PaPang Posted September 16, 2009 Author Share Posted September 16, 2009 Well to all the naysayers (including myself), a friend of mine helped me fix the kit although it does not work as advertised. I tested it and it works sort of "funky"(weird, not well), but it works, sigh..... I took another short video of it working so that you can see what I mean: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstjuan Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 what you used there a 555 counter chip and a 4511bp decoder chip ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaPang Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share Posted September 17, 2009 The kit spec sheet indicates a NE 555 and a MIC 4017 MstJuan. I doubt they even carry the ICs by themselves, only in kit form. (or at least ICs are not indicated in their catalog as sold separately). As you can see, the lights do not light up sequentially (in the USA they are called "chaser" led kits), but instead look like DRUNK MARIACHIS, more random than sequential. The poor OVNI will look like a Christmas tree instead of a a flying saucer! This is as bad as your missing long SATA cable, or worst! Anyways, in goes the piece of junk, I just have to test if it will withstand 3 leds per channel as it said on the catalog (18 leds in total instead of the 6 shown). I don't know if it is as bad in Malta as it is in Mexico and living in Cancun, a tourist center, to get what you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaPang Posted September 19, 2009 Author Share Posted September 19, 2009 As several of the members have been kind enough to show us their workshops, I suppose that I, in reciprocity, must do the same. Papang BizRigs was founded in 1998 and has slowly but surely grown to what it is today, a bustling center of activity dedicated to computer modding and assembly. It has all the comforts and amenities found in an energetic business of this type as evidenced between all the cutting edge equipment at my disposal. Having obtained my ISO 9001 certification, it gives me great pride to give you a glimpse of the facilities, save for certain top secret and proprietary pieces of equipment, so you can see how PPBR produces all those wonderful creations you have come to enjoy and rely on. First, the entry way to PPBR industries: The work in progress parts table where all the parts used in the project(s) await patiently for their ultimate assembly/usage The center of all activity, the assembly bench and beyond the stove where my secretary Gaby whips up all the nutrition to keep a hungry modder going. The refrigerator (sorry, no beer kept any longer) and sink area (I wash and wet sand there): And finally, my tool storage area which is one section out of four of our pantry closet (Gaby is beginning to encroach this area with cleaning products and other household things, sigh...) Hope you have enjoyed this brief tour and can pick up the "tall tale"(not true) parts above. Cheers and Saludos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaPang Posted September 19, 2009 Author Share Posted September 19, 2009 On a more serious note, I FINALLY got one of my led arrays to function of which I had pre-assembled a couple of weeks ago. Hot melting the assembly into place in the belly: And testing the integrity. Well, that didn't last long and in short order, 2 leds blinked and died. The culprits are pointed out. Summary of this: I bought these leds in "bulk" (25 piece bag) along with the resistor (5 piece strips). A couple of leds failed with a quick battery test but I know that is common in bulk type purchases-a few fail but the price savings more than compensates for the wastage. I mentioned that 1 in 5 was failing, but as I changed the failed one (usually after welding), the amount went up to almost 50%! Also the resistors are either very poor in quality or are not the ohm value they should be. Their color scheme is non-standard so I could not verify it against charts in the web. The same friend that helped me previously, tested the array and felt that the resistors were heating up too much and that I put atleast one more led per string (there are 2 in parallel as dictated by the led guru in Metku). The test is holding up with no more casualties, but I did notice that not all leds have the same brightness on the same strings (too late now to redo), so..... --Saving money, in this case, backfired on me, so if you don't have time to try and test, pay for retail leds and have them test them in front of you. --Same goes for resistors, they are so cheap, it is best to buy them retail (what you need plus 1 or 2 just in case). --If you are technically challenged in electricity as I, DO NOT try something new in a modding contest, you will just look foolish and be delayed putting your deadline at risk. It would be better to buy something pre-made and just install it. You won't get credit for "making it" but you will finish on time. Also you won't have to post something relatively simple as a this as if you had climbed Mt. Everest! --BTW, in Mexico there is no guarantee for electrical components and claims are useless or very have very long waits. Man Hours Used: 35 hours (don't laugh sunny) $ Invested: Pending Thanks for dropping by hope you learned from this. Cheers and Saludos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaPang Posted September 19, 2009 Author Share Posted September 19, 2009 The above happened a couple of days ago and today........ Except for the rather irregular brightness of the leds, the effect is subtle and I think, can be left on all the time. The ring will be held in place with double sided tape for future repair of the leds. The camera adjusted itself but the lights of the ring can be seen from the studio, clearly but not obtrusively. Next, to see what can be done with the led chaser/sequential kit. Wish me Luck! Man Hours Used: included in past post $ Invested: $34.00 mn for paint ($29.00mn) and a cyanoacrilate for $5.00mn! Am on a small roll, well, for me, heheh. Cheers and Saludos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asgneto Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 Thanks for entertaining tour by the PPBR's facilities. For now, I'm waiting for the video of the LEDs array installed and running on the UFO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaPang Posted September 19, 2009 Author Share Posted September 19, 2009 A good led kit used by Boddaker on his BattleStar Galactica Mod: It cost the same as mine but has 1 channel per led, not 1 channel per 3 leds (connected in parallel) which overly complicates assembly and wiring and soldering. ON the reverse side, it is a dream to solder the components to the pcb and comes pre-assembled with the resistors already soldered in (a bunch)! If you are planning on doing something like this, use the above kit or similar, not all kits are made equal! Look at what I have: A world of difference! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaPang Posted September 19, 2009 Author Share Posted September 19, 2009 Thanks for entertaining tour by the PPBR's facilities. For now, I'm waiting for the video of the LEDs array installed and running on the UFO. Thanks to you for sharing first! Cheers and Saludos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asgneto Posted September 19, 2009 Share Posted September 19, 2009 Where can I find this kit? I found this idea quite interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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