emile1138 Posted February 2, 2023 Report Share Posted February 2, 2023 Hey all! I've been diving into this project and already learned a LOT, but I'm still running into learning curves and potential issues. A whole slew of them lol I see this thread hasn't been visited since 2022, and Andras hasn't been active for a little over a month now, so I'm concerned I'm not looking in the right place anymore and this might not be the place to start asking for help. Is there a more recent or more active place for me to be connecting with fellow FX-BlasterOS builders? Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RankAndFileTrooper Posted February 3, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2023 I think it is still the place to go for all FX-BlasterOS related questions. So if you have any questions, feel free to post them here and I will try to help as much as I can. The code is pretty stable and mature, so I also did not have to touch it in recent years, that is why no many questions are asked lately. But we are here for the community. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emile1138 Posted February 3, 2023 Report Share Posted February 3, 2023 6 hours ago, RankAndFileTrooper said: I think it is still the place to go for all FX-BlasterOS related questions. So if you have any questions, feel free to post them here and I will try to help as much as I can. The code is pretty stable and mature, so I also did not have to touch it in recent years, that is why no many questions are asked lately. But we are here for the community. Oh awesome!!! Thanks for all the great work you've done to get us to this point! To confess, I am making changes to make the sounds and stuff my own. So I'm probably breaking things on my way. But I'm seeing this as a trial-by-fire learning opportunity lol I have quite a few issues I've come across, but right now I'm struggling with the following problems: The bootup sounds are blasting my eardrums out, then the blaster sounds after bootup are really quiet. I can't figure out how to adjust those audio levels. I wanted to add my own icon to the startup screen on the scope, but I keep getting a jumbled mess of pixels. I made sure to set the bitmap to LCD converter to horizontal, and the output is at the required dimensions of either 32x32 or 48x48, but I still get a crazy-looking image. The repeating blaster file function isn't sounding right. It plays a split second of a blaster noise, then starts the next one, and the next, and so on. It's like the next blaster sound effect is stopping the last one before it's completed. I have it set to the MK-X variant but the extra modes aren't available. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I have standard, stun, and the charge up mega blast, but that's it. The fourth mode puts the board back into deep sleep mode. I have other issues with lights not working and such but I'll address those later as I keep troubleshooting. Thanks for any and all help!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RankAndFileTrooper Posted February 4, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2023 The bootup sounds are blasting my eardrums out, then the blaster sounds after bootup are really quiet. I can't figure out how to adjust those audio levels. [Andras]: the volume can be set by #define VOL 15 . It can go up to 31, and yes, this little devil DFPlayer can be loud. One more thing, as soon as you change the volume in the menu, it will be stored, so next time that setting will be used. The 15 is just the default in case no value is yet set. I wanted to add my own icon to the startup screen on the scope, but I keep getting a jumbled mess of pixels. I made sure to set the bitmap to LCD converter to horizontal, and the output is at the required dimensions of either 32x32 or 48x48, but I still get a crazy-looking image. [Andras]: I need to look into this, it has been a while ago I worked with the code, I still recall there was a trick. Did you select the right OLED type, either OLED_STD for a status bar OR OLED_SCOPE for the scope. You can only select one of them and since they have different dimensions, the picture will look weird if not the right type is used. The repeating blaster file function isn't sounding right. It plays a split second of a blaster noise, then starts the next one, and the next, and so on. It's like the next blaster sound effect is stopping the last one before it's completed. [Andras]: this is like this by design, the DFPlayer is agnostic about how long the sound file is, you start it, if you start a new one it will stop the previos sound being played and starts the new one. If you want to hear the whole blaster sound, you need to build in a wait time in FX_Singleshot, it is set to 200 i.e. in case of the repeating blaster every 200ms the next sound will be triggered. Set it to a higher value corresponding to your desired lenght. I have it set to the MK-X variant but the extra modes aren't available. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I have standard, stun, and the charge up mega blast, but that's it. The fourth mode puts the board back into deep sleep mode. [Andras]: there are only 3 modes if you have a 2-button setup, and within each 2 modes, i.e. first mode has single blast or repeating if you keep the main button depressed. Same with the other ones, stun/droid killer and megablast/firethrower. In case you have a 1-button setup, the depressed button variants are not available. I hope I could help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emile1138 Posted February 5, 2023 Report Share Posted February 5, 2023 (edited) On 2/4/2023 at 3:01 AM, RankAndFileTrooper said: [Andras]: the volume can be set by #define VOL 15 . It can go up to 31, and yes, this little devil DFPlayer can be loud. One more thing, as soon as you change the volume in the menu, it will be stored, so next time that setting will be used. The 15 is just the default in case no value is yet set. I did figure out why it was blasting volume on startup but not on the blaster sounds after bootup. I had attempted to change the volume by editing InitDFPlayer(); Set_volume (15); to a higher value, thinking that would do it. But I realize now that's only on startup, so I changed that back to the default 15. The overall volume is still low, however. I gave this a shot, and the only places I was able to find #define VOL 15 was in the Config.h and Config_SW.h files. So I tried changing that to 25 in one at a time, then both, and the overall volume is still the same low amount as before: no change. I have got to be doing something wrong but I'm not sure what. On 2/4/2023 at 3:01 AM, RankAndFileTrooper said: [Andras]: I need to look into this, it has been a while ago I worked with the code, I still recall there was a trick. Did you select the right OLED type, either OLED_STD for a status bar OR OLED_SCOPE for the scope. You can only select one of them and since they have different dimensions, the picture will look weird if not the right type is used. In the Variants.h I have #define OLED_SCOPE active and #define OLED_STD commented/greyed out, and the default images used in the source code worked fine. I fixed it, though! Instead of using some crappy web JPG to BMP converter I just made something in Photoshop at a MUCH higher contrast and cleaner file output. Followed the rest of the steps with the LCD converter, added to the code, and BOOM, it's custom. Thanks for the help!! On 2/4/2023 at 3:01 AM, RankAndFileTrooper said: [Andras]: this is like this by design, the DFPlayer is agnostic about how long the sound file is, you start it, if you start a new one it will stop the previos sound being played and starts the new one. If you want to hear the whole blaster sound, you need to build in a wait time in FX_Singleshot, it is set to 200 i.e. in case of the repeating blaster every 200ms the next sound will be triggered. Set it to a higher value corresponding to your desired lenght. This helped! On 2/4/2023 at 3:01 AM, RankAndFileTrooper said: I hope I could help You're helping a TON! -EDIT- I was trying to grab the sound files you linked here (https://www.protowerkstatt.com/imperial-armoury) but this link as well as any other link to your website don't seem to be working... Edited February 5, 2023 by emile1138 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RankAndFileTrooper Posted February 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 Hi Caleb, About the volume: as said above, the volume is controlled out of the config menu, which you can navigate with the buttons. There is nothing you can or shall change in the code. Glad now the OLED picture works though! Regarding the lights, in the config menu you can also conveniently set the pixel length of the status and barrel. Probably that will fix your troubles with the lights. If any more topics, let me know. Regarding the website: it exists no more. Therefore I moved the sound files now under: BlasterOS Sound Files Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TikiTechie[TK] Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 For anyone who has completed this, Is there a ballpark dollar amount on what it ended up costing? I have some modest ability to construct this, but it would be more to save money than anything else. Probably maybe a question for US builders since I am not finding any of the ebay parts, but I do find them between Adafruit & Amazon for the most part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emile1138 Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 (edited) 7 hours ago, RankAndFileTrooper said: About the volume: as said above, the volume is controlled out of the config menu, which you can navigate with the buttons. There is nothing you can or shall change in the code. I'm an idiot. This whole time I thought when we're talking about the "config menu" we were talking about the configmenu.h, Config.h, or Config_SW.h. I hadn't actually gone into the config menu you find by holding down the trigger in the standby mode. My apologies! I also ordered a few different types of speakers this week to test sound quality options, I'll let everyone know what I find! 7 hours ago, RankAndFileTrooper said: Glad now the OLED picture works though! Yes, thank you!! 7 hours ago, RankAndFileTrooper said: Regarding the lights, in the config menu you can also conveniently set the pixel length of the status and barrel. Probably that will fix your troubles with the lights. I've got the lights working now, thank you! Now I'm having problems with the brightness, specifically with the main blaster mode. The stun, jam, mega blast, and flamethrower are all plenty bright! But the single shot and multi-shot in the first profile are so dim I can barely see them. 7 hours ago, RankAndFileTrooper said: Regarding the website: it exists no more. Therefore I moved the sound files now under: BlasterOS Sound Files Thank you so much for this!!! 3 hours ago, TikiTechie said: For anyone who has completed this, Is there a ballpark dollar amount on what it ended up costing? I have some modest ability to construct this, but it would be more to save money than anything else. Probably maybe a question for US builders since I am not finding any of the ebay parts, but I do find them between Adafruit & Amazon for the most part. I've ordered everything to complete this project off of Amazon! Total for me was about $150-$200. but keep in mind, a lot of these items come in a pack of more than one (or sometimes a whole bunch) because it's cheaper/more efficient to get them in bulk. And ordering through Amazon instead of eBay or Adafruit got me everything I needed to get started within less than a week. I can comprise a US Amazon Prime eligible list of part links if you'd like! I also bought some extra tools and connectors to make the assembly and testing/troubleshooting a lot easier. Edited February 9, 2023 by emile1138 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TikiTechie[TK] Posted February 9, 2023 Report Share Posted February 9, 2023 53 minutes ago, emile1138 said: can comprise a US Amazon Prime eligible list of part links if you'd like! I also bought some extra tools and connectors to make the assembly and testing/troubleshooting a lot easier. Very kind offer. It sounds like a lot of work, but if it would be useful for others and not just me, then if you were able to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emile1138 Posted February 10, 2023 Report Share Posted February 10, 2023 (edited) @TikiTechie Not too hard at all! I already did the work of sourcing everything on András list so compiling a US based list is easy and could be helpful for others. ------------------------------- Required components Main controller board Arduino Nano (or any Atmega328P based board) Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09KGVDXZY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_9?smid=A30QSGOJR8LMXA&psc=1 DFPlayer Mini Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Y2YKYRS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?smid=A39S0U3UP1U7UG&psc=1 Speaker Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LGL4J69?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details If you're trying to fit an E-11 tube, that speaker should work based on András recommendations of "OD: 20mm or 28mm". I've found it's really quiet though, and I'm making a DTL-19x so I have more room in the blaster to work in larger electronics. So I'm testing a few different speakers that might work and I'll make an edit to this post when I have my results. Whatever the size, make sure it's 8Ohm. András also recommends 1W to 2W but the DFPlayer Mini supports up to 3W. I'm testing some 3W speakers and will post my results, but I recommend sticking to his suggestions for the sake of caution. Status Bar LEDs Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XGT9ZSL?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details That particular one is iffy on whether or not it'll be in stock, so alternatively you can get a multi-pack of the same thing, although that's more expensive: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09YTLY6CK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2YRKYWJGWMEA&psc=1 Another alternative is either searching for other options or get directly from Adafruit: https://www.adafruit.com/product/1426?gclid=CjwKCAiA85efBhBbEiwAD7oLQNDbu1r2EuAbSEVz_66w39vhhKUXojm9zQUVGs7Zyv642OWBSxR9lxoC_HMQAvD_BwE "Important: type shall be WS2812/WS2812B 5050 RGB (not RGBW!!!) or sk6218 3535 RGB (not RGBW!!!)" -András Nozzle Light Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KBXTJRQ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details Barrel LEDs Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B097BWJGYK?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details The same goes for these as the status bar LEDs. Make sure they're WS2812/WS2812B 5050 RGB (not RGBW). Switches (Trigger switch) Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MW2RPJY?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details (AUX/mode switch) Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Momentary-Tactile-Through-Breadboard-Friendly/dp/B07WF76VHT/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2BUSSIZ633I4Y&keywords=button+switch&qid=1676045501&sprefix=button+switch%2Caps%2C111&sr=8-4 OLED Displays (STANDARD display, 128x32) Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PDFCVXL?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details (SCOPE display, 64x48) Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QJ4KR69?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details That scope display is also currently out of stock so an alternative is searching for others on Amazon or here's a link for one I found on eBay that looks like it's the same thing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/314207507709?hash=item49283a14fd:g:oUAAAOSw6cFjJGUK&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4FyYvXhyKJ%2BfWp5r2UXvIWRrY2l10Vgf6PJttRMnE9k9JzvPoMdXgnvpgb4ox0tGvEwawW68NS1l%2FnzB0Y1xYnQUjsXL4PZc9Q2XjtJ5xYBTMpAAhMmSTvpYkxMr40jvpIXptcgRQUQ3v1qtKVPQSuY5xRrg%2BJ%2Bl9ZILyihrDMOSiDwB9eS3mRornFQTxaMHTBK68DaRgxDJJB823RU4gw%2BxaHOU7WrbrVL1Xek7Gmr02gWjeg8bSngrUlDAw3%2FuijxXmadwHjkRsQyY%2Bu466MFrekvHIFa%2FMfFiHn7t%2FvF9|tkp%3ABFBM6NSJwsdh You can only use one screen with the Arduino Nano, so keep that in mind when choosing what to order. Recharge port Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XCNSM81?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details Micro- and/or Mini-USB breakout boards I found that for the homebrew DIY route I don't need these. But I did order them and will include the link below anyway. Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082PDD79D?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details Battery The important part here is that it's 3.7V Li-Ion. What mAh capacity and form factor is up to you. This is what I got (for now, I'll be doing testing to see how it works): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W54TGKW?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details Misc. You'll need a soldering iron, rosin-core solder, and heat shrink tubing. I don't know how you'd do this project without them. I'm not adding any links because it doesn't matter what you get, just make sure they're good as you'll be using these a lot lol ------------------------------- Optional tools/accessories These things aren't needed but are tools that have made my build exceptionally cleaner and easier for troubleshooting as I go along. Dupont/JST connector/crimping tool set Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZK5F8HP?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details 22AWG stranded wire Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089CQHRDT?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details ------------------------------- I think that's everything! If anything is missing or you have any questions let me know. I hope this helps! Edited February 10, 2023 by emile1138 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RankAndFileTrooper Posted February 11, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2023 Awesome list Caleb, thanks a lot for helping the community! Although as you rightly mentioned the USB breakout will not help, but there are also compele USB charger breakouts like this AZDelivery 5 x TP4056 Micro USB 5V 1A Laderegler Lithium Li - Ion Batterie Charger Lithium Lademodul inklusive eBook! : Amazon.de: Computer & Zubehör WIth this one can charge the Li-Ion battery with USB. I'm pretty sure in the US you can get it with USB-C too. The DFPlayers you linked, did you try these ones? Do they work as expected? I'm asking this because in the community this is far the most frequent issue, a bad DFPlayer clone which produces unexpected results or downright does not work. I used to buy only with one control chip type, but nowadays so many company clone it that it's hard even for me to find the right one. Regarding the battery, why does it have 3 signals I wounder? Anyway, if it works go ahead with it. You also asked in one of the recent post why the barrel stays dim at single or repeater shots . It's again in the config menu, you can set the color of the stun and blast colors. The default settings are quite dim, but as soon as you change them the more brigth colors will appear and once you exit the config menu they are also stored on-board, so at next power up you will get the brighter colors. My suspicion is that you probably had changed already the stun color that is why it became brighter, but not the blast color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emile1138 Posted February 13, 2023 Report Share Posted February 13, 2023 (edited) On 2/11/2023 at 4:36 PM, RankAndFileTrooper said: Although as you rightly mentioned the USB breakout will not help, but there are also compele USB charger breakouts like this AZDelivery 5 x TP4056 Micro USB 5V 1A Laderegler Lithium Li - Ion Batterie Charger Lithium Lademodul inklusive eBook! : Amazon.de: Computer & Zubehör WIth this one can charge the Li-Ion battery with USB. I'm pretty sure in the US you can get it with USB-C too. Thanks for this!! I might get one and give it a shot. Side note: so far I've been testing just fine with the power the Arduino is getting when connected to the computer, and the battery is working fine when not connected. But when I first started this project, I plugged a charger into the charging port and it fried everything. There was a loud pop and everything was toast, I had to start over with a new Arduino, DFPlayer, and LEDs. I'm afraid of that happening again when I eventually don't need to plug it into the computer for testing anymore. @RankAndFileTrooper do you have any suggestions on what power supply to use for charging through the charging port we're using in these builds? On 2/11/2023 at 4:36 PM, RankAndFileTrooper said: The DFPlayers you linked, did you try these ones? Do they work as expected? I'm asking this because in the community this is far the most frequent issue, a bad DFPlayer clone which produces unexpected results or downright does not work. I used to buy only with one control chip type, but nowadays so many company clone it that it's hard even for me to find the right one. As far as I can tell, these ones I've been working as intended. The only issues I'm having are with volume, but maybe that's the DFPlayer mini clone? I'm not sure. I might get a genuine board to test just for the sake of making sure. I'm going to be trying to source and install an audio amplifier and potentiometer so I can get a 4ohm speaker installed and hopefully get some more punch out of the audio. @RankAndFileTrooper do you have any concerns or tips on trying something like this? On 2/11/2023 at 4:36 PM, RankAndFileTrooper said: Regarding the battery, why does it have 3 signals I wounder? Anyway, if it works go ahead with it. In my research, it appears that's a thermistor signal wire, which makes sense for safety reasons since it's intended to be a baby monitor battery replacement. I just connected the positive and negative leads to their appropriate locations and skipped the thermistor wire, heat shrinking it so it doesn't short on anything. On 2/11/2023 at 4:36 PM, RankAndFileTrooper said: You also asked in one of the recent post why the barrel stays dim at single or repeater shots . It's again in the config menu, you can set the color of the stun and blast colors. The default settings are quite dim, but as soon as you change them the more brigth colors will appear and once you exit the config menu they are also stored on-board, so at next power up you will get the brighter colors. My suspicion is that you probably had changed already the stun color that is why it became brighter, but not the blast color. This seems to have helped! They're definitely brighter, but seem to fire so fast that they feel like they look dim. Regardless, this is probably something I can continue to work on after the electronics are installed in the blaster, and I think I can continue with my build! Edited February 13, 2023 by emile1138 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s1mba93 Posted June 16, 2023 Report Share Posted June 16, 2023 Hey All, I'm currently making DC17m blaster rifle and trying to find an DIY electronics system for it. I'm also new to a lot of this so apologies in advance but had a few questions, Is there any chance this works with a 3 digit 7 segment display to show ammo count? Can the aux switch be a magnetic like switch for registering a reloaded mag? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RankAndFileTrooper Posted June 20, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2023 Have a look at my first ever video about blaster electronicsYou have there your magnetic mag switch as well as the ammo counter display. You can of course look for a segmented display, probably there are easy use Arduino libraries to use 'em.If you have any question, this is the right place to askSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenjancef Posted November 18, 2023 Report Share Posted November 18, 2023 I'm always late for the party, but I'm starting an E-11 blaster build, based on the Blaster Master posted on MyMiniFactory. I am almost halfway through printing all the parts, and I did glue the barrel pieces together. I read through this post, and I think this is for me. I build freestyle drones, so I'm no stranger to soldering and circuitry. In saying all of this I have 2 questions so far (but I'm sure I'll have more): 1. Has anyone ever put this setup in the E-11 Blaster Master? 2. As for the barrel lights, how are they actually installed? is it one strip (or 2, one on each side) that run the length of the inner barrel? Or are they shorter and only go part of the way? I'm not sure if I do want barrel lights, but I most definitely want a light at the front of the barrel. Thanks all!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RankAndFileTrooper Posted November 22, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2023 Sorry for the belated reply and good luck with your build! While I never used that brand/model, an accurately sized E11 is supposed to have enough room inside to house your electronics.As to the barrel light, you want them. Period. I would recommend to glue either a single strip at the bottom side along the full length or 2'stripes attached back to bach and wrapped in packing foam for better diffusion.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted November 22, 2023 Report Share Posted November 22, 2023 Example single bottom of barrel hibright LED Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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