Tron Legacy Deluxe Identity Disc mods?

[blackfeathers]

d'oh. i just realized something fairly obvious. when i did the version 1 mod, i deliberately used a dpdt switch so that the other throw could be used for an added functionality. i totally forgot about that when i did the version 2 mod...

but basically, here's the theory of how it works:

toy switch has the 2 modes + the master off center position. this is the main off switch.

the dpdt switch on my mod has one mode for usb and the other as an 'off' for usb -but this is temporary... because if you solder the button battery compartment terminals to these respectively, you should be able to keep the toy lit until the batteries are too weak.

i have yet to test this out, but thought i'd throw it out there.

so, to recap:
version 1: usb power keeps the disc lit
version 2: adds an internal usb socket for storage
version 3: plans to keep the disc lit solidly with the existing batteries. goal: portability

 

[blackfeathers]

mod version 3 just completed.

pics & details:
tron deluxe disc modification - a set on Flickr

video demo
YouTube - tron legacy deluxe identity disc modification. version 3

 

[torsoboy]

2010 Tron Legacy Deluxe Identity Disc Mod - a set on Flickr

Here is what I've gotten so far on my mod. I've taken apart the stock disc and taken out all of the electonics. I'm going to have to do some dremeling away at the insides of each shell, but it should really end up being only minor work. I'll have to remove the inner fins from the clear blue ring, but it will end up staying in place because of the ridges it has that sit in the grooves around each shell.

I also got my EL wire kit in. The wire has a little connector bit allowing it to be separated from the electronics package, which is a nice feature. The battery pack itself is too large to fit within the disc, obviously, but once taken apart (a single screw disassembles the whole thing), the electronics should fit quite nicely inside the disc - perhaps even with some room to spare.

The electronics for the EL wire kit has three modes: fast pulse, slow pulse, and static on, and they are activated with a single push button. My plans are to work the electronics into the disc in such a way that I can mount a thin rod to the button and have the newly elongated button stick out into the inner edge of the disc. That way I can activate it by holding it in a more natural way.

The aqua lighting might end up being too green of a color choice, but because it separates from the electronics, i can simply swap out light strips at another time once I have the new electronics mounted into place.

Tonight I start dremeling!

 

[blackfeathers]

2010 Tron Legacy Deluxe Identity Disc Mod - a set on Flickr

Here is what I've gotten so far on my mod. I've taken apart the stock disc and taken out all of the electonics. I'm going to have to do some dremeling away at the insides of each shell, but it should really end up being only minor work. I'll have to remove the inner fins from the clear blue ring, but it will end up staying in place because of the ridges it has that sit in the grooves around each shell.

I also got my EL wire kit in. The wire has a little connector bit allowing it to be separated from the electronics package, which is a nice feature. The battery pack itself is too large to fit within the disc, obviously, but once taken apart (a single screw disassembles the whole thing), the electronics should fit quite nicely inside the disc - perhaps even with some room to spare.

The electronics for the EL wire kit has three modes: fast pulse, slow pulse, and static on, and they are activated with a single push button. My plans are to work the electronics into the disc in such a way that I can mount a thin rod to the button and have the newly elongated button stick out into the inner edge of the disc. That way I can activate it by holding it in a more natural way.

The aqua lighting might end up being too green of a color choice, but because it separates from the electronics, i can simply swap out light strips at another time once I have the new electronics mounted into place.

Tonight I start dremeling!

good luck with it! glad to see other types of modding. :thumbsup

if there is such a thing as white el wire it might be better so that you can change the colour with a filter or gel without commiting only to one.


some have requested instructions on how to mod the existing battery to keep the toys light lit. while my descriptions and photos are detailed, i thought an illustrated diagram would clear things up a bit:

i've added it to my flickr disc mod photo set (link in my previous post).

 

[torsoboy]

if there is such a thing as white el wire it might be better so that you can change the colour with a filter or gel without commiting only to one.

There is such a thing, but this particular vendor didn't offer it in the 3' length. At least not on their webpage. I might see if they carry it in the 5' length, which would definitely generate some brighter output having it all coiled up inside the disc. I'll have to wait and see, though. I still haven't seen this aqua stuff through the colored lenses in a dark setting, so it may end up being a decent enough choice.

 

[blackfeathers]

There is such a thing, but this particular vendor didn't offer it in the 3' length. At least not on their webpage. I might see if they carry it in the 5' length, which would definitely generate some brighter output having it all coiled up inside the disc. I'll have to wait and see, though. I still haven't seen this aqua stuff through the colored lenses in a dark setting, so it may end up being a decent enough choice.

in theory, since it's a longer length, the existing inverter would result in a dimmer light since it's more surface area/length to cover. it would be brighter if you used an inverter with a larger rating than you have now. but coiling it around might end up with the same brightness -but fuller when coiled around areas the first pass couldn't get to directly, but can't say for sure... all in theory.

also, i haven't worked with el wire before, only el sheets -but can't you trim the el wire if it's too long and solder that new end back?

re-edited post to add this how-to trim el wires link. hope it helps:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Connecting-EL-wires/


on a different note, i just made another simplified diagram showing how to incorporate usb and battery power switching on my disc mod, with detailed notes:
tron disc mod 1 and 3: usb & battery power | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

diagram:

 

[torsoboy]

Well, I did some work on the mod last night. I got the bottom shell dremeled out, and the electronics for the light kit just barely fit inside the thing. There is room for the two AA batteries too. All of it will have to be fixed into place, though, and I'm not at a point where I'm ready to do that yet.

As far as the EL wire, goes, the 3' length is an issue. It can either effectively cover the outer ring, or it can effectively cover the inner ring. There is enough length to make about 1 and 7/8 loops around the inside, not enough to glow brightly/effectively. Also, the color I chose is too strong of an aqua color for the lenses to filter out, and it just makes it look green. So the length and the color both have to be changed. I'm thinking a 5 to 6 foot length would be fine, but I'm torn on the color. The company I ordered from doesn't offer white, but that would be the best choice. If you look at the references, the blue glow is mostly white with a hint of blue in it, so an outright blue glow would be too saturated of a look I think. So either I look elsewhere for a white EL wire kit, or I get the blue wire kit. Hmm.





As far as a proof of concept, I think it works wonders. I diffused the glow of the inner wire with a layer of plain printer paper. It still glows brightly, but it's not a thin glowing line - it makes the inner ring glow more evenly. I think I have some more work to do on the outer ring in order to get the desired effect, though. I trimmed off all the attachment wedges, but there is still an odd angled surface there that is bending the light in an odd way. I think i have enough room to carve out a little channel in it for the EL wire to rest in and not be affected by adverse lighting effects.






(Please note, I've only been working with the electronics out of the disc so far. No point in mounting it permanently if it's a test right now.)

I'm typing this on my iPad in a series of emails to myself to be posted later with photos, so excuse the odd segue here. I just found a website that offers a 6 ft white EL wire kit that has a two-AA battery pack with it that measures roughly to the same measurements as the current battery pack. With shipping it ended up being cheaper that the previous kit too, so I went ahead and bought it. $25.60 shipped to me. It was advertised as "white / light blue," and on the photo it looked pretty ok (though I've quickly learned not to trust photos of EL wire because of color differences).

El wire kits: White / Light Blue El wire set 6 foot $17.99

After my experience with the 3 ft length, I'm pretty confident that the 6 ft length will do the trick. I'll get a full loop around the inner ring and a full loop around the outer ring, plus maybe a second loop around the outer loop. Even if it is a light blue as they partially claim, it should be a better hue than the aqua from the previous strand. But if it is actually white, it should do the trick nicely.

A thought I had during the installation of the first stand was to line the inside of the disc shells with some of that silver / aluminum tape for some reflectivity. I don't know if it would help out, or if it wouldn't do anything. I don't have any on-hand, so I haven't tried it yet.

 

[blackfeathers]

torsoboy,

awesome job so far! thanks for filling us on the progress of your el wire disc and what you learned along the way.

i've read in one of these threads about mating the two 'hero' sides of the disc together. since your approach dremels out the inside and removes the existing electronics, i think it could be an idea for overall even lighting. although, if you want to be able to access the interior, figuring out a way to be able to reliably open and close it might be a challenge.

i agree about reflecting or diffusing the light inside for a more even glow. other possible ways to consider might be chrome or gloss white spray paint for the interior's reflective nature -if you want to commit to something more permanent and in addition to what you're already doing to diffuse it. eddieadryr over at the costume planning thread used el wire and diffused it with foil, but then changed to poster board or white paper to prevent his costume from making that crinkly noise. it appears to have diffused the light quite well. but, since this disc is a rigid piece, i think there's more possible ways to do it.

while watching the promo clips, the discs appear to have lightly dashed pattern segments of light. this might require some minor masking to achieve a similar effect once a more uniform and brighter light is first created.

as another type of mod, replacing the stock leds with brighter ones might be possible although they might drain batteries faster due to bigger current demands, and might not be as worthwhile as an e.l. wire approach.

thanks!

 

[torsoboy]

while watching the promo clips, the discs appear to have lightly dashed pattern segments of light. this might require some minor masking to achieve a similar effect once a more uniform and brighter light is first created.

Yep. Of course, the lighting on the outer ring moves, but this would be a static "easy mod" kind of thing, so masking on the EL wire should do the trick. I plan on doing some kind of masking, possibly with just black electrical tape. I'll have to plan it out and mark it on the inside of the shells where the EL wire will be attached so that it's all evenly and correctly spaced. I'm thinking that the masking should probably be on the shell parts and not necessarily on the EL wire. That way you can get some extra light seeping around it instead of getting hard lines from the outside.

One thought I had to get that undulating look on the outer ring (the space between the sets of 3 lights) goes back to my idea of gouging out a channel on the inner edge to the outer ring. Perhaps selectively gouging out areas for the EL wire to sit will allow the light to shine through those parts better, and the areas not gouged out will allow less light (which it already does).

 

[TrooperPX]

Another good source for EL wire is Cool Neon (Funhouse Productions):

Cool Neon

They'll even do custom lengths and prep all of the parts. Their drivers are small too, some even use AAA batteries.

Cool Neon Wire

Drivers

I've used them for years. :thumbsup Bright enough to be seen indoors!

 

[torsoboy]

Thanks for the tip! I'll be sure to look them up if this next EL wire kit doesn't do the trick. I'm determined to get this working one way or another.

Very nice Tau rifle, man. I'm a big Tau fan. Might be starting up a Firewarrior project in the next months, coincidentally.

Edit: I just checked out their driver selection. I'm definitely going to consider their single AAA driver if space becomes an issue. It could end up being a better choice to have two smaller drivers, one each powering a single strand for each lighted ring in the disc. But we'll see!

 

[Vader1]

Great work. I just got my disc today, and I am ready to start modding. The gentleman that built the actual prop has commented in one of the TRON Legacy threads that there were 150 LED's in the movie prop. IIRC.

I was thinking of trying to find find battery powered chasing all white christmas lights. Opinions. I have no electronics experience.

 

[blackfeathers]

for putting stuff in the toy, the biggest consideration is figuring out a way of sticking everything inside the disc or finding a way of hiding an external power source that you can then plug into the disc inconspicuously -just how torsoboy is figuring it out with el wire. if it doesn't fit right off the bat, you might need to modify your electronics of choice.

ricksprops is a master prop builder with resources, skills, & knowledge most of us don't have and specific information he is not allowed to disclose. from his posts, it was a very big challenge for him as well. the 150 leds i believe were surface mount(tiny) and ran to 3v batteries rather than say two aa batteries. and there were quite a number variations -eg. cnc'ed blocks of aluminum, stunt versus hero variants, etc. truly inspiring pieces of work.

 

[blackfeathers]

i created a simplified diagram on how to keep the lights on with minimal effort. to keep it lit solid, it's just a matter of soldering the leds to a ground wire. tron disc mod 3 variant. simple battery mod | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[cannibal869]

Howdy all,
first post over here.

I'm usually over on the lightsaber forums at TCSS and at FX-Sabers, so you could say I have a bit of experience with wiring and electronics (especially when it comes to LEDs an EL wire).

I also just picked up two of these and will be modding them with about 6 feet of white El wire each... I'll be using a rechargeable Li-Ion trustfire battery (or two) to power the inverter and I'll be keeping the stock sound effects on a parallel circuit. Just FYI, a single trustfire is about 3.7V, and is powerful enough to power most of the economy lightsaber sounboards (which really aren't all that much different from the soundboard in this tron disc).

I'll post up some pics once my parts all come in.
Glad to have found this forum!

cheers,
-C:cool

oh and just in case you're interested, here is a link to some of my lightsaber builds...
Lightsabers pictures by cannibal869 - Photobucket

 

[blackfeathers]

howdy cannibal869,

the fx sabers are awesome. i have seen a few third-party sabers, fx & parker, in person a few times and love the quality of their mods.

using rechargeable li-ions is a great approach...

along those lines, i am curious if anyone has modded their sabers with some sort of power induction charging? it's like principle behind those rechargeable electric toothbrushes or the power mat for electronic devices.

the reason behind this is that maybe one could create a special tron disc stand that can charge a li-ion inductively. that way all that's required is to place the disc on the stand for continuous lit power and also charging. there would be less need to open up the disc or compartment just to replace the batteries. there would also be no need to carry around an extra cable for power.

looking forward to seeing your take on the el-wire idea.

cheers.

 

[torsoboy]

So my white EL wire experiment isn't going well. It's the same inverter as the 3' wire I previously bought - same battery pack, just a different wire. I suspect that since the wire is twice the length, it's only using about half the required power for it. However, I know how finicky EL wire can be, and it doesn't take much to burn one out. To give you an idea of how dull this 6' white is, it's barely enough to filter through the lenses. On the outer ring, you can't even tell it's there, and on the inner ring, you have to be in a pitch black room to see it.

6' white EL wire on the left, 3' aqua EL wire on the right. The 3' strand is MUCH brighter.


For my next attempt, I'll just go back to LEDs, only bigger, super bright ones, and more of them than the stock 8. I'm estimating that I'll use around 20-30 LEDs total, but I'll be bringing in some outside help on that from one of my techy friends that knows way more about that kind of stuff than I do.

 

[cannibal869]

Well, that's kinda disappointing...

Just out of curiousity, what kind of inverter are you using? It looks like it's powered by 2AAs so a total of 3V, but what does the manufacturer state as far as how many feet the inverter is able to handle?

Also are the two wires the same or different diameters?

Oh and blackfeathers - the induction charging thing would be uber cool, especially considering that the ring like shape of the disc might actually help this along (I only have my old Palm Pre and rechargeable toothbrush to reference - moreso the toothbrush I think since it kinda sits on a little round knob to charge). Anyway, while it would be cool, I have no expertise or experience in designing such a thing... Sorry...

Ok sorry Edit#3:
If you're serious about looking into the LED thing, maybe you should try pimping up Makototsai - you can do a youtube search for his LED string lightsabers - truly some of the brightest LEDs I've ever seen! The good news is that you should be able to power everything with a few Li-Ion batteries. For instance, check out this video

You would have to pad the LEDs to prevent them from breaking, but it shouldn't be too hard. Making the LEDs into ladder segments would also allow you to do sequencing startups like for a lightsaber, except imagine that it's going around the ring of the tron disc.

-C

 

[Knowone251]

Just an interesting note, from what I have read Aqua and White are the only 2 colors that EL comes in naturally, and all the other colors come from dyeing the pvc sheath. Hence why the aqua and white always look the brightest.

 

[torsoboy]

Ok sorry Edit#3:
If you're serious about looking into the LED thing, maybe you should try pimping up Makototsai - you can do a youtube search for his LED string lightsabers - truly some of the brightest LEDs I've ever seen! The good news is that you should be able to power everything with a few Li-Ion batteries. For instance, check out this video

You would have to pad the LEDs to prevent them from breaking, but it shouldn't be too hard. Making the LEDs into ladder segments would also allow you to do sequencing startups like for a lightsaber, except imagine that it's going around the ring of the tron disc.

-C

That would make my day if that could be fit into an Identity Disc. I sent him an email about it, so I guess I'll find out. In the mean time, I'll do some research into setting up an LED ladder specifically for this kind of application.