Ladies and Gents,
I've been working on several animation based programs for the Texas Instruments Launchpad (like a cheaper, less featureful Arduino). My current project (and seemingly obsession) is to model a modern day LED police lightbar. I started in 1:24 scale for my proof of concept (learning, coding, wiring, etc) and plan on scaling it down step by step until I hit 1:160.
Currently, the $2.50 chip (TI's MSP430G2553) that drives this circuit supports the following features:
-6 Red, 6 Blue, 3 white lights on the bar, all independently controlled.
-2 headlamps, 2 Tail Lamps, all independently controlled.
-IR control, pushbutton backup
-25 bar flash patterns, but the chip has room for up to 180.
-35 hours continuous run time on 2 AAA batteries. (In the video below, I used a bank of 8 AA's because I was all out of 9V's)
-IR Remotely controlled.
I saw someone messing with the Arduino in other forums, and figured I'd show everyone a good (read: cheaper) alternative to the Arduino. The programming styles are very similar, so if you learn Arduino, you can program for the Launchpad easily enough.
The thing that made me choose the Launchpad over the Arduino was the fact that you can run a launchpad chip off of as little as 2Vdc. Perfect for battery applications in small places.
So at this point in time, I'm done with the 1:24 version. Well, almost. I need to bump up the amplification on the headlights and decal the model, but other than that, it is finished! The entire point of the exercise was a proof of concept on an accurate modern emergency vehicle lightbar, and boy oh boy did I learn a lot along the way. I'll list those things after the video.
As the prototype of what is sure to be many incarnations to come, I dub this '07 Ford Shelby GT500 my 'Demonstrator'! Please ignore the 8xAA battery pack on the side. Normally, this car can be powered by a 9V that fits nicely into the engine compartment, but I was plumb out of 9V batteries. Yes, there's some in the house smoke detectors, but Murphey's Laws have taught me a thing or two, so I left those 9Vs where they were Anyways, using a 8xAA power supply tested the circuitry against a 12V source, so it's all good! Enjoy:
1:24 Model Whelen Liberty Police Lightbar on Vimeo
Next step: 1/43 then 1/64... on my way to 1/160!
My Personal blog is here: The Rusty Spike
but I am also part of a 'Crowd-Source' initiative to bring inexpensive and easy to make electronic DIY solutions to the hobby. The blog for 'Launchpad for Model railroading' is here: The LaunchPad for Model Railroading
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