Hi fellow lightsaber builders,
I proudly and happily announce my first Arduino compatible lightsaber board, the
DIYino Prime v1
Technical data at a glance:
The DIYino v1 board integrates:
- an Atmega328P-AU (based on the Arduino Nano)
- MPU-6050 6-axix accelero- and gyrometer for gesure/motion detection
- YX5200-24SS Wav/MP3 decoder (same chipset as on the DFPlayer Mini)
- SD card slot for music/sound files storage
- 3W audio amplifier
- 6 Low Side drivers capable of handling ~1A each, to drive loads like LEDs, small motors etc.
The DIYino v1 architecture supports different types of saber flavors:
-
Luxeon type with RGB(W) high-power LEDs (Cree, Luxeon, etc.)
-
LED string blades (see
LED string saber with Arduino)
- the new
neopixel blades (see
LED string saber evolution - this might change the way we think about LED string)
It all started with this thread:
Arduino Lightsaber for LED string blades. After a while, seeing how much interest and enthusiasm this project created, I decided to take it to the next level: create a board integrating all the features of my original prototype, with obvious advantages for everyone who wants to build similar replica items:
-
small size: the DIYino measures 22mm x 65mm, target was the same or smaller size as a 18650 type battery, which is mostly used for similar battery powered applications
-
integrated solution: no need to solder modules on a breadboard, all interconnects on the PCB. This makes it ideal to build it in into models where the acces to the internal electronics is difficult at best and comes with a lot of effort in case of wires going a-stray.
-
proven architecture: already quite a large community is using the same circuitry for prototype builds
The field of application is by no means limited to lightsaber electronics. You can use it universally for all DIY projects needing a programmable
Light/
Sound/
Motion combo. I will use it for educational projects in my area to teach kids that programming electronics is fun! I already have a lot of crazy ideas in mind which children and also "Big kids" will love, waiting to be made!
My goal was to make it easier for people who plan to embark on building props requiring programmable
Light/
Sound/
Motion detection to start in the world of Arduino programming. While it is feasible to put together the architecture designed by me from the constituent parts (Arduino Nano, MPU6050 breakout board, DFPlayer Mini, transistors, breadboard etc.), for comparison you can check the size difference.
I would like to thank to following guys on this forum without whose inspiration, support and work this project would not have been possible:
JakeSoft for showing that it's possible (see his thread:
Arduino Lightsaber) and for building a community on this forum
neskweek for his superb work on the code (see here:
LSOS)
racemaniac for his idea of using neopixels (see
rgb ledstring lightsaber)
The DIYino Prime User Manual can be found here:
http://github.com/Protonerd/DIYino/blob/master/DIYino_v1_User_Manual_draft_v04.pdfThe documentation includes lots of application ideas, plus the thread in the Arduino Forum will tell you the whole story, with tons of information, not to mention demo videos, codes etc. Combined with the LSOS from neskweek, the boards capabilities equal those of mid- to high-end commercial saber boards.