Magic of Myth ( MoM ) Luke RotJ Hero ( cave build ) lightsaber research, images, reference, & collaborative model builder's discussion.
- Thread starter BRRogers
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Mouse Vader
Sr Member
I always took the front switch to be a slightly smaller version of this 3 position slidy one ( prob 2 position & silver/white body). The rear as any monentary micro switch.
Sooo, are we sure the Smithsonian magazine board is missing? The picture showing the inside of the box from the flatter angle indicates a hint of board (red arrow) just behind the slide switch.
I think the idea that that board is cosmetic, with the actual circuit underneath, is still plausible. A circuit to make a single LED flash like that is incredibly simple (LED, transistor, capacitor, two resistors). With the addition of a double throw momentary snap switch under that cosmetic board, a second LED could be made to flash in place of the first LED for as long as the board is pressed. And small watch batteries of the day could power it.
I couldn’t see it well from my room-mates tv..... but MY TV (which is 4K HDR)
just well enough to see.
the board in the photo IS the board in the cave scene
-the switch is covered in the photo we’ve seen.
-you can make out the markings on the chip and the resistor.
-in true 4K the red shimmer is barely discern-able as a red wire.
-you can see mark fiddling to set his metal-tipped tool “into” a bridging connection and activate the red blinking arrow.
*Edit* thanks for the catch E Williams!
just well enough to see.
the board in the photo IS the board in the cave scene
-the switch is covered in the photo we’ve seen.
-you can make out the markings on the chip and the resistor.
-in true 4K the red shimmer is barely discern-able as a red wire.
-you can see mark fiddling to set his metal-tipped tool “into” a bridging connection and activate the red blinking arrow.
*Edit* thanks for the catch E Williams!
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Agreed on all counts, except for the position of the large red arrow - the arrowhead is too far to the left in your image; that area is covered by the sliding circuit card in the cave scene. The compass/tool point is pressing on an area in line with the break between the black buttons (around the area of the smaller blue arrowhead), which lead me to think he's just miming an "adjustment" while really just pressing down on the board (and maybe something like a snap switch underneath).
right, that’s fair.
so I’m thinking perhaps he contacted the pad that the red wire is attached to... which appears to drop under the board along with that separate red wire
mirrored images and visual Kung fu!
Thanks E Williams I modified the earlier image with a more accurate arrow setup
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I feel like I've seen these 80s boards before, Green and Dark Green (mask) and with more organic patterned leads. This one has a square chip with like 12-15 leads a side as opposed to those ones with a ton of tiny ones... seem to be more on computer or control boards. I see one round blue resistor too, and that hole might be for a screw to mount the board
Awesome, thanks for figuring out that it IS the same board!
I've been thinking, too, about the way it could've been wired. I've built a 555 flip flop circuit, and the simpler version with just transistors.
I guess there could be two separate circuits, because all you can do with a dual LED flip flop circuit is go back and forth. Can't blink one a bunch of times then the other, without more components. Though, maybe that larger chip is taking care of that.
I really don't know. I've been reading a lot about these circuits, and am asking for different approaches on electronics circuit design forums.
It's possible the LEDs themselves are of the flashing variety, I suppose. That'd certainly simplify things.
Anyway, we're getting really close to figuring this out, and I love it!! Great work, all y'all!!!
I've been thinking, too, about the way it could've been wired. I've built a 555 flip flop circuit, and the simpler version with just transistors.
I guess there could be two separate circuits, because all you can do with a dual LED flip flop circuit is go back and forth. Can't blink one a bunch of times then the other, without more components. Though, maybe that larger chip is taking care of that.
I really don't know. I've been reading a lot about these circuits, and am asking for different approaches on electronics circuit design forums.
It's possible the LEDs themselves are of the flashing variety, I suppose. That'd certainly simplify things.
Anyway, we're getting really close to figuring this out, and I love it!! Great work, all y'all!!!
Agree
Mouse Vader
Sr Member
Personally I'm not 100% convinced. In this screen grab from BRR's above video clip there looks to be a square feature in the middle of the board (circled red & watch the clip - it looks constant). Whereas that board pic has an overall scatter of small components in that area.
On the other hand the position of the rear 'switch' does look to correspond with where you say & do I spy a small switch (framed by dots) ? between the two red wires which do look like they go down through a cut out in the board & that these connect to the terminals of alleged switch.
Watching that clip (& at full speed other clips) the red arrow winks at the same frequency as the green one so I think all that's happening is that the output signal from the wink-timer is just being swapped from green to red with said 'switch'.
On balance I'd have to agree that is the same board, based on the 'rear 'switch' & wires, but that's not 100% certain.
On the other hand the position of the rear 'switch' does look to correspond with where you say & do I spy a small switch (framed by dots) ? between the two red wires which do look like they go down through a cut out in the board & that these connect to the terminals of alleged switch.
Watching that clip (& at full speed other clips) the red arrow winks at the same frequency as the green one so I think all that's happening is that the output signal from the wink-timer is just being swapped from green to red with said 'switch'.
On balance I'd have to agree that is the same board, based on the 'rear 'switch' & wires, but that's not 100% certain.
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Thanks for the reply @mousevader.
I realize now my YouTube video (my phone recording in slow mo mode on my computer) just doesn’t have the pixels to share that properly. In the full 4K it seems clear that it’s a recess not a protrusion.
But this might help explain.
Animated GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY
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Mouse Vader
Sr Member
Thanks for taking the time to do that. May I point out that you scaled the picture overlay too small so that it fitted entirely in the open aperture from the screen grab so the positions you pointed to were out a bit. However listening to your commentary has helped & I get what you mean, it also caused me to try a similar thing to scale the overlay the right size but that got me nowhere other than to look again at the pic you posted in post# 545 which has the lower right hand view in much better res. than my screen grab.
In it I can make out a component in the dark square not seen in my screen grab (green arrow) & that resistor (red arrow) & what I believe is the switch (blue arrow & see prev post) which is in the exact place MH places his 'tool' (oo er missis). Much happier this is the same board.
In it I can make out a component in the dark square not seen in my screen grab (green arrow) & that resistor (red arrow) & what I believe is the switch (blue arrow & see prev post) which is in the exact place MH places his 'tool' (oo er missis). Much happier this is the same board.
This is exactly what I see as well. It would be a circuit like this (link), but with the center of a double throw switch added in place of the LED - the two arrow LEDs would be on each end of the switch, and both opposite leads back to common. I also stumbled across an obsolete LM3909 IC that served to flash an LED but don't know much about it.
I do think those red wires are suspicious, so some other circuit, involving the contacts on the cosmetic board itself as BRRogers posits, is certainly possible.
I did consider a blinking LED as a possibility, grafted to or sanded down to a triangle, but all self blinking LEDs that I've seen flash at a much lower frequency than what the scene shows.
Mouse Vader
Sr Member
If so is that the end (red corners) of a 2 position slide switch (as I showed earlier) pocking through a cut out in the board (green corners). Your link & description is just the sort of thing I was thinking of but didn't know how to make.
Would a single AAA battery fit there ?
Mouse Vader: maybe. Highly unlikely tho. A AAA is 10.5x44.5mm so it would take up a major portion of the compartment and being under the battery would likely put the board too high. IF a alkaline cylindrical cell was used then we are back to a hollow body.
BRRogers thinks it may have been powered externally. I will let him provide the rationale behind that. But he has seen something strange on the back side of the box that may have been a wire channel covered with aluminum tape if I recall.
BRRogers thinks it may have been powered externally. I will let him provide the rationale behind that. But he has seen something strange on the back side of the box that may have been a wire channel covered with aluminum tape if I recall.
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