FIREFLY DATAPAD HELP NEEDED
- Thread starter judgedredd
- Start date
Originally posted by Osmotic@Jan 25 2006, 08:56 AM
Dr slurpee
We wonÂ’t be having any of that, we all work for the same team :thumbsup
Edit: IÂ’m just glad weÂ’ve managed to find a prop that costs $7 bucks
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LOL, no worries, I am just glad you found it cause it'll save me a trip back to the store I saw it in...it's like 20 min out of my way. It's funny that we both had the same order of discovery. First the newer model cause it had the exact power button then the older correct model. I'd have posted the name of the store but it's a mom and pop used stuff shop so it wouldn't have helped anyone. Great work on findind it though. You found it with detective work, I found it by pure chance.
I declare that we can put this prop to bed part wise...now for screens and assembly.
trekkieb47
Well-Known Member
Do all of these have the same "cover" as in the first link?
Berry
Berry
Great detective work fellas. I was so caught up on the image actually coming from the device itself, I never paid much attention to non-color LCD screen devices.
I'm glad you guys found it, but I'm a little disappointed that I won't be able to display that graphic on the screen.
I guess I'll just have to buy a cheapie PDA with the same size screen and gut that puppy and perform a little transplant.
I figure, I'll have to take the Franklin apart anyway for painting.
I'm glad you guys found it, but I'm a little disappointed that I won't be able to display that graphic on the screen.
I guess I'll just have to buy a cheapie PDA with the same size screen and gut that puppy and perform a little transplant.
I figure, I'll have to take the Franklin apart anyway for painting.
RedTwoX
Sr Member
I know it had been discussed, but not finalized. There was nother episode with Inara picking clients from a computer terminal what was a practical animation on screen rather a CG overlay (in the commentary Morena Baccarin mentions having to time her movements so that it looks like she is using a touch screen), so it set a precedent. It just turns out to not be the case here.
It wouldn't have been necessary to program an interface. All they would have needed for the prop to work is an animation that would play on the screen. It could be knocked out in a couple of hours. I only brough up prgramming an interface so that we could have a prop that was a little more interactive. An "idealized" representation rather than an accurae reproduction of the prop.
That's academic at this point: It's a verified found part. Excellent work guys.
A static overlay backlit with LEDs should be easy enough. I haven't given up on a (somewhat) functional idealized version though. I'm still researching utilities for creating a GUI to use on the PDA. I've found a couple of possibilities. Once I nail down a couple a good ones I'll post links in case anyone else cares to work on this as well.
Again, great work on the reserach folks.
I am all for an idealized version, if anyone can figure out a cheap way to put a little colour screen with an animation on it into the PDA then that would be cool.
Do modern PDA-type things play flash (.swf) files?
If so, I *might* be able to make a "working" version of the graphic, that could play the whole little sequence.
If so, I *might* be able to make a "working" version of the graphic, that could play the whole little sequence.
Originally posted by Zev@Jan 25 2006, 12:50 PM
Heh, I guess it wasn't familiar to me at all.
But yay, you can get a full Firefly prop for about $20 and a little graft.
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RedTwoX
Sr Member
I don't know about flash, but they do display web pages I figure the "worst case scenario" would be an image map in an html document. You would have open the web browser and load the local saved HTML documet, but once you did that it should be "as seen on TV".
I would prefer a true GUI interface written in Java simply because it can be set up to go directly into the Cortext menu on boot up. You might have to go through the WindowsCE (or whatever OS the PDA is using) start scree of course, but I think those sys files can be edited as well.
I figure the "worst case scenario" would be an image map in an html document. You would have open the web browser and load the local saved HTML documet, but once you did that it should be "as seen on TV".I would prefer a true GUI interface written in Java simply because it can be set up to go directly into the Cortext menu on boot up. You might have to go through the WindowsCE (or whatever OS the PDA is using) start scree of course, but I think those sys files can be edited as well.
Originally posted by Kaylee@Jan 25 2006, 12:03 PM
Do modern PDA-type things play flash (.swf) files?
If so, I *might* be able to make a "working" version of the graphic, that could play the whole little sequence.
Originally posted by Zev@Jan 25 2006, 12:50 PM
Heh, I guess it wasn't familiar to me at all.
But yay, you can get a full Firefly prop for about $20 and a little graft.
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judgedredd
Sr Member
Fantastic detective work ordered mine
Darkknight0667
Sr Member
That's the right model, Tom. It comes with the black cover. Here's a shot of one:
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I think the 8120 is probably the accurate one, it seems to have darker grey around the screen like on the screen grabs. Don't suppose anyone would want to order me one at the same time as theirs and ship one to Canada?
Kaylee if you decided to go flash I could help you with it, I have done my share of flash in the past.
Darkknight0667
Sr Member
On the actual PDA - No. It's a very simple organizer with a minimum of memory. Plus, it's only got a monochrome screen. Some folks are talking about replacing the screen and guts with something able to handle a simulation of the startup screen.
BTW, Rich, did you get my PM?
BTW, Rich, did you get my PM?
synasp
Sr Member
Flash is good for overlying 2D graphics, but it seemed to have a lot of 3D elements that I just don't see happening in Flash... It would be much easier/cheaper to make a transparency of the initial screen and have it backlit... you just wouldn't get the 3D rotating graphic in the middle, rotating rings, and such.
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