Iron man motorised faceplate electronics tutorial!!!

[xl97]

hi..

sorry if I was babbling.. (I know how de-motivating that can be sometimes) lol..

first.. you need to decide on teh battery pack you are going to use..
is it a 6v alkaline battery pack?
a 7.4v li-ion pack...etc...?

this is needed so we can calculate the correct resistor.

2-leds per eye.. got it!

I'll see if I can whip up some sort of schematic, unless someone else does it first.

 

[7sinzz]

Ill have a look into batt packs when I get home. Please don't apologise for your posts. They're highly valued and very informative. I'm just aiming to keep things as simple as possible. I literally want to hand this to people on a plate.
The led's I purchased were 3.2-3.4v

 

[7sinzz]

Still not had a chance to look. Busy busy Lil bumblebee.

 

[xl97]

if it were me...

I'd go with a nice sized 7.4v Li-Ion pack.. rechargeable with protection circuit/pcb already in the cell..

its only 1 more component and some wire to add in a re-charge port.. so you can recharge the batteries..etc.. and not have to remove anything from the prop/helmet

 

[7sinzz]

How long would that last though?

 

[Akiplesa]

This is... Holy.. Sh- How did you? Nevermind
what we've all been waiting for Thanks so much
Subed for sure
altho I do have a question
What's the difference between Arduino Uno SMD Rev3 and Arduino Uno Rev3? Will each one of these be fine?

 

[7sinzz]

Only use arduino UNO for prototyping. If you wish to skip prototyping and get straight into building using the provided code, get the arduino mini pro 5v. Soldering required. Although the UNO will fit in most helmets it's expensive.

 

[xl97]

what do you mean? the charge/battery pack? how long will 'that' last?

depends I guess.. it all depends on the draw/load put on the battery pack.


but I would say 'fairly long' lol..

what kind of battery pack are you thinking of?


I mean the helmet stuff alone

(2 x servos & leds).. probably isnt too much.. and really only peak usage is when the servo is under load for those brief moments..

 

[Akiplesa]

The price doesn't really matter
But what does matter is how much expansion is possible
Can you program flickers and stuf on a mini? Opening flaps? Voice control? I think most people will go the extra mile and buy a Uno. Even though it's a big ass card lol

 

[xl97]

price? you talking about the Arduino board? or the battery pack? (confused)


yes you can do the same stuff on the mini that you can on the uno..

and while people can try to use the uno.. Id like to see posts on HOW they mount/use them in the end.. (after breadboarding on your desk)

Having a UNO.. for general purposes is something I recommend.. especially if your nerdy/geeky and like to play with stuff/props..etc..

but I dont think its appropriate to keep using full retail boards in your end projects

 

[CJGrimm]

Using something big like the Uno, maybe place it in the chest cavity and run leads under the neckpiece to the helmet? I've not used the uno so I'm not sure if wiring that long results in too much of a drop in signal.

 

[xl97]

Im sure it would be fine.


I would think if you are doing a FULL suit though...

you'd want more than just an UNO... maybe a MEGA.. or multiple Arduino's even..

 

[Akiplesa]

Loading... Loading...
OOH. So.. Okay. Exactly, the size was what freaked me out the most.. How big should your helmet be? In the end it would turn out like iron midget
Another one then - around how much should it cost?
And how do we go about programming one? I see no usb lol Sorry I know I'm a retard

 

[xl97]

Cost.. not sure..

you can get clones/knock off for around $15 USD I think?

as far as programming.. I think it was talked about before..

no USB.. means you need to get a FTDI cable.. (posted in one of the posts here)

more or less same thing.. except you connect 4-5 wires to the Arduino instead of a usb connecter

 

[Zeigrin]

Thanks for sharing this I have been interested in arduion for a while now. Found this as a great excuse to order up an UNO for my own build

 

[xl97]

nice!.. I find learning about the Arduino stuff is fun!

(side note: your only like 1 hour away from me)

 

[Akiplesa]

BAMF lol. Got an idea you masters could look into
In IM 1 there's a scene where he directs all his power to the chest. You can see a wave of light under his armor. I'll search for a video

 

[7sinzz]

That would be interesting to look at.

Update, most of my new toys have come. The arduino mini is absolutely TINY!!! Will definitely fit in the helmet. Also the white LEDs I bought are super white and super bright. I actually couldn't see properly once I'd tested one as it shined in my eye. So I just need to Sus which power supply then I can start throwing parts together. Lets get Christmas out the way first though.

Merry Christmas guys.

 

[xl97]

post a link to the leds you bought...


cool you got your Arduino mini already!..

did you get the FTDI cable already too?

I had to make a quick mod to mine.. you might not 'have' to.. but for me it worked better this way... post when you get it..


and which one..

you'll need to install the drivers for it too..

 

[7sinzz]

Yep got the cable. Fits snug. Sadly the header pins are actually attached to the bottom. Rather frustrating, the the unit is so tiny I'm not to fussed.

Here's the sexy little LEDs:
http://bit.ly/W1RziA

And here's an epic photo showing how small the mini is: