LED Phasing Effect????????

Thomas E. Johnson · Post by **Thomas E. Johnson** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 8:52 pm

I have one of REL's 40" Enterprise-E kits and I want to have the Bussard Collectors have that swirling moving gas anamation like in the movie. I figure its best done with about 3 or 4 LEDs in a random phasing pattern, but I have no clue how to create the effect. How can this be done?

jwrjr · Post by **jwrjr** » Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:09 pm

I would program a single-chip computer to generate the effect. But that option isn't available to most modelers.

MillenniumFalsehood · Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:16 pm

Perhaps you could use those little circuits in another thread in this forum entitled "cheap fade circuit?" that Zog drew up. They involve a single LED, diode, and capacitor. If you use differring capacitances for each LED you can get a pretty random pattern after several "generations" of phase. And if you have another LED in constant glow behind them the bussard collector will never appear "dead". A CMOS chip would be advised to drive the circuits so none of them are too dim.

Sparky · Post by **Sparky** » Sat Aug 19, 2006 7:33 am

Here's some small rings
http://www.kc6sye.com/images/images_04_ ... _sqncr.jpg
http://www.kc6sye.com/techmages_3_11_04_b.html

However you will be able to use a larger ring if you want to use the leds to simulate the fan blades used in the original model.

This chip can be used to drive up to 8 I believe but you only get one 'fan blade effect. That is only one led will be off at a time so it looks like there's one fan blade shadow. You should have atleast 4 quadrants of LEDs, so that 1 - x LEDs lay all in one arc of 90 degress, the next 90 dgree arc is wired in parallel with the first arc. . .How this is done might best be shown graphically. Please let me know if you wnat to simulate the fan blade shadows with the LEDs.

http://www.kc6sye.com/techmages_2_5_06_c.html

BTW These Blue LEDs need more current than the chip can supply, they really need a power transistor for each. Easy enough to wire, a pain to find a place to mount them for wiring. . .

MillenniumFalsehood · Post by **MillenniumFalsehood** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 3:35 pm

Are you talking about the TOS Enterprise, Sparky? Because he'se referring to the Enterprise 1701-E. Would it be possible to use those circuits I mentioned to get the effect he's talking about, i.e. a swirling vortex of red energy?

Sparky · Post by **Sparky** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 4:10 pm

I see which one you're talking about. Not sure how to do that effect. I have seen some squishy toys that are filled with somthing that might look like swrilling gasses, a red led behing it might shine through enough to make it look like plasma.

This is a very tuff effect to emulate. Short of a neon bulb.

jonaswinfield · Post by **jonaswinfield** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 3:54 pm

Pardon me for being out of the loop, but I've never seen a kit for a 40" Enterprise-E. Where can I get one of those?

Sparky · Post by **Sparky** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 3:57 pm

There was a big one shown at Butch-O'Hare a while ago see this:
http://www.kc6sye.com/techmages_11_13_04_b.html

I think this was his mockup for the production run. Maybe this isn't the same guy, but as you can see it's big.

NNYGamer · Post by **NNYGamer** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 4:54 pm

How about buying 2 cheap laser pointers and put them in?

jonaswinfield · Post by **jonaswinfield** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 4:55 pm

That's awesome, Sparky! Really impressive considering it's a scratch build--and all lit up. There is so much more detail to the later Enterprises. However, Thomas mentioned that he had one of REL's Enterprise KITS. Has anyone else seen one of those?

Thomas E. Johnson · Post by **Thomas E. Johnson** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 3:27 am

I was able to create the effect I wanted by rigging 3 super bright red blinking LEDs in parrall in each ramscoop. They all blink at diffrent rates and frequancies, and give the swirling plasma effect.

Thomas E. Johnson · Post by **Thomas E. Johnson** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 3:38 am

jonaswinfield wrote:Pardon me for being out of the loop, but I've never seen a kit for a 40" Enterprise-E. Where can I get one of those?

http://www.starshipmodeler.net/cgi-bin/ ... hp?t=33455

http://www.starshipmodeler.net/cgi-bin/ ... hp?t=43906

And you can order from him here, but be advised, it he has many orders to fill and it may take several months before he can cast your ship after you place your order.

http://sovereignreplicas.com/