Continued work on the Voice Modulator

     Tonight was a good, productive night. I can now say with a fair degree of certainty that the circuit board is complete. The exception is that I will probably try to transfer the component side artwork over to the PCB. Functionally though, I have it!

From this:

To this!

     Before long, I'll be putting my newly practiced soldering skills to work. I'm a little nervous about screwing it up, but if that happens, I still have enough board for more attempts. No worries.
     So far the hour count is at about 5.5 which includes the etching and other PCB prep. I think I'll add some kind of widget to keep track of the build hours. I'll be interested to see just how long it takes from start to finish. Watch for that over on the right.
     In other news, my shop manual arrived from the UK today. It's the one document that you have to purchase from Project Dalek if you're serious about building one. Coming in at about $12, it appears to be well worth the cost it'll save me in guesswork. I haven't gotten the opportunity to read it cover to cover yet, but that's the next immediate task. I'll have some decisions to make about how I'm planning to build certain parts and out of which materials. Naturally, all of that will be reported to you, faithful readers! I'm talking especially to you, my 3 followers! I hope to one day have as many as 5. I know. We can all dream. :)
     I'll report in on my thoughts after reading my shop manual. Until then, thanks for dropping by!

-Scionic

Waiting for Voice Modulator components.

     The plans for the Dalek Voice Modulator are pretty straightforward, even for me. I can look at them and make some kind of sense of what's going on in the diagram. That is a testament to the clarity of the documentation and not to my ability to read circuit schematics. So, when all of the parts have arrived and the PCB has been etched and I'm ready to begin assembly, I feel fairly certain I can do it correctly. What I am uncertain about is my ability to actually, physically attach the components together on the board. I'd really like to get it right the first time.
     To that end, I have been frequenting Radio Shack of late to buy a couple of their basic solder-together kits. The first one went off without a hitch, being quite simple. It was a sound to sight project, which basically picks up noise and responds by flashing an array of 4 LEDs. Here is a short clip of my project in action (utilizing a sound bite that may be familiar to some of you):

     Tonight, I did a project that is SUPPOSED to be a night light. It should be a small box with photo-resistor and a single large LED that comes on in the absence of ambient light. It was not on PCB, but rather a piece of perf board. It was a much less rigid design, but I was mostly able to follow it. By the time I had the soldering completed, I feel like I had managed to gain a bit more competence both with the soldering and reading the diagram.
     At the end, I plugged in the 9-volt battery and the light came on, however it does not go off. So, I essentially have a flashlight that you have to unplug to turn off. I was quite amused. Chalk it up to experience gained. I must have a short or damage somewhere that I am unable to identify. I look at it as making my actual goal, that of the voice modulator, more attainable.
     Hopefully, the PCB will be here tomorrow, which is the earliest possible arrival date. If so, the etching will be first on the list!
    On a different note, I am trying to figure out which part of the Dalek's exterior to begin with. I believe I'll start with the fender. The bumper at the bottom which will also house the motors and wheels from the Jazzy. Seems as though I need to build on a foundation so I know everything will fit. Indeed everything does have to rest on the base. As my dad might say, "Every tub sits on its own bottom."

Talk to you soon!
-Scionic
   

Dalektible - Inaugural Post

Hello and welcome to Dalektible! This blog will document my attempt to plan and build a Dalek to be premiered at GenCon 2012. My hope is that you, the reader, will enjoy following along with my progress. First things first, though. Let me fill you in on the story thus far.

I decided at the beginning of January  to undertake this project after having mulled it over for a few months. It originated with the vague idea of building something cool over an old Jazzy power chair. I didn't have one, but I just knew that it would be an awesome base for something like, oh, Professor Xavier's Wheelchair, or Captain Pike's, or something. And then it hit me. A Dalek! What a fantastic idea!
     I came to find out through a little Internet research that there are clubs that have been building these things since Dr. Who was in its infancy. And so I perused diaries of those who had gone before and came across several sites dedicated to the building of Daleks of all shapes and sizes. The place I decided to land was projectdalek.co.uk. The wealth of material and the thriving forum was very exciting and I started to think, amid periods of serious self-doubt, that I could indeed possibly pull this off.
     I should point out that I am a novice to many of the disciplines that this project will demand, including metal cutting and welding, circuit building, fiberglass molding, and others. I will likely be documenting a great many mistakes along with a few triumphs, so follow along if you'd like to learn what not to do!
     And so, that brings me to January 2012. I had been saving up a little, so I could begin to gather the necessary parts. The first challenge was my power chair, which I have recently acquired:

This is a Jazzy 1113, which I will be attempting to use as the power base for my Dalek. It will likely have to be modified to fit correctly, but I think it should work. It was purchased second hand and I think I got quite the bargain.
     The first piece of construction I'll be attempting is the manufacture of a custom voice modulator so that when I actually do pilot my Dalek, I'll be able to sound like one. I'll be following a build manual that was authored by one of the very talented Project Dalek builders. The modulator is going to be built from scratch, employing PCB etching and soldered components. The end result will provide me with a very flexible sound for my Dalek's voice. Stay tuned for more on the modulator. The PCB blanks are in transit, and I have an electronically gifted friend helping me put together my list of materials for the build. (Along with recommending a few modifications that will no doubt prove excellent) I expect construction to begin next week!

     By the way, I won't be linking any of the build manuals directly throughout the build as the Project Dalek site authors prefer that you join up to acquire those materials. If you are interested in building your own Dalek, I highly recommend them. You can join for free, but may donate to support the site. So far the staff and other users have been very friendly and helpful.
     That feels like a good kick-off to me. I hope you enjoy watching the progress. It helps me stick to my goals if I post things publicly. And so, let me say thanks for reading and I hope we all end up having a lot of fun with this!

Allons-y!
-Scionic