HUD Idea

[CaptainKrole]

Ok so for the past couple of days I have been trying to figure out how to make a virtual working HUD in my armor but everything I find is just not right.

I found snowboarding goggles and movie kinda sunglasses that let you watch stuff, but you can't see anything else, and also trying to make a custom projection inside the helmet. But just recently I came up with a pretty easy possible solution that is way cheaper than the original ideas.

First get 2 small backlights and mount them somewhere inside the helme that is convenient enough for you, then take some color (not sure yet) and paint it onto the inside of the visor. But my only problem is that I don't know what color paint I should use for the HUD to glow blue, any ideas what that would be?

Also let me know if this is a good idea or not and what you think I could do to improve it! I'd love to hear about any ideas!

 

[EVAkura]

I am not quite sure I understand what you are looking to accomplish. Maybe a diagram would be helpful. Is this a HUD for you inside the helmet, for aesthetics on the outside of the helmet, or both?

Either way, check out this link. http://www.distantcreations.com/blog/category/tuesday/
The idea here would be awesome in application for a HUD for both inside and outside the helmet if you can align everything just right. It is what I plan on doing for my Rogue helmet I am building, as well as my Deep Eyes helmet by using electroluminescent technology.

 

[colbs]

you realise thos huds are cgi right? the only way you could do somthing like that is if you put a semi transparent plastic screen that is hooked up to some sort of computer or cell phone so you can load an app on to that screen and still be able to see and or you will need some sort of micro projecter mounted on your forhead that projects on to your helemets lense

 

[NoMaybeYes]

A REALLY (emphasis on really) cheap way to do this would be to take a screenshot in Photoshop and color the major details you want, such as the gun, ammo, grenades, and lines, make them black or a dark color and print them on sticker paper to put directly on the visor. That way you can see them but the visors mirror will prevent others from seeing it.

 

[colbs]

yeah you could do like nomaybeyes suggest but i wouldnt do it in black ii would do it in some kind of glow paint you may or may not have to install a tiny black light in the helmet tho

 

[Serin]

Eh?
http://arduinodev.com/freematics/

 

[CaptainKrole]

EVAkura:
What I'm trying to do is make a HUD without spending money on tech. I just want it to look like I have a HUD when I wear it (as in the wearer feels that there really is a HUD. That's why I just want to use two backlights and some paint.

colbs:
Like I told EVAkura, I'm not trying to actually spend a lot of money on tech to make a HUD, I just want to creat the illusion that I do have a HUD. But I only want it visible to the wearer, not everyone else.

 

[CaptainKrole]

NoMaybeYes:
Thank you! That's also an option I was looking at!

colbs:
But the thing is won't glowing paint just eventually lose it's glow?that's why I wanna use a blacklight, that way there is a constant glow for as long as I want it to.

All:
So what color would glow blue in a blacklight ?

 

[RYNO 666]

Use a florescent vinyl sticker cut from a printout of hud. Apply to inside of visor and aim a tiny backlight at it to make it glow. This will make the florescents light up.
http://www.thisnext.com/item/EE8196B9/Black-Light-Paint good template

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk

 

[Carpathia]

The problem I see with putting back-lights to light up your "HUD" (or any kind of lights for that matter) inside the helmet is that you will defeat the purpose of the mirror tint of the visor. People looking at your helmet will be able to see your face, especially in a dimly-lit room, which could ruin the effect perceived by others. There's also the fact that any image put on the inside of the visor will be so close to your face that you will not be able to focus on it easily, so most of the time it will be a blurry blob in your peripheral. At some point, you just have to ask yourself if it's really worth it.

 

[wirewyrm]

if you put the "hud" perspex down at the bottom of the visor and block out the led so there is never any direct light, only reflected light. The light would have to be very powerful to be seen from outside, as per this diagram.



Use a red LED. Red light has the lowest frequency and therefore has the best chance of lighting up your perspex hud but not lighting up your face inside!

 

[CaptainKrole]

You know its funny, I was trying to type "blacklight" not backlight this entire time... I was being autocorrected the entire time. And wirewyrm I understand what you are saying but how exactly would i have the image of what is displayed on the HUD?

And Carpathia, I wasn't planning on doing anything too elaborate. I was just going to either put a sticker on the visor and place a blacklight somewhere in the helmet that it wont shine in my eyes or anything. As for people seeing my face, the way that Im going to tent the visor will make that pretty hard to do.

 

[EVAkura]

Carpathia, I agree with the fact that he will not be able to focus on it, but it will still give a cool effect if he can pull it off. Also, if CaptainKrole can build a shield for the black light, it should keep it off his face (not only that, black lights don't put off much light, but will reflect brightly off of anything light colored, especially white or black light reactive paints and such)

CaptainKrole, thanks for the explanation. I would think you would need 6 parts to accomplish what you want.

1. white vinyl sticker cut out to the shape of the hud (this will reflect the black light and give you that purple-ish blue look)
2. black vinyl sticker cut out just bigger than the shape of the hud (this will be used as backing to the white sticker to prevent the glow being seen outside the helmet)
3. battery pack
4. switch
5. DC powered black light
6. A shield for the black light to direct it towards the "hud" but away from your face

Does that sound about right?

 

[CaptainKrole]

That sounds great! I can't thank you enough EVAkura!

 

[wirewyrm]

And wirewyrm I understand what you are saying but how exactly would i have the image of what is displayed on the HUD?

Ah, that's pretty easy. Take a look again at the diagram. The blue area would be your perspex/film with your hud drawn or etched on. Now, totally transparent perspex or film will just let light move straight through with no interaction. Since you are dealing with reflected and not direct light you should find that the levels will be very low..... any sections of the perspex or film which are either etched or painted with a semi transparent paint will cause an interaction with the light as it passes through and glow evenly. I suggest using red LED's, not blue because of the wavelength but you would get a red HUD instead If you really want blue then you could always go for a purple/violet LED to go to the other end (almost blacklight end, indeed, blacklight LED's often don't quite reach the frequencies to be proper ultraviolet -and therefore "blacklight"- and still stay pretty much violet ) of the spectrum which would probably work well with a light blue/white etching or paint on the perspex/film.

If you relook at the diagram it's not actually much different from that described by EVAkura..... there is a shield to prevent the light pointing directly at you, and a vinyl film or perspex sheet with your HUD drawn or etched on.

The only difference being that I've taken into account A) the size of real old skool blacklight bulbs or tubes (which as EVAkura points out, shouldn't give off much light and should work if only they were small) and B) the price of blacklight LED's and their inability to stay invisible to anyone outside your helmet due to them not achieving true "invisible light" frequencies and therefore giving off quite a bit of light.

the reflector I propose keeps the red or purple LED invisible to both you and anyone outside, leaving just your chosen HUD design to light up.

 

[CaptainKrole]

Wow, thanks for the explanation. This is great thanks for you guys help I'll be able to do almost exactly what I wanted.

But I do have one last question, Would there be Any way to make one of them pulse? Like as if I put three or four different LEDs in and one of them were to pulse to make it seem like I have a working radar. And also how would you suggest that I make the etchings/painting on the visor to make the design I want?

 

[EVAkura]

Pulse, yes. Blink, yes. Check out this link.

They show the LED blinking, but I know you can get a pulse controller instead. If I were to do this myself, I would make sure that 50-75% of my lights pulse. Otherwise, the effect will get drowned out by the lights that are continuously on.

Next, I would use vinyl cut-outs instead of etchings or paint. If you screw up applying them, you are not out a visor. If you screw up etching, you might as well circle file the visor (trash it), and quite possibly the same with the paint.

 

[CaptainKrole]

Alright thanks for the help EVAkura!

 

[Redtail]

I have a question. What is your HUD telling you? Is it more for the benefit of those around you, or for your own? And are you willing to detract from one to add to the other?

We've used OLED projections on prisms to give us a HUD indicator of compass bearings, but the prototype was fugly and interfered with the QD system for the faceplate and jaw loop, not to mention, the shape of the rest of the helmet. I can't see much utility in "I can very faintly see some funny glowing stuff a few inches in front of my face if I cross my eyes to focus on it for a few seconds".

 

[CaptainKrole]

I know that I won't be able to focus on it easily, it's just to have a cool cheap addition to the armor. And the only person who would see it would be the wearer, noone else