LEDs to show how much paint you have left?

[ScatterPlot]

I was just thinking about the "Intelliframe Space" thread around here somewhere and thought it might be fun to make a bunck of LED's on your hopper to show how much paint you have left in there. Make them light up if there's a paintball blocking a cross-beam or something. I dunno, just a thought. Yes I know, why not just get a clear hopper, I just think this would be kinda fun to see at a field sometime. Any thoughts?

[swanster]

would look really cool but you would need what 200 or more LEDS

[redlaser666]

Actually a 10segment bargraph LED could be used along with an op-amp used as a comparator to produce the desired efect. You would need a way to measure the level of paintballs in the hopper somehow. Then use this variable output to produce different levels for the LEDs.

It's a nice idea.

[ScatterPlot]

I was thinkin like using 20 or so LEDs to give an approximation of the amount left in the hopper. They'd be individual, like a break-beam eye in a gun, except when the beam was broken, the LED would turn on.

[shades]

Use a resistive bend sensor at the bottom of the hopper to detect the relative weight of the balls and coorelate that with ten segment display you can use a vu or meter driver IC, Six components max. PM me of more info.

[countchocula54]

you could just put a counter on there of how many paintballs leave the hopper...have a digital read out or something...id def buy it.

[J_Hoyt]

That's exactly what the Ricochet 2k does.

[Furby#1]

you could just use the flapper sensor from a ricochet. put one for every 25 ball (you would precount the balls) and hook each one up to a led then u would only need about 7 leds.

[aut911]

i like the counter idea better. You can buy one for about 11 bucks that is relatively small so you could mount it directly on your loader or in the gripframe. then simply attach a switch ( intellifeed style) inseide the grip frame so every time you fire it counts up one. resettable too.

aut

[Hallowed1]

Have the reset switch hooked to your hopper lid so when you open to fill it up again the counter resets

[tobz]

Um.. why not have the intelliframe switch just count up an LED board to show you how much paint you've shot. You know that if you have 3 x 140rnd tubes and approx 180 in the hopper that you go onto the field with 600 rounds... Just have a counter so you can guess how much you have left. Mount it on the back of the rev...

You could also set that to count down from 600, to give you an estimate of paint left. But every time the intelliframe trips the microswitch, add or subtract one paintball.

That's my idea, and if someone does it, I'll buy it. Even if the board is approx $100 or so.

T.J.

[sgt_easton]

Originally posted by Hallowed1
Have the reset switch hooked to your hopper lid so when you open to fill it up again the counter resets

Definately.

Another idea would be something related to the Reloader hopper principle...a counter that registers when the gun fires. Hmm, maybe I should drag out my electronics book.

What would be really cool? Something like the counters in Aliens or in the cut scenes of Starcraft. I think they were in Aliens, I'm not sure. But, anyway, maybe a display like a digital clock?

<img src="http://images.orgill.com/200x200/9290065.jpg">

I think another idea would maybe make it a self contained unit that you could atach to any existing hopper. Once again, guts from a reloader come into play. A digital display could be aquired from an old alarm clock or maybe even radio shack.

IfIi ever have some time, I'll start on the electonic end of it.

[ScatterPlot]

I looked into some IC's the other day from Microchip.com and was thinkking about it, cause you could make it do other stuff too (which I havent thought of yet, tell me if you think of fun stuff ). I don't know much about electronics and designing circuits, but I know basically what everything does. I'm just not big into discrete components and think it would be more fun to make a brain for the gun. A warp vibration sensor could be used to sense the vibrations if you wanted it to. The RF microchips could be cool, cause then you'd have your own little bluetooth thing going on with your team (if they have that kind of range) or even to a HUD on your mask or something. That would be sweet. Maybe a flasher or something that could get the attention of a teammate or something.

[sgt_easton]

OK, now I'm going off the deep end....

In mask HUD with shot counter, rangefinder, available gas, fps, headset (I already do that) and um...remaining rounds on your person. Also a continous self diagnotic of your marker.

Now I'm wondering where you would see out the mask. Maybe an overlay that is semitransparent like all the video games we play.

[ScatterPlot]

Just a completely enclosed mask-use a viewscreen . No seriously, this all is awesome stuff. A rangefinder, now there's an idea...