mall! They must be worth tens of millions each! I wonder what these people do for a living! The mansions kept me drooling..well not physically but mentally of course..wouldn't want to smear Mr. James car with my drool..Should have taken a photo of those mansions. That is someone's dream that came true! Quite an inspirational view!

Inspirational indeed. The owners must have gone through some hard times before. Something like what I'm going through now. If they can make it why not me? THAT is still a long way to go though...but I'll get there..god willing..