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Thor's Content

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#9195 Is my Mini dead?

Posted by Thor on 08 February 2011 - 11:38 PM in Netduino Mini

Awesome. What ended up being the culprit?


Switching the TX and the RX wires did it.

Couple of questions...

Any way I can get it to stop flashing all the LEDs on initial startup? The Netduino doesn't make all the i/o ports high or something on initial startup does it? I've tried using a pull-down resistor on the 3 signal lines running to the LED driver but that doesn't work, it seems to send a high signal every time it starts up, which kind of ruins the startup animation.

Also, it seems to be misinterpreting a single momentary switch press as multiple presses. This results in it skipping animations, which is ok for the animation mode, as those are just a bunch of random animations in no particular order, but the movie replica mode (what I'm calling it right now) has a set of 3 animations that are in order, so it skipping animations really screws up that mode.



#9165 Is my Mini dead?

Posted by Thor on 08 February 2011 - 03:11 PM in Netduino Mini

Ok, good to go. The basic program I first wrote to blink a LED is working, so I should be good to continue my work on the Disc Mod. Thanks for all the help! Edit: Success...the disc is back up and running, so I can proceed with the changes I was working on.



#9160 Is my Mini dead?

Posted by Thor on 08 February 2011 - 01:43 PM in Netduino Mini

Nah I never tried that...and here's the result:

ÿ.NetMF v4.1...
er version 400771

TinyCLR (Build 4.1.2821.0)

Starting...
er version 400771

TinyCLR (Build 4.1.2821.0)

Starting...
Created EE.
Started Hardware.
MSdbgV1qTįÁêMSdbgV1¢Ã¯ÁêMSdbgV1
·¹Ë¯ÁêMSdbgV1
TO̯ÁêMSdbgV1ýÛ¯ÁêMSdbgV1yܯÁêMSdbgV1;bÔ¯ÁêMSdbgV1ØÓ¯ÁêMSdbgV10iãû¯êMSdbgV16ü¯Áë êMSdbgV1<¯ô¯Áë
êMSdbgV1:Løó¯Áë
êMSdbgV1(å8ä¯Áë
êMSdbgV1$#Õë¯ÁêMSdbgV1"À#ì¯ÁêMSdbgV1`A:»¯ÁêMSdbgV1f¢Ì¼¯ÁêMSdbgV1l×´¯ÁêMSdbgV1jd!³¯ÁêMSdbgV1xÍ᤯ÁêNo debugger!
Create TS.
Loading start at 1360dc, end 14824c
Attaching file.
Assembly: mscorlib (4.1.2821.0) (3880 RAM - 33236 ROM - 19134 METADATA)

Attaching file.
Assembly: Microsoft.SPOT.Native (4.1.2821.0) (1144 RAM - 6516 ROM - 4479 METADATA)

Attaching file.
Assembly: Microsoft.SPOT.Hardware (4.1.2821.0) (1752 RAM - 11440 ROM - 7371 METADATA)

Attaching file.
Assembly: Microsoft.SPOT.Hardware.SerialPort (4.1.2821.0) (508 RAM - 3440 ROM - 1527 METADATA)

Attaching file.
Assembly: Microsoft.SPOT.IO (4.1.2821.0) (740 RAM - 4620 ROM - 2522 METADATA)

Attaching file.
Assembly: System.IO (4.1.2821.0) (1548 RAM - 13292 ROM - 5862 METADATA)

Attaching file.
Assembly: SecretLabs.NETMF.Hardware (4.1.0.0) (256 RAM - 1108 ROM - 491 METADATA)

Attaching file.
Assembly: SecretLabs.NETMF.Diagnostics (4.1.0.0) (180 RAM - 440 ROM - 166 METADATA)

Loading Deployment Assemblies.
Attaching deployed file.
Assembly: NetduinoMiniTransportSelector (1.0.0.0) (244 RAM - 1168 ROM - 310 METADATA)

Resolving.

Total: (8784 RAM - 75260 ROM - 41862 METADATA)


Total: (8784 RAM - 75260 ROM - 41862 METADATA)

Ready.


LIFE!

Starting to load the files for Visual Studio. Little trickier within the VM.

I can't get it to power off of the Breadboard power supply (which gets its power from USB). I checked the output of the 5V line and it runs around 5.15V, which I suspect is a little too high for the Mini.

I'm in chat now, so I'll keep an eye on it. I'm home sick from work, so I have a bit more time to work on this.



#9139 Is my Mini dead?

Posted by Thor on 08 February 2011 - 02:09 AM in Netduino Mini

Thor--this is on the _new_ Mini, correct?

Also, if you hook pins 2+3 og the serial adapter together do you get characters echoed back (loopback)?

Chris


Yes , I haven't even touched the old mini since it stopped responding. It is still soldered in the pcb I put it in.

Actually no it doesn't echo back the characters...it should though, as far as I know the device is working perfectly. Is there something possibly in the configuration in Putty that is stopping the Echo from returning? Or perhaps I'm just not recognizing it as an echo. I expected that when I type something in, either it immediately doubles that character or it waits until after I hit enter to echo it on the next line. Problem is, it never leaves the first line. If I hit enter it just goes back to the start of the line. all characters remain and any I type just replace the character that was there before it.

So it's actually acting exactly how the FTDI acted when doing that test.

I posted a couple of pictures from the setup of the adapter with the wires.
https://picasaweb.go...feat=directlink
(and no the wires are not pinched...it's closed just tight enough for them to stay put, but it doesn't impact the insulation at all.)

edit: ok I think I understand it now. I disabled local echo in the Putty client which should mean anything I type should not show up in the window. so when it's hooked up for a loopback, I still see the characters I'm typing, which are actually the echo. When I moved the transmit wire to another spot so they aren't in loopback...I get nothing int he putty window.

And by using the same test with the FTDI...I get echo back.

sooooo...it appears the mini is still completely nonresponsive, despite confirming that the serial adapter is sending and receiving commands.



#9134 Is my Mini dead?

Posted by Thor on 07 February 2011 - 08:35 PM in Netduino Mini

Ok, I got the driver installed on a VM and successfully made a connection to the adapter through the VM...so it recognizes it as COM3. But when I try the same steps as above...I still get nothing except for the blinking of the activity light on the serial adapter. Nothing in Putty when the Mini is powered on and nothing when I hit Escape in Putty. Edit: perhaps I should go over what I do to setup a Putty connection. I immediately change to Serial mode. Change it to COM3 and the speed to 115200. Then I selection Serial under Connection on the left. I double check the COM port and speed again. Data bits is set to 8, stop bits to 1, parity to none, flow control to none. Sound right? And just to try something different, I eliminated the power supply as an issue. I hooked it up to the same power supply I used when I originally developed it...a molex connector coming from one of my PC's. So 12V straight into Pin 24 of the mini. To check to see if the Mini was working correctly for one of the most basic functions, I measured a clean 5V coming from Pin 21. The pins I'm using for the wires to the Mini from the serial adapter are pins 2(RX), 3(TX), and 5(Signal GND) on the serial connection. TX hooked up to pin 1, RX hooked up to pin 2, and GND hooked up to pin 4.



#9128 Is my Mini dead?

Posted by Thor on 07 February 2011 - 07:06 PM in Netduino Mini

Hi Thor,

If you connect the TX and RX pins together at the end of the FTDI breakout board and don't get an "echo" back of what you type in Putty, that almost surely means that your FTDI breakout board is not working.

Yes, if you have a USB to serial adapter...plug in a serial cable and cut off the other end of the cable. Wire up the RX and TX and GND pins directly to pins 1/2/4. You should be up and running right away.

If you want to use USB-TTL, I'd recommend this cable.

Chris


Yeah I don't have any serial cables, haven't had any for a while. I was lucky to find this one, I figured I threw it out long ago.

I'm piggy backing some wires on the connections on the pcb for the adapter (you'll like it when you see it I think). Just need to finish installing the drivers for the adapter (luckily found them on Belkin's site) and I should be good to go.

Sigh. I need to put it on a 32 bit system. The drivers are only available for 32 bit systems. I didn't notice this when I first downloaded them. I might be able to get it working in a VM though on my VirtualBox installation. If not I'll have to put it on my laptop. I'd prefer the VM though since I'm using my laptop as an HTPC at this point (it's an old beast Dell XPS system, not exactly portable).



#9126 Is my Mini dead?

Posted by Thor on 07 February 2011 - 06:33 PM in Netduino Mini

I appreciate the enthusiasm Chris :)

Following your steps Chris, I got nothing from the Mini. Nothing after powering it up and nothing after hitting escape. The FTDI board lights it's transmit light, but nothing returns.

I tried using Fred's tip on getting an echo back in Putty when linking the TX to the RX. It does trigger both LEDs when typing something, but I get no echo within Putty. If what you said is true Fred, doesn't this mean data is indeed being transmitted by the FTDI, and it's being received, but not transmitted back to the computer.

Don't have a logic analyzer...my resources are pretty slim. All I have for testing electronics is this multimeter. I'm pretty short on funds until the 15th. I can afford to get one cable or board to try to get this thing working so long as it's under $20. So should I get a FTDI cable, USB to RS232, or another FTDI board? It sounds like that's that only thing that will get this working again, if the mini is still good.

edit: Actually wait...if I can find it I think I have a USB to Serial adapter, I would just need to disassemble the Serial end to get the wires I need.

Edit 2: Yep I found it. Haven't opened it up, but it looks like what I'll need to connect to the RS232 pins..
It's one of these: http://cgi.ebay.com/...9-/400071303835

Will be a little tricky getting the wires I need, as the Serial connection looks like it's surface mounted.



#9113 Is my Mini dead?

Posted by Thor on 07 February 2011 - 01:02 PM in Netduino Mini

To use putty, just connect via the USB serial port that your FTDI cable driver provides. This should be in the same way as when you first connected yoru Mini and selected which port to use to deploy. See the "Switching serial deployment port" section in the getting started guide here.


That's the thing...we're trying to rule out that the Mini is the cause, so I need to connect directly to it to eliminate it from being the issue here. We suspect the FTDI board is at fault here, so establishing that I can communicate with the Mini without the FTDI is all I need to place the blame squarely on the FTDI board. I don't have a FTDI cable...only the FTDI board. That's all I've ever had to connect to the Mini. I need someone to tell me how to connect to it without using the FTDI board.



#9110 Is my Mini dead?

Posted by Thor on 07 February 2011 - 11:19 AM in Netduino Mini

Hi Thor,

My best guess would be that the FTDI adapter is malfunctioning. We test every Netduino Mini before it ships to the reseller, so it's very unlikely that it would be damaged upon receipt.

Do you have anything hooked up in your circuit _other_ than the FTDI basic board (TX/RX and GND) and power?

Also, which port are you using (RS232 or TTL) for debugging? If you hook up to it via HyperTerminal (115200,N,8,1) and power up the Netduino Mini, do you see anything?

Chris


The FTDI Basic uses pins 11 and 12, so TTL. Aside from that it's hooked up to GND (pin 4) and DTS (pin 3), exactly how I've always hooked it up. Main power for the Mini is going to pin 21 providing 5V from a Breadboard power supply (also from Sparkfun). Main ground is hooked up to pin 23.

The only thing I had hooked up was a basic test of a blinking LED that I had written the first time I got my Mini. That was connected on Pin 9, just as it was the first time I tested the mini.

How would I go about hooking it up to connect to Hyperterminal (Putty in my case as I'm running Windows 7)? Can I do something with a USB cable's wires (I'm guessing it's not as simple as just hooking up the data wires) or do I need a regular serial cable? The latter would be a problem as I don't have a serial cable or a serial port exposed on my motherboard (internally or externally). This is the reason why I got the FTDI board in the first place.



#9084 Is my Mini dead?

Posted by Thor on 06 February 2011 - 08:54 PM in Netduino Mini

Ok so I've been doing work on my Tron Disc Mod here (links to all important pages about it). My problem is, after I posted the first video, I went to making some more modifications to it, and in the process, somehow made the Mini unresponsive to my programming. I use the FTDI Basic board to communicate with the Mini. What I mean by it being unresponsive is that the TX light on the board flashes, but the RX light does not. So that tells me my system is trying to send commands, but the Mini isn't responding. What I think killed it was an incorrect measurement of current I did at one point. Basically, rather than putting the multimeter in line like you're supposed to do to measure current, I put it in parallel, shorting the circuit. That was stupid of me because I've measured current before, it's just been a while since the last time I did it (10+ years). I can't remember where I made that measurement, I just remember trying to make it.

Now here's the thing, I ordered a new Mini thinking that it was the problem, but the new mini reacts the same way, so either the new mini is DOA out of the box, or the FTDI Basic board isn't working properly. Any opinions?



#9003 TRON Identity Disc by Harford Hackerspace

Posted by Thor on 04 February 2011 - 07:22 PM in Project Showcase

I am casting the inner C and outer blades in clear polyethylene terephthalate with the same texture as the factory part if you are interested. $5 for the inner C, $15 for the blade. Blade comes with no flanges/tabs just the orientation hole.

Custom Identity Disc Mods

I wish I had gone the netduino route... but I did mine with the arduino nano instead of the netduino mini... and the coding was not fun especially since I have been doing C# for a living now...


Nah, I'm sticking with the stock parts. There was always a blue tint to the glow from the Identity disc in the movie, so my hunch is that the blue blade and inner c combined with white LEDs will give about the right color glow.

I'm waiting for the parts to redo the mod (they've been stuck in the UPS and FedEx systems for a couple of days due to the Blizzard, but I should get them tonight), as I ended up frying my Netduino mini with an improper current measurement (been a while since I did a current reading with a multimeter). So I'm starting from scratch with my second identity disc and changing a few things, including the color of the LEDs from blue to white, among other things. If it turns out bad I can always swap out the blue ring I've already done.

I put up the start of my guide for this mod. It's not a complete guide, but is more a companion to the original guide, providing insight on things I learned from doing all these different versions of it. I'm trying to fill in the gaps I encountered in the original guide.
http://www.thunder-god.net/
Under the Projects Tab
or Direct Link: http://www.thunder-g...ntity-disc-mod/



#8306 TRON Identity Disc by Harford Hackerspace

Posted by Thor on 24 January 2011 - 04:49 PM in Project Showcase

I had problems with the Netduino's outputs floating high on startup. In my case it operated a relay and opened my garage door. The easiest solution was a pull-down resistor to counteract the Netduino's built in pull-up one. I can't remember exactly what value I used - maybe 1k.


Makes sense to me now that I looked into what pull resistors are. So I'd want to pull the 3 inputs into the LED driver to ground when not in use. That would ensure the inputs going to the driver are null when it turns on. Am I correct in thinking I need a separate resistor for all three?



#8272 TRON Identity Disc by Harford Hackerspace

Posted by Thor on 24 January 2011 - 09:08 AM in Project Showcase

Ok so I got the charger done. Posted a few more pics of that. Just before getting that done though, the disc started acting weird, not turning on except when hooked up to my computer via USB. I tried everything I could to figure it out, but nothing seemed to correct it. One thing that I noticed was that the charge detection circuit seemed to be completely inoperative. The LED didn't light to indicate a charge, and the animation didn't change to the fade to indicate the Netduino Mini knew it was charging (via vDetect). So I decided to redo the charge detection circuit. I cleaned it up from what it was before and compressed the size of it a bit. I just have to fashion the charging pads and hook those up to the circuit to finish it up. I tested the disc after finishing the primary wiring (everything except for the charging pads) and the disc is now working properly, turning on like it should. So tomorrow night or sometime this weekend I'll finish up the charging pads and test to see if the charging system works.

I do know that my charger works, as it's outputting a steady 8.4V. I also know that the pins I'm using to make the connection are good...I got those off of an old cordless phone from it's charging base.


I narrowed down the problem causing the disc not to turn on when switched on...the wires leading to the programming interface plugin seem to be affecting the disc so that it doesn't turn on. When those wires aren't plugged in, it turns on fine. I checked those wires thoroughly for shorts or anything else out of the ordinary. I even replaced the wires all the way up to the connector, but nothing I could do would stop that from happening. The next step with that is replacing the connector, but I'm waiting on parts for that. It has to be a short of some kind, because those wires are essentially dead wires when the FTDI Breakout board and USB aren't plugged in. They're just sitting there awaiting the connection, that doesn't stop them from screwing over the disc though. In the end, I could make it work without those wires, it's just more of a pita to program the disc without that connection.

Aside from that, the disc is working like it's supposed to, though I do have some issues to sort out with the programming, the animations don't quite work right on the new mode (vs the original animation mode). Everything with the charging dock works perfectly though, the charging light turns on, and when in animation mode it switches to the proper charging animation (fade in, fade out) (yeah I forgot about making that animation available in the new mode). When I get the issues sorted I'll probably post another video.



#8049 TRON Identity Disc by Harford Hackerspace

Posted by Thor on 21 January 2011 - 06:49 AM in Project Showcase

Ok so I got the charger done. Posted a few more pics of that. Just before getting that done though, the disc started acting weird, not turning on except when hooked up to my computer via USB. I tried everything I could to figure it out, but nothing seemed to correct it. One thing that I noticed was that the charge detection circuit seemed to be completely inoperative. The LED didn't light to indicate a charge, and the animation didn't change to the fade to indicate the Netduino Mini knew it was charging (via vDetect). So I decided to redo the charge detection circuit. I cleaned it up from what it was before and compressed the size of it a bit. I just have to fashion the charging pads and hook those up to the circuit to finish it up. I tested the disc after finishing the primary wiring (everything except for the charging pads) and the disc is now working properly, turning on like it should. So tomorrow night or sometime this weekend I'll finish up the charging pads and test to see if the charging system works. I do know that my charger works, as it's outputting a steady 8.4V. I also know that the pins I'm using to make the connection are good...I got those off of an old cordless phone from it's charging base.



#7855 TRON Identity Disc by Harford Hackerspace

Posted by Thor on 18 January 2011 - 03:39 PM in Project Showcase

I think the initial blip might be because the netduino's outputs start on HIGH then go back to LOW. The animations look better I think, easier to follow. nicely done.


Yeah I guess that would explain it. I'll just have to tweak how that starting animation works to make it look a bit better.

Couple of additions last night:
1. created an external port for the programming connection. That way I can hook up USB and work on the code without opening the disc up.

2. installed another small switch right where the "O" is in the markings for the original power switch. I'm going to implement a mode system that allows two different modes. The first mode is the standard mode with all the animations, the second mode is used to present a more movie accurate version of the disc.

Any external ports I'm restricting to the backside of the inner ring, where the original power switch was located. This is just so I can keep external stuff kind of hidden.

Also started working on the charger last night. I didn't do anything more than layout the components on the PCB. I just wanted to get that done as it seems the battery juice is running out, so I'm in need of a charger. The disc no longer powers on just by itself, it requires a connection to the computer to be able to fire up. That puzzles me a bit since the USB connection doesn't actually provide any power as far as I know. It could provide 5V if I wanted to hook that pin up, but I haven't yet. The only pins used on the breakout board are Ground, DTR, and the TX/RX lines. As far as I know, the DTR line just provides a method of resetting the Netduino when new code is being uploaded to it.

Here's a layout of the two halves:
Front Half:
All LEDs
LED Driver
Netduino Mini

Back Half:
2 Lithium Polymer Batteries
Charge Detection Circuit with charging pads
Toggle switch for main power
Momentary switch for animation changes
Toggle switch for mode changes (SPDT On-On Switch)
External connector for Programming interface

Connections between the two halves (connections are made near the momentary button):
1: Primary interface (minimum connection required to operate the disc)
Momentary Button +
Momentary button -
Ground
Main Power
vDetect
2: Programming Interface
DTR
RX
TX
Ground

There is probably going to be one additional connection as a result of adding that small toggle switch for the mode changes. I need to provide a 5V source (the source for 5V comes from the Netduino mini board) and the two signaling lines for the switch.

I'm going to hold off doing any soldering on the charger circuit until I get my new soldering iron. I've had it with the Radio Shack specials I keep buying, so I invested in a better quality soldering iron that should last quite a bit longer. The iron I'm getting is a Hakko 936.

Edit: posted 3 more pictures from my recent work. Set the charging pins for the charging circuit in place during lunch today. They look rough, but they work, I tested the continuity with my multimeter so they should provide a charge.



#7813 TRON Identity Disc by Harford Hackerspace

Posted by Thor on 17 January 2011 - 11:16 AM in Project Showcase

Replaced the video with a new version. I found a significant error in my wiring of the cathodes for the LEDs...which would have caused some irregularities in the animations in the original video. All fixed now. Added a new startup animation, though I'm still trying to figure out how to get rid of that initial blip of light before the animation.



#7795 TRON Identity Disc by Harford Hackerspace

Posted by Thor on 17 January 2011 - 03:52 AM in Project Showcase

I think you can do it, all you need is the inside LEDs right?


The same effect, maybe, but it won't be as smooth an animation, he simply has way more LEDs (more than double).

I could if I put my mind to it and had the time (I don't have the time). That involves getting the materials/tools needed to do surface mount soldering, and learning how to do surface mount soldering. All of those LEDs are surface mount, and he did some serious work on the look of the disc itself both inside and out. He has a workshop, I don't, I'm doing all of this stuff on the table right behind my gaming computer in the second bedroom of my apartment. What he's doing is just on an entirely different level. I'd love to be able to do that, and if I had the resources to do it, I probably would, but I definitely don't.

Here's another video of his work, an earlier video showing just the LEDs in action, you can see that it's just a small wall forming the ring, with the surface mount LEDs mounted to it.



My plans for the inner ring will put 16 LEDs in there to get the same effect, but I'm not sure how to do the diffusion yet, the blue LEDs shine through the build in diffuser way too easily. Got some testing to do to figure out the best way.



#7793 TRON Identity Disc by Harford Hackerspace

Posted by Thor on 17 January 2011 - 03:14 AM in Project Showcase

looks awesome. I'm not sure how white would work though, its nto too visible. I'd use green or red. I wouldn't be able to resist throwing those around and attacking my brother with it :ph34r: .

I guess this is Tron related so uhm, just a suggestion, when working on these Discs listen to this: it will make everything more epic ;).


Yeah that's one of the soundtrack songs by Daft Punk. Got the soundtrack from Amazon a while ago.

I brought up the white LEDs because of the work I saw on this:
(embedding is disabled)

The guy used White LEDs instead of blue and got the look of the discs in the movie. He's clearly going for a replica of the movie props, and has the experience and resources to do such a replica. No way I'll do anything like his, but I can at least try to get the color right. I'm going to do some testing first to see how it really looks.



#7781 TRON Identity Disc by Harford Hackerspace

Posted by Thor on 16 January 2011 - 10:30 PM in Project Showcase

looks great. will you make a video of it?


Ask and ye shall receive:


Charging dock still needs to be done, but there was some juice in the batteries when I powered it up for the first time. The batteries weren't supposed to come charged, but whatever, it was a nice surprise.

Going to add LEDs to the inner ring. Also contemplating turning the second one into a white version.



#7751 TRON Identity Disc by Harford Hackerspace

Posted by Thor on 16 January 2011 - 09:18 AM in Project Showcase

Everything was ready for the two halves to go together, except for the actual electrical connections, so I went ahead and did a test fit. I initially had problems with an IC socket I was using for the LED Driver, but I took that out and, well, here's the result:

Posted Image

Can you tell which one is which? One is straight out of the packaging, the other is the one I've been working on. (hint: the two sets of helping hands will help you with this)

edit: Here's your answer: (photo of the backside)
http://picasaweb.goo...feat=directlink



#7746 TRON Identity Disc by Harford Hackerspace

Posted by Thor on 16 January 2011 - 04:45 AM in Project Showcase

Little update for ya on my progress duplicating this with a mini: My initial try at the LED ring was a failure, the wire I was using was far too thick. I switched from 22 gauge to 26 gauge wire and it works MUCH better. I've assembled the entire LED circuit (yes it completely works powered from a breadboard), I just have to hook up the two halves. The Charging circuit is ready to go with the batteries all hooked up, I just need to find a good connector to go between the two halves. Photo Album of my progress, includes some previous revisions in the LED ring: http://picasaweb.goo...feat=directlink This doesn't include the two inner ring LEDs that they used. I have some ideas to expand on that, but I'm going to get the outer ring completely working first before I tackle the inner ring. Here's the complete circuit with connections between everything that is inside the Disc itself. http://picasaweb.goo...feat=directlink



#6612 TRON Identity Disc by Harford Hackerspace

Posted by Thor on 28 December 2010 - 10:33 PM in Project Showcase

Well let's see, I got all the parts in just before Christmas. I started by messing with the Netduino Mini a bit to figure out how exactly it worked and also how it worked with the code provided. I think I have that down now, so I'm preparing other things in the project now. Thanks to David at Hartford Hackerspace for providing a clearer diagram for the LED/LED Driver/Netduino. Last night I dremeled out the disc, though I have a little cleanup to do tonight on that. I also I think realized a way to improve the design a bit. Namely, the momentary switch to handle changing the animations. I don't see why you can't reuse the existing switch as it's just a simple membrane momentary switch I think should work (just a theory of mine of course). If it works that would eliminate the need for the L bracket and the jury rigging of the new momentary switch. I will be posting a schematic for the mini version of it after I've gotten all the LEDs up and working. Setting up the power is something somewhat new to me. Up until now it's just the Mini, some LEDs and some resistors.



#6265 TRON Identity Disc by Harford Hackerspace

Posted by Thor on 19 December 2010 - 11:32 PM in Project Showcase

Thor,

Welcome to the Netduino community!

Are you thinking of building a TRON disc with a Netduino...or using a Netduino Mini so everything is completely integrated inside the disc?

Chris


Thanks!

I haven't decided yet for the first iteration. Trying to make up my mind whether or not to just try to get the concept down in a usable form first (duplicate what they already did), then shrink the size down to something smaller. I think it would be a good learning opportunity, and I'd be left with a Netduino I could use for further fun once I move onto the second iteration. Already have one of those identity discs on the way from Toysrus.com, and another about to be won on eBay. Toysrus is the easier way to go, bidding on cheap ones on ebay quickly gets the price to be equivalent with Toysrus (and shipping frequently isn't as kind).

I'm a .Net programmer by trade, but I started college as an EE major, so I have a pretty good understanding of circuits, and I still have the books from my EE courses. I was kind of looking into the Arduino, but this seems more like a natural extension of the programming I do.

Btw...found this project via the Make Magazine blog feed, and this forum after investigating further.

Edit: I was able to find an old breadboard (similar to this: http://www.sparkfun.com/products/112, but made by Archer) and all my jumper wires I used to use in my computer modding days. So perhaps I can use the Mini instead.

Edit 2: Parts are on order (got the mini). Was thinking also about ways to expand on the idea, for instance adding 4 more LEDs (or possibly up to 10 total added, making for 12 on the inner ring) to the inner ring to make the look of it more complete. I figured out how it would be wired (simple to figure that out based on the diagrams given), but I'm not quite sure how it would affect the electronics. I mean, will they need more power or different resistors or something? Or does the LED driver just take care of all that. I've used LEDs by themselves, but never with a driver before.

I'm also working on a more complete diagram involving all parts of the electronics. Having some trouble with that first diagram though as the resolution on the image is too low to read a lot of it.



#6250 TRON Identity Disc by Harford Hackerspace

Posted by Thor on 19 December 2010 - 12:54 PM in Project Showcase

Oooh... now I wonder if I can find one of those toys on eBay! :)



LOL...they're all over eBay...because people are just reselling from various Toy Stores or wherever they are getting them in bulk. Prices on ebay are fairly close to what you can get them for in some of the discount stores. Toysrus has them now for $14.99 and they're going for at least that much on eBay.

I remembered seeing this project in my news feed a couple of days ago and went back to look at it again today after seeing the movie. I think I'm going to give this a try for my first Netduino project. Too bad that ring around the outside is blue plastic, I think you could modify the circuit to allow for two different colors (blue and red/orange would be my choice).




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