Iron man motorised faceplate electronics tutorial!!!

i have wired and rewired this circuit 8 or nine times, and still cannot get it figured out, i must be the most electronically uncoordinated person on this forum, done everything in the tutorial and nothing happens when i hit the power button, since i know the wiring is right could i be loading the code wrong? or am i seriously that much of a jynx and should just buy a completed system lol?

edit: ummm nevermind im an idiot i was using a 10k ohm resistor instead of a 10 ohm resistor, looks like its time for a trip to radio shack

DarkJester said:

i have wired and rewired this circuit 8 or nine times, and still cannot get it figured out, i must be the most electronically uncoordinated person on this forum, done everything in the tutorial and nothing happens when i hit the power button, since i know the wiring is right could i be loading the code wrong? or am i seriously that much of a jynx and should just buy a completed system lol?

edit: ummm nevermind im an idiot i was using a 10k ohm resistor instead of a 10 ohm resistor, looks like its time for a trip to radio shack

Click to expand...

The resistor is right bro, its a 10K ohms resistor! If you use a 10ohms resistor it will get pretty hot and burn.
The dude on the 1st post said 10ohms but in the pictures he is using a 10K ohms resistor.

you need to pay attention on what TAC button you are using, the button needs to be normally open.

also see if you are wiring to the right pins on arduino, see if the orientation of the push button is right, try another push button, check all the connections to see if its not any kind of discontinue current or bad contact on the circuit.

im using the same button hes using in the picture of the breadboard, my setup looks exactly like the pictures, i have followed the tutorial word for word, and i cant get the system to work at all, when i plug it in the servos make a little noise, but after i upload the code, i hit the switch and nothing happens

memebr said:

Are you using this transistor as just a trigger?

interesting concept, i was thinking in use those stripes with 4 or 5 smd leds per secion, i may use a transistor, and put the arduino to trigger it and fire up the leds powered by the battery pack.

Click to expand...

correct.. thats the ONLY way really..

any given Arduino pin can ONLY supply (max) 40mA...safely around 20Ma they say...

there is no way you can drive/power that many leds off of the Arduino by itself..

so you need to power it by a separate battery pack/source..

(of course making sure the voltage requirements (and regulation) are there.. as well as the correct current limiting resistors)

the only way to then control/drive/toggle the leds using the Arduino would be with a transistor or mosfet..etc..

the Arduino controls the 'gate' that allows the power to trickle through the transistor..

using PWM you can either open the gate a little or a lot..

DarkJester said:

im using the same button hes using in the picture of the breadboard, my setup looks exactly like the pictures, i have followed the tutorial word for word, and i cant get the system to work at all, when i plug it in the servos make a little noise, but after i upload the code, i hit the switch and nothing happens

Click to expand...

take some pictures...

'saying' what you've done..and what youve' 'actually' done are sometimes two separate things..(even though we believe its we done as posted)

I have swore up & down I have wired things correctly.. only to find out I 'thought' it was correct..but in fact was not.

1.) how much Arduino experience do you have? any?

2.) can you/have you gotten the simple BLINK sketch/code to work (to ensure communication and code uploads are all in working order?)

ensure the basics work.. then we move on piece by piece.. until we find the troublesome part(s)..

are you using any Serial.print() lines to debug your code?

Where is it failing? look at (use) the serial monitor and find out whats not working and where..

xl97 said:

correct.. thats the ONLY way really..

the Arduino controls the 'gate' that allows the power to trickle through the transistor..

using PWM you can either open the gate a little or a lot..

Click to expand...

i kinda figured that out looking trough the code and what pin used on the arduino

For this project (the code with fade eyes on the 1st page) i have to use a NPN transistor, right?

Also, those BC548 or BC639 would fit the project? (the one with fade on the 1st page)

sorry.. Im not sure what code or whos approach you are using..

I posted my OWN code and my OWN approach/how-to..

so thats the one "I" follow.. although I give general advice on questions..
its hard to following along with an approach that isnt mine/my same thought process..

correct you would use a NPN type transistor (current)

here are some old wiring diagrams I made..
and I know they do NOT pertain to IronMan or the type of leds in the pcb linked to above...but the 'concept' is still the same..

for common V++.. you use NPN:
http://dmstudios.net/misc/RGB_transistor_commonAnode_diagram2.jpg


for common GND you use PNP":
http://dmstudios.net/misc/RGB_transistor_commonCathode_diagram2.jpg

as you can see in the image.. these are 5050, RGB leds..

its a bit more advanced/harder wiring than were talking about... but should help give a visual..


using a transistor/mosfet is a common approach when you have to control/drive/power a device that has bigger/larger/higher power requirements than the Arduino can provide

Arduino provides:
+5v voltage
40mA current (per pin).. they say only 20mA safely though.... and only 200mA TOTAL for the whole board.. all pins..etc..

so if you took 40mA from a pin... you could only really use 5 pins @ 40mA.. as you be at the 200mA cap for the board.. (make sense?



here is another quick example of using a transistor to drive an led array.. (IM repulsor pcbs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqg7jWZWrmM
that being said.. I have no clue on the specs of these: "BC548 or BC639"

link? datasheet specs?


couple things you need to keep in mind..

1.) the vF (forward voltage) of the leds you plan on using.
2.) the total current you'll need for your LED array..
3.) battery pack/source you plan to use..

these all play an important part in picking out the transistor and the resistors you'll need to use..

(transistor needs to be able to supply enough current..etc)
voltage regulation needed? (dont forget voltage drop across the transistor too!)..etc

its not hard.. but all pieces need to be there in order to finalize is all..

as far as fitting?.. fitting what? 1st post is a breadboard for dev/prototyping...no?
I also didnt think an led array was use.. but in fact only 1 or 2 leds per eye.. (which can be driven directly from the Arduino..so no transistor needed in that example)

I think these are the transistors I used for the eye circuits:
BC81725MTF Fairchild Semiconductor | BC81725MTFCT-ND | DigiKey


**off to finish the spider-man webshooter pcb's now.. :ninja

xl97 said:

as far as fitting?.. fitting what? 1st post is a breadboard for dev/prototyping...no?
I also didnt think an led array was use.. but in fact only 1 or 2 leds per eye.. (which can be driven directly from the Arduino..so no transistor needed in that example)

I think these are the transistors I used for the eye circuits:
BC81725MTF Fairchild Semiconductor | BC81725MTFCT-ND | DigiKey


**off to finish the spider-man webshooter pcb's now.. :ninja

Click to expand...

the BC639 will do the job! the max current on the collector is 1A (pretty huge amount of current) and pretty similar to the one you used.

I'm using a 7.4V li-ion battery pack, but it is regulated to 5V by a LM7805 Vreg.

I'm not that dumb in electronic, i have a some knowledge in it, but not much in the digital area of the electronics, but I'm getting it fast.

I'm going to run the leds in parallel with one dedicated resistor to each one, I already made my circuit balance.

ok.. well I guess your all set then,

So radioshack has these boards and starter kits apparently...are there any good books online or they may have that I could read to get more familiar with this. I can follow instructions just like a monkey can but I'm here to learn

I was going to get the following... please let me know if there is something better that they have.

Arduino Uno REV 3 : Computers | RadioShack.com

RadioShack Electronics Components Pack 1 : Hobby Projects & Kits | RadioShack.com

---OR----

RadioShack Electronics Components Pack 2 | RadioShack.com

2 of these..they don't have their power rating though..?

Parallax Continuous Rotation Servo : Motors | RadioShack.com

RadioShack Getting Started with Arduino 2nd Edition: Hobby projects & kits | RadioShack

--Maybe This---

xl97 said:

take some pictures...

'saying' what you've done..and what youve' 'actually' done are sometimes two separate things..(even though we believe its we done as posted)

I have swore up & down I have wired things correctly.. only to find out I 'thought' it was correct..but in fact was not.

1.) how much Arduino experience do you have? any?

2.) can you/have you gotten the simple BLINK sketch/code to work (to ensure communication and code uploads are all in working order?)

ensure the basics work.. then we move on piece by piece.. until we find the troublesome part(s)..

are you using any Serial.print() lines to debug your code?

Where is it failing? look at (use) the serial monitor and find out whats not working and where..

Click to expand...

heres my board and MC

DarkJester said:

heres my board and MC

Click to expand...

The button is connected to nothing, there is your problem.

the pin 2 from the arduino is going diretcly to the GND, passing through the resistor

turn the button 45º and you will be fine.

Djstorm100 said:

So radioshack has these boards and starter kits apparently...are there any good books online or they may have that I could read to get more familiar with this. I can follow instructions just like a monkey can but I'm here to learn

I was going to get the following... please let me know if there is something better that they have.

Click to expand...

Arduino is a open source platform for small automations, so the material to get started and learn how it works and how to code on it is also free, if you search the web you can find pretty good material.

The price on the arduino rev 3 board does not change much, so you can grab it from radioshack,
the components kit (the pack1) is a lil bit expensive, you can grab what you will need separately, cause you will use almost nothing from that ultra inflated 99.00 bucks kit.
So, just buy a strip of 10K and 330 ohms resistors, a couple of push button normally open, a couple of leds, a breadboard, some breadboard wires and you are set to go.

The servo from radioshack is not the one you need, this one on the link is modified to continuous spin, its great for robots that will use wheels, but not good for what you need, try to find a non modded servo, the MG955 is a great servo for this project, if you wanna open a lil bit more that wallet you also can buy 2 digital servos.

If you only have your local Radio Shack as a source.. then listen to the advice already given..

but imho.. Arduinos can be had for around $10.00-$15.00 or so....

I also suggest everyone get a UnoR3 as their main TEST/DEV board...

but learn how to make minimal circuits or buy smaller board variants to shove and keep in your projects..


stay away from the 'kits' at RS.. cheaper getting something on-line.. or just tailor make one to your interests..

Def get the UNO Rev 3 though?

I personally still use an Arduino Duemilanove 2009 board.. (which is more or less the same as the Uno/R3 with some small differences)

but 'I' do not (ever) stick one of those in my end project(s)..

nor do I put a breadboard in them...etc.. those are for quick 'prototyping' not an end result..

but you 'could' I suppose..

I would at least get a smaller one in the end.. (like the ones everyone where is using its smaller, takes up less room in your bucket)

What are some of the popular ones that are used in the bucket? I honestly don't even know what I'm looking for. Once I get my help built I'll dive deeper but I like to get my feet wet so to speak. I understand the three formals, as I wire up race cars (drag) with very sensitive electronics but this is a totally different world. We don't used transistors/resistors/etc. Only thing we use is diodes.

memebr said:

The button is connected to nothing, there is your problem.

the pin 2 from the arduino is going diretcly to the GND, passing through the resistor

turn the button 45º and you will be fine.

Click to expand...

7sinzz said:

9) Legs should be inserted into the breadboard at: 25g, 25i, 28i, 28g.

Click to expand...

if i turn the switch 45 degrees, it wont be in these ports

the push button is not on those pins already, take a look over your board!

your push button is on the 26F and 27F (the other side i cant see)

it is connected to nothing.

I told you to turn it 45º cause that push button you are using is a lil bit different from the one the dude on the 1st post used, he was using a 3X4 push button, you are using a 2X something push button

please take a pic looking from above of your breadboard! Put the camera straight on top of the breadboard and take a pic, than i show you what is wrong.

Djstorm100 said:

What are some of the popular ones that are used in the bucket? I honestly don't even know what I'm looking for. Once I get my help built I'll dive deeper but I like to get my feet wet so to speak. I understand the three formals, as I wire up race cars (drag) with very sensitive electronics but this is a totally different world. We don't used transistors/resistors/etc. Only thing we use is diodes.

Click to expand...

the arduino Nano V3.0, arduino Micro and the arduino Mini are the common ones used on small projects.

heres the picture of my switch connected to the board and the same switch next to the board so you can see what switch im using

DarkJester said:

heres the picture of my switch connected to the board and the same switch next to the board so you can see what switch im using

Click to expand...

OK, now i see what the problem really is,

lets fix it in no time!

follow those instructions and try it out:

Put the push button on the pins: 26E, 26F and 28E and 28F
put the +5V on the pin 28D
put a resistor from the pin 26D to 20D
put a wire from 20E to the negative stripe
and finally put a wire from the pin 2 on the arduino to the pin 26G

now this thing have to work like a charm!

it should look like this:


2 more reference pictures:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y87/oozi/20130529_005624_zpscbda2f75.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y87/oozi/20130529_005610_zpsb0590022.jpg

Tell me if it works!