Time range for a timer?

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OrgasmAlley
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Time range for a timer?

Post by OrgasmAlley »

I've got a couple of different styles of pneumatic restraint going, but for solo play they present a bit of a problem compared to electromagnetic restraints. If the power is already applied (thus opening the pneumatic valve/closing the restraint), you can't get in. I've been using a reverse deadman switch in combination with one of my existing timers, but I want a more elegant solution.

I'm making an Arduino-based timer that can operate in several modes. Default operation is that you set a knob to the desired time and flip it on. It will delay for 60 seconds, then apply power... wait for the set amount of time and release. There's also a manual start mode. Connect a pushbutton switch on cord, and instead of starting after 60 seconds it will wait indefinitely for your button press to start a hold of the set amount of time. It'll also run via Bluetooth, which lets you set both start delay and hold time (min/max or a discrete time for each) from a BT terminal on the phone or eventually be a slave to other software.

This gets to my question. How long? In BT mode it would be unlimited, but there needs to be a preset minimum and maximum for the times available by knob. The wider the range, the less accurately the user can set the time they desire, so I don't want to do something like 10 minutes to 10 hours. I have thought of adding a high/low switch... the knob would be something like 1 to 6, and the switch would determine if that means x10 minutes (10 to 60 minutes) or x1 hours (1 to 6 hours).

If you had this timer, what would you want as the knob's range?
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Re: Time range for a timer?

Post by KinkInSpace »

For the sake of safety, don't make the pneumatic system close the cuffs, but rather close a locking mechanism.

Make sure you close the cuffs yourself and that after set time is elapsed, the locking mechanism will ensure they stay locked.

If for some reason, while you are in bondage and the pneumatic system are the cuffs and something goes wrong, you may very well lose a body part, or otherwise get serious injury, but given that you won't be able to escape for a long time, blood loss will likely still cost you that bodypart, and amputation is required.
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Riddle
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Re: Time range for a timer?

Post by Riddle »

Personally, I would want up to 7 or 8 hours. The high/low switch is an awesome idea for your control method.

Have you considered a logarithmic scale as opposed to a linear scale. That way, the accuracy percentage stays the same as you get higher on the knob scale.

If you add a display, the accuracy of the time selection can go way up.

The idea of a manual start button is awesome. I will probably use that for my next timer iteration.

As for the scale, 0-90 minutes (low) and 0-10 hours (high) would be my ideal configuration.

Another option for accuracy is to use a 12 position switch and a resistor network. This could give 12 accurate settings. 10-120 minutes, 0.5-6 hours, or 1-12 hours.
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Re: Time range for a timer?

Post by OrgasmAlley »

I haven't the slightest idea what sort of "something goes wrong" you have in mind that might create such a result as amputation, Slave_L, but thanks for the input. The point of these devices is exactly that the pneumatic system directly closes and opens the restraint. For electronically controlling the closure on a restraint, I wouldn't choose pneumatics.

Thanks for the timeframes, Riddle. I don't want to add a display for cost reasons... plus, to-the-minute accuracy can be had by setting the thing at runtime from your phone without adding any cost or complexity. The logarithmic scale is a really slick idea, but I think the high/low is more useful to most people. If you want to use hardware to create a bunch of positions for something, look into BCD pushwheels, which you can stack side-by-side using four pins each (three of them get you 001 to 999).
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Re: Time range for a timer?

Post by Dark_Lizerd »

I assume you mean a pot for your knob.
A regular pot is linear, but a volume control knob is logarithmic...
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Re: Time range for a timer?

Post by Riddle »

Dark_Lizerd wrote:I assume you mean a pot for your knob.
A regular pot is linear, but a volume control knob is logarithmic...
I am assuming a pot also. Thank you for pointing out the volume control knob. The log part could also be done in software.
OrgasmAlley wrote:Thanks for the timeframes, Riddle. I don't want to add a display for cost reasons... plus, to-the-minute accuracy can be had by setting the thing at runtime from your phone without adding any cost or complexity. The logarithmic scale is a really slick idea, but I think the high/low is more useful to most people. If you want to use hardware to create a bunch of positions for something, look into BCD pushwheels, which you can stack side-by-side using four pins each (three of them get you 001 to 999).
Are you planning a commercial product, or is this a one-off build? Also, how do you plan to connect Bluetooth to the Arduino? Some day, I may want to use Bluetooth myself.

BCD pushwheels are neat. I have some that were purchased for my bondage timer, but were never installed. Have also used them at work for setting timers. Using a resistor network, the pin count can be dropped to 1 each.
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Re: Time range for a timer?

Post by Sergio »

BCD pushwheels are going to be more expensive than a KY-040 rotary encoder and a simple 4-digit 7-segment display - three digits would give 1-999 minutes (over 15 hours) but four is more commonly available. Under £1/$1/€1 for both from China.
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Re: Time range for a timer?

Post by Blacky »

Riddle wrote:... Also, how do you plan to connect Bluetooth to the Arduino? Some day, I may want to use Bluetooth myself.
...
You may want to have a look at HC-05 and HC-06 modules for that.
I have a setup running an Ardunio with an HC-06 module to be able to control the device by BT from an android cellphone.
The module works acceptably while powered by a cellphone charger connected to the Arduino USB-Interface, but I wouldn't rely on in to provide release.
On some occasions the BT link between the cellphone and the module got lost (not reproducable, not predictable :cry:).
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Riddle
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Re: Time range for a timer?

Post by Riddle »

Blacky wrote:
Riddle wrote:... Also, how do you plan to connect Bluetooth to the Arduino? Some day, I may want to use Bluetooth myself.
...
You may want to have a look at HC-05 and HC-06 modules for that.
I have a setup running an Ardunio with an HC-06 module to be able to control the device by BT from an android cellphone.
The module works acceptably while powered by a cellphone charger connected to the Arduino USB-Interface, but I wouldn't rely on in to provide release.
On some occasions the BT link between the cellphone and the module got lost (not reproducable, not predictable :cry:).
Thank you for the information. This started me on google searches and yielded better knowledge of using BLE with iOS. I had no idea how easy it is to write my own app and use it to control Arduino. I will have to make an alarm clock and a bondage timer with this information.

Sergio wrote:BCD pushwheels are going to be more expensive than a KY-040 rotary encoder and a simple 4-digit 7-segment display - three digits would give 1-999 minutes (over 15 hours) but four is more commonly available. Under £1/$1/€1 for both from China.
Sometimes other factors than just cost drive a design. I bough the bcd switches to quickly allow hour changes without scrolling through all of the minutes. Going from 5:30 to 4:30 is quicker and easier with bcd switches. Never used them because of how much work they are to implement. My bondage timer used 4 momentary switches (hours, minutes, stop, start) and scrolled through minutes in increments of 5. The next version will use an IR remote with number pad for direct entry. Looks like it may get Bluetooth also.

My latest version of a simple clock uses a $20 display, a $10 ir remote, a $12 microcontroller module, and a $5 RTC module. Cheaper would have been a $10 clock from the store...
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Blacky
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Re: Time range for a timer?

Post by Blacky »

Riddle wrote:...
Thank you for the information. This started me on google searches and yielded better knowledge of using BLE with iOS. I had no idea how easy it is to write my own app and use it to control Arduino. I will have to make an alarm clock and a bondage timer with this information.
...
You're welcome. Enjoy your quest :wink: :hi:
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Re: Time range for a timer?

Post by OrgasmAlley »

BCDs have, to me, substantial advantages. They're not expensive, they require minimal assembly time, I have made dies to melt mounting holes into plastic cases for the one or two wide setups that I use, and they're durable ... pins are cheap, time is dear in my case. The result here has to be in a neat, presentable, and durable compact package. Segmented displays are not nearly as easy to mount cleanly in an enclosure. It's clearly (to me, anyway) cheaper and easier to simply use Bluetooth if you want complete control, though. I'm just using a text conversation via a Bluetooth Terminal program at this point, and it's quick and easy.

Yes, most of the things I work on are -- or at least have the potential to be -- commercial products. The air cuffs are certainly commercial, and the timer project is happenning because they have the particular control requirement described initially. Therefore the timer is commercial too ;) I want it to be as inexpensive as possible... it's just a thing that allows people to buy and use the air cuffs, to me. I also will be moving the Spank-O-Matic and its various accessories to fully wireless capability over Bluetooth, and need the slave portion of a restraint controller. Hence the additional full slave BT mode. Also thinking about making remotely controlled cuffs of the sort once offered by UberKinky, but without the overheating issues.

While it's true that an audio taper pot as used for volume knobs provides a logarithmic response, I would actually do this idea -- that is, short times with more detailed control while long times are less fine-grained -- in software. Should someone wish to pursue it, I would do the following:

- divide the pot's travel in half (512), with 512 being one hour
- if an analogRead() is <= 512, map the result into 0 to 60 minutes on a linear scale
- if >512, map the result (513-1023) to 1 to 10 hours on a linear scale

It's not logarithmic, of course. The smooth changes along a logarithmic scale, IMO, don't map well to the way people think.

In the BT arena, I'm using HC-06 boards. They are quite inexpensive, and connect to the six pins on the end of a ProMini which I use extensively. It's Serial, but I'm not sending much data for anything here. I too would not rely _solely_ on a command to release. Rather, you have the master ping the slave periodically to confirm ongoing control. It's not unheard of for these connections to drop, you can reconnect them in real time, and in an application like this you don't need to know instantly that command has been lost. I'll probably wait a minute between pings, with another minute of buffer after one has been missed before deciding control is gone and the restraint must release for safety. Everything in a restraint system -- especially one potentially used in solo play -- should be positive fail, a problem results in release.

In the case of adjusting settings via phone, in the event of the odd connection dropping, you'd just have to start over. That all happens upfront... in this case, you adjust settings in a menu conversation, then tell it to "go". Once that command is issued to the timer, the BT connection is immaterial and the timer operates independently through release.
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Re: Time range for a timer?

Post by KinkInSpace »

Lets assume you have the restraints in place, you prepare for a session, press the button, hurry to get in place, wait the final seconds and the pneumatic forces close the restraints with your arms in them. But for some unforseen reason, a bit of skin is caught between the restraints and the force of the pneumatic mechanism is strong enough to keep it in place. You can't get your skin free without tearing it off.

Worse, somehow part of your hand is caught and squeezed. The force is not strong enough to cut off your finger, but it stops bloodflow. Alternatively, the restraints just close too tightly causing that your entire hand is cut off from blood circulation.

You have planned the session to take several hours. After about an hour, the tissue starts to die due to no blood circulation and gangrene starts to set in, which basically means, unless your hand gets amputated, you eventually die (or lose more than just your hand)

Yes, I am overreacting here. I prefer to see the worst in every situation just so I can be prepared and never have to face it.
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Re: Time range for a timer?

Post by OrgasmAlley »

Thanks for the input, Slave_L. The very design of the button is intended to remove any need to hurry... you would get into the restraints and THEN push the button. The potential hurry could be in the default mode operation (set knob, turn on, restraints close in 60 seconds) but my own experience has not been that there's any rush. In the same clicking the lock closed after removing the key instead of before heightens the experience, having your restraints snap shut (somewhat) unexpectedly REALLY does.

The restraint design issues you mention are not concerns in my air cuffs, except the possibility of a restraint closing too tightly. As the applied size of the closed restraint is set by the user/operator prior to the session, I don't have any control over it. Slippage in the setting can only loosen things, so improper application is also not a potential concern. The cylinder will reliably close the restraint to the set level, and cannot under any circumstance close it further.

Nothing you've said seems specific to pneumatic operation of the restraint, though... identical concerns exist with steel handcuffs, or even leather cuffs. If you apply either too tightly and cannot escape it for several hours, you have a potential blood flow issue. One should, of course, always employ some form of emergency release in any event. These restraints are, from this perspective, vastly safer than steel handcuffs, as those are just an extra click or two from "too tight" while you must intentionally set these too tight well in advance.

I'm enjoying the discussion here, but do note that I've only received one actual response to my question... if you have a timer with the described features, what setting lengths in manual operation would best meet your needs? Perhaps everyone simply agrees with Riddle or falls under his times?
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Re: Time range for a timer?

Post by Riddle »

Slave_L wrote:Lets assume you have the restraints in place, you prepare for a session, press the button, hurry to get in place, wait the final seconds and the pneumatic forces close the restraints with your arms in them...

Yes, I am overreacting here. I prefer to see the worst in every situation just so I can be prepared and never have to face it.
Have you seen the restraints being discussed?

http://forum.boundanna.net/board/viewto ... 729#p79729

http://forum.boundanna.net/board/viewto ... 1&start=15


I am paranoid and I would trust OrgasmAlley's design for self-bondage. I would buy his design if I had not already made my own pneumatic restraint devices.
OrgasmAlley wrote:Yes, most of the things I work on are -- or at least have the potential to be -- commercial products...

In the BT arena, I'm using HC-06 boards...
Thank you for the additional details.
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KinkInSpace
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Re: Time range for a timer?

Post by KinkInSpace »

Hadn't seen them. Tnx.
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