Okay so here's my Key.
AN: Ankle joint
BT: Big Toe Joint
CB1: Circuit Breaker, Ankle
CB2: Circuit Breaker, Big Toe
CB3: Circuit Breaker, Index Toe
CB4: Circuit Breaker, Middle Toe
CB5: Circuit Breaker, Ring Toe
CB6: Circuit Breaker, Pinkie toe
CB7: Circuit Breaker, VR1
CB8: Circuit Breaker, Step-up Transformer
CT1: Monitor circuit, Transformer
CT2: Monitor circuit, VR1
CT3: Monitor circuit, Shunt
FM: Fault Monitor
IT: Index toes joint
K1: Coil, Ankle joint
K2: Coil, Big toe joint
K3: Coil, Index toe joint
K4: Coil, Middle toe joint
K5: Coil, Ring toe joint
K6: Coil, Pinkie toe joint
K16: Coil, Transformer Overload
K17: Coil, VR1 Overload
K18: Coil, Shunt Overload
MT: Middle toe joint
NN: Nervenet connection
PT: Pinkie toe joint
RT: Ring toe joint
S1: Blood Pressure switch
S2: Two position toggle, Manual shut-off switch
And now the fun part. You're probably looking at the pic and the key and going "HOW THE FUCK DO YOU READ THIS THING?!"
Well friends, we'll start at our power source, those two curved lines with the "NN" underneath them. That is the made up piece of tech called the Nervenet connection. This bad boy connects to Roy's nervous system, taking the current generate by the impulses fired from the nerves and using it as potential (electrical current and voltage). The line closest to the top is called a Ground, it allows the circuit to be complete so when you see line slowly and slowly getting smaller that's just a ground. Grounds are never colored cause they tend to be a meeting ground for multiple circuits. Now for that red line. The potential from Roy's nerves is going to extend to the blood pressure switch and stop there until the switch closes. The switch is custom made so that Roy's normal blood pressure will engage the switch, and it will with stand if his pressure increases or decreases by a margin of plus or minus 40% normal pressure, so if he gets stressed out his leg suddenly doesn't cut off due to blood pressure differences. So that's our first circuit. The next one is the Blood Pressure Circuit. When the blood pressure reaches optimal levels the switch is going to close extending potential to the normally closed Manual Shut Off switch. If this switch is tripped, a relief valve will allow the blood already in the leg to stop flowing and allow the open blood vessel coolant valve to close cutting off blood flow to the limb and also sealing any blood inside the limb for when the limb needs to be removed. Potential is then going to extend across K18's normally closed contacts to that square looking thing with the funny looking arrows.
"But Pluto-sama, what is that little square thingy?"
I'm glad you asked! That's what's called a Bridge Rectifier. Voltage commonly comes out of a power source as DC (Direct Current). What this does is convert DC to AC (Alternating Current) which is more powerful and more commonly used to drive electrical components.
"OH!"
Alright, after that, potential will then cross over CB8, which is a 10 amp push-to-reset circuit breaker that protects the Transformer (which I'll get to soon) from excessive current.
"Wait Pluto-sama! Is there a difference between Voltage and Amps?"
Yes there is actually! Voltage is the force driving electrons through a circuit and amps is essentially how fast the electrons are moving. Electricity is always measured with three things kept in mind, Voltage [measured in volts] Current Draw [measured in amps] and Resistance [measured in ohms, and symbolized by the Greek Omega]
"Okay!"
So from CB8 we stop at our Step-up Transformer, which does just as it's name implied, it steps-up voltage.
"Wouldn't that also step up the current draw?"
No it won't. Voltage and Current draw are independent values. Using a formula called Ohms law, you can actually calculate the volts amps and ohms of an electrical circuit provided you already know at least 2 of them. But that's too complex and left more for an electrical engineer to explain.
"Thank you Pluto-sama."
Alright, next circuit is the Transformer circuit, and I'm not talking about Optimus Prime over here. The Step-up transformer is going to, though magnetic induction, raise are voltage level from about 2-3 VAC (Volts, AC) [which was rectified from DC that we got from the Nervenet] to around 115 VAC (Volts, AC) The first place it's going to go is across CB7, which is a 10 amp push-to-reset circuit breaker.
"Pluto-sama? How does a circuit breaker work exactly?"
Okay, circuit breakers are designed to sense current draw [amps] and upon detecting an amperage higher than their designed rating they pop open cutting off potential to the rest of the circuit attached to it. It keeps us from over loading key components like VR1 which we will be talking about next actually.
"Arigato Pluto-sama."
So after crossing the circuit breaker and K17's normally closed contacts, our potential is going to extend to VR1, better known as the Voltage Regulator. This nifty device is going to regulate what potential goes out, when it goes out and where it goes out. Our potential will also, at the same time extend from our transformer, across K16's normally closed contacts and across K17's normally closed contacts to SH1, which is our shunt.
"But I thought K17 had contacts up by the Voltage Regulator."
It does. And that's the neat thing about coils. They can be connected to more than one set of either normally closed or normally opened contacts, meaning one coil and perform multiple functions at once.
"What's the difference between normally opened and normally closed contacts Pluto-sama?"
It all has to do with whether or not the coil is energized. If a coil has normally closed contacts, then when the coil is energized [meaning it receives potential] it's contacts will open. And vice versa, if it's contacts are normally open they will close when the coil energizes.
"Oh! That makes sense!"
Alright then, after we reach the shunt that ends the transformer circuit and starts our Shunt circuit. From the shunt you'll notice 7 different places for potential to extend. Ignore CT3 for now, we'll return to that when we start talking fault circuits. First potential is going to cross CB1, a 7 amp push-to-reset circuit breaker then stop at K1's normally open contacts. This process will repeat for the remaining five wires, each extending to on of the six normally open contacts. If you read the key you'll notice that on the other sides of those contacts are the joins in the foot of our prosthetic limb.
"Doesn't that mean they aren't receiving potential."
Correct! Because the contacts are open, potential cannot extend, just as it couldn't extend passed S1 until the blood pressure switch closed. So what do we have to do class in order to extend potential to our joints?
"Close the contacts!"
Exactly! And how do we do that?
-silence-
It's simple. Our next circuit is the potential that comes out of our Voltage Regulator. As Roy's nerves fire off the Voltage regulator is going to direct the signals sent to their respective coils. So for the ankle, potential leave VR1 and extends to K1, which energizes. So remember those pesky open contacts between our Shunt circuit and the Ankle joint? Guess what they're going to do?
"They'll close!"
Yes! When they close potential from the Shunt will extend to the Ankle joint causing it to move. The same can be said for each toe as well if their respective coil are energized then potential extends across the now closed contacts to the joint allowing the limb to move.
"THAT'S SO COOL PLUTO-SAMA!"
Don't relax though, because we're not done yet.
"Huh?"
Remember CT3? That bumpy line that was coming off the Shunt I told you to ignore?
-nod-
Well here's where those come into play. You see CT1 CT2 and CT3 are Fault circuits. Should a problem ever arise in the components they're attached to, potential will extend along them to that cluster of three coils on the left middle part of the schematic. That's called the Fault Monitor.
"Okay..."
We'll start with CT1. CT1 is part of the transformer. Should the transformer malfunction, CT1 is going to send a signal to K16. K16 has a set of normally closed contacts. What happens when I energized K16?
"It's contacts stay closed?"
No. It's contacts will do the complete opposite. They'll open and potential will no longer flow to the rest of the limb. This means that the transformer needs to be replaced. The next fault CT2 is on VR1. The same principle applies. If a fault condition is detected then CT2 sends a signal to the fault monitor and energizes K17. K17 has two sets of normally closed contacts which will do what?
"Energize open?"
That's correct! And what happens when those contacts open?
"Potential can't go to the Voltage regulator or to the Shunt."
Yes! It protects the Shunt from constant voltage with possibly too much current draw and from all of the joint coils firing at once.
^w^
Finally our final fault is CT3, which is attached to the Shunt. The same deal applies here as for the other two faults. If there's a fault condition CT3 signals the Fault Monitor which energizes K18. K18's contacts open and cut off the Shunt.
"Wow! This thing really isn't too hard to read one you learn what the parts do."
And all that from simply knowing a few electrical parts on top of how electricity flows. That's all for today students class dismissed.
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Sun May 22, 2016 6:39 pm by Blueleaf
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