Interactive lightsaber idea

[Goltar Bias]

Ok this might come acros as a little(or a lot) cheesy, but i won on ebay an old Episode one game/toy(well not so old actualy). It is the Sith Droid Attcak game where you have the droid that tracked and locked on to a saber that came with it then fired foam discs at you, which you were to deflect with the saber. The one i got didn't have the saber with it, I know the saber emitted an infared signal the droid locked on to. The droid still works and i am wondering how hard it would be to make a badge or something that would be what the droid would lock onto in the sabers absence. Anyone got any advice on putting something like that together?

here's a pic of the droid, I intend to replace the black pole it is on with a polyc one from the store since as luck would have it they are the same od. I checked with some scrap polyc i had. Hopeing it will look more like it is actualy floating in the air.
http://i733.photobucket.com/albums/ww338/nefreeze/100_0683.jpg
Any ideas are welcome.

[psab keel]

I had one of those when they were first released back in the day. I always had the intention of converting it to look like the Jedi training remote and installing the electronics from the saber hilt into a replica blast shield helmet. The only thing about that is that the sensors wouldn't always pick up and the droid would fire at windows because of the reflection. Although that could be improved if you knew how to create a sensor like the one in the saber hilt. Unfortunately I have no clue how to build something like that. But I still toy with the idea of doing something like it too!

[Skottsaber]

Not sure about converting it, but that would make an awesome display piece!
You could put some blinkies on it, perhaps get some sort of sound playback device: Either a card thing where you record your message and it plays back to you, or an arduino with a Wave shield: http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17_21&products_id=94 or something similar.

Good find!

[Sidd]

if you decide your project is a no go, PM me i have an idea for it

[Enolmano]

Try pointing your TV remote towards it and press button. See if it could pick up that signal :D
(TV remotes are infrared...)

When it comes to getting a more "precise" sensor you could try making a more focused IR-diod. You should be able to use a normal flashlight reflector to focus the beam.

[Jedi-Loreen]

He said in the Shoutbox earlier that he tried his TV remote and got no response from the droid.

[Sunrider]

It looks like it might use the same light saber as the yoda jedi trainer toy which is much easier to find. Plus yoda is pretty funny.

http://www.toytent.com/SpaceToys/3384.html

http://shop.vendio.com/remo032/item/2042994522/?s=1267520163

[Sidd]

It looks like it might use the same light saber as the yoda jedi trainer toy which is much easier to find. Plus yoda is pretty funny.

http://www.toytent.com/SpaceToys/3384.html


actually the saber is completely different i had both of the toys


I think the only thing you will find that will suit your needs is the saber from the toy

[Enolmano]

He said in the Shoutbox earlier that he tried his TV remote and got no response from the droid.

Ah. Too bad I'm in a totally different timezone than you. Actually I think I've never used the shoutbox.

The next thing you could test is to hookup a simple IR-diod. Most places who sell normal LEDs should have them. They work pretty much the same so it shouldn't be a problem...

[Goltar Bias]

Some one had suggested looking at the boards in it to see if there was a clue there. So I opened it up and here are the boards if anyone can make sense of it let me know.
http://i733.photobucket.com/albums/ww338/nefreeze/circuits/100_0687.jpg
http://i733.photobucket.com/albums/ww338/nefreeze/circuits/100_0686.jpg
http://i733.photobucket.com/albums/ww338/nefreeze/circuits/100_0685.jpg
http://i733.photobucket.com/albums/ww338/nefreeze/circuits/100_0684.jpg

[Rhyen Skytracker]

You need to find out what frequency the IR reciever in the droid uses. It should be like a TV remote and only certian frquencies and codes will work with it. My suggestion would be to get a universial LEARNING remote and program one button on it to the droid sensor. That way as long as the remote button is pressed the droid can find you. I can't guatantee that it will work but it would be worth a try. You need to make sure you get a learning remote so you can program that frequency.

[Jedi-Loreen]

That's an interesting idea, Rhyen. Could take a while to find the right frequency or code.

[Rhyen Skytracker]

If you use the learning remotes you just have the old remote, the droid in this case, and select the button you want on the new remote for it to emmulate and just program it in. I have a few of those remotes I use at home and I have had to program individual functions that way.

[Jedi-Loreen]

Yes, I have 2 of those remotes. But you either have to key in various codes to see which one works, if you have them listed, or keep pushing the code search button till you get the device to respond, to know if you've found the right one.

[Rhyen Skytracker]

On the ones I have you just hold the old remote in front of the new one and program the individual button. For general functions you still have to program the code but these have the learning capability by using the button on the old remote.

[Jedi-Loreen]

But that's not going to work in this case, since he doesn't have the old lightsaber remote, otherwise he wouldn't need to try this.

He's still going to have to find the frequency/code sort of "manually".

[Goltar Bias]

So is it possible to build an emitter from say radio shack parts that could cycle through the frequences manualy via tactile switch? So i could find the frequence and leave it there, or document it and build an emitter set to that frequence. Or is this something far and beyound what could be done with radio shack stuff?

[Rhyen Skytracker]

If it is the droid that is sending out the active IR signal then you would program the remote button to the droid signal and by pressing the remote button you would be bouncing the signal back to it.

[Goltar Bias]

If i undestand how it works the droid is a reciver only and reacts to finding the signal.

[Rhyen Skytracker]

So the droid is the passive component. I was hoping it was the active one. In that case it will be a real pain to find the frequency. I think I would at laest try it with the learning remote though.

[Skottsaber]

I'm pretty sure the droid is the active component. Do you have to put batteries in the saber?

It looks to me like the droid sends out a signal, it gets reflected off the shiny lightsaber blade and the droid follows the signal bounce.

[Enolmano]

This one should do for frequenzy testing! :D
The TV-B-Gone
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/755e/

[morpheus1977]

One year for San Diego comic con. I made a frame I wore under my sith robes with a few pieces of small diameter PFC(painted black) that would stick up and then angled out. I placed the Prob onto the pfc like it was hovering up and behind my left shoulder. I then added a switch that run into my glove so all I had to do was squeeze my finger tips together. and Voila instant sith droid.

[Goltar Bias]

I'm pretty sure the droid is the active component. Do you have to put batteries in the saber?

It looks to me like the droid sends out a signal, it gets reflected off the shiny lightsaber blade and the droid follows the signal bounce.

yes the saber took 2 c cells and the droid has no emitters and only 2 receviers. Here are some pictures of the box with specs.
http://i733.photobucket.com/albums/ww338/nefreeze/circuits/100_0688.jpg
http://i733.photobucket.com/albums/ww338/nefreeze/circuits/100_0689.jpg
http://i733.photobucket.com/albums/ww338/nefreeze/circuits/100_0690.jpg

The droid is a passive part only recives. the saber emitted.

This one should do for frequenzy testing!
The TV-B-Gone
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/755e/

Will have to get one and try it out might work though, would be nice if it stayed on the working frequency though cause I need a constant of it.

[Goltar Bias]

Well managed to get hold of a complete one with saber. took the sabe appart to find the sound card and the singal emitter to be one peice of pcb. Both functions are activated by a singal mmentary switch that you have to hold down the whole time you want it active, and the sound is realy crummy. Debateing weather or not to remove the speaker and put it on a latching on/off and turn it in a badge. Or see if there is a way to figure out the signal it sends out and just build another emitter that sends out the signal. Any ideas would be helpful. Also on a side note both droids work.

[Novastar]

Yikes, I'm afraid I have no ideas on this one... but... hmmm due to the "crummy sound" as you say and the other issues (button has to be held)... it's a tough decision as to whether or not doing any hacks on it would be worth it.

I say... hey... you started it, might as well finish! :) The only thing it can do the community here---is good, Goltar!! So... booyah for you!!!