Star Trek model photon circuit

Projects General Guidance
1

Hi all,

I'm really new to all of this. I'm trying to build a photon launcher board for my Enterprise model I'm building. I have been studying videos from a man named Trevor that shows how all this is done. He also goes by Ostrich Longneck on You Tube. The videos are awesome.

The thing I'm missing is just making this board, what other components do I need to actually build the physical board besides the LED's and resistors?

He did show how to make a shuttle bay chase sequence with all the components, but his completion of the photon circuit also involved other items that I don't necessarily need.

Anyway, I have no idea what to add to make all this stuff work and I'm certainly not going to mount an Arduino board in the model.

Also... I'm going to try to build a light start up sequence board that has several LED's. If I could integrate all this into one board that would be pretty fabulous.

Thank you,
Shawn

2

The thing I'm missing is just making this board, what other components do I need to actually build the physical board besides the LED's and resistors?

I imagine that you know what board you are talking about. You have posted no links, so we don't know what board you are talking about.

3

You are right. Well.. the only thing I have is a link to Trevor's videos.

Here is the one with the photons: Arduino for Starships - Ch05 - Phasers and Photon Torpedos - YouTube

He has a series of videos, but in the long run he has compiled all the videos to a final solution of this board that he built. I don't want all the items that he has. So what I'm trying to do is take his coding and leave it in place and just build the components that I'm looking for. In this case it would be the photon launcher, and the start up sequence lights.

With that in mind I'm missing the components to actually build a smaller board, and how to wire them all together to make it all work. That is to say I probably don't need chip "X" that he demonstrates because my board won't have the strobes, phasers, and inpulse lights. So instead it I would use chip "Y" since some of the parts of the larger board are no longer relevant.

Thank you,
Shawn

4

Aduino means hardware independence. Choose the board you like best and use it with the given code.

With a smaller board (Mini, Micro...) all wiring is up to you, fine with LEDs mounted somewhere in your space ship model. Otherwise use an Uno and a prototyping shield, where you can solder whatever additional components you need. Breadboards also come in different sizes, but they are not well suited for ruggedized final buildup.

5

That’s the thing though. I have no idea what I need to make it all work without the Arduino Uno board that I have.

Shawn.

6

What's the problem? If you don't know how to solder parts and wires together, find another way. If you cannot translate a picture of a decorated Uno into a different controller board and component allocation, do it just the way you have seen it. Or begin to understand the controller basics using an Arduino Starter Kit, where you learn how switches and LEDs are handled in general, in software and hardware. Mechanical, electrical and coding skills don't come from viewing videos, instead you have to practice all that yourself, sooner or later.

7

The problem is I'm a complete and total novice at all of this. I don't know what any of the components do or how they work with other components. I thought that someone had already made this circuit before so I was just going to do what they did.

I'll look into the tutorials and see what I can come up with.

I'm just trying to get my ship finished.

Thank you for the suggestions,
Shawn

8

From a quick peek.. it looks as if he displays a wiring diagram as well.. what else do you need to know?

  • he even explains some of the names of the components and what they are used for

The problem is.. your just not making any frickin' sense...

Who cares about the 'project' (youtube video).. its not important..

You have a 'circuit' you want to build...

OK..

So,................. now what? what are you lost on?

Getting to a point that DOES NOT USE AN ARDUINO UNO in the end circuit??

You want to make this same 'project' on a breadboard and UNO? yes or no?

You want to make this project/circuit, but in the end NOT use an UNO? (but a custom PCB?) yes or no?

If you use an Uno or Pro-Mini or Nano.. there is no difference (more or less) except size.. the code will upload the same to any of those boards....and will use all the same pin #'s and components...

9

Sorry for the lack of clarity. Let me try again.

So what I'm looking for is to build a PCB board that will run a series of lights in my Star Trek Enterprise plastic model that I'm building. Right now I have the Arduino Uno board, breadboard and jumper cables.

Since starting this tread I have watched Trevors' videos several more times. I think what I'll do is just do exactly what he did with all the same components.

The jest of what I was after here in the first place was as an example buying a new car. The car comes with all the components a person could want. One of these is the sun roof. This costs more money and I really didn't want the sun roof, but I end up paying for it anyway and never using it.

In the case of the PCB board I want to build, Trevor added more components than I'm going to need, but instead of adding more cost, they take up more room on the PCB board and make the footprint larger. I don't have a lot of room to fit a bigger PCB board in my Enterprise mounting base, so what I was looking for was taking some components out. Instead of using a mega board, I would be able to use an ATTiny, or something like that to make the thing work (not literally as I just used those components as an example).

Maybe what I need to do is get all his components and start working it out on the breadboard. At that point with some guidance from this group I can perhaps remove some of the components that are not being used and see if the rest of it will still operate.

Anyway, that's what I was getting at with this tread. I had thought that maybe somebody in the group would have seen the title of the tread and pointed me to a source that has that, and only that component built with all the diagrams and instructions so I could build that, and only that board.

So with that, I'll get all my parts and circuits in order and come back on after the thing is in the breadboard and take it from there.

Thank you, and sorry for the lack of clarity. This Arduino stuff is brand new to me. It's like building a spaceship from a pile of alien parts, and I had no idea what ship looked like in the first place.

Shawn

10

What's your current list of parts to add?

11

Looks like fun.

If this was my project, I would try to use “Individually Addressable LEDs”. Lots of options from pre-made individual LEDs on strings too reels that you could cut apart and solder wires between.

Where he used 3 buttons on that breadboard, you could use 2 buttons and have “both” buttons pressed = third button.

Going that route you might be able to run this from a attiny

12

I watched a video of the individually addressable LED's and that is awesome. Unfortunately all my LED's are individual and are buried in the ship. The ship is epoxied together and there would be no way to take it apart. But for a future project those that LED strip you mentioned would be really cool.

As far as a parts list I'm actually working on two parts of the ship lights. The first is the above mentioned Photon circuit that represents photon torpedoes firing from the ship. The second is the start up array of lights in the beginning of the first Star Trek movie when when the ship is in drydock and is almost ready to head out. I'm limiting this thread to just the photons.

Anyway, the list of parts for the photons is (2) LED's, (2) 100 ohm resistor, (1) momentary switch, (1) 10 k ohm resistor. The Arduino Uno board, breadboard, and jumper wires.

At this point I don't know what other components to use.

Here is is video if you want to skim it. Arduino for Starships - Ch05 - Phasers and Photon Torpedos - YouTube

I can build all that stuff on the breadboard, via the Arduino Uno, but when the Arduino Uno will be eliminated I don't know what to use to actually trigger the photon LED's. Later he talks about integrating sound but I'm not planning on doing that with my ship. I think what I need is something that can be programmed so when the button is pushed it will trigger the LED's. I think the ATTiny can do this, but I'm not sure on that.

Thank you for the help,
Shawn

13

You can do it with an ATTiny, but you'll need to add a crystal at least. Consider an Adafruit trinket for a more ready to go solution.

14

I envision your going to use your Uno to program a attiny that then controls your LED effects.

Incremental details wastes everyone’s time, had you stated you already built the model and installed LEDs in the beginning..

15

wildbill:
You can do it with an ATTiny, but you'll need to add a crystal at least.

In this application I don’t see a reason the internal oscillator would not be good enough.

16

That trinket board looks pretty amazing.

Sorry about the wasted text. I agree, no one wants to read a book just to find two relevant sentences.

I'm familiar with the ATTiny. If that would work I would go with that approach.

I have to research which pins go to what to make that all work. I did use the ATTiny in another board that was used for the shuttle bay on the ship. I'll look into that and see if it would be applicable to this project.

Thank you,
Shawn

17

I doubt that you'll get your PCB under the size of a Pro Mini or Micro, including caps, mounting holes, programming headers etc. The LED resistors go into the cables and switches can use the built-in pullups, i.e. no parts that have to be added to an Arduino board.

18

I have enough room for a board that is probably 2 inches by 1 inch. Actually about (2) of these spaces in the model mounting base. The resistors, LED's and switch would all be mounted in the model or on the face of the model mounting base.

I'm just looking for a PCB board that has probably a power reducing transistor, and the driver for the two LED's that represent the photon emitters.

19

Why don't you read what you've been told already?

20

Do you mean the micro - mini board you mentioned before? What is a micro mini board?

Is that this thing?

Or is it that Trinket board mentioned above?

Keep in mind that outside of Trevor's videos I know NOTHING about this sort of thing.

Thank you,
Shawn