"Help!" for: Electronics

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This is very helpful, thank you for pointing it out. I don't think I would have found this on my own.

oops, I'm confusing, the 12 volt kit with a 9 volt battery.


Yep, there is an equation for that. Go down to the table on the wiki page below, in the mAh column there is a number for each battery type. Alkaline AAA have a capacity of 1200 mAh (mA hours). Three batteries in series, like in your drawing / pictures, will also have 1200 mAh.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_battery_sizes

Figure out the mA used by your LEDs.
(Battery voltage / resister ) x number of LEDs x 1000 = mA current used by LEDs

Example
(4.5v / 300 ohms ) x 10 x 1000 = 150 mA

Then you divide the battery capacity
1200 mAh / 150 mA = 8 hours
 
anyone know what these are called? and where to buy the male and female ends?
El_Wire-00.jpg
 
Mr. Decade I have another question if you're around: What do you think of RGB leds? I was at a radio shack getting a couple more battery boxes and I saw one and didn't know what it was because of the 3rd lead coming out of it. So, being curious I bought one to mess with and when I set it up like my other simple setups it flashed through its cycle and then stopped, and didn't do anything. If I disconnected the positive connection and reconnected it, it would run through the cycle again. Here is how I had it setup:

xNu5O.png


I see that the 3rd lead is for programming purposes, but I'm not sure how to make that work on such a basic setup.
I found another type online that only has the two + and - leads, but is still RGB AND says that it continually runs through the cycle. Do you know why it does compared to the one I bought to mess with (that does it once and then does nothing)?

Edit: Here is the one I'm talking about: http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/component-leds/rgb-fast-color-changing-led/299/
 
Can you take a picture of the packaging, I haven't used a rgb led like that before. Am guessing that you need to connect that third lead up to something to make it fade continuously.

Nevermind, I think I found it
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3060680

From the description (and my best guess), it will one shot fade on power up, then you need to pulse the battery to the mode pin to make it do other things.
Auto-start one-shot slow light up and fade, then blink
On/Off key color change control: R,G,B,RG,GB,RB,RGB
 
Can you take a picture of the packaging, I haven't used a rgb led like that before. Am guessing that you need to connect that third lead up to something to make it fade continuously.

Nevermind, I think I found it
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3060680

From the description (and my best guess), it will one shot fade on power up, then you need to pulse the battery to the mode pin to make it do other things.

Yeah that's the same one. I wasn't sure how to make the battery pulse without needing to buy more components. Just curious as to what the difference is between that one and the one that says it flashes continuously without end.... it just seems weird to me.

I noticed that most of them have different voltage levels too; one had an operable range from 3v to 10v. RGB leds seem complicated lol.
 
Can pulse the battery with a push button momentary switch, or you can tap the wires together.

The difference is that yours has multiple color patterns, tap that wire to change the pattern.

Even single color LEDs come in a range of voltages. I'm not sure what anyone needs with an led that operates at 10v, but someone must have an application in mind.
 
Hey guys,

I posted about this in another thread, but I thought it might be relevant to post about is here as well. I have this Kickstarter going for a microcontroller which makes it easy to control lights, sounds, and servos. Just add some LEDs, servos, switches, knobs, a speaker, a battery, and a MicroSD card with some scripts in BASIC and your sound files, and away you go.

mightyblack.png


You can check it out here:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shawnswift/the-mightytm-microcontroller

And here's the other thread on it, with some videos and info that aren't on the main site:
http://www.405th.com/showthread.php...r-Halo-weapons-and-armor!?p=606096#post606096
 
Just wondering.

Let's say an individual was building armor that was ironman-esque. Now lets say that the "armor" was equipped with a built-in palm-mounted taser that fired 50,000 Volts @ 26 Watts, along with I don't know, off the top of my head, a set of leds bright enough to stun someone. Now if this suit was also equipped with an on-board computer, some servos, an arduino, along with some other equipment. I'm sure you guys would need the actual numbers for the power needed, but do you guys think such a suit would require a power supply that's to large where the armor would be rendered useless?
 
50,000 volts at 26 watts = 0.0005 amps. A typical LED draws 0.02 amps. So no problem powering the taser.

As for the LEDs they've been working on a device that can stun people with light:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/led-incapacitator.htm

Being that it's handheld, the power source must be only a few batteries. But a few batteries can supply several amps of power.

This flashlight here has 500 LEDs and uses 50 watts:

That's around 20 amps. I think a rechargeable battery like those in an RC car can supply that kind of power.

The design doesn't seem very efficient though. They don't appear to be using high brightness LEDs. Those are generally surface mount, not through hole. So you may be able to get that same power in something that would fit on your hand. There's just one problem. LEDs are efficient, but they're not THAT efficient. They still generate tons of heat, and require a heat sink. You'd have to have some kind of active water cooling system to keep your palms from being burnt, or use the LEDs only for very brief periods.

So it's not really the power supply for the LEDs that is the problem so much as it is the heat they generate and removing that.
 
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This is more directed at "That Decade", but I just wanted to share what I was able to do in my suit with the help he gave me. It would have taken me a long time to figure out how to do this on my own- Thank you SO much for the tips and formulas, they were super useful!!

HjO8wl.jpg
5kunUl.jpg
cwsMil.jpg

It's hard to tell from the cell phone picture, but the side led's are staggered like this:

G___ B
_ UV

G

__ B
 
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Let's say an individual was building armor that was ironman-esque. Now lets say that the "armor" was equipped with a built-in palm-mounted taser that fired 50,000 Volts @ 26 Watts, along with I don't know, off the top of my head, a set of leds bright enough to stun someone. Now if this suit was also equipped with an on-board computer, some servos, an arduino, along with some other equipment. I'm sure you guys would need the actual numbers for the power needed, but do you guys think such a suit would require a power supply that's to large where the armor would be rendered useless?

I am making a self defense stun baton using a rigged disposable camera. The output will only be 400v.
how on Earth can you safely get 50K volts?
You would need some sort of.... step up transformer connected to an inverter with the input and output "turned around," so to speak.

Might I ask what the purpose of generating such an extreme amount of voltage is for? If it's to shock people in Comic Cons, stun guns, along with any other projectile "weapons" will get you banned or arrested. Unless of course, it doesnt really "shoot." Then again, that's quite a lot of energy. Or are you intending on using the voltage to create an air arc? That would be awesome, haha.

Temporarily stunning someone with LEDs should be simple enough. When you order LEDs, look for the mcd (I believe it stands for either micro or mili candle light. I cant remember) A standard blue LED that most people would use for, example, Iron Man , has a mcd of around 2,000 - 5,000. I've seen LEDs with 45,000 mcd (I plan on getting a few, =P ) They can be used for motorcycle or dirt bike head lights. Pretty darn bright I'd say. Um,, here. Brush up on this when you get a chance: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candela

You could always slap a bunch of disposable flash-cameras together and utilize the flash "unit." I did that for my brother's Iron Man suit last year for the Unibeam, xD

Btw, I apologize for any grammar mistakes. I dislocated my elbow and my arm is in a cast. Typing with 1 hand isnt easy, =P

Hope this info helps.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Btw, could the idea of using a 9v battery, a step up transformer and an AC/DC inverter sustain an arc about 1 inch long? I was thinking of using: http://www.sparkfun.com/products/10201
Why? Come on, think about it... Plasma Pistol awesomeness!!! Is it remotely possible? Thanks!
 
El converter would burn itself out. Would need the transformer coil wrappings thicker to take the extreme voltage. The camera flash stun gun is enough to burn, but not incapacitate.

Seriously though, they have officers roaming conventions to kick people out that carry real weapons. Schools are even stricter, with zero tolerance policies.

Nothing wrong with an led flash, array. Even at low voltages, those high brightness leds are blinding.
 
True Noob

This has been asked a few times however i have read the whole page and couldn't really find the answer. I was wondering if someone could roughly explain how to make an iron man helmet open and close automatically. I have tried to work it out but i just can't imagine what parts i need or how to set it up. i was just wondering if i could just get a rough idea, I'm not expecting full instructions i would quite like to do that just need a few guidelines to get me going. Thanks in advance and love the stuff you guys make
 
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For some reason I am unable to wrap my head around this one. I was looking into adding sound to a Portal 2 gun, likely using the same soundboard http://www.replicaprops.com/Sound-board-for-props-and-costumes-model-1M_p_15.html that Volpin used on his http://volpinprops.blogspot.com/2010/11/portal-gun-for-childs-play_22.html . The part I don't understand is whether or not the soundboard and lighting use the same power supply and how the DPDT switches work. I have a very basic understanding of electronics and can build any basic circuit with a diagram. For clarification the way the switches should work is: 1) a power button on/off and accompanying sound 2) toggle switch for the orange and blue lighted modes 3) momentary switch that plays a sound depending on which mode the #2 toggle switch is set to.
 
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