Adding Electronics to our Models

[arbit]

I was reading this guide for parallel with a common resistor.

Didn't realize this was so tricky for a bunch of LEDs.

It's for a good cause: Try and guess.

Edited December 10, 2016 by arbit

[NZEOD]

that would still work in series.

To do it properly in parallel you'd need a resistor for each LED

Edited December 11, 2016 by NZEOD

[NZEOD]

The mistake in that article you were using is they showed the LEDs as different colours but thats misleading as different colours require different Voltage across them.

In the Q&A section below it someone has pointed out how this circuit will burn out some of the LEDs and the blues ones wont light at all.

Edited December 11, 2016 by NZEOD

[arbit]

The mistake in that article you were using is they showed the LEDs as different colours but thats misleading as different colours require different Voltage across them.

In the Q&A section below it someone has pointed out how this circuit will burn out some of the LEDs and the blues ones wont light at all.

I suspected as much. There are many conflicting articles online. I assumed I was just an idiot.

that would still work in series.

To do it properly in parallel you'd need a resistor for each LED

Series it is. I need to study up. But I thought that wiring in series has limitations on the number of leds a battery can run.

Normally in parallel, I do have a resistor for each led.

[NZEOD]

Ahh the trick is to run up the max V of LEDS in series that power supply can run, then start a second series to the same supply to the max again and so on and so on. So you could end up with 4 or mores strings of 5 Red 2.2V(2.2V x 5 = 12V... no resistor needed) LEDS on the same 12V supply

Edited December 11, 2016 by NZEOD

[arbit]

The mistake in that article you were using is they showed the LEDs as different colours but thats misleading as different colours require different Voltage across them.

In the Q&A section below it someone has pointed out how this circuit will burn out some of the LEDs and the blues ones wont light at all.

Okay, so I am off parallel.

Can we mix led colors in series with one resistor, or should we keep reds alone , blues alone, etc., with a single resistor for each series?

Ahh the trick is to run up the max V of LEDS in series that power supply can run, then start a second series to the same supply to the max again and so on and so on. So you could end up with 4 or mores strings of 5 Red 2.2V(2.2V x 5 = 12V... no resistor needed) LEDS on the same 12V supply

Does that have the same risk as the parallel circuit, if one burns out, the others get too much current?

Edited December 12, 2016 by arbit

[NZEOD]

If one burns out, the circuit is broken and none go. If you are running LEDs with a range of 2 - 2.3 and you run them at 2.1 - 2.2 you should be fine to avoid burnout.

Yes you can chain different LEDs together, see the guide below.

http://www.resistorguide.com/resistor-for-led/

Edited December 12, 2016 by NZEOD

[MechTech]

I'm seriously thinking about Arduino boards now. I'll have to look more, but I saw a guy using it to control motors in an R/C boat. Three motors, two small, one big and the big motor was the only one with revere. I'm trying to build a scale R/C boat on Christmas break so I have something to tale to the lake. - MT

[arbit]

I'm seriously thinking about Arduino boards now. I'll have to look more, but I saw a guy using it to control motors in an R/C boat. Three motors, two small, one big and the big motor was the only one with revere. I'm trying to build a scale R/C boat on Christmas break so I have something to tale to the lake. - MT

Cool. My next project is motorizing the Nautilus. I've put that off until I picked up more experience with wiring.

The question is whether I use Arduino, or the old fashion way with the DPDT switch that you taught me.

So maybe we can learn this together.

[NZEOD]

Arduino is a giant step up in skill set learning but also possibilities in functions. Especially cascading actions such as with my boys Hangar Bay Alarm clock, once triggered the display runs through a pre programmed sequence or flashing lights and sounds, bay doors opening, the arm extending holding the Valk, the valks engines coming online and up to full power before an abort signal and the all reverses back away.

The old school way to do that would have needed mechanical limit switches, n555 timer chips, lots of mad circuits and wiring. Now one or two boards and some programming can to it all.

[arbit]

My final piece arrived for the Yamato for leading the Trinket out of the body.

So what do I do? Cut it into pieces of course.

Because sometimes a micro-usb is not micro enough.

[arbit]

If one burns out, the circuit is broken and none go. If you are running LEDs with a range of 2 - 2.3 and you run them at 2.1 - 2.2 you should be fine to avoid burnout.

Yes you can chain different LEDs together, see the guide below.

http://www.resistorguide.com/resistor-for-led/

Thanks. That's the tutorial I need.

Edited December 15, 2016 by arbit

[arbit]

I need some advice.

On my breadboard for the Yamato, I have around 20 Ground wires and 10 power wires that need to be combined to one pin each on the Trinket.

Whats the best approach? All I can think of is twisting and soldering.

Is there a better way to connect them?

Edited December 16, 2016 by arbit

[NZEOD]

that or a bus bar. Bus bars are tidier looking.

[MechTech]

This guy has TONS of builds in his site: http://heliblog.moller-ilsoe.dk/#category11

On the right are his builds. He documented everything really well with photos and good descriptions. He's using brushless motors which is the way I'm going to go. He has the Tamiya battleships with 4 brushless motors! On the PT-15 he used Arduino in conjunction with his controllers. I'll have to figure that one out. My ship will have to be LIGHT - I'm going for speed! Three props, three motors on the Tamiya PT-15. I just happened to decide on the battery he's going with too so it looks like it will work.

Since it's going to be a few days, have a Merry Christmas and Happy Hoilidays guys! - Phill

[arbit]

Electronics adventures continue. I melted some components today trying to connect a li/poly backpack , so I thought I would share.

Note how the red wire is on the left of the JST cable in the Adafruit image, but it is on the right in the Ebay image. 

You cant just flip it because the JST has a track.

So, not thinking it could possible be reversed, I plugged it in along the track, and my poor little backpack started to smoke and melt.

Fortunately, it didnt hurt the Trinket.

 

 

[NZEOD]

opps

 

[arbit]

All the customing and  internal wiring is done, now need to make direct connections to the board. Dreading it... and the Kit Kat.as well.

My sd card board is about 2mm too wide.

Im planning to trim the sides, on the assumption that if I don't see anything there, it's safe to snip, right?

Edited January 6, 2017 by arbit

[NZEOD]

its safe to snip... A belt sander would work better though

and those Kitkats... burn them! That's evil

 

 

Edited January 8, 2017 by NZEOD

[MechTech]

Wasabi Kit Kat?  That's why 4 martini lunches leed to no good!  You're kit is coming along great Arbit!

Just got the battery, two brushless motors, speed controlls and charger from Hobby King for my ship model.  The equipment looks awesome!  Can't wait to get things hooked up and try it out.  The brushless motors are outrunners.  I went for torque and quiet.  The propellers will be 5 bladed and need the torque. - MT

[arbit]

 

On 11/17/2016 at 2:49 PM, NZEOD said:

Your wiring is correct.

A+ is the audio signal in

A- Is the Gnd for the Audio signal (just a 5V Gnd source)

Vin is the 5V input

Gnd is the 5V Gnd

We have volume! The little PAM amplifier board worked as per above, to replace the lousy transistor in the tutorials.

So with the TMRpcm library, we can have sound playback in a sketch without any sound board. Just the Trinket and an SD Card.

 

Edited January 9, 2017 by arbit

[NZEOD]

6 hours ago, arbit said:

 

We have volume! The little PAM amplifier board worked as per above, to replace the lousy transistor in the tutorials.

So with the TMRpcm library, we can have sound playback in a sketch without any sound board. Just the Trinket and an SD Card.

 

SUCCESS!!!!

[arbit]

4 hours ago, NZEOD said:

SUCCESS!!!!

Thanks. Team effort!

I also installed a 3.5v 500mah lipo battery pack (without causing a fire this time).

Battery seems to work at the start, but then encounters a problem:

It runs the leds and sound at the same level as USB power, but when the loop reaches the point to "attach servo", it pauses, blinks, and restarts the loop again from the beginning. It does not attach the servo and finish the loop.

People run a servo on 4 AA batteries. Could it be I don't have enough mah? The volts shouldn't matter because the board adjusts to 5v anyway.

Edited January 10, 2017 by arbit

[NZEOD]

got a mate with an Airsoft gun or a drone? Try one of their packs, 1200mAh and up. The servo will suck some juice.

[arbit]

Trimming the board with the dremmel worked out fine. I had my worries though...

Edited January 12, 2017 by arbit

[NZEOD]

as long as you stay away from the circuit tracks its fine. Sometimes the tracks are fatter than needed and even they can be cut into to shave the board down as long as you leave a 1mm solid connection in the track.

[arbit]

Sneak peek.

[derex3592]

cool! 

[NZEOD]

On 15/01/2017 at 7:28 AM, arbit said:

Sneak peek.

if you run it off a Trinket to have the tip lights flash, fade them down a bit too, especially that scree one. Maybe add in some noise so you get a random fade/flicker on the screen

[MechTech]

That looks cool!  I thought it looks bright too, but its an easy fix.

Have you guys seen all this stuff over at Hobby King?   https://hobbyking.com/en_us/robotics-diy-1/arduino.html

I was looking at it trying to figure out where to start!  Lots of good stuff - even gas detection modules. - MT

[arbit]

Ha ha! Guess I like bright and shiny objects.

They can be dimmed.

The LEDs are belong to us.

[NZEOD]

1 hour ago, MechTech said:

That looks cool!  I thought it looks bright too, but its an easy fix.

Have you guys seen all this stuff over at Hobby King?   https://hobbyking.com/en_us/robotics-diy-1/arduino.html

I was looking at it trying to figure out where to start!  Lots of good stuff - even gas detection modules. - MT

Its the same as what we are using but we buy direct. That stuffs been rebranded as Hobbykings Kingduino and an extra charge added.

 

Try here instead:

Sparkfun - the red boards from hobbyking

Adafruit - the blue boards from Hobbyking

[NZEOD]

Start with a board that can run single colour LEDS then progress to Addressable LEDS then Sounds and Servos.

[arbit]

16 minutes ago, NZEOD said:

Start with a board that can run single colour LEDS then progress to Addressable LEDS then Sounds and Servos.

I started with the Arduino Uno, then shifted to the Adafruit Pro Trinket, which is basically a smaller Uno.

All the other board options come afterwards, based on the needs of the project.

[arbit]

NZEOD,

This is my sketch for the Fan Racer.

Feel free to edit your own ideas, and I can upload it and show everyone the result.

An open-source kit! Might be fun.

Fan_Racer_Fading.ino

Edited January 17, 2017 by arbit