I haven't seen this solution posted yet, but I'll be using this in my current Centurion build.
Adafruit has complete instructions for a Larson Scanner project powered by their tiny Trinket or Gemma boards - instructions and parts list is here https://learn.adafruit.com/larson-scann ... s/overview.
My eye slot fits 17 LEDs, so that's what we built and programmed around.
A friend who's a lot who's a lot handier than me did the soldering, and added a pot so the speed of the scanner can be changed with a twist of a screwdriver.
He also modified their code to create a "comet tail." I've attached a zip file with a modified .ino file if anyone wants to take a look.
The LEDs are *very* bright, but that can be modified in the code. Planning to put a blackened lens made of milk jug plastic to darken and diffuse the light (you can see a mockup of how that will look in my profile pic).
Not the cheapest solution, but it won't break the bank
Here's the eye:
Cylon Eye - Larson Scanner from Adafuit
- RAM_Doubler
- Patrol Leader
- Posts: 78
- Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2014 6:43 pm
- Location: Kansas City
Cylon Eye - Larson Scanner from Adafuit
Last edited by RAM_Doubler on Fri Jun 19, 2015 1:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Cylon-Knight
- Site Administrator
- Posts: 6419
- Joined: Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:32 pm
- Location: Kansas City
- Contact:
Re: Cylon Eye - Larson Scanner from Adafuit
(I updated your post to embed the video.)
Eye looks great!
Eye looks great!
"All Baseships are now in range to attack the Colonies."
- Jenne
- Flight Leader
- Posts: 374
- Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2010 5:52 pm
- Location: Essen /Germany
Re: Cylon Eye - Larson Scanner from Adafuit
Very cool, good work. Can also adjust the speed ?
- RAM_Doubler
- Patrol Leader
- Posts: 78
- Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2014 6:43 pm
- Location: Kansas City
Re: Cylon Eye - Larson Scanner from Adafuit
Jenne wrote:Very cool, good work. Can also adjust the speed ?
If you follow the instructions on the Adafruit site, it'll tell you how to adjust the speed by modifying the program you load into the Gemma board.
However, we added a pot on top of the Gemma board to manually control the speed. Thought it would be easier to give it a twist with a screwdriver than reload the software any time we wanted to speed up or slow down the eye sweep.
- Soda Can
- Phalanx Leader
- Posts: 120
- Joined: Wed Jun 10, 2015 2:56 am
- Location: Otaki, New Zealand
- Contact:
Re: Cylon Eye - Larson Scanner from Adafuit
That is a very tidy nice and slim line unit, how much is this one to build?
If anybody can, Soda Can Cylon can.
- RAM_Doubler
- Patrol Leader
- Posts: 78
- Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2014 6:43 pm
- Location: Kansas City
Re: Cylon Eye - Larson Scanner from Adafuit
Depending on the number of LEDs you need, and the size of battery you buy, you could build this for less than $50(USD). I bought a bigger strip of LEDs to allow for mistakes, and a backup battery, and maybe spent $100USD.Soda Can wrote:That is a very tidy nice and slim line unit, how much is this one to build?
- RAM_Doubler
- Patrol Leader
- Posts: 78
- Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2014 6:43 pm
- Location: Kansas City
Re: Cylon Eye - Larson Scanner from Adafuit
For more details on how I installed this in the helmet, here's the post with pics!
viewtopic.php?f=80&t=2796&start=15#p30961
And here's some video of the installed eye in the finished helmet:
viewtopic.php?f=80&t=2796&start=15#p30961
And here's some video of the installed eye in the finished helmet:
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests