Klingon Proton Collector

Hello all
I have recently acquired a Klingon Proton Collector or Power Leech...
I would like to add electronics to make it just like it was in the movie...
Here is a Pic for reference...

and a couple of videos...

Any help would be greatly appreciate it...
Thanks
Michael

Looks easy enough from the electronics side...

But...what's inside it? Does it have LEDs? Battery compartment? What?? How much space is there?

I have not seen the actual insides of the original but you can see thru the holes in the back in this pic from the original...

It has LEDs...
Thanks
Michael

jameskirk:
I have not seen the actual insides of the original but you can see thru the holes in the back in this pic from the original...

We need to know about the one you've actually got, not the original.

Sorry here is some pic's of my Prop...

You can pull the handle off to put the battery pack in...

Thanks
Michael

It's hard to tell how much space you've got, about two 9v batteries would be nice.
Looking at the pictures it seems... enough for at least a few coincells, 6 leds, 6 resistors and a Mini, Pro Mini, Micro or Nano.

The first two boards are the smallest, but need an external USB-breakout board to program them.
Unfortunately the product pages of these boards don't specify size, each pin on a connector is placed 0.1 inch from the next though.

Next part, how would you like to control/configure your leech ?
You could for example use a power switch to start the (standard programmed) routine, which requires access to a pc when you want to change settings. Looking at the original leech, you may also be able to include some switches/potentiometers to adjust settings without the need of a PC.

Most of the functions needed are described in the first two sections of the built-in tutorial of Arduinos IDE by the way, it shouldn't be too difficult to get a working proto(n)-type :wink:

Simpson_Jr:
It's hard to tell how much space you've got, about two 9v batteries would be nice.
Looking at the pictures it seems... enough for at least a few coincells, 6 leds, 6 resistors and a Mini, Pro Mini, Micro or Nano.

If this is your first Arduino project you could do far worse than get a "protosnap":

This has a small Arduino, a programmer and some other stuff all connected together for learning. You can build the circuit and get it working then break the pieces apart and put just the bits you need inside the leech.

For power you can use 2xAAA batteries (or 2xAA, or 3xAAA, whatever) plus a 5V voltage booster.

After that all you need is a few LEDs and some matching resistors.

If you can squeeze in 3 x AAA, you won't need to boost the voltage to 5V, it will almost certainly work fine with just the cells.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-2-3-4-6-8-x-AA-AAA-23A-9V-Battery-Holder-Snap-On-Connector-Enclosed-Box-Switch-/180814661762?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&var=&hash=item2a1964c882

I guess you will also need a piezo sounder. These are small and flat, so won't take up much space at all.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Piezo-Element-Sounder-Sensor-Trigger-Drum-Disc-Transducer-Various-Sizes-amount-/111180207482?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item19e2db557a

Once you have the sketch working on your Uno, you can upload it into an attiny85

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-2-5-10-PCS-Original-ATMEL-DIP-8-ATTINY85-20PU-Tiny85-20PU-IC-Chip-NEW-/191092048934?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&var=&hash=item2c7df94426

Paul

Paul
What would I need a piezo sounder for???
Also you put the wrong link in for it...

PaulRB:
I guess you will also need a piezo sounder. These are small and flat, so won't take up much space at all.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-2-3-4-6-8-x-AA-AAA-23A-9V-Battery-Holder-Snap-On-Connector-Enclosed-Box-Switch-/180814661762?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&var=&hash=item2a1964c882

Thanks
Michael

Yes, sorry, I have corrected the link.

The sounder is to make beep noises like in the movie!

OK I have a Nano V3.0 ATmega 328, ATTiny 85... I can get a UNO if need be...
Can you help me out with the code I need to make it do what it needs to do???
Thanks
Michael

Yes I will help. But I will not do all the work for you.

You will not need an Uno. I just assumed that would be what you already had. Nano 3 will be fine. You will not need the tiny85 until later. Use the Nano to get the sketch and circuit working on breadboard first.

Do you have the Arduino ide installed and working? Do you have the "blink" sketch uploaded and running?

list every output.

the X pattern could be 2 pins, if they are always lighting in pairs.

the lights under the cutouts near the handle. are they multi color or just one color. do they change as the proton storage chambers fill ?

the yellowish one furthest from the handle does appear to get brighter as the chambers fill.

but that looks like 4 total pins out plus the noise of the unit

the photo of the back of the original unit appears to have a switch and three pots.

start with whatever arduino you are most comfortable programming with.

look at blink without delay
add in the sketch to

 // set the LED with the ledState of the variable:
    digitalWrite(ledPin1, ledState);
    digitalWrite(ledPin2, -ledState);

this should have one of the X sides light and the other to be off, and they will forever be opposite

you have to declare ledPin1 and ledPin2 in the sketch

PaulRB:
Yes I will help. But I will not do all the work for you.

PaulBR,

For the 4 LED's of the X in series. one could put them in series, and have a pin connected to the center point between the 2 pairs. then change the pin from input (light the pair of LED's connected to the 5V and then change the pin to an output (light the LED pair connected to the ground.

that would save a pin on the '85.

what do you think ?

would need to have the other two LEDs on a shared pin, using analogout to fade-up the leds.
one pin for the sound and one for the on/off switch... or do we still have room on the '85

dave-in-nj:
For the 4 LED's of the X in series. one could put them in series, and have a pin connected to the center point between the 2 pairs. then change the pin from input (light the pair of LED's connected to the 5V and then change the pin to an output (light the LED pair connected to the ground. that would save a pin on the '85.

Not quite. You are probably correct in saying they can be in series. As long as they are red, their forward voltage will probably be less than 2V. Two (low value, e.g. 68R) series resistors will be needed. But if the Arduino pin is set to Input, the leds will glow very dimly or probably not at all. However, if the pin it set as output and high, one pair of leds will light and if output and low, the other pair will light.

dave-in-nj:
would need to have the other two LEDs on a shared pin, using analogout to fade-up the leds.
one pin for the sound and one for the on/off switch... or do we still have room on the '85

The tiny85 has 5 usable pins. Up to three can be analog inputs. Up to 2 can be analog (PWM) outputs. I don't see a need to use a pin for on/off - just have a switch cut power to the chip.

Pins usage:
1 digital output for "X" leds
1 PWM output for "filling/full" led
1 digital output for piezo sounder
1 analog input for "fill level" control

Michael has not said how he wants to control the "fill level" of the device. Options could be:

  1. The collector builds up to "full" after a fixed timed interval after switch-on.
  2. a hidden pot could be adjusted by slight-of-hand
  3. a thermistor could be used so that if he device is placed on a central heating radiator, or a stone wall hot from the sun, the device would act like it is filling as the temperature rises.

I hope the OP can get the blink without delay to work with the two LED's it should be pretty easy.

as for the dual use of a pin..... just thinking out loud.....
if one has an LED and POV, it might be possible to check the voltage on that pin. if a switch were also connected, it might be possible to read that value. not sure how that POV output would work with the time it would take to read the switch.

I think the switch is used to lock the displays in place after the unit has filled.

I was thinking a hall sensor. it would start to capture when the unit was over metal, like a stud finder. that way you could move it around on a wall unit it was able to start capturing.

OK fellas
This is what I have...

I have resistors just tell me what I need...
The Arduino is a Nano V 3.0 ATmega 328 5v-12v
The LED's Forward Voltage 2v Forward Current is 20mA...
I'm not new to this but I don't know a whole lot...
Ask me to wire a house or build a computer i'm on it...
So please tell me what you would like me to do...
Thanks
Michael

OK Michael, here's how I suggest you wire the "X" of 4 leds. Use any digital Arduino pin for now.

The resistors shown were calculated like this:

We will have 5V across 2 leds in series, plus a resistor. Each led drops 2V, leaving 1V to be dropped by the resistor.

We want 20mA to flow through the pair of leds and the resistor, so by Ohm's law R = V / I = 1 / 0.02 = 50 Ohms.

Nearest common resistor value (above, for safety) would be 56R.

xleds.png

jameskirk:
Hello all
I have recently acquired a Klingon Proton Collector or Power Leech...
I would like to add electronics to make it just like it was in the movie...

Any help would be greatly appreciate it...
Thanks
Michael

First of all: Awesome!

Second: You want the LED's and the sound, but how do you want to controll the "proton mode"?
Just a hidden switch on the back (Easy) or the already mentioned thermistor (Little harder for a starter)? Even wireless is an option but first try to make it work the easy way and then work your way up!

We can suggest it all, but what do YOU want/think/need/desire?

We can help you with advice or suggestions, but don't forget that you will have to do some work on your own (But us already-addicts think thats most of the fun!)

Michael, I'm having second thoughts about my suggested circuit. The problem is, if running on batteries, e.g. 3 x AAA, the voltage will be lower than 5V and will drop further still as the batteries drain. With the 2 leds in series, when the voltage drops below 4V, the leds may refuse to light up at all.

So I think connecting the leds in parallel would be wiser after all. See updated diagram. I have re-calculated the series resistors. As the leds are now in parallel, we can only afford to allow 10mA through each, to avoid overloading the Arduino pins. This should still be plenty bright enough. As only one led, plus its series resistor, will be dropping 5V, the resistor must now drop 3V.

R = V / I = 3 / 0.01 = 300 Ohms. Nearest common value is 330R.

xleds2.png