Sounds for droids 2020 - upgrade 1.3

Saturday I got round to playing with the sound board & set everything up to test out the new amp.

Rewind a week to the issues I had trying to upload the sounds to the board. I had just grabbed a usb cable I thought I had used before to connect the board to the laptop, but it wouldn’t connect???
After numerous attempts and system checks, I realised the cable was a power one not a power/signal one. Swapped cables and instantly problems solved lol.

After testing the sounds using my phone, i needed to actually test with the sound board. So after some wire soldering/connections, the board, amp, speakers where connected. I had ordered a potentiometer as a volume control, but it still hasn’t come, so I dug out a broken large servo and used the pot out of it. Quick YouTube/internet search, and it was soldered up according.

This might look like a mess lol, but it was only for the purpose of taking the pic.
I opened up the ground loop unit to be able to connect up the speaker wires.
The amp uses 12 Volts, but the sound board runs 3-5 Volts, so has a mini voltage regulator [just seen in picture above it],

The sound output was great! And even more so, when I adjusted the 'volume' via the potentiometer, so much so that the wife told me to turn it down! :D

Here's a short video clip of the sound test, via my You Tube channel.

This new amp was originally going to be used as a separate sound unit for in R5's dome, but I think I might keep it for his main sound setup and get another [possibly] for the bad motivator dome setup.

Here's a size comparison between the two amps:

New amp on the left [small], original amp on the right [large].

The new amp cost about £5 inc P&P, compared to the SURE amp, which cost about £20+

Tuesday 28th and the potentiometer arrived in the post...

Sound board - installation complete 1.1

Made up some wood location stands, cut slot's into them and screwed them to some MDF base plates. These were then screwed into place.

I then made up a cardboard template of the metal bracket I wanted to make to secure the top of the board. Cut, drilled and then bent into shape, marked position on board and drilled a clearance hole for a bolt, washers, spring washer and a butterfly nut, to secure in place.

I then finished off some more wire's, soldering and connected these back up to there respective terminal blocks.

The top securing bracket can be seen better in this image.

This lot took over an hour to complete!

Sound board - installation begins 1.0

Here's where the sound board will go once fitted inside R5.

Right at the front. I was originally planning on having the panel attached to the side support wall where the legs attach to, but this would of limited accessing the batteries for removal. Plus here the speakers fire right at the Centre Vents, result!

The speakers position couldn't of been in a more perfect position if I had planned it lol

I need to make up some mounting brackets to slot the board into at the base and then brackets at the top to the frame up-rights.

R5-D4's Sound system installation - UPDATE

I've cut down the perspex sheet to a more manageable size, though it's still to be test fitted inside R5's body. Cleaned up the cut edges with belt sander, nice and smooth.

Next was to fit the digital volt meters. I wanted to save space, so I milled holes into a 'stand off' piece of perspex and fitted it above/next to the voltage regulators.

The wires I had previously prepared......had the heat shrink & sleeve's removed. As it was to restrictive on the bends. I was also not happy with my attempt on the 'negative' wires for the 12 channel remote, so this was redone (in blue wire). I then fitted a single earth connection bolt with eyelets.

I then drilled location holes in the perspex speaker board. This will be mounted, stand off style onto the rear of the sound board. The ground loop isolator unit is also fixed to the lower half section of it.

Fan's spinning, digital volt meters reading

Plugged my 12v adaptor in and powered up sound board. All lite up!! Though at first I was worried the light on the 12 channel unit wasn't working......looking closer I realised it wasn't an led but a diod lol, I then pressed the bind button and it buzzed!

Next is to load up the audio and program the remote

.

R5-D4's Sound system installation

Started work on drilling holes and positioning components. I sort of know where everything should go, but am still waiting for the 12 channel remote, to be able to finally know what space I need.

I'd ordered some PCB nylon spacers 12mm long, but these were too long for the 20mm bolts and ny-lock nuts, to go through the Amp's holes and the Perspex board. So had to cut the spacers in half. Not the end of the world as means I've got twice as many now lol.

Marked and drilled holes for the four bolts & one hole for the power cable to come through.
This was as far as I got. I had to re-solder the fly leads on the original digital volt meter as they had broken off through use. I then applied hot glue on all three digital meter's contacts, to prevent strain on them.

SPEAKERS
My speakers came, and it's been sooooo long since I've bought car speakers, I forgot they often come with speaker wire too lol, bonus. These are Pyramid 3.5", 8cm, 240w Coaxial Two Way's.

I plan to have them mounted onto the main electrical board via a second stand off board.
First, I marked out some perspex and drilled/bored out holes with my adjustable cutter. Machined up some aluminium spacers for the screw positions.
PIC of perspex with speakers fitted - still W.I.P.

The board still needs to be to size suitable and fixing holes drilled for it to be attached to the main board.

R5's Sound & Electronics Board

Only been able to do little bits here and there as components arrive and I can then assemble them.

My 2.5mm centre positive, £1 off eBay jack plug arrived the weekend, so was able to Solder up the power wires to it, but the cover wouldn't fit over the cable sleeve, so I didn't fit it and used heat shrink tube.

Also the 6volt air pump arrived so I could see how it performed compared to the 3volt one.

eBay link [click here]

I first wired it up in 'parallel' but it was to powerful for the vapour, so wired it in 'series' which reduced it's power, but still did a great job of moving the vapour out of the e-Cig.

R5's sound system & electrics - more components....

RCA lead and speaker cable have arrived.

Both will be used to connect up the Audio FX unit to the amp (RCA to single stereo jack plug) and the speaker cable to link to the trigger pins out to the 12 channel remote unit.

Cut a few lengths of speaker cable, trimmed and tinned the ends.

These are short in length to connect to one side of 12 channel remote.

The others I will wait till the remote arrives and can properly judge lengths needed.

Started to solder on the leads

Replacement voltage units came to.
Two hours of soldering, testing, unsoldering, re-soldering.
One blown board (so much for circuit protection & re-set??]
Two good ones wired up though, one now set to 6 volts.

~~~~~
Wednesday 4th March - My Sure Amp arrived

If I can sort out some speakers, get them fitted and the rest of the new electronics/electrics, R5 should have some sounds in him this month!!

Just the slip ring to arrive for me to then sort out R5's dome power.