Star Wars Prop - Base Hacker System

 Post Hand In - Electronics Upgrades


Tower Electronics - Problems and Issues


The Animated Screen is My Phone


Whilst as a short-term solution using my phone as an animation screen looking like radar, sensors, communication or other systems, the problem is it is my phone and I need it as a phone to use and not be in the prop.


It’s also a big problem in that it is my primary camera needed to take photos of said prop and animated screen.


The 3rd problem is the compartment the phone sits in was sized only for my Samsun Galaxy Ultra 21 phone.



It is a snug fit and unlikely to fit anything else.



The Glow Sticks were Glued in so Could Not Replace Batteries



When building the prob long term consideratios were not the priority, trying to get it finsihed was so the electronic glow sticks were glue gunned in place and sprayed over.


This meant I could not open them to replace the button batteries.

The Light up Buttons Constantly Fail Due to Wire breaks



The prop was wireed up badly with resistors soldered onto the  switches along with a mess of thin wires trying to add redundancy.


What was needed as all the componets on a solid circuit board and wired connected with some for of cable connects, minimising direct soldering.

The LED Strips Constantly Fail


When the LED strips were installed, I tried various glues to old them in place:


  • Superglue
  • Glue Gun
  • Epoxy


None worked. In the end I had used a stable gun and this may have damaged the electronics piercing something as they work intermittently like loose wiring.


In addition the power packs I used from my thermal gilets or phone appears to have a timer power cut off which was a problem given the time span from setting it up to displaying it, which mean t it had switched off and when it was a slow and tricky problem to access them such as the panels being screwed into place this was a major problem., I needed something that stayed on till manually switched off.


The power packs are also bulkly, fiddlly to insert the USB cables and not staying in place.

Upgrading the Central Power Tower


Making The Glowsticks Detachable with Velcro & Adding more Coloured Electroluminescent String


To fix the issue of the glowsticks being perishable as glued in place, I broke them free and replaced the glue with velcro and added some more electroluminescent string in different colours

Securing Battery Packs with Velcro


The battery packs needed to be secured in place, especially given the problem with the damaged and loose LED strip ribbons. I used stick on Velcro, adding extra glue to bod the Velcro with the fluffy soft side on my battery packs so they could be carried in pockets when not used on the prob without scratching.

Lighting the Front Tubing


The front tubes had broken off and needing fixing anyway.


I thought I would use the opportunity to try to light the breathing tubes on the front by drilling through the case front where the tubes connect. I then fed through the spare electroluminescent string into the tubes.


To re-glue I combined hot glue gun glue with superglue.





The hot glue being cement like filling in gaps and having some flex.
 
The superglue being an instant fix when used with activator spray.
 
The electroluminescence string looks like plasma technology but not bright. I would like the tubes to being much brighter when lit., I would need to be in dim light to be seen, especially given there is spray paint on top.


Replacing LED and Upgrading Attachment



When I installed the LED strips first time, having had a hard time trying to glue as nothing stuck, I had tried a staple gun which resulted in accidently putting a staple through the strips disrupting the wiring so it was flaky on and off and unreliable.


As well as velcroing the battery pack I found clips that I could pin the LED strips down with.


I used my glue gun to attach the clips as the glue that came with them was useless.




Some of the clips needed trimming to fit.
 
I also drilled a hole for the infra-red sensors on the receiver for remote control as my phone was to be in side the prop when being displayed.

What I still have a problem with is that the USB battery packs I have seem to have a sensor and timer on them which switches off after a short time which means I need to open the unit with an electric screw driver.


The LED strips consistantly failed and needed replacement, leading me to think of removing them all together or trying coloured light up ribbon not LEDs