You should have captured that spider... freeze dryed him... and added him to your game as a toy!

Art... you live in Florida... have you never run into a banana spider's web while playing laser tag at night with your brother?

Did they provide schematics in the manual for that?
I'd be curious what chip they are using for the sensing... as the TDAs are technically EOL and have been for years.

Ohw,god i am low tech...
That is real smart and clean.
It is so different from anything else i owned?
But different in a good way.

I did the same thing for my Mirror Universe build so I didn't have to cut rollover slots in my PF. Makes the Art real clean. I wouldn't do it again based upon the old Williams TDA design because they drift due to temperature. I need to find a more modern design.

You should use a Candle Flicker LED

in a Current mirror configuration so you can control multiple LEDs with it.

Let me know if you need some help with the design. I'd be happy to contribute.

Is that the look you want to go with?
How many LEDs would you want to light up the toxic swamp?
Would you want them to be synchronous or have them opposite so different when one LED is off; the other is on.

If it were me... I'd do a yellow candle flicker... and then use standard Green LEDs in the mirror configuration.
Do you want mountable little super bright Green LEDs?
I think it might also be cool if you did some UV LEDs mounted near the GITD rubber?

Powered from 6.3VAC?

I'll try to find some time this weekend to work on a design.
I'll post here when I have something to report.

Amigos,
Here's the first pass at an initial design for the Toxic Swap lighting.
Initial schematics for Toxic Swamp Flicker

LED1 is a 20mA 3mm Flicker LED. The current thru this led is fed from Q1 (a PNP transistor).
The Collector of Q1 feeds the first branch of the current mirror driving LED2 using ~150mA of current.
LED4 is a 20mA current leg... for putting standard LEDs such as a UV LED for lighting your GITD rubbers in the area.
LED6 is a second current leg for another super bright 150mA green LED.

Q4 is an Nchannel Fet which "inverts" LED1. This means when LED1 is on, LED3, LED5, and LED7 will all be off.
When LED1 is off; LED3,5,7 will be on.
Q4 source feeds the inverted current mirror made up of Q5,6, & 8.
Like the non-inverted output LED3 and LED7 are 150mA super brights. and LED5 is a 20mA leg.
LED1, LED2, LED3 must be populated both sides of the circuit to operate.

I still need to put a diode bridge to feed V+.... and I want to add another two transistors to drive two more 150mA super brights.

I have simulated with LTSpiceIV this circuit and it functions properly - putting confidence that the final circuit should work. I'll need to adjust the resistor values for a less than ideal 6.3V V+ ... which will be less with a bridge rectifier.

I've just about wrapped up the design of the Toxic Swamp LED array from a schematic capture / design perspective.
I'm thinking about how to layout the design from a PCB perspective.

I'm thinking one main board with the rectifiers and candle-Flicker LED. This board would be the larger of the boards and if there's room would mount behind the Mansion under the green acrylic. The board would have remote ports for each of the LEDs. You would wire in the remote leds and place them where you want under the plastic and/or near the GITD rubber on the sides.

The question is how to mount the boards. Do you want to mount them under the plastic but above the wood of the PF? Or are you thinking about putting Inserts under the plastics in the PF for the SuperBright LEDs to shine through?

I'm asking because I see you plan on using some of swamp area for the Mario Brothers PVC pipe... so I'm not sure how much room you'll have left for Inserts and/or PCBs. Let me know what you think.

Yeah. That's why I asked. So you'll run wires up to the "remote boards" and mount the remote boards directly to the PF?
I was kind of leaning that way in my mind; so this just confirms it.

I'm assuming you want the smallest boards you can get? There is a small size limit; as you'll need a "pcb heatsink" to cool these LEDs at full 150mA. These funkers are going to be bright as hell... so I'm thinking a "dimmer" would be a good idea in case there is such a thing as too bright in this application.

Do you want to have a flicker board for under the mansion? Or is that already one or two of the four you were going to use?

I get more orders from Australian pinheads than Europe... More hardcore star trek fans in aus, i think.

Have and update on the toxic swap i was going to post yesterday... But stle colordots... And throwing a belt in the truck last night ruined those plans

Amigos,
Here's is the nearly complete PCB design for Toxic Swamp.
Toxic Swamp

The larger board in the middle is the main board you'd connect to 6.3VAC GI.
The other boards are made to snap off the main board and position where you'd like.

The lower 4 boards (Jx1,2) are interchangeable. LED 4,5 are UV Purple LEDs to light your GITD Titan Rubbers.
LED 2,3,6,7,8,9 are all superbright green LEDs running at 150mA. LED1 on the main board is the candle flicker.
LED 1,2,3 are required to be used for the other boards to be functional. You can you use as many of the other boards as you want to get the intended effect.

Always wire a J connector to a P connector. Meaning:
JP2 always connect to PP2. JN2 always connects to PN2 ect.
There will be no connectors on the board as I'm assuming you are going to want to direct wire once you figure out how to install. If you want connectors; just let me know.

R18 and R19 control the brightness of the "candle flicker" effect on the super green LEDs.
R16 and R17 control the brightness of the flash effect on LED8 & 9.

The main board measures approximately:
1.1 x 2.4inches

The LED boards measure approx:
0.85 x 0.49 inches

Each board has two mounting holes.

I'll work on the bom and pcb gerbers and let you know.

Amigos,
White PCBs ordered from SeeedStudio for around $18USD for the Toxic Swamp.

It'll be shipping via the slow boat from china (I assume); which is quoted 15-30days on top of a 5-9day production time. So I wouldn't expect them for at least a month.

I got the Amigos covered for now... When the boards are tested and ready; then I'll ask for just the costs to cover materials + shipping. My time/labor is free to you guys for doing something awesome. IIRC, the LEDs are probably the second most expensive item in the BOM... I think they are around 1.50 each.

Was a little surprised that these came in today:

P_20171113_181710[1] (resized).jpg

I checked the BOM for one PCB and it came in at $17/board + Shipping.
I usually build two boards incase the first has issues; but let me know what the Amigos want to do.

Amigos - those wires don't look very beefy...
Make sure they are a high enough gauge (AWG) to handle the current going to appropriate devices.
Might be time to invest in a pair of Molex crimps and a spool of wire.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/CRIMP-TOOL-63811-1000-By-MOLEX/dp/B01I7QST7E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515271457&sr=8-1&keywords=63811-1000

Been on a Star Trek Cruise, recovering from the flu, and my own project... so I just binge read 270 posts to catch up.

Yeah! good to see. Use it in good health.

That eye is funking awesome. Am I the only one who thinks the Amigos to use a red fine tipped sharpie and put some read veins on the eyeball so it look bloodshot from excessive drinking... or to little sleep from the insane patients?

Great Update!

Here's mine:

I had to troubleshoot a bad resistor in the main flicker LED circuit which was causing 3 of the LEDs not to light.
Once I figured that out; I had an issue with the UV LEDs I speced which seemed to be junk... they couldn't handle being soldered to the board?!
I put a set UV 1206 LED I had in my parts bin... let me know if you guys want me to try and find a better UV LED.

PM sent, yes I have your address.

I'm not sure I'd smoke that moss... probably made in china with diesel fuel.

Lies. He's there to play Despicable Me and your other pins.

If you didn't mash the pedal leaving every stoplight... your Tesla wouldn't be so damn hungry. ;D
I envy you... as I'd really starting to want a Tesla... my issue is I can't seem to go for the cheap ones... cause I want one with the extended range.
Oh well; maybe someone will send me a free winning loto ticket.

Steve Ritchie disapproves

Or; "Damnit; I hit my thumb again!"
Or; "Hammers hurt"

Look you gotta move the thumb before you slam that hammer down...
Maybe we should get the other amigos... to locate every hammer you own... lock them in a hidden toolbox and only bring them out when you can be supervised.

Nah; he's not welding or grinding.

I'd be concerned about that pot being used in series with the motor.
Most pots... esp something this small; only handle 250mW of power... and that motor is going to take a lot of current.
You need to investigate using PWM to drive the motor to slow it down ... I'm pretty sure that pot won't last very long in it's current use model.

Nope. the Key is:
DC 18V 7W

The board total for the original dremel was no more than:
7W / 18V or .388amps or 388 mA.

Is your motor going to draw more than .388Amps? If so that board isn't going to work long.
My gut tells me that any binding on the motor; and you'll draw a lot more than 400mA.

After all that time I spent on the toxic swap LED lighting...
Where's my crying hole?

That's a extra special kinda stupid right there.

I call BS... you know you had it in AutoDrive.

Mic's becoming a super star... you may want to knock him down a couple of pegs.
Nice work Mic!

No... He's flipping OLDPINGUY off... we know; that Art guy's a chump.
(kidding)

Look at that sequence again.... there has to be a away of filling in extra LEDs.
IE instead of wiring directly as instructed; see if you can extend it so one half of the LEDs light on one side; then repeat the sequence with extra LEDs on the side.

TBH; I wouldn't own a sign JPOP pin because of what he did.
Same for Dutch... Same for Kevin. It's also why I'd never consider a Houdini
Just no way I would ever associate my money against these villians.
Not saying everyone should do the same; I'm just saying that is why *I* won't be expanding my collection to these people.

I actually hurting for the victims... as I really didn't have skin in the game.

Back on topic Amigos... Stop derailing your own threads.
Congrats on the new game... but more Mansion.

Thehehhehhe.
Yeah; Now my collection has LLEE (or did I forget to add it)? So; it's not just Star Trek any more... there's even an RFM that actually works now.

Are you sure that new upper midget flipper mech isn't going to hit the side of the cabinet?

Yeah; It's just hard for me to master. I'm not a good pinball player as I spend more time modding/playing them.
I'm really looking forward to see how Multimorphic handles the multi-platform configuration. Cosmic Cart Racing looks really fun with the head-to-head networking theme.

...wasn't today Friday?

Ah. For some reason I thought DPO was later... good reason. Carry on.

Nope. Not acceptable. That game was done years ago.

Pink works...if it's UV reactive.

HBD!
No injuries; hum... doesn't sound they you did the proper level of celebration.

Ok. Time to edjumicate….
When you crimp wires; you crimp the insulation in the first set of "prongs" and the conductor in the last set.
Lacks insulation crimp
This is done to secure the insulation so it can't be pulled off; but more importantly; it helps prevent "fraying" as the wires are bent/repositioned.
https://bigdanzblog.wordpress.com/2015/05/28/how-to-crimp-your-own-0-1-terminals-to-jumper-wires/
scroll down to Oct2016 update.

No worries. Glad I could help.

You're just in love with it because it started life as a HomeBrew.
We'll see if game#2 lives up to the hype.

Great work...
Gotta admit tho; given the size of those fast boards... and the LEDs on them... I'm not convinced that hot glue is going to standup to the heat of the LEDs while running during long events like a pinball show.
Are you sure your not going to have LEDs falling out of their respective positions during long use?

Ya'll heard it. He promised. We need to hold his feet to the fire now.

yes.

Now; if there is a dutch pinball show you always go to... always swap batteries right before the show; each year... and you'll likely never forget again. I'd rather the AAs go bad in a TV remote; than a cpu board.

Just exit before brexit.

At this point; he's trollin' you guys now.
Old dog... new tricks... or something like that.
Hey; maybe in Rotterdam; the culture is to leave the phone in portrait mode.

Perfect, a flat spot to drill for Newton ball

Between this and Project Binky... I wonder which will finish first.
"

At least we get weekly updates for this project.

I laser cut mine out of acrylic.

Huh? I did it in my STMU thread years ago:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/star-trek-mirror-universe-pinball#post-611273

It really was that easy.
You aren't limited to any elemental shape; you can do anything you want - usually the limit is the shape a CNC endmill will make in the resulting playfield. IE most shapes will need round corners because of the round endmills.

Every insert in STMU was Laser cut from acrylic except the star rollover switches. I didn't use any "purchased"/existing inserts.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/star-trek-mirror-universe-pinball/page/4#post-1298689

I gotta know... did you put in your deposit for your new Tesla?
Will it fit Crazy Mansion?

It's Fri.... oh wait.

It was my Friday… so that shoulda counted.
Don't you have pinball code to write?

Pics or it didn't happen.

Mark it on the sign!

What's a little Backwash between Amigos?
Oh, their gift for you this week was the absence of Backwash. Got it.

Update the injuries white board.

Old 70's style wall paper in the living room?
Or Harry Potter style Sirius family tree wall paper?

Hopefully next 14 days won't be postponed due to self quarantine.
May the Antibodies be with you.

Yeah... Weird... Must be the Musk fanboi in him.
Isn't russia's capsule closer to you?
Kidding; yeah - I was bummed too... but Saturday will be here soon enough.

Thumbs up. Way up.
Prepare for disappointment later today... I predict Weather will scrap the launch today.

After all my sh1t talk about the weather... I napped thru the launch.
Guess I'll have to go look for a replay on Youtube or NASA or something.

Talk to your buddy Elon... he can have a spacex Netherlands arm. How much money you got?

Log it on the sign... you have found the sign... right?

Booo... you get a downvote for that.
Safety first, sir!

Still have my gameboy ... I think... somewhere... in a paint can. I should go find it.

"Silence.... I'll Keeel you!"

I guess we know what game #3 is...

I'm suddenly very depressed...

Mainly because the ride is "over"... but also because they didn't end up using the custom led board I created for them.

Anywho; congrats.

Stop getting old Bas!
I've tried; but again... I just bought a pair of computer glasses so that I can do WFH and detail soldering.
50 year bday is this coming Sept.

What's in it for me?!
I kid. You have my vote; just looking for the time to actually go thru that long ass ballot

I'm gonna be that guy...
The Amigos have claimed they finished Mansion... but we haven't seen a full software integrated version via quarantine video.
Until then... or until they bring it to TPF'2022... I'm going to consider Mansion unfinished.

I'm fully vaccinated, send me a plane ticket.

Sorry to hear that;
Luckily - I never caught it... and neither did my wife. I'm fully vaccinated and she will be in another week.

Hope you both kick this virus in the nuts with ease.

Way to spend that stimulus check!

I'm disappointed that you didn't save the side rails or the back box latch.
You never know when you are going to need that junk in the grave yard.

IT's Frida.... oh wait.

Sorry... not sorry.

Ap needs to license minion and do that homebrew. Cheaper bom. Better theme.

Sure- until the PF self-destructs.

jjpOwnersFault (resized).jpg

Next Bas is gonna tell us he's been writing a Alternative/Blues album during his lockdown and he'll be releasing the album to Amazon at the end of the month...

And I thought we had it bad... Its just sad that we can't all get along anymore.
Yes; I got booster #3 last week... as I'm going to a pinball show next weekend.
I hope I live to not regent the decision to go to the pinball show.

I didn't regret the first two and won't regret the last.

I'm sure you're trying to imply a prohibited topic; if so you know what you can do with that factless conspiracy theory.