Clash-on-Flash without a Crystal Focus?

[Matt Thorn]

you could throw in a 'whole' nano or something.. not sure of the cost $20+?

It won't put out enough current for a high-power LED, so you would need to hook up a transistor anyway. And, yeah, it would be a waste to use an Arduino just for a clash-flash--particularly a whole nano board. When I was working on an Arduino project last year, I managed to make a Corbin-style flickering effect, timed switching from one color to another, fade-in/fade-out, etc., and it worked great on a breadboard. But I got nothin' after trying to wire everything onto a small PCB. I'm sure I just got a short circuit (or broken circuit) somewhere, but I didn't have the energy to do redo it and put the whole on the back burner. I love the Arduino, but my A.D.D.-addled brain can't juggle all the details. Which is why I'm in awe of TroyO.

[Jagahati]

Update:

I have had some success using an op-amp to reverse the signal coming from a cheap Hasbro board. Only problem with this is that the LED in question is then on when the saber/sound is off. To solve that problem I am going to have to rig up some variety of logic switch receiving a signal from some of the other inputs from the cheap board.

I have a few ideas on how to achieve this. Ill post again when i have a working breadboard prototype.

[pittapittae]

Hi, can you give me some details about the op-amp to reverse the signal? It would be ultra-useful for my saber project...

[Jagahati]

I am currently waiting for a few components to come in the mail. I have it rigged up so that it reverses the output as I said earlier but the problem is that when the sound is off and the saber is supposed to be off, the reverse of off is on. Therefore the output of the op-amp is always on when the saber is silent or off.

When I have a cheap easy work around i'll post a schematic on how to do it.

Also I have been thinking about using this same type of output to power a small DC "rumble motor" for clashes and activation vibration.

More to come once parts arrive and I have free time to fiddle with it.

[pittapittae]

Uhm, an easy trick would be to add a latching switch after the on-amp, just to turn off the accent light permanently switching off the saber. Well, I don't exactly know how, however, because the cheap hasbro uses a momentary switch...

[TroyO]

Jagahati... what happens if you cut power to the OP amp?

Just thinking, if you have it working the way you want when the saber is on, if you find someplace on the sound board that has power when the saber is on, but not when it is off and you use that to power the OP amp.... it should then cut off when the saber is off. Maybe?

[pittapittae]

That would work, but you won't be able to set a specific current to power up your accent led, I think (you will work with the current given out by the board), unless you put another relay... Uhm, it gets complicated, but it should work...

[Jagahati]

TroyO that is exactly what I thought. However I haven't found the magic spot on the board I can use to do such a thing that doesn't make the board act funny.

As for using a latch switch, that is kinda what I am doing. Except that on the outside of the saber I will only have the one momentary switch. I am planning on making a digital latching style switch using a 4013 chip. That way when you press the switch on the saber it latches one way and then when you press it again it turns off just like is used with the Hasbro board and with most of sound options people use.

[TroyO]

You could try one of these....

http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/750

Cheap enough that it may cost more to perf board your own circuit.

[Novastar]

I could have sworn that some usage of a 555 or 556 + much of what has been discussed could do it, but...

...I DO recall Do-Clo and I discussing/working on that... and it didn't end up being "pretty", ya know?

Plus, the idea would be... if you can't do it for like... I don't know--$10 to $20 or much less... yup, might as well get a driver board, heheh!