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Cosplay: A place to discuss and show off your costuming skills => Fan made Props (non Lightsaber) => Topic started by: Xrad on January 03, 2017, 07:20:26 PM
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Hello all!
This is my third real laser blaster build. The first two utilized Hasbro battle droid blaster from 1999. Plenty of these on ebay. My first one was packed with 20 watt amp and hum sounds and scanner lights. You can see it here:
Laser Blaster 50mw green laser Adafruit sound Trinket for laser control - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpQu31ht5mM)
My second blaster build was easier and lighter on electronics:
Real Laser Blaster II Adafruit trinket Adafruit 2mb FX soundcard - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ce1T65y2LQ)
I wrote/modified the C++ programs for the light and sound control. Nothing fancy, just functional. You may recognize some of the sounds as they are adapted from some of the Star Wars movies and processed into the sound I wanted.
Now I am on my third blaster build. I wanted to have more consolidation with the electronics and make install simple so I chose Plecter V5 blaster core. Unfortunately, video screen not available for this version. So I designed an IR camera system for night mode! Flip out screen and all. Also, I just finished the "plasma crystal™" for my power source. You can see it here(the camera does not capture the color change well):
XRAD'S REAL LASER BLASTER III Plasma Crystal Effect - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz9PFWAi8aM)
Unfortunately, not enough room in the G21 clip for sound(I really wanted that 'radioactive' ticking/static with low background hum). I finally got the 'plasma crystal' effect I wanted after a few hours rewriting some FastLED code. Why have a boring one color/ one brightness crystal chamber when you can have a moving glowing 'plasma crystal' effect?! The color fills the crystal with soft and harsh glows and moves randomly up and down the crystal, inside out, outside in. It will randomly flicker like a candle about to go out, and then reignite (all over or in one spot)! AWESOME! And... I have the full 0-255(256) brightness sweep! This crystal looks alive. By the way, it took me two hours at the local rock shop to find just the right crystal for the plasma effect.
OK, so what is the blaster plan. Well, I am in the midst of machining, 3D printing, wiring and design. Mostly about 70% done. It will be an over-under green wide beam dual laser system. Trigger switch, clip switch (x2), and laser mounts all done. Speaker mount and cover all done. Separate power source for the clip and the blaster, so when the clip is removed, the crystal will ignite under its own power. cool.....Still waiting on a variable brightness control for the lasers...but it may never arrive....
More to come.
How many posts required before you can post pics?
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Nice work on the blaster! There is a small but dedicated cadre of Arduino builders here who will appreciate this.
I spent some time in a local rock shop with my calipers. I was dressed fairly nicely and taking notes. The other patrons in the shop were a pair of teenagers who found it really amusing. As always, I'm glad to have added joy to the world.
The photo upload feature isn't available here, I personally use imgur.com some others use other services.
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Thx for reply! Too bad about the photo upload.
As for the crystals, I ended up buying 20 or so of various colors and sizes. My crystal chamber has an adjustable vise to clamp different sized crystals. The key is getting the internal faults to line up correctly so that reflectivity is at maximum.
For the arduino users: The FastLED library code takes a while to compile prior to loading to the trinket...about 17 seconds. By that time, the trinket's 10 second bootload mode has ended. Trick is to not USB connect the trinket until you count to 11-12 seconds after you begin the arduino IDE downoad . The 'download' obviously comes after compile, and there is enough time to recognize the trinket via the USB, and the sketch loads without issue. This sketch uses 80% of the trinket memory.
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really cool!
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Thanks! Appreciate the comments, good and bad.
Did some more fun work today. Finished the 3d printing of switch bezel for power-up and IR mode. Finished 3DP the speaker housing which also stabilizes the neopixel light bar/scanner/flashy unit (the semi-clear ABS linear unit in one of the pics..so there was a lot of cad time to get everything just right). Finished machining/assembly of the trigger switch. Radio shack has very good metal roller mini switches. Mounted the full auto button. Wrote the flashy program for the lasers and built the parallel transistor relay, found the correct satin black paint, wired together x2 2s lipo 1000mah w/4s charging jack( 12v needed for IR camera) batteries and fit to external case, and a bunch of other things...
For speed and small size, I am using three adafruit trinkets:
1) to run the dual lasers over under alternating - triggerd by the plecter v5 main led output
2) to run the scanner /flashy neopixels on gun side - triggered by the v5 main led output
3) to run the 'crystal plasma' unit
The lasers I chose are green and 'instant' on with very small driver wired on to connecting lines. They are the wide beam type casing which uses lenses to create the wide beam (vs a pin point). BUT, the drivers do not have reverse polarity protection(doh!)....otherwise excellent units.
posted some prelim pics on google pics, free with google account.
XRAD'S REAL LASER BLASTER III - Google Photos (https://goo.gl/photos/TH8iUhzKSpYF9WsH8)
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Looking good, thanks for sharing. I made some progress in something I've got cooking involving NeoPixels as well. It would be done, but what was supposed to be just a simple prototype/development platform accidentally got cool so now I'm waiting on parts to finish it with more experiments.
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Wow, that crystal looks fantastic with the golden hue light illuminating it! Nice job! I haven't thought about putting a crytsal into a blaster, but now you got me thinking.
I would like to learn more about the laser you use. IN a current build (I will show it once ready) I use cree RGB for the nozzle light, but it's quite an overkill and not so dedicated as a very narrow laser beam. I assume it would be quite cool to have a laser beam in the blaster on a foggy day outside :)
Your build is definitely unique and I'm happy to see more and more guys on the DIY front.
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Thanks jbkuma and Obi_1! You guys know how much work goes into these props so I do appreciate the input. Neopixels and other assignable LEDs are really cool to work with. I will try to get some better video of my 'plasma crystal' effect soon. It is really hard to see how the plasma look shows up in the crystal. It is amorphous, live a lava lamp with undefined blobs. The lasers are standard 5v laser diode with some lenses sold here:
1pc 3.6-4.2V 532nm 50mW Green Laser Module Dot Thick Beam Bar Stage Light | eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-3-6-4-2V-532nm-50mW-Green-Laser-Module-Dot-Thick-Beam-Bar-Stage-Light-/121728790418?hash=item1c5799ef92:g:OSUAAOSwFqJWqIZT)
The 50mw green laser shows up well on the foggy/rainy/snowy days. But it is not a 100mw which would show up REALLY well. However, the duty cycle and voltage requirement, and amp draw of the 50mw works perfectly with my builds.
Airbrushed 3 coats of semi gloss(satin finish) acrylic black onto the gun case today. Model Master paint and 50/50 mix with thinner was perfect for coverage on the abs housing. Printed a right side 'NUC" cover access hatch. Bought some cool futuristic model decals from China. They will be added to the blaster but have a singularly poor characteristic of fracturing into many pieces as I try to apply them! Still thinking of a model name for the blaster..but I have the perfect place for the name once decided upon.
I used some really big (proportionately) feet for the final part print as it has two long pointy angles. Even then, one foot popped up just as the print finished! But they are big enough to add some weight on top while piece cools.
a few more pics added....
XRAD'S REAL LASER BLASTER III with 'Plasma Crystal' Effect - Google (https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPKjyJIanObQ-YcWCrLm1dTuF2UZbQnQFtetXf1QA-EC8aKjdlY1mKb1aFmI4hm3Q?key=eFNkN0t2MTZIVjVNbGY0WXF4djBuVWh3R3BCa013)
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FYI, profezzorn posted this nice guide to sharing Google photos. How to post pictures from google photos (https://www.fx-sabers.com/forum/index.php?topic=49903.msg640504#msg640504)
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Thx for tip. too many clicks to post a pic. I will continue with the google album for now. If the site owner charged a small fee for higher level access such as drag and drop auto-sizing photo GUI, it could pay for storage.
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imgur is free too, and you can just click on the "Large Thumbnail" size than the BBCode button.
(https://www.fx-sabers.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FVI62tpq.png&hash=3160298aad9fef1f77f228c9af97c85011cb7589)
The board will automatically make it 300px wide, but a click will enbiggen it.
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Thanks JB. I am already a google member. Don't want to join any other sites right now. I even have my own website, just too lazy to use it! One click link to my shared pics is pretty easy if anyone interested. And I suggest that you guys/girls take a look at my nearly completed blaster(sans weathering). It came out pretty well. I did not have time to do the IR screen install, but it is so packed full of spaghetti wires there is no room anyway. Yes, could have used thinner shorter wires, but I like the ease of connecting long wires when everything is thrown up out of the case. I machined the bottom cover so that I can access the SD card without having to remove the main cover...just remove two spring pins. And with the pica rails, I can configure or add accessories as needed. Last pic shows bottom mounted battery supply (peq), easier to fit in holster.
System contains:
1) plecter v5 blaster core
2) 14v lipo pack with easy access external 2 pin connector
3) x2 internal trinkets
4) x1 (-) switching board
5) x1 dual (+) switching board
6) x2 wide beam lasers
7) 4w speaker full range (although I probably could have used a 10w unit)
8) mechanical safety
9) 6amp+ pololu micro switch 5-20v capable
10) x1 pololu 5v regulator 1amp
11) 1 mile of wire
12) 10 segment LED G,O,R wired as 6 segment
13) 'Plasma Crytal' effect clip with own trinket and power source (still in progress)
14) Hours of code writing
15) 12 segment neopixel strip (w/scan, recharge, and random flash effect)
16) multiple 3d printed parts
17) design, prep, and paint time
SO MUCH FUN!!
New pics:
XRAD'S REAL LASER BLASTER III with 'Plasma Crystal' Effect - Google (https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPKjyJIanObQ-YcWCrLm1dTuF2UZbQnQFtetXf1QA-EC8aKjdlY1mKb1aFmI4hm3Q?key=eFNkN0t2MTZIVjVNbGY0WXF4djBuVWh3R3BCa013)
New video:
XRAD'S REAL LASER BLASTER III with 'Plasma Crystal' - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-tsOPF0kUw)
will update when done. Have to do some weathering and finish the 'plasma crystal.' And get a cool corrugated hose for the power leads.....etc... never ends... :)
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Holy Cow, I've been able to see only the visuals, wo/ sound, but it looks formidable! I like the light effects and the pintedness of the laser is simpy great! I wish we could have an RGB laser :) I will sure have a new look from home with sound on!
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Hi Obi-1, thank you for the comments. I really like your DIYino board, VERY NICE. especially the OLED extension. I had an OLED partly programmed for this build , but too much to make it work with plecter V5 board without the code...and not enough room. Maybe I use one of the DIYino boards for my next blaster build. I post final build pics soon. Just finished airbrushing the washes and doing a bit of abuse/use painting and cover coat. Finished the final left and right covers for the nuclear exhaust..next time a glowing afterburner at speaker/exhaust!
Anyway, spring around the corner. I now get back to RC boat building with a 53 inch 5000 watt 320 amp twin catamaran... or steam engine...or RC tank.....or finish my turbo Alfa.......the fun list never ends (if you are into RC boats, check out my XRAD builds over on Model Boat Mayhem, have to join to see pics, one of my better builds: forumhttp://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,48955.0.html)
I did look all over the net and could not find any other blaster BUILDS with a crystal power core(some discussion of blaster crystal power core here and there on the gaming sites).
So you can probably say that you saw it here first! More pics and video to come....
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Here are the final pics. It looks shiny but that is the effect of semi-clear under dullcoat. Looks fine in real life. Weathered a bit. Everything working OK.
Batteries last a LONG time. I have not recharged the 14v lipo more than once, and the Plasma Crystal will run for at least 30 min straight without a charge. Charges from any 5v USB outlet. I tried the Chinese futuristic decals but they were terrible. each one fractured and none of them stuck after drying out. I ended up creating a few designs, cutting them out of thin plasticard, and then air brushing in English Crimson, a nice deep red color.
xtra pics:
XRAD'S REAL LASER BLASTER III with 'Plasma Crystal' Effect - Google (https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPKjyJIanObQ-YcWCrLm1dTuF2UZbQnQFtetXf1QA-EC8aKjdlY1mKb1aFmI4hm3Q?key=eFNkN0t2MTZIVjVNbGY0WXF4djBuVWh3R3BCa013)
final vid:
XRAD'S REAL LASER BLASTER III w/PLASMA CRYSTAL EFFECT pt. 2 - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWKC-wcrbZE)
hope you enjoyed the build.
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I was attempting to notify board members of a few Star Wars items I have for sale but apparently there are "rules." 50 days 50 posts or something like that. And of course my post was deleted. Anyway, not trying to rip anyone off, was only selling some cool props.
On another note: I came up with a really cool prop based off my Version 3 laser blaster. Just finishing the arduino sketches and trying to write some sound programming to new sound boards. I will start a new thread regarding that device, including tips on 3d printing and some legal stuff.
37 more posts to go! :) (can I 'bump' 37 more times?)
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I saw the recent video, I wish I had such toys ~30 years ago :cry: (same applied to lightsaber builds in general)! Did you ever try the lasers on a foggy day? I will definitely grap some of those lasers for my next build, HP leds are do not have the same focusedness so to say, they scatter the light all over.
Maybe too much to hope for, but are there RGB lasers ? :azn:
I saw the extension unit under the main barrel. Does it have a purpose orit serves only the visuals? It looks great either way!
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Obi_1: Thanks for your comments! The extension under barrel is the PEQ (battery container, not functional laser target source) This is the prototype. I have the printed all the parts to make two more which will probably go up for sale on ebay, if I ever get the time to do it. The hard part is machining all the aluminum parts and setting all the switches for proper contact. Also, i will probably NOT build 'Plasma Crystals' energy sources for the production models as that takes a long time and it is difficult to machine the G21(real Glock) stainless clips.
The lasers are well seen on foggy days, rainy days. It is a SUPER fun gun to mess around with and it looks great too.
Stay tuned for new project. Just finishing up some legal stuff. Bought another 3D printer to speed production of parts.
XRAD'S REAL LASER BLASTER III w/PLASMA CRYSTAL EFFECT pt. 2 - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWKC-wcrbZE)
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Hello All,
Just rediscovered my old Blaster build! I have recently built a few Teensy 3.2 sbus PWM RC projects and it got me thinking about the good old laser blaster. I have always wanted more visuals with this blaster, so decided to try to build a working LIDAR room scanner and 'radar' display. All this will be packaged as a 'rail' snap-on device, so it should be pretty cool. Scanner should have a 30-ft or so range and work well in a dark room! The LIDAR has a 100 scan/sec and the Teensy is a fast processor. Just have to update the TFT display quickly as well. There will be an automatic LIDAR scan head degree change, and hopefully, any slow movement of blaster back and forth will not interfere with the display image.
Also spent some time with Tsunami super wav player board. It can polyplay 16 stereo/ 32 mono wav files at one time. Great board, but a little big for light sabers. Might fit a moderate sized blaster. Definitely work in larger props/displays. Here is the Plasma Crystal image too. I designed the code and the 3D parts. Real semi precious crystal. Cool device.
See the vid:https://
PLASMA CRYSTAL? in Action - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySx4tCW9xc8)
(https://thumb.ibb.co/i71Wx9/IMG_1002.jpg) (https://ibb.co/i71Wx9)
(https://thumb.ibb.co/dsbaPp/IMG_1006.jpg) (https://ibb.co/dsbaPp)
(https://thumb.ibb.co/dFON4p/IMG_1406.jpg) (https://ibb.co/dFON4p)
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OK, so here is the basic set-up. TFT screen run by Teensy (great board!). The basic scan code for display is from Arduino Radar using Arduino Nano and TFT screen - Rima-Labs (http://richmondsystems.net/2017/08/27/arduino-radar-using-arduino-nano-and-tft-screen/)
Very nice tutorial. I had to modify it to get it to work with the Teensy. You will need several libraries as well. Additionally, code modified to display 60 degree arc instead of 180. Faster transition and looking down a blaster barrel, I don't want to be distracted with stuff way off on sides, as well as the mechanical complexities of scanner housing interference.
Future build includes possible distance sounds w I/O, adjustable range magnification (5,10,15 meter), and of course adapting the LIDAR to work with my set-up. Originally, code was designed for an ultrasound ping, which is too slow and has no significant range for the blaster set-up.
(https://thumb.ibb.co/do3N6e/IMG_2616.jpg) (https://ibb.co/do3N6e)
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Coding part II and III complete. I combined the TFMini 'lidar' unit (14m range max) with a Teensy, and Adafruit 1.8"TFT. FUN project.
Forget the measly 50cm ultrasonic robot transducer range! I now have a real 10m range and screen adjustability for other ranges. Just need to design and 3D print a cool housing, add some greeblies, and create some sound effects. Of course, it's not real LIDAR, but actually infrared, so great in the dark, not so good in the sunlight.
Vid is of lidar shooting into a corner about 3m away. I had to use strange distances like 6.5 and 3m due to the fact that I was lazy and did not want to code for more than three arcs, two of which are .66 and .33 of the biggest one(as the smaller two arcs are a % radius of the biggest one). Easier to switch case this way (which also has to switch case for the signal 'radius(distance)' without changing the display GREEN radius (currently at 100 little pixels).
Current uses 17% of Teensy3.2 memory, so plenty of room for other cool things!
see my youtube vid:
XRAD'S LIDAR w/10m Range - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQYZ23fV3Mc&feature=youtu.be)
(https://thumb.ibb.co/nB5Upz/IMG_2619.jpg) (https://ibb.co/nB5Upz)
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Got the sound working with the range, then my TFMini pooped out...not a very robust unit. First it lost the range between 6 and 10m, then it lost part of the Tx Rx... anyway, another in the mail somewhere..
XRAD'S LIDAR TFMini w/sound Arduino Teensy 3.2 ADA FXSound - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaERy9LacZo)
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New TFMini IR sensor and all is working again. Not a very durable unit. Runs on 3.5v logic (which I was using). Using an Adafruit FX soundboard. I tried serial control but strange bug does not allow for serial control of track 00, and all tracks are shifted by one track registry (so 1 plays on 2, etc..) and I can only get a total of 6 tracks (mono and short play time). Also , serial control has limited functions (stop, play, pause) and not the easy control the button mode has such as loop, hold, etc...
Therefore, I have to use 8 3904 transistors from Teensy 3.2 pinouts to run the grounds on the FX sound board to get all my sounds working. More soldering, less code!
Anyway, the lidar housing is almost done, and fits right on as a rail attachment. a few minor kinks to work out in the final LIDAR code then all together for paint and pics....
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Finally got the code working just right. Nearly finished with the LIDAR housing. Going on my laser blaster pic rail. Here are some prelim pics:
(https://thumb.ibb.co/jLBbjU/IMG_2642.jpg) (https://ibb.co/jLBbjU)(https://thumb.ibb.co/ddADW9/IMG_2643.jpg) (https://ibb.co/ddADW9)(https://thumb.ibb.co/dZiYW9/IMG_2644.jpg) (https://ibb.co/dZiYW9)(https://thumb.ibb.co/jUkxr9/IMG_2645.jpg) (https://ibb.co/jUkxr9)
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Some more pics...LIDAR has its own 7.4v lipo supply. Few parts to go. Works like a champ. Scans pretty quickly. Will post vid when done..
(https://thumb.ibb.co/fUL0Tp/IMG_2646.jpg) (https://ibb.co/fUL0Tp)
(https://thumb.ibb.co/cVKG19/IMG_2647.jpg) (https://ibb.co/cVKG19)
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Here is final prototype . Works like a champ!
build:
XRAD'S REAL LASER BLASTER WITH LIDAR SCANNER by XRAD - Thingiverse (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3144301)
See vid:
XRAD'S REAL LASER BLASER W/ FUNCTIONAL LIDAR - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzD6tEk0OKQ&feature=youtu.be)
(https://thumb.ibb.co/jnFFDp/IMG_2649.jpg) (https://ibb.co/jnFFDp)
(https://thumb.ibb.co/crMYzU/IMG_2650.jpg) (https://ibb.co/crMYzU)
(https://thumb.ibb.co/gOyrm9/IMG_2651.jpg) (https://ibb.co/gOyrm9)
(https://thumb.ibb.co/frDDzU/IMG_2652.jpg) (https://ibb.co/frDDzU)
(https://thumb.ibb.co/ehYrm9/IMG_2653.jpg) (https://ibb.co/ehYrm9)
(https://thumb.ibb.co/bX9mKU/IMG_2654.jpg) (https://ibb.co/bX9mKU)
(https://thumb.ibb.co/nhU8Yp/IMG_2655.jpg) (https://ibb.co/nhU8Yp)
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One more pic. LIDAR shooting into corner 5-7m away. If you want to build it, construction description , parts list, and link to my code are at:
XRAD'S REAL LASER BLASTER WITH LIDAR SCANNER by XRAD - Thingiverse (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3144301)
(https://thumb.ibb.co/cuXepU/IMG_2671.jpg) (https://ibb.co/cuXepU)