New electronic eye scanner coming soon

[GoldCylon]

I had a friend, a electronic design engineer look over my original Cylon eye scanner. In a matter of 45 minutes he was able to inspect, inventory, and design to modern update the the original scanner. The electronic section will be small, but the original like bulb section will be the same. I am going to start working on making the mounting unit for the bulbs, and make that a 1:1 replica of the original. I did notice the replica copy of the eye scanner mount piece are off. The curve or arch that wraps around the eye isn't long enough, or deep enough, so I might have to get C.O.R.A. to make a new one.

[C1-978]

Count me in for one! My armor should be on its way. Any idea what a cost would be?

[GoldCylon]

A guess for right now, just ball park, it looks like it will run about $500 for the true 32 bulb scanner.

[Galactifan]

Is it $500 including parts & labor? Keep us posted. Hopefully, your electronics person isn't the same as the seamstress. Sorry, but you know what that undersuit project has tuned in to. Sometimes the only way to do it is to do the job yourself.

[GoldCylon]

So far the guy is really on top of this. He thinks that he will two working study modes in 6-8 weeks. He has other things on the table at the moment. We have talked about what will be made, and it looks like 20 boards will be made. 10 that will be display versions, so you can't wear the helmet, and then 10 that you can wear the helmet. The easy part was the quick design, and lay out of the no wearable version on the light scanner, now the tricky part is trying to design the board with out all the bulb wires running around in the harness. Here is a simple lay out design he made so far.

[womo68]

this still on? What will be different than say a hyperdyne unit?


womo

[GoldCylon]

I am trying to figure out the light bulb used, and the is the last major crossing to get a prototype up and running. This is a 1:1 type screen used light bulb, not an LED version that doesn't carry that correct blending of red light moving across the face of the helmet. The LED is a clear click on off on off trigger.

[womo68]

sounds great. I'd be interested.


womo

[GoldCylon]

Good deal, I am thinking that 10 units that you can wear inside a helmet, and 10 stationed (display) helmet type.

[womo68]

any updates on this???


womo

[GoldCylon]

The minor details are still be worked on each weekend. The PC board is such an odd cut, the cost to have these made isn't cheap, so making a simple error can be costly. The board is coming along just a bit slower than planned, a few programming challenges, but everything looks good so far. The working prototype will be ready shortly. Also I will be playing around with different programming patterns type to see what might cool extra to place in as a selection for the scanner.

[matic]

Still no eye?

You should be aware that LEDs are not simple on/off devices at all.
They can easily fade from one state to another. Also, leds do in fact blend light, totally controllably. LEDs have different lens apertures from 10 degrees to over 90 degrees. this means that the light spread can be tight as in the indicator for a device, or wide spread, like a light bulb.

People that don't work with LEDs everyday usually see the tight focus leds because they are all around us. most LEDs used in products are also frosted to mute the output. So to the layman you can't make a cylon array with them.
However, I used CLEAR LEDs with a 90 degree spread on them. the light spreads through three LEDs or more! Also, I make a circuit that doesn't go from one state to another, like the hyperdyne eye.
You know, the old' on off on off on off that looks so phoney and digital.
Mine sweeps up and down each LED so they blend perfectly. I started out over ten years ago trying to make an eye that would do this.
The hardest part of the thing was to get it to act in an analog way and not the on/off cycle. I came up with a modern circuit that works exactly like the original, using the same built in algorithm.

I responded to this post because there is some disinformation about the properties of LED's and the availability of circuitry which already does what you are trying to do.
I wish your builder the best of luck, there are a lot of issues to consider.

I would give you a piece of advice on this. The design as shown in the image is flawed and will never work for a mobile solution. Get your guy to build you the workable wearable, power friendly, efficient version right out of the gate.
Screwing around with a non wearable version is just a waste of time.
I make eyes that go into mannequins which will never be worn, but you could if you wanted to.
I made one that is in Delorean car headquarters that runs on a power supply. It has stood there for several years now running continuously.
you could undo the head, slap a battery on it and walk away and it will work.

That is the goal, it is not easy to do, but if i did it, im sure your electronics guy can too.

[GoldCylon]

Your correct about what some of the things my engineer buddy told me about the LED lights. He did say he could design the board to work with the same effect as a light bulb. No one has had an original scanner in hand to use that as the bases of the design, and just upgrade the components to todays technology. I was trying to stay true to modern day standards with this scanner. The engineer really tried pushing the LED version, maybe am easier design, but I stood firm in what I wanted. He (the engineer) is still working on the design, but for the most part is finished. The arched eye section will be the complete unit. It will hold the bulbs in place, and also be the drive unit for the 32 bulbs. It will be able to run off a 9 volt battery, an original battery power cell belt, or a wall adapter. The connectors and power supply will be supplied so any method to power the unit will at hand. This has turned out to be a bit more of an over all challenge to a degree to make, only because of the size on the board I have demanded out of this design. Also that it can be repaired if ever damaged, not to be sealed up for ever like some other units I have seen in the past. Once finished this will be the shinning star of all Cylon eye scanners.

[womo68]

hey!

haven't been around in a while...is there any progress on the eye?


thanks!
womo

[GoldCylon]

Currently the work is on hold, pending the finish of an other urgent project. Mitch is currently working on LED display panel pieces for me on my cockpit that is going to be used in a movie next month. Sorry about any delays gents, but this movie has a time table that I don't control.