Saturday, July 9, 2011
Arduino micocontroller powered logic displays are working!
Rather than type, here's the video blog update I posted on YouTube...
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Lightweight aluminum utility arms arrive
A fantastic parcel arrived from the UK today. RBReplicas.com did a limited production run on these pieces for the club and to further reduce weight, holes were drilled to remove additional material.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Second front logic display built
Having learned how to properly solder the resistors from the previous logic display, I was ready to get the second one assembled.
One thing I decided to change was how to maintain the tip. I stopped by my local electronics shop, ICC North and picked up some Tip Tinner at their suggestion. Much like a wax, you heat up the soldering iron, dip it in and them wipe with a rag. BE CAREFUL, the tip will be HOT (just stating the obvious). When done soldering for the day, do the same again. This prevents oxidation on the tip.
This time, everything went together very smoothly with the better soldering iron (hotter) and knowing the proper polarity the resistors need to be on the PCB!
Next up was installing the LEDs. Using nail clippers to remove the flange in the legs (too wide to fit the hole in the PCB), I trimmed and tested each LED before placing them into the board. If you are wondering the pattern or white and blue to put in, there is a reference picture available that shows what color goes where. I simply printed it out and used a magic marker to cross them off as I did it.
My partner in crime, "Momma Cat", sat along and kept me company while putting everything together.
After getting all the LEDs installed and attaching the power and data leads to the Arduino UNO, it was time to test!
I will resume work on these tomorrow to get them working together. I am missing a cable and will have to make one. Then it is on to the rear logic display!
One thing I decided to change was how to maintain the tip. I stopped by my local electronics shop, ICC North and picked up some Tip Tinner at their suggestion. Much like a wax, you heat up the soldering iron, dip it in and them wipe with a rag. BE CAREFUL, the tip will be HOT (just stating the obvious). When done soldering for the day, do the same again. This prevents oxidation on the tip.
This time, everything went together very smoothly with the better soldering iron (hotter) and knowing the proper polarity the resistors need to be on the PCB!
Next up was installing the LEDs. Using nail clippers to remove the flange in the legs (too wide to fit the hole in the PCB), I trimmed and tested each LED before placing them into the board. If you are wondering the pattern or white and blue to put in, there is a reference picture available that shows what color goes where. I simply printed it out and used a magic marker to cross them off as I did it.
My partner in crime, "Momma Cat", sat along and kept me company while putting everything together.
After getting all the LEDs installed and attaching the power and data leads to the Arduino UNO, it was time to test!
I will resume work on these tomorrow to get them working together. I am missing a cable and will have to make one. Then it is on to the rear logic display!
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