My HAL 9000 builds (plural)

asavage : Hi, and that’s groovy advice re: trimming down the metal pieces. :) There’s a real art to metalworking with manual tools I find, because I ain’t got it!

I’m wondering if there’s any chance I could ask you a brief question regarding the Jackson HAL 9000 faceplate that you did a video piece on the other month. I’ve sent a PM on that topic, but I totally understand if it’s not something you would be able to get into.

Thanks!
 
Been a while but here's some updates.

The body​

Replacement faceplates arrived from Custom Engraving Plates and are a much better fit for my frame. I also ordered some small silver plates from them to use as a backing surface for my Moebius HAL 9000 decal.

Unfortunately I screwed up the application of the decal when it didn't align properly and then tore so I had to order some replacement decals from Moebius Models (aka Pegasus Hobbies in California) and they kindly provided me with 2 more sets of decals at a reasonable charge and which arrived yesterday.

But the good news is I can see it taking shape now and it's look great so far.

Today I received my second aluminum frame for my other HAL but unfortunately my order was messed up and the extra sections of aluminum which are for the division in between the speaker grill and the faceplate were forgotten and absent from my package. Will have to get that sorted out still. Little irked with those guys to be honest. They're quite slow, and a tad tough to deal with.

Electronics​

I've seen light and sound kits sold for the Moebius kit as well as people's jury-rigged solutions for sound but I didn't like any of them. They all either had an ugly physical switch which I didn't want to see visible, or they were playing randomized sounds, or they were made of the cheapest possible toy components, or they relied on poor quality recordings through a built in mic. etc.

I wanted to do better for mine. So my sound solution is quite complex comparatively speaking. It's an Arduino that runs off of AA batteries in a low power sleep mode so that it can be left on for extended periods of time and be woken with ease by activating the sounds which are stored on a microSD card inserted into a DFPlayer Mini MP3 player. There will be an IR receiver hidden behind HAL's speaker grill which will receive signals from a small remote that can trigger up to 29 different sound files on demand. This is all hooked up to a 3W 4Ohm speaker which pumps out decent sound at a good volume. I had an aquaintence assemble it for me since my confidence with wiring and soldering is low.

PXL_20210629_172317289.jpg


When one of the two HALs is given as a gift it will be already powered on and asleep inside the gift wrapped box and ready for remote triggering the moment the lid is opened. I'll just stand behind him with remote in hand and trigger it over his shoulder.

How convenient that HAL actually spoke the words "Happy Birthday" ;-)

I've decided to replace the LEDs that came with my glass lenses and were supposed to be replacements for the red Moebius LEDs. The color is a pure cool white which is meant to shine through the provided red filter material. But to me the cool white is too white and I'm going to use either a warm white, yellow, or orange LED instead which will shine through the red filter. I'll try them all and see what looks best but my instinct tells me a warm white will most closely match the bulb that was used for the actual prop.

The lens housing​

No update here yet. I plan to phone my guy on Friday to check on things. Getting a bit anxious and he's been awfully quiet.

More updates soon.
 
Glad the project is still going...somewhat;) As propmakers we know that, sometimes, you go one step forward and 3 steps back:rolleyes:
Such is life I guess. Eager to see your next update!
 
Been a while but here's some updates.
...
This is all hooked up to a 3W 4Ohm speaker which pumps out decent sound at a good volume.
...
Very nice to see your progress. I see that you use the Arduino Pro Mini - that's usually my preferred choice too.
For the speaker, I would recommend that you maybe try a slightly bigger one. It really makes a difference. A slightly improved response to lower frequencies adds a lot to HAL's voice. Maybe just try it once, to see if you notice any difference - e.g. with a simple PC speaker from a thrift store (that's where I get mine).
 
Working on some ideas for a name plate tag for the back cover of HAL that will be hiding the ugly guts within.
My thinking is that I'll rivet a name plate to the back cover.
It won't be silk screened though due to costs involved/minimum quantities so it'll likely be a custom printed decal on a small metal plate.

Any feedback so far? I tried to incorporate as many known canon details as possible while imagining others.

Screen Shot 2021-07-10 at 3.14.43 PM 1.png
 
I have a Fish-eye-NIKKOR 1:8 f=8mm lens that I got when making my Hall. I was make 8 for friends one who actually work on 2001so I ended up molding the lens and keeping the real lens as I show peace. I have rejects from the mold I never through away if you want to make sure you get you letters write. Message me.
IMG_2254.JPG
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who made your aluminum frames? and what are the dimensions or blue prints?
and what was the cost?

For my mobius kit I would rather have a real aluminum frame, then I would just use the original center brushed plastic piece
Instead of buying a separate brushed vinyl sheet or metal piece to replace the original plastic piece
 
Here's a photo of my failed attempt at a water slide decal on metal plate.
I've scratched the edges up further since the initial failure and now it kinda looks like an authentically aged screen used plate or something.
Hmmm.

IMG_1418.jpeg
 
Love the build and the electronics also. Careful with the speaker. When hitting the side of your frame it has that "snare" sound.
That is: the sound is making your alu frame vibrating, hence distorting your sound. You could surround your speaker with some kind of rubber
or absorbing medium to avoid that problem. ( "Snare" sound: as a drummer, when your snare is ready to play, the steel spring under it make any sound, around your drum kit, vibrating through the snare...hence "Snare Sound";)
 
Careful with the speaker. When hitting the side of your frame it has that "snare" sound.
That is: the sound is making your alu frame vibrating, hence distorting your sound.
At max volume sitting on a table separate of the frame it still sounds similar. But I agree that it needs some padding. I may use some anti-vibration pads meant for laundry machine feet or something. Also the speaker sounds a bit better when muffled/covered a bit. If I cover the speaker with my hand the high ends are muffled a bit and it sounds... better(?). Maybe I can reshape the sounds a bit with some audio editing software to optimize them for this speaker with some EQ tweaks.
 
At max volume sitting on a table separate of the frame it still sounds similar. But I agree that it needs some padding. I may use some anti-vibration pads meant for laundry machine feet or something. Also the speaker sounds a bit better when muffled/covered a bit. If I cover the speaker with my hand the high ends are muffled a bit and it sounds... better(?). Maybe I can reshape the sounds a bit with some audio editing software to optimize them for this speaker with some EQ tweaks.
That or changing the size of the magnet behind your speaker;)
 

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