Raspberry PI/Jessie/Nodejs/Javascript based Tardis Clock

Started by jorwick, Jan 12, 2016, 11:57 pm

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jorwick

Hi All,
So  I  spent most of Christmas Break teaching myself JavaScript ( and learning that I am too old to gingerly move wires on a bread board without shorting something)   and I have programmed a Clock that would go inside your TARDIS and provide Lights and Sound effects.   This post is just a feeler to see if anyone here would be interested in building/coping my design  and interested in using my code. If so , I will go through the additional effort of trying to bundle this as an easily  install-able Java module and/or putting together some good documentation on how to install it.

But some basic electrical soldering is involved. Nothing you can't accomplish with a $10  soldering iron and a little patience.

Parts:

1)Raspberry PI (v1, v2 or even a Zero will work if you do the extra required ofr sound)  ~ $35 US.
2) 20 Watt Stereo i2c controlled  Amplifier https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-20w-stereo-audio-amplifier-class-d-max9744/overview ~$20
3) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009XBQ7YK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage ~$30
4) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009FWYYYM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage ~$14
5)   Par of http://www.amazon.com/Dayton-AudioHDN-8-Weatherproof-Exciter-Transducer/dp/B00ADR2BWA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452641691&sr=8-1&keywords=parts+express+transducers+exciter  ~$30
6) various Resistors, capacitors, bread board, MosFets, mounts, enclosure, lamp nipples and washers, sockets, 12V 2 amp power supply and other what not  ~ $35

- total cost will be around $170 US..my code is free..  and  you can substitute things - your own AMP ( no i2c vol control then) , your own speakers, your own 12V lamps (probably still best if LED though)  and so on..

Features:

Lights are PWM controlled do a full sinusoidal   "breathing effect" (not just simple on/off)

24 Hour Clock -  Chimes using the Tardis In flight sound ( but chiming with something else would be a pretty simple change) - Plays a Random Dr Who theme at noon.  - Top Light runs in time with sound

Ability to set quiet Hours where there is no Chime/no lights

(simple)  web interface to set system volume, activate certain effects, light sensor sensitivity,  set quiet hours and time

Light Sensor that Automatically turns on/off  interior Lights  at dusk  ( quiet hours override)  using Materialization/Dematerialization effects

4 Buttons that control 4 Effects with lights and sound (Play a theme with top light running, De-materialize (sound effect, fading breathing lights on top and inside) , materialize (basically de-materialize in revers with proper sound effect)  and Cloister bell ( Cloister bell effect with flickering  interior light)

Anyway, let me know if there is interest in the electrical design or the code.  Its 98% working at the moment - and I am just running through the final testing of the code.  I am picking up a bit of noise on the speaker outputs  from the buck step-down converter interacting with the PWM load on the 12V rail- and my filter caps just don't seem to be doing the job.. .. and still deciding what to do about that problem..I can solve it today by simply using a separate 5v Power supply, but where is the fun in that.. ?!?

System does run on 12 Volts so use of a Battery/Solar is an option.

Anyway- let me know if there is interest...  otherwise watch my TARDIS Well house build post for updates and video when I get it installed in the coming week or two..   ( ANd yes, I have the build guide 95% done, but haven't posted it yet because my columns have warped and my Sign boxes didn't play well with the expansion of the Acrylic sign in the -10F weather. Luckily the sign won and didn't crack...  So a spring redesign and rebuild of those two components is in order..)

deck5


galacticprobe

Jan 13, 2016, 06:33 am #2 Last Edit: Jan 13, 2016, 06:38 am by galacticprobe
Wow! That sounds like it was some serious work! I'd like to see it as well. As for the hourly chime, I like the 'Theme' music idea for noon, but I think having the Cloister Bell clong out the hours would be more ominous. :D Also, if this could be connected to a motion sensor it would make an excellent burglar deterrent. (Just imagine someone sneaking up to your house in the night, and having a TARDIS light up while sounding a decently-loud Cloister Bell! ;D)

Dino.
"What's wrong with being childish?! I like being childish." -3rd Doctor, "Terror of the Autons"

jorwick

Quote from: galacticprobe on Jan 13, 2016, 06:33 am
Wow! That sounds like it was some serious work! I'd like to see it as well. As for the hourly chime, I like the 'Theme' music idea for noon, but I think having the Cloister Bell clong out the hours would be more ominous. :D Also, if this could be connected to a motion sensor it would make an excellent burglar deterrent. (Just imagine someone sneaking up to your house in the night, and having a TARDIS light up while sounding a decently-loud Cloister Bell! ;D)

Dino.


Actually I  considered using the Cloister Bell as the chime, and it would be a very easy change to make. (just change a .wav file and the period of the top light flashing... or not flash it at all)  But the Cloister bell takes a long time to ring.. and it sounds wrong if you try to speed it up, and while I live in the country, my wife is still convinced they will hear this in town..(hence the quiet period feature and the faster chimes...)  

It was a version 2 feature, but I was planning on hooking up a water leak sensor and a pressure sensor so I could have the cloister bell go if there was something wrong with the well itself,  but a PIR  would be exceptionally easy to set up in its place, and they cost about $6 US for a pack of 5 (http://www.amazon.com/2013newestseller-HC-SR501-Pyroelectric-Infrared-Detector/dp/B00FDPO9B8/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1452694184&sr=8-5&keywords=raspberry+pi+PIR_) The real question is where on the TARDIS to mount it... or them... You would probably need to put it two places- front/back..and then adjust the sensitivity so that a cat or a squirrel won't set it off all of the time..  I have Yaks so unless I add a camera and do animal recognition,   it would be going off every time a Yak walked by...

I also toyed with adding a music player  function - just play all of these files in this directory randomly sort of thing.. and as with everything else in JavaScript someone wrote a library to make that easy as well ( https://www.npmjs.com/package/player)  but  unless you wanted to use it exclusively from the web, its more buttons and indicators you need to hook up.. (its two resistors and a jumper wire from a GPIO pin per button.. not a big deal really.. but then you might want a LED display with song info ..... )  I might use it to listen to music while working in the field.. but then there is that spousal concern at annoying the neighbors (1/4 mile away...) 

I guess the point is - if someone wants to build one,  I am open to tweaking behavior or adding a feature.. or letting others who are better at such things clean up what I did and make it more awesome..

Hopefully my real time clock shows up today ( Raspberry Pi uses NTP to get the time..and I don't have a wi-fi signal that covers the well house..)  --  once I have that hooked up I will probably close up the case and mount it.. and then post  a  video and everything..   Its will also be the first test of using those exciters as speakers.. I figure the Roof of the TARDIS will act like a giant speaker cone..  but I will probably try a side panel as well..  I just like the idea of using the TARDIS structure itself as the speaker the noise comes from...  they are pretty loud just sitting here on my desk, so I am hopeful...

And just for fun, a sample of the current web interface... I might add another slider so you can dim the interior lights,  but I am not sure what one would use it for... so maybe not.
ClockInterface.jpg

jorwick

The Clock Module arrived, and after a bit of fighting with Jessie,  got her to agree to read it and NOT try to use the Non-existent NTP time to mess it all up..  and I added  3 more .47 microFarad capacitors to the 12V rail, and that took care of 98% of the hum from the PWM-- good enough for me anyway. So I got everything cleaned up, added heat shrink to the jumper wires and started to wrap up final testing... I think this weekend it will get installed.

IMG_20160114_170325_197_zpsdylcegds.jpg

The Bigger light on the left of the picture is the top light,  the smaller light on the right is the interior.  Those two halves will go together and then get bolted to the roof.
The two pucks to the left are the exciters, and they will get screwed right into the Roof or wall panel and use the entire structure as a speaker - they are quite loud even when NOT attached to a sounding board, so now I have the buzzing mostly licked and I can turn them all of the way up.. I am hopeful when installed they might be in the stupid loud category ( and they will hear them in town..)  
The blue cable is an RJ-45 Ethernet re purposed to run to the physical button control panel ( which is the top of the Box the phone is in, so you can "Pull to Open"  the phone door and operate the effects from outside.  

IMG_20160114_170253_982_zpsijrcid91.jpg

The Raspberry Pi is on the right,  the AMP is in the top left, my custom board with the MOSFETs to drive the Lights and the resistors to protect the PI/ pull downs for the buttons is the White bread board. Under that ( unseen) is the $2 Buck step down chip and that light in the bottom middle is the Clock chip.  All the little red flags are wire labels so I can hook it up without thinking too hard. ( I must have taken that White board off and put it back on 2 dozen times) - It looks complex but it really isn't - so don't let that discourage anyone from giving this a try. ..and showing me how much prettier you can make yours.  

Actually found these nifty little kits ( http://www.kr4.us/SparkFun-MOSFET-Power-Control-Kit.html?gclid=Cj0KEQiAq920BRC8-efn57XrotYBEiQAlVlMQ_C4bu-QheC8ioARz5qCU_hoNe-zNa6z8U_r9FzD8nYaApAo8P8HAQ)  You still have to solder them together, but then your connection to them is just a couple of screw lugs - and you don't need the buttons at all if you intend to controlling things via web anyway... so between the two you could eliminate the white bread board...and if you are internet connected you don't really need the clock module either.. (can you tell I am trying to get a taker on building a second one?)

The HDMI and Ethernet cables will not be installed on the final result.  It is possible to get a very small  wi-fi module for $10,  but where this is going to be installed , I don't have signal.  I will hook up an Ethernet so if I really need to get into it and I don't want to unmount it and bring it in the house, I can go down there with a laptop and plug in.

IMG_20160114_170237_436_zps0jvnilbp.jpg
The control panel isn't anything special - it uses Arcade buttons because I had them left over from my MAME cabinet (http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/The_Ghost_in_the_Machine if you are curious)  That dangly bit is the photo resistor - It will be mounted peering out of the phone box on the hinge side, and will determine when its dark enough to turn on the interior light.

the top of the clamshell doesn't have much in there.. mostly the power supply and the two panels for speakers and rj-45 input...
IMG_20160114_170259_693_zpsw5w8kfr5.jpg


And I tried to take some video... The light in the back (top of video)  is the Top Light,  the light closest is the interior light. I had to place some 3 sheets of paper over the lights as a diffuser and turn the exposure on the camera way down to even get video of them that approximates what they do - they are that annoyingly bright. But the video doesn't do it justice. It looks better in person.  Hopefully I can find some point during the day once its installed in the TARDIS where I can get a decent video of it working.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-12UN0ePwY&feature=youtu.be

galacticprobe

Jan 16, 2016, 05:54 am #5 Last Edit: Jan 16, 2016, 05:57 am by galacticprobe
I love it! That Cloister Bell sound isn't too long of a "ring" for chiming out the hour (and half hour). My bracket clock takes longer than that to strike the hour (and she sounds like a little Big Ben - only she was made in Germany in 1880). So do keep that possibility in mind. :D

The Mat/Demat sounds are perfect! And the flashing Top Lamp is so smooth; it doesn't flutter or jitter like some sound-light syncs I've seen. You've done a wonder with that. And I also love those arcade buttons - very Classic Series TARDIS console-esque.

I'm still on the fence over the Nathan-Turner era rendition of the Theme song, though: never really cared for any of his versions, but that's just a personal preference, as it is for everyone, and I'll never fault anyone for which version they prefer. (The sound quality of it is amazing, I must admit!)

Well done so far! As a retired electronic technician I can tell you that I've seen many control and junction boxes in my 31-year career, and not many of them looked this neat, even with the breadboard. (Then again, the military isn't known for neatness with any of its wiring!) Neither was the civilian place I worked for while I did my two years in the reserves before going active duty for 29 years. And in all that time I wished I'd had wiring boxes that looked this neat to work on!

I know if I had a schematic diagram for this I could probably build it. (As a tech, I'm not much of an engineer so designing things of this Type isn't my forte <wink-wink>.) Seriously, I'm rubbish at designing anything more than simple NE555 Timer circuit stuff, and I usually have to look up references for that. As I say, if it's broken, I can repair it, but I can't design it. I'm not much of a software guy either, so I really love that GUI you've got for selecting the time functions, light brightness, volume levels, etc. Brilliant all round!

Once again, well done, you!

Dino.
"What's wrong with being childish?! I like being childish." -3rd Doctor, "Terror of the Autons"

jorwick

Quote from: galacticprobe on Jan 16, 2016, 05:54 am
I love it! That Cloister Bell sound isn't too long of a "ring" for chiming out the hour (and half hour)....The Mat/Demat sounds are perfect! And the flashing Top Lamp is so smooth; it doesn't flutter or jitter like some sound-light syncs I've seen


The lights are controlled via  a damped sinusoidal function that uses Pulse Width Modulation where the light is on for x% of the time ( x is the "duty cycle") and it updates that  every 25 milliseconds according to the function.  so you can have the lights dim in and dim out - kept in time by a period parameter.  That is why they don't flicker. . When I first started out I was going to write some sort of envelope follower that would smooth out the flicker and just follow a nice smooth curve of the original sound. Then I looked at the sound in Audacity and realized it did not nicely vary by volume in that way-- which is why those modulator based lights flicker too much.  So my Light signal is 100%  independent of the sound file - its just told to use the same period as the sound (1.7 seconds or so for nearly everything) 

All of the Audio  effects are stored as .wav files in particular directories... I should probably add web based form to let you upload and delete the .wav files for the different features...and then set parameters for the lights.. SO if you want cloister bell chimes it a matter of uploading a new sound file and setting the period of the chimes.  Themes are the same way - it just randomly plays a .wav file int he theme directory. Right now I have all of them, but you could remove any version you are not a fan of,  or have it play the Starwars theme. It won't care.

Anyone can build this. If you have done 555 timers, you did more work on that circuit than you would on any of the individual bits in this.  I will post the basic diagrams later this weekend..



galacticprobe

Jan 17, 2016, 04:24 pm #7 Last Edit: Jan 17, 2016, 04:25 pm by galacticprobe
I have quite a few .WAV files. I like working with them; with the basic sound editor I've have, I can edit WAVs, but no other formats.

I definitely look forward to your diagrams!

Dino.
"What's wrong with being childish?! I like being childish." -3rd Doctor, "Terror of the Autons"

jorwick

Here is the Schematic.

schemeit-project-1.jpg

As you can see there really is not a lot to this. Most of the connections are just jumpers running from pin to pin ( The I2c Bus for instance , from the Real Time Clock to the Amplifier) -no soldering required there.  The Audio comes off the PI using a standard Audio Jack (  the newer, faster, cheaper PI 2 uses a combined Audio/Video jack - so be aware you will need to get a special cable..  and the header changes slightly.. but you can certainly use a PI 2 for this as well. )  If you don't care about web control , you can use your own standard Stereo Amp hooked up to whatever speakers suit your fancy.  The MAX 9744 Amp I used is only 20 Watts or so..  and requires some basic  soldering ( header pins, screw jacks)  - the RTC clock needed me to solder 4 pins on for the secondary I2c pins to the amp.  ( You could also just split the jumper wires  and send them two places, etc. Its a BUS so you just need all of the terminals to be electrically connected)

If you plan for your TARDIS to be internet connected, you don't strictly need the RTC either ( you would just hook up the I2c pins directly to the AMP or not at all if using your own amp) - the internet would just set the clock each time the PI booted ( obviously if there is no internet the time will be wrong)

Likewise, if you plan to internet control the application, you don't need the buttons either, so those 4 switches and resistors mid diagram can also be deleted.  The Buck Stepdown converter is a $2 item on Amazon,  you just need to solder leads to the 12 V supply  , and then use the POT on the chip to adjust output voltage to 5V and then solder leads to a 5V and ground on a USB Mini Male connector  - this is the hardest part - the solder ends are very tiny, and if you screw it up you stand a good chance of destroying your pi.. You could also cut up an existing cable,  or simply delete the buck converter altogether and use a separate 5V power supply to power the Pi and a 12 V for the rest.  (Make sure the ground wires get connected somewhere if you do)

So the only really mandatory thing are the MOSFET drivers.  Either as the sparkfun Kit ( which you solder together)  or on your own breadboard, which you solder together. The Kit is sometrhing like $1.50 more if you just want to have screw terminals and a premade PCB.. .   The MOSFETs can drive any 12V light source up to 62 Amps ( but you will NEED BIG HEATSINKS ON THEM if you go that high)   My lights are pulling about 1 AMP and my MOSFETs stay cool. No heatsink required. Also be aware that your 12 V supply also needs to be rated to do the number of amps you are pulling. My configuration is using a 2AMP supply without issues, but a 5 AMP supply would probably be better.

And don't be embarrassed to ask about individual elements on the schematic... I know that not everyone knows how to read them... but trust me they look more complicated to the layman's eye than they really are to build. I am happy to post pictures of the MOSFETs and show you which pins go where and so forth if anyone engages in building one.

The point here is if you used all LED strip/tape lights on your TARDIS,  this will drive them, so you don't necessarily need my fancy bulbs.  Seeing how the lighting is working now I finally have this installed ( video tonight I think) I may be converting over to LED based  lightboxes when I rebuild them this spring..

jorwick

Quote from: galacticprobe on Jan 17, 2016, 04:24 pm
I have quite a few .WAV files. I like working with them; with the basic sound editor I've have, I can edit WAVs, but no other formats.


Try audacity..  Its freeware and its very full featured. Multiple track editing and so on.. and you can use MP3 etc if you install a couple of plugins.

jorwick

Spent some time experimenting today with the exciter placement..  its is VERY directional. At first I tried the roof, and it worked wonders if you wanted sound inside the TARDIS. It probably also worked splendidly if you were up 15 feet in that air at the right angle to the roof.   The placement that worked best for me was right in the middle of each wall panel, and in the middle of the Right door ( non phone box side)  Its pretty cool because  it really sounds like there should be a speaker there on the outside ,  but there isn't one. It has you looking for a hole or grill the sound is coming from..  Its pretty localized to one spot however - if you really want that General localized noise you would need two exciters per panel places at some on interval so they don't set up destructive wave interference.

My TARDIS is out in a field, and there really isn't anything for sound to bounce off of, and my amp is 20 Watts, so NO it doesn't produce a booming "hear it  for miles" sound  :(
Its ok loud right up next to the box , but not cover your ears loud. And you can hear it quite well if you are within 30 feet or so.  After that its fades pretty rapidly.
However,  I think in most applications ( a suburban backyard)   it would be loud enough to annoy your neighbors  and indoors it would be bordering on too loud.  Anyway, good enough for now on the sides I have the exciters installed on.  

I think for now I am going to order another two exciters,  so I can do the other two walls. I may experiment with some 4 Ohm ones  I found that are probably more suited for  the MAX  amp ( no, I didn't really plan a lot of this, just cobbled it together from what I had lying around - and those were the 8 ohm waterproof deck exciters)  If I get good results , maybe replace the 8 ohms with these , and then double up on the MAX ( yes I have a second one lying around already )   so I can drive each exciter independently, and then we will see if I want to keep questing for volume. However if you are building from scratch, a different amp might be cheaper and better... like this little 4 channel job with built in media player and FM radio.  It wouldn't be web controlled,  but you would have a separate remote and the PI can play over the Audio input.. and for $30  its cheaper than buying to MAX amplifiers.
Or if I need more power, then this  is a nifty contender  - 4 channels @ 50 Watts and 4ohms. Review isn't all tat good, but "musical" isn't going to happen with TARDIS Walls for speakers, and then pair it with something like these but at $20 a pop, plus the amp its another $100 on the project...

I wish I could find a way to put this project under $100, not add another $100 to it. .  There is is a way to add audio  to the PI zero which retails for $5, but its more soldering and about $10 in parts  and then  playing with the OS.  But if you did that, used only Web based  effects control, and gave up web based Audio control and used the above amps and exciters,  you would come in at about $66 for the sound system. Add on lights made from the LED tape for about $16 for 300 lights, $10 for a  power supply , and you are getting close to being sub $100.

UPDATE: I just remembered I actually own a Decibel Meter..the measured C-weighted sound pressure level at the panel averages at 85 dB, peaking at around 90, and at 1 meter, its averaging about 75 db, peaking at 80.... The Door was slightly louder by 3-4 Db, probably because its smaller and only attached at the hinges and the lock.  And to save you the trouble of looking up what that means in  real terms:

6004417_f496.jpg

and for fun I found this article on PA systems where thankfully they did the math and didn't make me find and start reading my old college physics textbook..  Sound pressure follows an inverse square law , so you loose 6 db for every doubling of the distance. My field is 660 feet long because British Imperial Units are impossible to kill. . so to cover my Lot, so it can be easily heard, I would need it at least 48dB louder - you still can hear it down there of course but  no leaves better be rustling..  Its a little better than that because that 6db is based on an isotropic source.. and  these panels are  highly directional and I am not loosing  power upward or downward.. still  Every time you double the power,  you get basically  another 3db or so.. Unless I go for massive numbers of exciters with 200 -300 Watts AMPS I am not going to be able to get the gain to bring this into  the conversational level down field. However, I think I would like it a little louder, so  I'll go with trying out the 4 Ohm exciters ( should double the power)  and take my extra 3 db, and then perhaps jump up to that 4 channel  50 Watt Amp...

I should probably stress that the original design with the MAX amp  is plenty loud for indoor use- you could probably drive 4 x 4 ohm  exciters off of it ( you know I will try it before adding a new amp..)  -It will probably be  a little on the soft side outdoors - which if you have close neighbors because you live in suburbia,  is probably a good thing.


galacticprobe

Jan 18, 2016, 05:45 pm #12 Last Edit: Jan 18, 2016, 05:46 pm by galacticprobe
Quote from: jorwick on Jan 17, 2016, 10:46 pm
I wish I could find a way to put this project under $100, not add another $100 to it. .  There is is a way to add audio  to the PI zero which retails for $5, but its more soldering and about $10 in parts  and then  playing with the OS.  But if you did that, used only Web based  effects control, and gave up web based Audio control and used the above amps and exciters,  you would come in at about $66 for the sound system. Add on lights made from the LED tape for about $16 for 300 lights, $10 for a  power supply , and you are getting close to being sub $100.


Jorwick, the TARDIS I'm standing next to here in this photo from Timegate 2013 had a sound system that was amazing:
2ndAndTARDIS.jpg
(And no, that's not my real hair; it's a wig, and my mustache and beard have grown back.)

Anyway, the owner/builder is on Facebook somewhere. I used to have a link to it, but I can't find it now. I'll keep looking and post it when I find it. He had small transducers that he placed against the walls (one on each wall), and a subwoofer transducer that he placed under the floor. When he had the thing going, no matter where you stood inside that hotel lobby, or how crowded and noisy it was, you could hear that TARDIS (2010 interior hum) very clearly. Standing next to it was nowhere near deafening, but somehow those transducers let that TARDIS sound emanate from what seemed like every corner of the lobby as though you were right next to the Old Girl: the same for the Mat/Demat sounds - across the lobby or right next to her, the sound was clear as a (cloister ;)) bell, but never deafening.

When I can find that Facebook link, maybe you can get in touch with the owner/builder and ask him about those transducers because they seemed to turn that entire TARDIS into one huge speaker with seemingly uniform audio regardless of the distance you were away.

Dino.
"What's wrong with being childish?! I like being childish." -3rd Doctor, "Terror of the Autons"

jorwick

Quote from: galacticprobe on Jan 18, 2016, 05:45 pm

When I can find that Facebook link, maybe you can get in touch with the owner/builder and ask him about those transducers because they seemed to turn that entire TARDIS into one huge speaker with seemingly uniform audio regardless of the distance you were away.



Interesting. Yes I would be very interested in seeing what he did and what he used,and appreciate it very much if you can come up with a link/contact I can pursue..

I wonder if he benefited from the Lobby walls reflecting the subwoofer wave.. I  guess I had assumed that the effects would be full spectrum, but I just ran then through the FFT in audacity

Tardis Hum

TardisHumSpectrum.jpg

Tardis Takeoff
TardisTakeoffSpectrum.jpg

Tardis landing
TardisLanding.jpg

CloisterBell
TardisCloisterbell.jpg

There is a LOT of BASS in those effects. so adding a decent subwoofer would probably do wonders at making this thing heard- especially in an enclosed space..  

Use an AMP like this and a large enough speaker.. if you can build up a large enough pressure inside the box and then let it escape somewhere,   it  would just act like a big subwoofer enclosure..

Do you recall hearing highs (not that 10K is high-)  really easily too? Higher frequencies  tend to be very directional... so I would expect people standing in the way would affect them(  but then a lobby might allow for a good ceiling reflection...

Yes, I an definitely interested in finding out how  he did it...  though I rather suspect it wasn't cheap and he had some pretty good Amps inside..  unfortunately the spousal unit has already approved one expensive speaker project and she is unlikely to approve another..  especially not for a well house...

jorwick

I must admit, I am a little surprised there isn't more interest in duplicating this project...  I can only figure its the perceived difficulty and/or  cost.. ( or did I reinvent a wheel everyone solved a long time ago, that is far more robust and cool and I just wasn't able to find on my searches, and no one wants to hurt my feelings by telling me?-
If it is the latter option, would someone just tell me about the cooler option? I might just want to use it myself. )


Brucer's versio seemed closest to me, and absolutely gorgeous in execution, but not quite, what he was looking for in his original ask... ...

Assuming its the former, and I didn't miss the boat,  I would like to announce the Super scaled down , super easy, el-cheapo version.. (Schematic below)

You will need:

1) A Raspberry Pi v1 or v2 with  SD card ~ $40US
2) 2 Sparkfun kits (simple soldering ) ~ $8 US
3)300 LED strip lights ( which you can wrap around a wood cylinder to create your  light - at this point I am wondering why I didn't do that to begin with...  my fancy DC bulbs are not required. ) ~ $8 US for non-water proof reel of 300 lights...
4) 12v 2-5  amp power supply ~ $6-10 US
5) $10 WiFI USB dongle ( optional - doing wired Ethernet is free)


So if you provide your own amp and  speakers ( and maybe an enclosure, just to be safe - it could be a tupperware type container..)  and control via the web instead of physical buttons - this project is about $75 US... and you can turn off the clock if you think that is lame..  You don't need to have the automatic light sensor (but adding it is about $2 and 4 solder welds)  You don't need the physical buttons (but its about $2 to and 32 solder welds to add them) , or the real time clock or the fancy little i2c controlled AMP, - you  just that old boom box from the local garage sale and an internet connection.. ..  You might even have the power supply lying around from something else old, broken or forgotten. Depending on what you can scavenge, this could be a $50-60 US project, that would take a single weekend of work to complete. And you would have a full blown effects machine you can control from your phone. Come on - you built your own TARDIS. Its big. Its beautiful. It should talk.

I mean  its all good with me--  I got some useful learn'in  about Javascript and such , so it wasn't wasted effort.  I just want to give something back to the community if I can.. I certainly drew lots of inspiration and useful know how from here ( and I still slobber over TARDISGirl's machine) , and this looked like something there  wasn't -yet - an easy solution for. Every TARDIS deserves working sound and lighting effects.  Especially Yours. Because lets face it. YOUR  TARDIS is way cooler than mine. Mine covers a well and  it wasn't put together like furniture. It was put together in hope of withstanding Yaks rubbing against it. . Its not a work of art like the other stuff I see on here. Let my ugly TARDIS guts power your work of art? Please?

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