Starship Modeler Discussion Forums

... and of course, why settle with just a glowing LED for the camara-eye? With a single-board computer such as Raspberry Pi you could make your HAL more functional. Hrm... can you imagine a HAL-9000 with the personality of Lenny?

You might find this article helpful from IPMS stockholm https://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2002/08/stuff_eng_tech_moulding_canopies.htm it recommends PET-g over clear PS sheets (#6) and definitely against blister pack plastic mostly on being hard to work with due to it being optimized for indus...

speaking of polystyrene...
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science- ... -36715644/

... Personally, I use polystyrene or PETg from fresh stock - I almost never re-use plastic from a blister pack. [shrug] The re-use of blister pack plastic is mostly as a cost-cutting measure, and generally only used on relatively small parts. Other source of scrap material include CD jewel cases (m...

I've been using clear plastic found on "blister pack" packaging -- granted, I'm generally not building anything larger than "walnut scale" (around 16"~18" wingspan), leaning more toward "peanut scale" (11"~13" wingspan) -- yup, these size classes are...

I wonder if you can get an old one of those controller devices from someone who has upgraded to later editions. Controlling a few light circuits should not tax them at all. As far as the screens, I think I've seen some old video players, some in watch format, show up on clearance at discount shops....

If you don't mind doing a bit of programming, aside from using an Arduino, other options include: BBC micro:bit https://www.adafruit.com/category/932 Raspberry Pi Zero https://www.adafruit.com/product/3400 as for anybody who says "programming is hard" -- try out the "blocks editor&quo...

the recommended background music for the task?
https://youtu.be/Y2CWfSLyjx8

One thing for sure however -- in powered down state the older style dials-and-switches type instrument panels look more interesting than modern "glass cockpit" (with flat display panels) style. And if you choose to backlight the panels, thee will probably be at least one person who will be...

I'd like to think I know the answer is "no" to this question but I'm going to ask it anyway. These decals I see in previous posts on this thread are they printable on, say, an HP All-in-One printer? Not Laser printer of course...I'm only curious as to why it wouldn't work. I'm assuming th...

thus the trend toward larger-diameter fans (i.e. larger fan doesn't need to be spun as fast to get the same CFM). I'm talking about comparing identical sized fans....obviously if you use a larger fan, you get more air flow... :wink: As seam-filler has indicated, the design of the fan/impeller is al...

Yes....I tend to agree with the CFM being more important.....however....if you want a quieter fan, then RPM would probably be what you're after. Lower RPM with higher CFM would have more pitch on the blades which would tend to slap the air....causing excessive noise. On the other hand, higher RPM w...

Perhaps periodically changing the login and/or posting process (perhaps in subtle ways) might be enough to temporarily "trip up" robospammers (i.e. it''ll stop the posts until the party behind the robospamming realize it has stopped working, examine the problem and then change up the scrip...

I do remember back in the 1990s when I'd first picked up an EL sheet starter kit at the hobby shop (was found in the model railroad section) -- I'd been hearing a fair amount of hype about it, so I thought I'd give this thing a try -- with images of brightly glowing warp nacelles, and glowing engine...

If I'm not mistaken, EL wire and EL sheet run off high-frequency AC power (IIRC around 1000 Hz) -- so you'll need an inverter (starter kits often include an battery box w/ inverter built in). One thing that could possibly be annoying to some folks is the "hiss" or "buzz" from the...

How 'bout this for a crazy idea -- the "skin" would be made up of photo-etch sections? An upside would be that the wall thickness represented within the openings such as windows wouldn't look like walls that are 10ft thick.

https://woodgears.ca/pantograph/

interesting method for 3D scanning
https://hackaday.com/2016/04/16/milk-based-3d-scanner/

Did end up with quite a pile of Altoids tins -- got them since the tins looked like they could be useful as project box for electronics. (yeeeaah riiiight... -- this is a "software guy" talking about hardware... we all know where this is going to end up...)

Google search:
conductive paint pen
conductive thread
conductive glue

every time I think of conductive ink pens, I keep thinking about this anime:
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encycl ... php?id=656

Perhaps not what you're looking for, but what about model rocket airframe tube (e.g. BT-101) with endcaps made from EPP spheres? http://www.erockets.biz/semroc-body-tube-bt-101-10-5-long/ https://www.rocketarium.com/Build/Airframes/Phenolic https://www.amazon.com/Smooth-Foam-Balls-4-inch-White/dp/B0...

You might want to check the original circuit -- see if the current-limiting resistor could be found there (perhaps it's in the battery box or the cabling). If there is no such component - then perhaps the current-limiting resistor is integrated into the LED. In that case writing them in series (when...

Hrm... * Two AA batteries would give you 3 volts ( 1.5V x 2 ) -- not sure if it's a good idea to be running those LEDs at 9V. If anything, you'd probably want to add a bigger resistor to further limit the current (due to applying the higher voltage). * In general you'd want to be using a resistor in...

I do recall back in the day when drug stores (e.g. Thrifty's, Longs Drugs, CVS, etc.) in the USA used to have a hobby section where they carried model kits as well as supplies. The first few Guillows kits I ever had were bought at a drugstore. Also recall the time when you can find a few model kits ...

the stuff in the bottles are acrylics, but you'll have to be careful about the spray stuff -- in particular stuff in the "PS" series, which are lacquers meant for use with polycarbonate (e.g. R/C model car bodies) which would generally be "too hot" (i.e. chemically active) for po...

[smirk] switch to papercraft. :P some advantages of papercraft: * you can avoid having to use smelly solvent-based adhesives with potentially toxic fumes * many come pre-decorated, so you can often forgo painting -- so no worries about toxic fumes from paint * you can often resize a model (with a fe...

This really does look like the nice, reasonably easy universal lighting set I've been dreaming of for a while! It was back around 1980, when I first found out about the IN() function and OUT statement in BASIC on the TRS-80, the dream of using microcomputer to control stuff had started with me. Wha...

If you want a flawless deep gloss finish that wins at model car contests, you might need a wife or a maid. a waifu nor meido would be helpful in this respect (considering they are fictional characters and usually only reside in the 2-D realm). And if referring to cosplay variety then expecting them...

I do recall seeing some Gundam figures that used such "light pipe" setup for the mono-eye so that in daylight, the mono-eye would appear to glow.