Building a steamy weapon
Remember the massager-cum-raygun?
I’ve been inspired to get to work on the interior of this device. I can always build onto it later, so the interior is on my mind.
My original idea is to have LEDs inside that shine through the air-holes in the front and rear of the device. As there is a lot of room in there once you take out the huge ancient motor, I was thinking it could have a rotating circle of white and yellow lights.
The specifics of how to make electronics that rotate are, though, perhaps beyond me. I don’t want to buy PCB-making equipment because I need a lead that rotates with the board (and besides, I think I’d have to leave it vulnerable to the elements, which sounds dangerous in a metal device). rbradakis mentions there are motors that have electronic connections that funnel through the turning mechanism, but I don’t know where I’d even begin with that.
Less impressive, but still interesting would be keeping the lights stationary and rotating colored gels above them. The color shift wouldn’t be gradual, sadly, but it’d be less expensive (requiring only two white LEDS instead of four or six, half being yellow). And no rotating electronics foofaraw.
So, with the assistance of LEDcalc and the advice of more electronically inclined friends, I think I can make it happen.
Now, I’m considering sound.
There may be enough room in this thing to also include a sound board or some sort. I’d like something that would work like those greeting cards you can record your voice onto – something I could make produce an ‘electronic sizzle’ sound that would repeat endlessly while the switch is on.
How to do this, though? So far, I’ve found a few related links (that last one being the best so far), but nothing that’s exactly what I’m looking for. I even have a disposable USB music player, if that would help.
Anyway, if any of you have any advice or directions I could look, I’d be grateful!
EDIT: Oooh. It’s somewhat heavy, maybe I could build a brace into it that attaches to my forearm with a leather strap.
Why rotating LEDs? What is the effect you are going for? Rotating LEDs would look generally like little spinny lights. Whereas a rotating gel would tend to just look like a single light change colors… Hm. Well, unless it was a cylinder surrounding the led and had little colored gels at regular intervals. If that cylinder were spinning, it might look like little spinning lights from outside. But again, what effect are you trying for? spinning? or color changing?
What about having an array of several color LEDs layed out in a circle that would turn on or off in series to give the impression of spinning?
Thing is, there will probably be a couple of inches between the vent holes and the lights themselves. If the lights were to spin, the beams would look pretty trippy, externally, and it would be a smooth motion. I think the smooth motion would be more in lines with what I’m going for than a blinky on-off thing. on-off is digital, smooth change is analog. :)
How much room do you have? You could put in a little disco rotate-y ball.
Hmm… the only thing I can think of that’ll rotate, and you could attach LED’s to is a rotating vibrator thing.
Hey, that’s just how my mind works.
*laugh* While that may be true, the problem would be how to keep those lit – electric leads don’t like to twist.
Oh, I was thinking more like… hmm… attaching the battery/LED lights from a battery to the end? Sorta Frankenstein-ing it together.
You’d have to change out the LED’s on the flashlight, though… colorwise, of course.
Yo Scott. Just wanted to say hi and let you know that I really liked and agreed with your replies on big drama posts (kids vs. no kids) over the weekend and last week. :-)
Oh, and I am adding you as a friend.
-Abby
Hi Abby! I’ve always thoguht you’re rather awesome yerself, so consider yourself added back. :)
evil-techno geekery
have you thought about using a 1/8″ phono jack? you may be able to use that as the rotating shaft… without seeing the project its hard to think of some solutions.. send me some pictures and let me see what my techno fu can figure out :)