8 Channel Round UFO Chaser

[Warlord]

Would anyone know where I could order this at in the USA ?? I saw the video and I would like to get a few of them. If I could make the PC board I would do so. But if it would be cheaper to order than I would go that way. Thank you .

 

[Gryd3]

Would anyone know where I could order this at in the USA ?? I saw the video and I would like to get a few of them. If I could make the PC board I would do so. But if it would be cheaper to order than I would go that way. Thank you .

You're going to have to do some google searching. Perhaps you can find a company that produces them, but everything I have seen on my initial search looks like it was made as a hobby.

The included patterns mean that even if you build your own, you will need to program a microcontroller to handle the light sequences.

 

[Warlord]

Ok, and if I had to program the microcontroller, is it hard and how would I go about doing that ?? Thank you !!

 

[Gryd3]

Ok, and if I had to program the microcontroller, is it hard and how would I go about doing that ?? Thank you !!

There are lots of different choices you can make on which microcontroller you want to program.
Take a gander at 'Arduino', the programs tend to be a little more bloated due to how they are programmed, but it seems to be easier for a beginner to get into. Many of the microcontrollers can be plugged into the computer with a standard USB cable.

If you want to dive in a little deeper, take a look at PIC or ATTiny. They offer a more professional approach in my opinion, and are a tad more difficult to get set up for.

Either approach will work for you, and both will allow you to change your program and test your lights.
If you only want 1 specific pattern, you could get by without the use of a microcontroller with some parts such as a 555 timer, and a shift register. Your flexibility diminishes, as you will need to construct a circuit for a specific pattern, but you will not need a computer

fyi. programming is not as hard as people make it...
In a simple form, you are writing instructions for someone who can't see or hear. You can ask questions but the answers are either yes and no. or a number from 1 - 10
If you can imagine being able to write a list of instructions to someone to control your lights, it will be easier than you can imagine. The tricky part is learning the keywords and some of the quarks.

 

[shumifan50]

Your best bet is to go for the Arduino as it just needs a PC ( a tablet/smartphone will not do) with a USB port to program it. There are numerous resources on the web to help you program the Arduino boards and there are a selection of boards available. Your main requirement is to have enough I/O pins, one per LED channel.
PICs are more elegant but require a programmer and more knowledge. There are, however, very good tutorials on the web for these as well. And you have a much bigger selection to pick from - this can be good or bad.

 

[Gryd3]

Here are some spammy links for you depending on what you want...
Arduino Tutorials via Adafruit:
https://learn.adafruit.com/category/learn-arduino

Neopixel LED Ring: (This can be attached to an arduino if you don't want to make your own PCB. these are NOT regular LEDs though... they are programmed for a little differently)
https://www.adafruit.com/products/1643

Some examples... once again via Adafruit:
https://www.adafruit.com/products/1574
This is made with a PIC microcontroller, but remember you can pick whatever you want to use.

 

[Warlord]

Thank you all very much !! I have been on many Forums and I will say this one has been very helpful !!!! Thank you all !!!!