Cool! I keep mine on my desk at work next to my Nuka Cola caps.
Since you won't have the PCB inside, you can just hot-glue the spindle in place. The prop version I published later doesn't have this same issue. However they are taking their sweet time with my own order of that version.
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Short text update on the overall project in general:
I have finally decided once and for all to switch back to the BeagleBone black. The Udoo Neo simply isn't going to work out of a whole host of reasons I have covered previously.
With that decision made I can more forward with more of the project. Now I am working to get the 640x480 LCD screen wired up to the BeagleBone and Ubuntu, if for some reason that doesn't work out I will use the 320x240 screen.
This means that the in-game functionality will have to be something programmed after the actual build. Instead I will focus the project more on creating the real-world functions of the Pip-Boy. This is actually harder than just in-game functions. I am trying to come up with a list of "Must-have" real-world sensors to include in the Pip-Boy. However, each sensor requires some software development, requires a circuit to be designed and adds cost.
Lore friendly list:
-PIN Diode Gamma Ray Detector, in other words a Geiger counter.
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FM Radio, Real radio, require adding a audio mixer circuit
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Compass sensor-
Heart Rate sensor, This could detect user's health. However, this has to be attached directly to the skin to work.
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GPS
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Battery charger with meter-WiFi, Easier said than done, but required to allow for GPS maps to load.
Sensors or features I really want to put into the design:
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Bluetooth, This is easier said than done, but could allow for connection to a phone or external sensors.
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Weather sensor , Temperature, Humidity and Pressure.
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Real-time clock, Saves the time when the unit is off.
Reach for the moon Maybe sensors:
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10 DOF sensor, (Orientation, Acceleration, Magnetic and Pressure)
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Ambient light sensor (Has to be physically exposed to outside light)
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Non-contact temperature sensor. This has to be physically exposed, and with the pod being USB now, there isn't a good place for it.
I can order a prototype boards with almost any sensor you can imagine from:
http://www.mikroe.com/click/sensors
I am really split on how much to design into the Pip-Boy. My geek side wants everything possible no matter how long it takes, my practical side wants to just make it do exactly what it does in the game and nothing more. And while some of you will say "Make that stuff optional or modular", that is far easier said than done. To make anything an optional or modular feature actually requires that you design some compatibility in the first place.