Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

Does anyone have a recomendation for website or book for learning? Tutorials anywhere that you know of ? How did you guys learn? Hate to say it, but a through knowledge of electronics requires a stepped approach, like this site. I'm not saying you have to have it, but knowing this stuff makes it a ...

For simplicity's sake, I suggest this

Run two fiber optic cables off each LED.

Are you looking for a push a button to open and push again to close, or total control of the door by use of a "knob?"

FineScale Modeler featured an article on styrene car door modification a few years back that showed essentially the same technique. My memory can be spotty at times though - I seem to recall that dental floss was used. The Plackers brand flossers have Kevlar in them, so it is logical it would cut q...

Not knowing the schematic or the exact 4060 I can only guess. Some 4060's can't handle more than 5V, so it could be damaged. If you had a full load and ran an amp through it, it is certainly damaged, but there would have probably been smoke. It could be an RC circuit if any resistance is part of you...

How were the caps soldered, series or parallel? What pin of the 4060 was used to get this effect? What kind of voltage and current were you using?

I use beading wire for igniters in flashpots. It is a mild steel with high resistance so it tends to heat up. Stick with wire-wrap wire as suggested.

How to you calculate the wattage or amperage of a plug in DC power supply. There is a lot of information about batteries which I don’t think would be particle for this project. First, be careful with common wall warts. They are unregulated (unless noted otherwise). That 9V wart can actually be pump...

Pull the switch and solder a wire across the power switch pads on the PCB.

What and how many LED's are you using? What are your voltage and current values? The wattage rating of any resistor can be calculated by Ohm's Law. If you are using 12 volts at 20mA, you can calculate the wattage with Power(W)=Current(I)*Voltage(V). Using the values above, 12*.020=.24W. So you are ...

starmanmm wrote:
If I understand correctly, what ever the number of leds, etc. what matters is the Heat the resistor will generate.

The value is the total amount of energy [in watts] the resistor can handle before it fails. Of course, as you have surmised, the energy given off in this case is heat.

What and how many LED's are you using? What are your voltage and current values? The wattage rating of any resistor can be calculated by Ohm's Law. If you are using 12 volts at 20mA, you can calculate the wattage with Power(W)=Current(I)*Voltage(V). Using the values above, 12*.020=.24W. So you are r...

You need a full wave bridge rectifier and a capacitor(s) to filter any remaining wave fluctuations

It would be easier to use a 6V unregulated wall wart and use a voltage regulator like the LM7805 or 7812, etc.

What kind of current are you looking to use?

Just got my kit today! Looks sweet. The nebulizer and the vox just scream to be lit! I will be watching this thread with interest. Where can we get a Borg lightning plate small enough for the vox? Would it be affordable or not in the next question . . . - Leelan I'll see if I can dig some up. My wi...

Will this do?

http://members.shaw.ca/novotill/FireLig ... /index.htm

Just about anywhere is okay. Just make sure the output voltage is REGULATED DC. Most (like the ones you get with cell phones, answering machines, etc.) are unregulated and can far exceed their rated output voltage...

Was this accomplished conventionally or through programming a pic?

Can I use a wallwort from Radioshack to charge the battery? I was thinking of using this one: http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...09&tab=summary I only need 300ma and this one is a lot more, I don't know if that will be a problem or if the adapter will even work to charge the battery. Make s...

I could get all that at Mouser for $20.00!

JUST KIDDING!

GREAT haul!

And for the 40th suggestion... For quick and dirty like a parade float I would personally use Liquid Nails. It doesn't eat the foam and it sticks quickly. Make sure you get the brown kind, as the clear is ridiculously flexible. -Rog Agreed. I've built entire sets and set-pieces from the pink and bl...

I'm guessing that it runs off 120 v rectified, was there a wall wort with it? It's probably pretty dirty but there's a cap in there to filter it. It is also possible that the custom chip in there has a regulator build into it. There is a plus on the board, if you check from there to ground (or the ...

Those traces look a little fried... I see what looks like a full wave bridge rectifier (will convert an AC sine wave to DC), but I don't see a transformer. You'd need this to step down the 120VAC to a usable voltage before being converted to DC. I tried to search for a datasheet on those chips, no d...

Pat Amaral wrote:All I can say is careful cutting/edge sanding will be your friends and expanding foam (from a hardware store) will be your ally

Good luck

And don't forget to cut TWO holes for the foam!!

You want this all mounted in a 28mm figure?

Yep, those are the ones. I can't, for the life of me, remember who I sent them to, but I know it was for testing. I know John told me they are always interested in new products, but other things surfaced, I shelved the strips and stayed busy. After November 1, I should be able to start some work on ...

Both the ones in your post and these new ones from WAC, http://www.waclighting.com/data/arti_img/2008_ledtape.pdf they look expensive as they seem to be sealed and have all the extra splicing pieces that make for easy install into different home lighting situations. Actually those were prototypes I...

What is the cost on those strip LEDS? I think those will be expensive comparatively, as the LEDs they use are high power ultra bright LEDs. http://www.kc6sye.com/images/images_09_07/9_8_07/1_2_led_strips.jpg http://www.kc6sye.com/images/images_09_07/9_8_07/2_stirp_n_reel.jpg Do you mean the ones in...

I'm not a big EL fan as it get's hot (the inverter), can squeal to just audible levels so the dogs howl and has a smaller life-span than LEDS. I use LED's and Fiber fill for an even lighting for several apps: LED strip: http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28/s_hasty/Lightstrip.jpg Prior to trimming: h...

A two-pack of 0402 LEDs for $6.75? That's expensive... Well, not the same size, but you can't beat the price... http://cgi.ebay.com/50-pcs-0805-SMT-SMD-White-Chip-LED-LEDs-440mcd_W0QQitemZ350099827613QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item350099827613&_trkparms=72%3A1222|39%3A1|66%3A2|65%3A12|240%3A1318&_...

Two things you have to be careful of when using bare laser diodes (besides it being an eye hazard when excited).

1) Most require a heat sink for extended use.

2) Not sure of the newer diodes, but the older ones needed circuitry to stabilize the input voltage (even when battery powered).

Scottie