calling all Car and Tractor specialist

[Kipper4]

How do those little parking sensors work on cars, you know the ones that do the proximity thing.

Could they have a use in a stomp box?

Naturally I'm thinking wah again.........

[deadastronaut]

https://youtu.be/TJt_JFd90lU

Might be worth buying a cheapo kit and messung with it..

Not sure what those sensors are though???...

[bool]

...

Not sure what those sensors are though???...

Groupie sensors.

[anotherjim]

I saw a demonstration a long time ago. Truck confidently reverses towards concrete bollard. Crunch. Technology wasn't too good then.
This is ultrasonic sonar. I think the ones now have a single, sealed ultrasonic transducer. Commonly tuned at 40Khz. A single pulse out then await the echo. Pretty simple job for a small microcontroller. Long ago, I don't think any were sealed, and 2 units were also used, one Transmit and one Receive.
I have actually spent some time monkeying around with ultrasonics in audio. Different than the usual  listening to bats thing. Might post something in the lounge about it, because none if it is stompbox specific.

A cheap way to get some to play with is one of those car security interior alarms. Gets you a pair of transducers already mounted on screened cable and a 40kHz 12v transmitter source and a preamp for the receiver (which will probably work at 9v too).
CPC have a good range of transducers and one of the very few to stock the 40Khz watch crystal to get a stable source for 40k transducers.

[digi2t]

OK, I'll bite...

I'm thinking, that the reason their using ultrasonic sonar is because there's some reasonable distance to be covered. I mean, you want to "see" that car or bollard at a point where you have time to react.

As far as a wah is concerned, using it for say, treadle position, would be overkill, if not really a suitable application. For the short distance that needs to be covered, there are plenty of tried and tested proximity sensor arrangements that already exist on the market. My Sonuus Wahoo uses this technology, and it works very well indeed. No pot to wear out.

Now... if you wanted to maybe connect an ultrasonic sonar to your wah to react to where on the stage your at, now that might be cool. If you have a stage big enough to bounce around on. Might be something that would spin Ben Weinman's crank. 

[slacker]

I made a synth CV generator thing using infrared distance sensors like these https://www.rapidonline.com/robot-electronics-sharp-infrared-distance-sensors-554062 basically like a Theremin. It works pretty well, the output need some lowpass filtering because the sensor puts out a stepped voltage not a continuously variable signal but apart from that you don't need much more circuitry.
I thought about using it to make an expression pedal but I agree with what Dino said, I don't think they have enough resolution to work over the 2 or 3 inches of range that a waggling foot would have.

[robthequiet]

...basically like a Theremin.

I wonder if IR sensors might work, maybe enhanced with an IR sending lamp.

[thermionix]

wah probe

[Jdansti]

The only problem is your pedal will start beeping every time a person gets near it.

[bluebunny]

I hear these new-fangled ones will reverse onto your pedalboard all by themselves.

[deadastronaut]

put a wah circuit in a ford mondeo and roll it forward n back ..

the advantage of the ford mondeo is, it has a cup/beer holder too

[digi2t]

I hear these new-fangled ones will reverse onto your pedalboard all by themselves.

Yeah, hopefully that one won't be put together by the same people that brought us the self-parking Volvo...

[duck_arse]

I heard googoo was trialling a new, playerless wah.

[bluebunny]

Ba-dum, tsss!

(that was done without a drummer, natch...)

[Kipper4]

wah probe

Do what?

[Kipper4]

"there are plenty of tried and tested proximity sensor arrangements that already exist on the market"


Please share if you have used one.
Thanks

[bluebunny]

Please share if you have used one.

Someone please tell Volvo.

[bluebunny]

Sorry, Rich.  We're not helping, are we?   

[Cozybuilder]

Not approved by a professional Bullfighter?

[anotherjim]

I heard googoo was trialling a new, playerless wah.

Isn't that a voice activated drone wah? No wait, that's Amazon...
As you were.

[serious] Rich, whatever the most suitable method of proximity sensing is, depends on whatever it is you want to waggle around to control your wah [/serious]

It may not be safe to assume you want to use a rocker pedal - could be some kind of body part or whatever.