Mercury 9 with animated engine lights

[Ant]

Just finished this project - very similar to another WIP here (can't find that now) and based on the Apollo 27 liftoff lighting that some dude did in Japan.

Using my own controller for this to flicker the engines and pulse the beacons - each main engine sits on a tube with a LED at each end. The rocket is completely detachable for transport/storage - all wiring goes though an 8-pin mini DIN connector right in the middle.

The base is laser cut acrylic which houses all the electronics / batteries and also features a laser engraved nameplate on the front.

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202 ... C_7238.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202 ... C_7229.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202 ... C_7232.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n202 ... C_7236.jpg

There's a video of the engine effect here http://vimeo.com/31546414

Ant

[robiwon]

Very nice work. I love the flicker effect. Oh, and that other thread would have been mine, LOL. It got put on hold as real life has gotten in the way. I got married, daughter and grandkids moved in, etc......

Very nice work!

[Ant]

Ah - shame, it would be good to see that one finished too!

Ant

[robiwon]

Thanks, it's close. I hope to have it and a few others finished for Wonderfest.

Again, great work on yours. Very cool loooking!

[Marco Scheloske]

Using my own controller for this to flicker the engines

LOVE the flicker effect - you should consider to sell the controller. Really!

[Ant]

The controller is available... but my marketing sucks

I've been offering it as a "programmed to your specifications" device, but it still needs a modicom of soldering experience to connect up

There's more details & examples here http://www.antsnest.net/LEDDriver.php

Ant

[Marco Scheloske]

but it still needs a modicom of soldering experience to connect up

Too sad. I'm searching forever now for a controller that does "just" such a flickering thruster effect and nothing else. Just attach some LEDs to it and you're there - that is what I hope to be able to find some day. And I hope such an "only one function" controller will be cheaper than those "8 in 1", "15 in 1" and so on multicontrollers I found meanwhile.

[Ant]

The "problem" with the microcontrollers is that it's almost too easy to make them very flexible, but that then incurs all the other costs. I thought for quite a while when I was designing this what was in and what was out and it ended up a compromise between cost, size and flexibility that suited my immediate needs.

I've been thinking about doing a smaller/simpler version with a surface mount controller and without the additional current drivers, but at the end of the day it wouldn't come out much cheaper...

Ant