Electronics in miniatures

[Jacob]

Hey all

Ever consider how cool it would be to have electronics built in to your 40k tanks? I have, and I am currently playing with the idea of designing and producing such electronics for 40k vehicles or other models with the sufficient internal space.

Now, I have some ideas of my own, but what I would really like is some community input on what people would like to see, and also what price they would be willing to pay for an electronic product for building into their miniature tank or whatever else they can imagine.

Some of my own ideas:

• Movement like an RC car, controlled from a smartphone
• Light and sound effects when a weapon is fired. Bang, followed by whistling of flying grenade, followed by explosion.
• Light and sound effects when the vehicle is shot to pieces. Explosion, followed by a continuos burning sound and glowing orange light from inside.
• Laser sight showing fire arcs, like what you can get already with a special laser pointer, just built into the gun turret.

Assume anything is possible!

I'm looking forward to reading your funny/good/ridiculous suggestions :-)

[eldargal]

You see a few LED mods every now and then, they look nice. RC movement sounds good but my brothers experimented with it once and ended up bulldozing a dozen models off a table so be careful with that.

[Wolfshade]

I've seen some from the ktisch to the cool.

There are the holiday templars


And glowing eyese for crons:

[url]http://z11.invisionfree.com/Work_In_Progress/index.php?showtopic=2185[/url]

The glowing lith on the front page :[url]http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2011/11/40k-hobby-pimp-my-monolith.html[/url]

I seem to recall a unit of flamers that were re-cast in clear resin with led lights in the bottom, also internal lighting for an Avatar and Balrog to bring that molteny/flamey look to life.

[Psychosplodge]

I really couldn't be arsed, it'd be too much like being at work

Though if you recast clear horrors and fitted a blue and a red LED you could have pink or blue horrors appropriately...

[glayvin34]

I've always wanted to integrate the dice-rolling PIC from this kit into something:
[URL="http://www.makershed.com/product_p/mkskl09.htm"]http://www.makershed.com/product_p/mkskl09.htm[/URL]
The kit as-is looks too large for any decent mini wargaming solutions and it only displays the number for about 15 seconds. But you could get smaller LEDs and re-engineer it a little to be placed somewhere like on the base of a large monstrous creature. You tap it on the table to roll charge distance.

Fiery flickering is cool, this guy's site has an interesting way to generate a candle-like flicker:
[URL="http://www.paulinthelab.com/2012/06/candle-flicker-stripboard-veroboard.html"]http://www.paulinthelab.com/2012/06/candle-flicker-stripboard-veroboard.html[/URL]
I breadboarded this one and it wasn't that great, as he mentions you kind of need one dim LED behind the flickering LED to get it to actually look like a candle, but this next one was really good:
[URL="http://www.paulinthelab.com/2012/07/led-ring-oscillator-stripboard.html"]http://www.paulinthelab.com/2012/06/candle-flicker-stripboard-veroboard.html[/URL]
I found the flickering to be a little slow, but I reduced the resistance a bit with R4, R5 and R6 so the caps fill faster and it fixed that.
Electronics are fun and WAY cheaper than models, both of these examples from Paul in the Lab cost less than $10 for components (and less than $5 if you find the right vendors).

@Wolfshade- I saw those WHFB lit up flamer-based army around the web a few years ago, probably one of the most impressive modeling achievements I've ever seen, can't seem to find any pics now.

[glayvin34]

Sorry if this posts double my first post didn't show up.
I've always wanted to integrate the dice-rolling PIC from this kit into something:
[URL="http://www.makershed.com/product_p/mkskl09.htm"]http://www.makershed.com/product_p/mkskl09.htm[/URL]
The kit as-is looks too large for any decent mini wargaming solutions and it only displays the number for about 15 seconds. But you could get smaller LEDs and re-engineer it a little to be placed somewhere like on the base of a large monstrous creature. You tap it on the table to roll charge distance.

Fiery flickering is cool, this guy's site has an interesting way to generate a candle-like flicker:
[URL="http://www.paulinthelab.com/2012/06/candle-flicker-stripboard-veroboard.html"]http://www.paulinthelab.com/2012/06/candle-flicker-stripboard-veroboard.html[/URL]
I breadboarded this one and it wasn't that great, as he mentions you kind of need one dim LED behind the flickering LED to get it to actually look like a candle, but this next one was really good:
[URL="http://www.paulinthelab.com/2012/07/led-ring-oscillator-stripboard.html"]http://www.paulinthelab.com/2012/06/candle-flicker-stripboard-veroboard.html[/URL]
I found the flickering to be a little slow, but I reduced the resistance a bit with R4, R5 and R6 so the caps fill faster and it fixed that.
Electronics are fun and WAY cheaper than models, both of these examples from Paul in the Lab cost less than $10 for components (and less than $5 if you find the right vendors).

[Iceman]

Jacob,

I would be interested in the two light and sound ideas.

[Denzark]

I think sound or motion is a pants idea - I like to play with wargaming miniatures or model soldiers, not piow-piaow GI Joe tanks. Lighting adds a little je ne sais quois and the laser poiter would be good for arguments but probably hardest to achieve.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Even though its' Warmachine, it's the most impressive use of electronics iv seen :


Smoke stacks, led's, working weapons ect....mindblowing work

[whargoul666]

That was an awesome video! The only thing is, I don't speak German or play Warmachine so I couldn't figure out what the weapon ect was (that seems to short for chain gun)?