Undersuit Halo Reach (wip)
- Thread starter GlennTech
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Keep in mind that you don't need an Arduino board for each suit. Once the controllers are programmed, they will work on their own. Have a look here: http://arduino.cc/en/Main/Standalone
The biggest issue I see is the license. Haven't quite figured that out yet.
By the way, I think it's pretty impressive how your first post has grown since yesterday!
Have you considered using a larger or graphical display and maybe including some additional functions that actually make use of the display and the microcontroller? Maybe a Bluetooth-connection to other suits for a tactical interface? Or some kind of navigation? I understand that this would completely blow up price and complexity, but it would be really awesome!
thatdecade
Well-Known Member
The arduino licence is open source. You are free to make changes to the hardware and even sell your custom arduino to others, but you MUST release the eagle schematic files for people to download.
Arduino being open source hardware like that, you will find that eagle skematic files for other people are freely available for you to take can re-design.
The Arduino's AVR is relevantly cheap, here is a place you can buy it pre-programmed (ready to accept an arduino sketch).
http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9217
This is a good Arduino PCB design around the same DIP atmega328p, eagle schematic files for download too.
http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardUno
Great place to have PCB made (very cheap and high quality) in case you don't have a fab place in mind yet.
http://www.batchpcb.com
Exporting Eagle design for batchpcb... or any fab house - http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/109
Lastly, a cheap color display
http://www.sparkfun.com/products/569
PIC and Arduino examples can be found in the product description.
Arduino Library - http://github.com/lgeek/Arduino-Color-LCD
Arduino being open source hardware like that, you will find that eagle skematic files for other people are freely available for you to take can re-design.
The Arduino's AVR is relevantly cheap, here is a place you can buy it pre-programmed (ready to accept an arduino sketch).
http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9217
This is a good Arduino PCB design around the same DIP atmega328p, eagle schematic files for download too.
http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardUno
Great place to have PCB made (very cheap and high quality) in case you don't have a fab place in mind yet.
http://www.batchpcb.com
Exporting Eagle design for batchpcb... or any fab house - http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/109
Lastly, a cheap color display
http://www.sparkfun.com/products/569
PIC and Arduino examples can be found in the product description.
Arduino Library - http://github.com/lgeek/Arduino-Color-LCD
darknemisis
Member
you can custom etch your own pcb's out of copper clad board like i said if u need any help pm me
Wouldn't you have to make your source code available as well then? Personally, I wouldn't mind giving people my schematics, but source code is always so easy to steal and redistribute... and I hate it when that happens. It's like digital recasting.
That's a pretty cool shop you linked there, by the way... That just solved the next problem I was going to ask in the electronics thread :-D
thatdecade
Well-Known Member
Ventrue, only the hardware is open source. It is generally nice is a person releases his source code too, but doesn't have to.
Oh yeah, sparkfun is my absolute FAVORITE electronics website. They just got more awesome, check it!~ http://www.sparkfun.com/news/487
GlennTech, below is a tutorial on adding a custom part to the eagle library. Takes about an hour to learn, but if you do anything in eagle you will be adding parts all the time. Can't trust anyone's library but your own.
http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/110
Oh yeah, sparkfun is my absolute FAVORITE electronics website. They just got more awesome, check it!~ http://www.sparkfun.com/news/487
GlennTech, below is a tutorial on adding a custom part to the eagle library. Takes about an hour to learn, but if you do anything in eagle you will be adding parts all the time. Can't trust anyone's library but your own.
http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/110
Captain Recon
Jr Member
Like I said, you could quite easily find a cheap lycra bodysuit on eBay and sew your detailing onto it. My personal approach is going to be either to cast the detailing in rubber, or to sew the patterns on in faux leather/pleather.
It's just a case of having a shop around for cheap materials.
thatdecade
Well-Known Member
Thought I should post this outside PM. Is a good idea.
Edit: The technical name for this type of control panel is membrane switch.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Membrane_switch
thatdecade said:Have you considered making a printed graphic for your display around some LEDs? From what you described, you wouldn't need a chip to control them. Just wire each LED into the system the LED represents.
Would be very cheap to do this way, just need to take some time getting the graphic right before printing.
You can still do a control PCB if you want. That way you can use inexpensive pushbuttons to turn the systems on and off. Put a pushbutton right next to each LED, laminate the printed graphic to make it durable. Press a spot on the printed graphic, presses the pushbutton underneath, sends a signal to the AVR, which turns the LED and system on.
http://www.sparkfun.com/products/97
Example graphic. Circles show switch placement under the graphic. LEDs can be closer to the suit.
suit_control_panel_circuit_example by thatdecade, on Flickrr
Edit: The technical name for this type of control panel is membrane switch.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Membrane_switch
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darknemisis
Member
yeah just tell me what you need the program to do and ill try and hook ya up
Left Ten it
New Member
we talking display on the arm? i plan on useing my iphone the the head phone plug in for a mic and music, but u could probly make an app for the other stuff
That's probably the most expensive way there is to do it, short of hiring two hundred NASA specialists to build an actual space-proof control panel for nine billion Dollars that can remote-control a spacecraft and launch nukes at incoming asteroids ;-)
By the way, this membrane thing could probably be combined with the small square colour-display a few posts up. You see this kind of combination in a LOT of commercial products, usually to make the display look larger and thus more attractive when the device is turned off. But if you make a nice "background picture" with some labels (fans, lights, temperature, system status, tactical uplink connection strength - that kind of thing), a few LEDs and maybe a little backlighting for the labels, you can use it just as well to hide the fact that only a small part of your display is really a display. The only thing you need then is something you can display on it
thatdecade
Well-Known Member
My thoughts exactly. We need to find a graphic artist to bring on board.
I have some time this morning, let me break out eagle and some cost spreadsheets. I am really excited to see this project come together.
Edit: the device Carter wears is called a tacpad. More info - http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/TACPAD
4th pic - http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4040/4694166244_626e8b0d17_b.jpg
http://www.haloreachplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/8-24-2010-7-34-20-AM.jpg
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