...why hasn't anyone done a build incorporating a built - in pocket for their smart phone with extra batteries so it doesn't die while you're wandering the floor and speakers inside their helmet for answering calls?...
I don't know about including extra batteries, but people have made tacpads into which they place their phones.
Sign me up for this!
[SNIP]
Yes back up phone power sources are great, but you could always just get one big $200 laptop one that could power everything in your suit for a whole day!
Agreed! But you would have to watch your voltages closely to make sure you didn't inadvertently fry your phone - not all lap top batteries push the same voltage. standard USB voltage is 5.00 ± 0.25 volts... I bet there's someone on this forum who could tell us how to implement some fairly stout batteries. Heck, most RC cars use sub-c cells pushing about 1.2 volts a piece, so a fairly robust battery with a LOT of mAh could be made with a little electronic know-how, those batteries are really common. But I am hijacking this thread.
IN-helmet screens... NOW someone's talking high-speed!
Sign me up for this!
But needs to be available for windows phone users for sure, i'm so sick of all the apps out there only for iphone or android, some of us don't want to use them!
Also, for a permanent radar, you could always use and arduino with a tini screen, throw in the gps card and power card and you're good to go for a permant radar, add a blue tooth card so it links to your phone and you could have your phone just display to that tiny screen your radar data inside your helmet. Those new tiny screens are only 1" x 1" ! There's also a compass card you could throw on there if you really needed.
Yes back up phone power sources are great, but you could always just get one big $200 laptop one that could power everything in your suit for a whole day!
I'm not saying it would be bad. I actually do own one of those quick charger extenders, and if I was working on a Spartan, or even an elite, I would probably include it into my build, even if my phone has a 5-7 hour battery life with everything turned on. I may still design some rudimentary tacpad device for my Yanme'e I'm working on, since their history was mostly tech repair.
Agreed! But you would have to watch your voltages closely to make sure you didn't inadvertently fry your phone - not all lap top batteries push the same voltage. standard USB voltage is 5.00 ± 0.25 volts... I bet there's someone on this forum who could tell us how to implement some fairly stout batteries. Heck, most RC cars use sub-c cells pushing about 1.2 volts a piece, so a fairly robust battery with a LOT of mAh could be made with a little electronic know-how, those batteries are really common. But I am hijacking this thread.
IN-helmet screens... NOW someone's talking high-speed!
Very true on the voltages, luckily the laptop units i was looking into, come with usb ports on them, so you just plug your phone with your normal charging adapter and run it for like 5 days or more.
Yeah, i preordered on kickstarter some of those screens, but like 50 bucks a piece, so helmet screen upgrades won't be cheap. The one i got to play with is for my one prop gun, i want it to have a real sniper zoom screen on it.
Android will be the first platform, then we will go from there.
Yes, definitely ask around to make sure your batteries are working at the correct voltage and current. Especially if you are using lithium polymer batteries that are somehow incorporated into your suit. If those batteries surge, or suffer catastrophic failure they can ignite. If that happens YOU WILL BURN! Seriously, look up a video of those battery packs burning, you do not want to have that happen while you are wearing them.
Yeah it's very easy to whip up a external battery pack of your own. You would want it to be right around 5 volts and no more than 1 amp (don't know if phones take all that they can?). But for an Iphone you would also have to apply a small current to the data pins in order for it to accept a charge (it's an apple thing).
But yeah this is hijacking the thread.