First dedicated Arduino board for Blasters - welcome the Stardust "B"

[RankAndFileTrooper]

I'm happy to present you the first Arduino based, fully integrated blaster board, the

 

Stardust "B"

 

 

 

 

This tiny but powerful board is a mid-range member of the Arduino compatible DIYino boards, capitalizing on the already proven architecture

of the Prime and at the same time streamlining the design to give you a board which is easy to integrate into a prop blaster of any size.

To this end I applied certain adjustments to the Prime architecture, like:

 

- replacing the bulky SD-card with a 16MByte on-board SPI Flash. No moving parts involved.

- swapping the DFPlayer MP3 chipset to a more advanced one, capable of handling SPI Flash

- using 3 instead of 6 driver channels for LEDs and other peripherials (making board smaller but still perfect for RGB LEDs and neopixel builds)

- it comes with an micro USB connector for smaller size

- the USB signals are broken out so you can hook up an external USB connector, serving as general access port (and more!)

- all connections necessary to operate https://github.com/Protonerd/FX-BlasterOS are integarted on board, eliminating the need for on-board wiring

- The board can  operate on a single 3.7V Li-Ion/LiPo battery, usage of a small DC/DC to boost the voltage to 5V is highly recommended.

- still based on the popular Arduino Nano board featuring an Atmega328P

- it has added-circuitry to make the board low-power if not "trooped with", eliminating the need for a kill-key/switch for cutting power.

 

All features discussed in other threads related to Arduino type blasters can be implemented with the Stardust with no big effort. The 3 PWM controlled low-side switches can be used to drive LEDs (up to 3), but also rumbling motors, smoke generators etc. . The board includes I2C signals to communicate with an OLED display for a blaster with added sci-fi flavor!

 

But there is more! The Stardust is not a stripped-down version of the Prime! It incorporates a feature unique among prop electronics board:

 

USB charging of Li-Ion/LiPo battery

 

 

This opens up a whole new world of possibilities of design and interaction with the electronics. Only a single interface suffices to reach all features:

- charging a single 3.7V Li-Ion/LiPo battery, via USB

- no charging device needed, no need for a big recharge port or swap batteries

- software updates can be flashed over USB

- the on-board SPI flash can be directly accessed over the USB as well, eliminating the need to take apart the design if you want a new set of blaster sound

 

 

 

I hope you like it and I will keep you updated about the details!

Edited June 30, 2017 by RankAndFileTrooper

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Um, more electronics, me likey   

[darthcue[TK]]

DIBS

[Sly11[Admin]]

The words I want to use are not allowed in these chats lol, Loving it

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Locitus[Admin]]

Very nice!

[GodOfLibra[TK]]

That's nice

 

 

Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk

[RankAndFileTrooper]

Thanks guys, really appreciate the likes and motivating posts! My philosophy is to create something first. and once physically there show it. This is exactly what I did with the "big brother" DIYino Prime, which is an Arduino board for lightsaber props, and now I continue this nice tradition with the Stardust as well.

 

I will keep you posted about details when the boards become available, currently I have a prototype batch of ~10 boards but I definitely plan in 1-2 months to have enough to start the sale   

 

Until that time, stay tuned and here is a video showing the capabilities of the board, using FX-BlasterOS (this build uses a DIYino Prime, but the Stardust is technically speaking compatible):

[Truimphmark[TK]]

Coolio mate interested

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[RankAndFileTrooper]

Sorry guys for not being around for some time, it had its reasons, them being:

 

- I had a larger commission for my DIYino Prime boards and I had to cater to the logistics

 

- and more importantly, the 1st run of the Stardust boards is fully sold out. For lightsaber builders...

 

Following this positive launch and enthusiastic feedbacks from saber builders, I plan a bigger run, but not before I make some adjustments to the design. It's not to say that the v1 has flaws, it just that being from Germany I became a perfectionist. All the new functions I designed in compared to the Prime are working fine, what is needed is a LaPo (Layout polishing), reasons are:

- bigger cooling area for the USB charger to be able to charge with more than 100mA (the next run will come with ~250mA charging, but with a change of a single resistor it can utilize the full 500mA as well)

- some housekeeping among the breakout signals, all of them will be kept, but with a layout lending itself to easier soldering

- and a new idea: I want the battery to be decoupled from the board if the USB is plugged in, acting as a sort of kill-key

 

Here are some pics of a Stardust lightsaber, I include it here because lightsabers are more sophisticated in terms of functionality, therefore a system which can drive a saber is a good match for a blaster as well. I did not edit the sound of the video, this board is REALLY this load 

 

https://youtu.be/YQtkhgFm0GM

 

 

A pic of the USB charging, in the middle is the indicator for fully charged battery:

 

 

I also had a crazy idea: with the next run, which I will dedicated for blasters I swear (to avoid selling them all out to saber smiths), I will comission a special 501st flavor with white board. Actually I already made a first step in this direction, my Prime boards are available already in white. If I manage, I will include a stormtrooper helm on the silk screen 

 

Edited June 30, 2017 by RankAndFileTrooper

[Marshall[TK]]

Hi,

 

definitely interested on the next run. I've a DLT 19 to wire and your product seems perfect without the need to have multiple chips around.

How could I get on your next run?

 

many thanks

 

Niccolò

[Addertime[TK]]

I'm in! This is exactly what I need!

[RankAndFileTrooper]

Hi guys,

 

The Stardust v2 will go into the prototype phase in the coming weeks. I expect to have samples by mid June.

 

If you cannot wait so long, I will have a few Prime v1 as well, this board is the big brother of the Stardust. It is not USB-chargable though.

[Marshall[TK]]

I can wait. Please keep us posted

 

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[RankAndFileTrooper]

The v2 is right now in assembly, I can't wait to start testing the first few prototypes. If they work as I expect I will reserve a few for those who expressed interest in this thread. I will keep you updated, I wish I could get the board faster now, my hands are itching, but it's a few hundreds of miles from me and I need to rely on conventional transportation methods to get them. A hyperdrive will not fit onto the available PCB space

[haui[TK]]

Nice work! Do you ship also to Nürnberg ? :-)

What is the Cost of such a board.

For my blasters e11, dlt19, e22 i used the arduino ano and the WT1000 MP3 Player incl amplifier. Is there a amplifier on the board also?

[RankAndFileTrooper]

Nice work! Do you ship also to Nürnberg ? :-)

What is the Cost of such a board.

For my blasters e11, dlt19, e22 i used the arduino ano and the WT1000 MP3 Player incl amplifier. Is there a amplifier on the board also?

 

If you are in Nuernberg, you can come and pick it up, I'm in Munich but I can send per Post as well.

The Stardust is also based on the Nano design, the MP3 player module is different, but the board comes with an integrated 3W audio amp. You need therefore only a speaker and some Wav files.

[Sly11[Admin]]

What is the expected price of these little beauties?

[RankAndFileTrooper]

Good news! I'm happy to announce that the Stardust V2 finally arrived!!!

New Features:

[Full USB integration]: one interface to interact with the board, the integrated micro-USB port is used to 1. upload code 2. charge a single Li-Ion or LiPo battery 3. upload sound files to the MP3 player/SPI flash 4. see below 

[uSB kill key]: the v2 can be wired to enable a so called USB kill key feature, which allows a complete shut-down of the board in case USB is connected

[K³ technology]: the v2 does not need a kill key, with its current consumption of 0.3mA in sleep mode it retains selve life for a long period of time. With a 3000mAh 18650 battery your blaster prop discharges the battery in (3000/0.3=10000h=416 days, which equals to over a year!!!

[single battery use]: the V2 runs off a single 3.7V battery without the need to boost the voltage. You can use a voltage source up to 5V or a DC-DC booster still if you so choose. Thanks to the powerful 3W audio amp the v2 still retains superb sound quality and volume at 3.7V supply.

[breadboard friendly design]: the v2 is fully breadboard friendly

[uSB charging port]: the V2 can be used to charge a single Li-Ion or LiPo battery cell with 250mA according to the standard CCCV charging profile, thanks to the integrated USB charger circuit. The board will come with an on-board micro-USB connector as well as an extrenal, small size micro-USB breakout board to be able to place a port to anywhere in your prop design.

 

Legacy features:

- based on the successful DIYino Prime v1 design for lightsaber props

- Arduino Compatible board, configured as Arduino Uno to leverage the additional code space of the Uno bootloader

- smal size to fit into any blaster prop (W x L x H = 21mm x 51mm x 5mm or 0.82" x 2" x 0.2")

- can be intergated with neopixel stripes for the barrel running lights as well as RGB high-power LED modules (Cree, Luxeon, etc.)

 

Price and availability:

The Stardust v2 price is 54 EUR + 6 EUR shipping worldwide. With this extreme low price its about half the price of similar, commercial products while being programmable, more flexible and offering a wide range of extra features over existing blaster electronics. I accept payment via PayPal, my account is: [email protected] . If you prefer to use the PayPal function to pay for services or products, add +3.9% to cover PayPal fees.

The first bigger batch of V2 boards are now in the manufacuring, I expect to get them in about a month.

 

For 501st blaster props I included a nice little extra:

 

Edited June 30, 2017 by RankAndFileTrooper

[RankAndFileTrooper]

I have been working hard in the last couple of days, good thing that I was on holidays in the last 2 weeks with some time to spare, so I managed to compile a first version of the User Manual which you can have a look here:

https://github.com/Protonerd/DIYino/blob/master/DIYino_Stardust_v2_User_Manual_v1.pdf

[RankAndFileTrooper]

It seems I need to relocate my pics from photobucket because the links do not work.

-----------

Edited April 2, 2022 by gmrhodes13
link removed no longer working

[Twnbrother]

great work.  Amazing

[Twnbrother]

Is the 54 Euro for the board only?  Or does it include the peripherals and wave files?

[RankAndFileTrooper]

Peripherals strongly depend on your preferences and blaster type, and wav files you can obtain from other members. Professional open source software is available from me or you can program your own (or any combination). Therefore this price is for the board. I can maintain this low price only if I manage to order larger quantities (100+) at a time.

 

[RankAndFileTrooper]

My first Stardust blaster is being prepared for my first commission: I make it for my nephew as a birthday present. It is made from an altered Nerf Death Trooper blaster. More photos and later on a video are on the way. Note that the Stardust and a 10440 3.7V Li-Ion battery snugly fit into the place which held the 3xAAA batteries in the original toy setup.

 

[RankAndFileTrooper]

For my previous built E11 DoopyDoo and also for the current Death Trooper blaster I used mostly these tiny little fellows named neopixels. While they start to get recognized as the new generation of LEDs, due to their programmable nature, it is less well known that apart from stripes (white PCB on the bottom) with different LED densities you can buy from Adafruit neopixels sticks (in the middle on black PCB, neopixel stick) which I used now in place of the traditional PLI/bar grah. Big advantage of the neopixel bar is - apart from the obvious color mix capability - that it needs only 3 wires instead of a huge amount necessary for a traditional bar graph.

 

Due to the fact that neopixels stripes are awesome, but hard to solder if singulated, I bought for the 2 nozzle lights so called Floras, single neopixels on a round PCB which is smaller than a STAR PCB but can be attached to the same 20mm Carclo lenses used for high-power LEDs. My E11 has those brutally bright HP-LEDs, however since this blaster will be for a kid, I concluded it would be a bad idea to let them blind each other so I went for neopixels in the nozzle. Neglecting the fact that it is much more easier to

a.) install

b.) program

such a neopixel it is crazily bright while far less dangerous to the eyes as HP-LEDs. I will actually stop using HP-LEDs, these guys are sooooo much better and fun to program.