Tron Legacy Costume

Canobi said:
I think if I counted the time it was on all together, it would be about 4-5 hrs with no battery changes. It was on for two hours at a fancy dress street festival. Then for an hour and a half at a bonfire gathering at my mums house. Then for at least half an hour with my mates taking photoes of me with it on. I still had not changed the batteries when I eventually passed it on to someone else, and as far as I know they are still working. Plus I added the eight extra LEDs for the raised light bumps ne'er the centre of the disc on both sides as well.


I had no problems using the N type batteries and found them to be perfect for the job. I will say this though, the LED strip I used had both batteries to itself. The EL wire I ran on two AAA batteries.
Click to expand...

How many LEDs did you have in there? I think that's my issue. I have about 100.
 
So I have some EL questions...

I orderd tape from this company light tape, they sent me EL tape coated in this clear plastic stuff, it's kinda thick. I think they said this is to keep it from being exposed to moisture. For the film, it looks like they didn't use it.

Can I strip off this clear coating somehow? Do I want to in order for it to bend correctly?

They also supplied connectors that hook up to the inverter, they're doo-dads that connect to the bottom of the EL tape, it looks like two leads for each side of the tape. (The tape is 1/2 inch thick and has a grey line down the back.

So my question is... can I cut this in any length and just run wires to the inverter in parallel and it will work?

If I don't have enough supplied connectors, can I just solder a wire to the bottom of the tape? (The clear coating would have to be removed to allow access)

If the inverter they sent me says DC 12v in, does that mean I HAVE to power it with a 12v battery? Anyone have any suggestions for this?

If I'm not going to use their inverter, can I buy a different one? Is there anything special about their tape/inverter or should it all be pretty standard?

What's an equation I can use to figure out how much juice I need to power Xunits square of this stuff for x time?

Thanks much for your help you guys
 
mworley007 said:
FINALLY, my Quorra is finished!! I can't believe it (I started in January and have done it a little at a time over the whole year). I wanted to thank everyone here for all the extremely helpful information, support, and inspiration! In the upcoming month, I plan to post a construction guide how I built mine, although everyone's is a little different of course.

Just wanted to share a few pics of mine - "TRON-ized" of course!

NOTE: Due to budget and time-constraints, I had to make several changes that make my suit NOT-screen accurate (the front, the leg, etc. - and I want to be a flapper for Halloween in the future, so I didn't cut the asymmetrical bangs on this beautiful wig! It was HARD to find a good wig at a reasonable price.)

All that aside, here are some pics of my Quorra costume, finished just tonight:
Click to expand...


That's fantastic! You can tell that you put a lot of work into it. Definitely gonna be a hit wherever you wear it.
 
r2tincan said:
So I have some EL questions...

I orderd tape from this company light tape, they sent me EL tape coated in this clear plastic stuff, it's kinda thick. I think they said this is to keep it from being exposed to moisture. For the film, it looks like they didn't use it.

Can I strip off this clear coating somehow? Do I want to in order for it to bend correctly?

They also supplied connectors that hook up to the inverter, they're doo-dads that connect to the bottom of the EL tape, it looks like two leads for each side of the tape. (The tape is 1/2 inch thick and has a grey line down the back.

So my question is... can I cut this in any length and just run wires to the inverter in parallel and it will work?

If I don't have enough supplied connectors, can I just solder a wire to the bottom of the tape? (The clear coating would have to be removed to allow access)

If the inverter they sent me says DC 12v in, does that mean I HAVE to power it with a 12v battery? Anyone have any suggestions for this?

If I'm not going to use their inverter, can I buy a different one? Is there anything special about their tape/inverter or should it all be pretty standard?

What's an equation I can use to figure out how much juice I need to power Xunits square of this stuff for x time?

Thanks much for your help you guys
Click to expand...

I would not remove it. In places where the that clear protective tape has accidentally "come up" while trying to remove the he-man adhesive from the Velcro, I damaged it by having the protective tape lift off the lighted tape. You can see it when it turns on.

Did you buy the serial kind? I'm assuming you did, and both those connectors go on opposite sides of that parallel grey line on the BACK of the tape. If this is the case, yes, you cut to length and parallel it with the inverter. They provide special tape to seal off the ends you cut.

I did not try soldering to them. In fear of damaging the tape, I purchased more connectors since removing the tape clearly damaged the area I tried to remove.

No, it can handle a range, but it won't be as bright. I'd try to get to 12V as close as possible.

You can use a different inverter as long as the output is 260VAC @ 800Hz. After talking to one of their production guys, it sounds like you can deviate a little. I wouldn't go much more +/-20VAC or 100Hz difference (lower is safer). Basically the more voltage, the more the phosphor is "activated." The higher the frequency, the more those phosphors are excited. Too high in both will cause damage and shorten the life span of the tape. You'll have to size it properly to handle the amount of current you'll be using (amount of tape).

It's roughly 3mA per square inch, although in testing I found it to be a little less.

(total battery capacity in mAh) / (total current consumption in mAh) = (time in hours)

If you need to convert from miliamps to amps or vice versa, multiply by 1000 or divide. To convert final time into minutes, multiply by 60.
 
Last edited:
Vew said:
I would not remove it. In places where the that clear protective tape has accidentally "come up" while trying to remove the he-man adhesive from the Velcro, I damaged it by having the protective tape lift off the lighted tape. You can see it when it turns on.

Did you buy the serial kind? I'm assuming you did, and both those connectors go on opposite sides of that parallel grey line on the BACK of the tape. If this is the case, yes, you cut to length and parallel it with the inverter. They provide special tape to seal off the ends you cut.

I did not try soldering to them. In fear of damaging the tape, I purchased more connectors since removing the tape clearly damaged the area I tried to remove.

No, it can handle a range, but it won't be as bright. I'd try to get to 12V as close as possible.

You can use a different inverter as long as the output is 260VAC @ 800Hz. After talking to one of their production guys, it sounds like you can deviate a little. I wouldn't go much more +/-20VAC or 100Hz difference (lower is safer). Basically the more voltage, the more the phosphor is "activated." The higher the frequency, the more those phosphors are excited. Too high in both will cause damage and shorten the life span of the tape. You'll have to size it properly to handle the amount of current you'll be using (amount of tape).

It's roughly 3mA per square inch, although in testing I found it to be a little less.

(total battery capacity in mAh) / (total current consumption in mAh) = (time in hours)

If you need to convert from miliamps to amps or vice versa, multiply by 1000 or divide. To convert final time into minutes, multiply by 60.
Click to expand...
i love you
 
Bandit-Jedi said:
That's fantastic! You can tell that you put a lot of work into it. Definitely gonna be a hit wherever you wear it.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Bandit-Jedi! I wonder if I could do it all again if I had to! ha. Gonna wear it to costume contest/party next week - I am betting the room will be full of TRON costumes! haha
 
mworley007 said:
Bandit-Jedi: Just came across some really awesome costume pics - and they turned out to be yours! Truly AWESOME!
Click to expand...
Haha, thanks! Yeah, everything but the jacket I modified/made. The jacket I ordered from UD Replicas back on May 31st and got it on Oct 20th just in time for the party.
I'm thinking about redoing or adding more details to the pants even tho they are comfortable and easy to move around in now.

You're gonna rock at the party, I was the only Tron costume at the one I went to and I was awarded the party's 1st place ribbon for best costume. It was great fun!
 
thecountofzero said:
How many LEDs did you have in there? I think that's my issue. I have about 100.
Click to expand...

I use a two foot length of SMD LED strip for the blade and eight 12v Pre wired LEDs for the bumps. I'm testing a version that only uses the SMD strips and not EL wire now as well. It looks much better having the C ring the same brightness as the blade and extra LEDs.
 
emergency question:

What is everyone using to seal their tape once it's been cut? We were told clear electrical tape but APPARENTLY clear electrical tape is the fruit of the Gods or something because I can't find it anywhere and we need it by today. Is there any store in SoCal other then Grainger, Home Depot, Frys and Radio Shack that would possibly sell this tape. Is anyone using something other then clear electrical tape? We have white electrical tape but.......I don't know, apparently we have to have clear.

edit****

I know that loads of people have said packing tape may work but no one who has said that they have actually used packing tape.
 
Last edited:
moviebuff5 said:
I wound up using packing tape instead of electrical tape.
Click to expand...

Vew said:
I agree. This will be fine.
Click to expand...

Ok sweet. Actually we've found a place that sells this clear sheet that is used to cover cars to protect the paint from getting scratched (my fiance used it on his snowboard to protect the top from getting ruined and it worked great) so we may give that a try as well. If it works I'll let everyone know and tell the name of it (don't know it at the moment) for another option of something to use as a sealant.
 
I put a bead of clear epoxy on the cut ends of the tape...and haven't managed to shock myself yet.

Eveningarwen said:
emergency question:

What is everyone using to seal their tape once it's been cut? We were told clear electrical tape but APPARENTLY clear electrical tape is the fruit of the Gods or something because I can't find it anywhere and we need it by today. Is there any store in SoCal other then Grainger, Home Depot, Frys and Radio Shack that would possibly sell this tape. Is anyone using something other then clear electrical tape? We have white electrical tape but.......I don't know, apparently we have to have clear.

edit****

I know that loads of people have said packing tape may work but no one who has said that they have actually used packing tape.
Click to expand...
 
Yeah, I think you're over thinking it. It's just meant to keep out moisture and prevent shock. Something that's more durable than scotch tape should be fine as long as it sticks well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

DeadParadoxTV
My artist designer and programmer friend gifted me a CLU suit model but i cant separate the suit from the armor for cosplay.
Replies
0
Views
160
DeadParadoxTV
DeadParadoxTV
serendipiity
Creating Padme's Lake Gown
Replies
1
Views
206
joberg
joberg
jessyC
Replica costume luke rotj fabrics
Replies
3
Views
1,072
pengbuzz
P
Modery
Jod Na Nawood | Captain Silvo Costume - Skeleton Crew
7 8 9
Replies
178
Views
16,622
greenmachines
greenmachines
StaggzCosplay
BioShock 2 Subject Delta Helmet (Kit or Finished)
Replies
2
Views
263
StaggzCosplay
StaggzCosplay
Back
Top