arduino controlled night saucer ready for MWP9

[alexzogh]

Putting the finishing touches on my Arduino controlled night saucer. I can actually change the colors on the fly from my phone.



EjUawDAfIzI

Tim, I should launch this next to your alien - the locals will think there's an invasion.

[dixontj93060]

Alex,

Now that is cool. High tech compared to my alien :dark:

Does the saucer actually have sound effects? (It seems like I hear a whirring noise in the background).

-Tim

[mmoog]

this is WAAAAY cool! Can you do a build thread? I've seen a lot of really cool rockets with leds (yours and dlb's) but for noobs like me all of the electronics and soldering seem daunting. a couple of quesitons. How many colors? seems like each LED is actually changing colors. What are you controlling with your phone? I don't really understand that. What I'm really interested in though is some basic steps on how someone like me could add some lights to a rocket. Is there a place you buy the LED's from? What is the power source? Ok, enough questions. answers please!

[alexzogh]

Tim, no sound effects - that's the heater in my garage :>

Mmoog. Too many questions to answer properly.

I use a different strategy than DLB - he has real skill :blush:

I use a surface mount weatherproof strip that already has the LED's embedded and ready to go. You can purchase a long length, then cut it to your needs. I buy mine at dealextreme.com which is a chinese export website.

Here's an example: http://www.dealextreme.com/p/waterproof-1-meter-4-5w-30-led-rgb-light-strip-dc-12v-16868

You can buy the single-color versions for significantly less.

I built a controller to change the colors and intensity, which I can control from my phone via bluetooth. There are kits on deal extreme that include a controller that will do pre-programmed patterns so you don't have to mess with any hardware or software.

Here's a 15 feet of weatherproof lighting with the controller and a wireless remote for $40: http://www.dealextreme.com/p/rgb-150x5050-smd-led-multicolored-light-strip-5-meter-dc-12v-41523

Again, you can go with a single color for significantly less.

You will also need a 12 volt power source. I use a lithium ion pack. something like this: http://www.dealextreme.com/p/ysd-12450-12v-4500ma-rechargeable-lithium-battery-80405 will power the lights for several hours but needs a lot of room.


hopefully this will get you started.

[chadrog]

That is awesome! Two q's - What is the planned motor? Can you turn the lighting on and off with your phone? Might be a fun way to mess with the RSO when it's on the pad and ready to go...

[alexzogh]

Motor will either be a Gorilla K533 Black Lightning, or my own version of a sparky, an ex J400 "dirty drawers". Depends how well my motors do on Friday.

I can turn off all the lights from my phone - that's a good idea. Hopefully Tim won't send it to the too-far away cell beyond the reach of bluetooth.

[dixontj93060]

I can turn off all the lights from my phone - that's a good idea. Hopefully Tim won't send it to the too-far away cell beyond the reach of bluetooth.

Away cell!??!! This is Midwest Power -- NIGHT LAUNCH! (M's from under the pop up).

[mmoog]

Does someone have the info on where and when this night launch is? I couldn't find it on the website. Also, can you get video? That would be neat.

[alexzogh]

I'm sorry to say I won't make it back to the night launch tonight.... My Dad went into the hospital yesterday.

The coordinates for MWP are on the website, and there is a link to mapquest for driving directions

Here's a PDF map to the site: http://www.lutz-family.net/Launch_Site_Directions.pdf

link to mapquest: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=latlong&latlongtype=decimal&latitude=41%2e492176999999998&longitude=%2d89%2e503027000000003&dtype=

[pinkalicious]

I'm trying to recreate this. The shipping time from that web store is measured in months! Can you tell me if this ebay auction is the same thing?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RGB-5050-SMD-5-M-150-LEDS-Light-Strip-RGB-Controller-/120811658450?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c20ef9cd2#ht_4204wt_922

This seller is located in California vs. China. Also, how did you secure this to your rocket? Glue, or some type of mechanical restraint? By the way, your kids on your blog are super cute! Happy to see girls into rocketry

Pink