Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

I was taking a look on Ye Ole Bay'o Evil for Warm White LEDs.

Preferably in 5mm and 3mm sizes.

But most of the pictures they showed were awfully yellow looking.

Is this normal?

Thanks,

-Tchail

I've run into the same problem. For my Enterprise D, I wanted to use a 9v blinking light circuit and 9v for LEDs, but the EL panel for the nacelles runs off of 4.5v. The only solution I could find is the DC/DC converter breakout, available through Sparkfun: http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9370 I pu...

Thanks George!

PM sent.

-Tchail

Last year I got on a kick and did a bunch of 3d modelling. http://s247.photobucket.com/albums/gg127/maddoctrekkie/3d%20modelling/ I just returned from a conference where they were showing off 3d printing systems. And so I started thinking how cool it would be have some of these models made as 3d obj...

3) Dremel drill bit sizes for knocking out windows on Trek-esque models? After much searching for a source for dental burs, I finally ran across this site: http://www.profitablehobbiesstore.com/hi-speed-burs-1/16/ I bought the #1/2, #1/4, and #1/8 A pin vice is great for drilling out windows, but w...

Sparkfun has a DC to DC Converter breakout for about $22 that will take a DC 4.5 to 14V input voltage and reduce it to any voltage between 0.6 and 5.5V DC.

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9370

Maybe this will help.

-Tchail

Thanks for the feedback!

It seems like blocking the inside with silver foil / paint is one way to go.

But what about clear parts?

It looks like DLM suggests painting clear parts from the outside with black:

http://www.dlmparts.com/lightingtips.html

-Tchail

What's the best way to block light?

Silver, white, or black paint?

Paint the inside or the outside of the model?

Any advice would be appreciated.

-Tchail

How do windows created with Micro Krystal Klear stand up to masking?

I have a needle file set, but they're too big for squaring out the windows on my Monogram Voyager kit.

Does anyone have a suggestion as to where I could find 1mm square files?

Thanks,

-Tchail

For my Enterprise-D (which I've chosen to base on the original 6-footer), the only blinking lights I have are one behind the bridge and one just in front of the tractor emitter. The rest of the navigation lights will all be "steady on," with white leds for the front and back, red for the l...

Specifically, I'm looking for 1/32" black flex tape.

I don't remember where I originally bought it.

Any help would be appreciated.

-Tchail

I picked up several 0603 SMDs with an eye towards using at least one of them on an Enterprise-D model. But I'll be buggered if I can figure out a way of soldering those tiny things (1.6mm x 0.8mm x 0.6mm). The last time I was in the SF Bay Area, I stopped by Al Lasham's and picked up some of what th...

Widget Supply has No.80s , tiny bit larger than a 81. I'll second the suggestion about Widget Supply. I've always had a good experience dealing with them. As for MicroMark, I try to avoid dealing with them because their shipping charges are on the high side (e.g., they'll charge you $10 shipping fo...

A really easy way would be to hook up 3 white 3.6v LEDs in series, then hook it up. If they light up, that's the way, and positive is positive, negative is negative. If they don't, reverse it. If they still don't, then you've got either bad LEDs or a bad power supply. You can do it without solderin...

I just bought a 9V Wall-Wart for use with my lighted Enterprise-D model.

How do I determine the polarity of the plug?

I know that I need a multi-meter, but other than that...

Any help would be appreciated,

-Tchail

Although it has been said that different LED colors have different resistance, Check out the LEDs on this site: http://www.uniqueleds.com This should give you a good idea of the voltages of different colors of LEDs. (Although your actual mileage may vary depending on the manufacturer's specificatio...

Hey Don, I tried changing the values of the resistors, but doing that caused the circuit not to work at all. So I've decided to use the DC/DC converter breakout from Sparkfun. But I'm also changing the resistors on the Bussard collectors, so the nacelles will run entirely on the 4.5V circuit. For a ...

Thom, Will the flasher circuits you are going to use work and look OK at 4.5 volts? If it does bring them both to the same operating voltage to 4.5 DC A problem solved quickly and simply? The circuit "will" work at 4.5 volts, but it is significantly dimmer. So much for trying to use a che...

I've drilled out my windows on my Enterprise-D. And I've purchased Envirotex Lite as my clear resin. If I understand what's been posted here, it sounds like my next step is to cut rectangles of cellophane tape them in place from the outside. Then fill in with the clear resin from the inside. Or shou...

My goal here is to avoid using two wall warts - one for the 4.5V circuit and another for the 9V circuit. I'm sure there has to be a way. There's an article in "Famous Spaceships of Fact and Fantasy, 2nd Edition" on building the Enterprise D. The author used 12.6V florescent tubes for the w...

I'm actually planning on using a wall-wart to power my starship.

-Tchail

I'm trying to find a way of taking a 9V current and reducing it by half to 4.5V. (I know that LEDs run on 4.5V, but I have a blinking light circuit that runs pretty dimly at 4.5V). I'm using Lightsheet for the nacelles (made by Miller Engineering) and the output requirements are 4.5V and 250 mA. I f...

Over the past many months I have been working on a lighted model of the Enterprise-D. I'm happy to say that I am finally at the point where I am ready to start thinking about how to connect my model to the outside world. I was wondering what method others have used. Right now, I have leds and a flas...

Hand sanitizer works great.

It's mostly isoproyl alcohol anyway.

I'm not worried about any ghosting on the plastic, as the kit will be primed and painted anyway.

Thanks guys!

-Tchail

I'm looking for a way of safely removing permanent marker from styrene. I used a thin Sharpie to mark the lit windows on my Enterprise-D, and now that I've drilled out the holes, I'd like to remove the color so I can get a better look at the underlying plastic. A search on the net brought up everyth...

Duplicate Post

-Tchail

Duplicate Post

Is it safe to use Squadron Green Putty over plastic fibers?

I tried using a soldering iron without much success. (I think I have a 30-35W soldering iron.) Do you guys think that this would do the trick?: http://kipkay.com/videos/laser-flashlight-hack It's powerful enough to light a match, which to the best I can figure out is around 325 degrees. I don't know...