The objective is to take two store bought figurines and to have a red LED implanted in the chest area of one of them that illuminates when it is in close proximity to the other figurine.
I am trying to have the circuit as unobtrusive as possible while still being technically correct and safe.
I would like to offload some of the potential "obvious-ness" of the circuit/battery. I think having a secondary item (maybe a tree or car) that is related to the character, and then putting the circuit and battery in that would accomplish this. I could then install a wiring harness inside of the figure that would terminate with a spade connection at the underside of it. This could then be connected to the secondary item to power the mechanism when the two figures are close enough to trigger it.
My plan is to:
- Use a small diameter drill bit to *slowly* create the outline of the heart on the first figurine --------> about 1/32 deep
- Use a thicker drill bit in the center of the heart shape to make room for the LED circuit
--------> about 13/16" deep
- Use a smaller drill bit to run the wires from the back of the LED cavity (that I created with the thicker drill bit) down to a terminal implanted in the figurine foot
- The heart shape will be covered by either translucent paper or I might use a flexible cutting board to cut the shape
- The figurines are in the mail (should have them Monday) and are made of PVC so they should be pretty easy to work with
- Dimensions are 2.2"x 2"x 4.4" so they are fairly small
I considered doing this multiple ways but it seems that a reed switch would be appropriate; this would allow me to put a magnet in the second figurine that would close the circuit and illuminate the LED when they are in close proximity to one another.
Questions:
Do you think a magnetic hall effect sensor might be better considering the size limitations? I would like the circuit to consist of nothing but the LED, the resistor, the battery, and the as yet to be determined magnetic trigger. Would using a magnetic hall effect sensor require an additional component in the form of a relay?
Are there any wireless solutions to this? I know it's possible by using coils of wire but that would be impractical and impossible to conceal. Perhaps you are aware of other options in that area.
To make it even more complicated (haha) I was also considering having a 9V recording module (capable of playback) that would be triggered when the circuit is closed. I could record a sound clip of the character that plays at the same time the heart (red LED) illuminates.
I am fairly new to the world of electronics but have solid experience in soldering and can be as patient as it takes to do it right.
Thanks for any suggestions
I am trying to have the circuit as unobtrusive as possible while still being technically correct and safe.
I would like to offload some of the potential "obvious-ness" of the circuit/battery. I think having a secondary item (maybe a tree or car) that is related to the character, and then putting the circuit and battery in that would accomplish this. I could then install a wiring harness inside of the figure that would terminate with a spade connection at the underside of it. This could then be connected to the secondary item to power the mechanism when the two figures are close enough to trigger it.
My plan is to:
- Use a small diameter drill bit to *slowly* create the outline of the heart on the first figurine --------> about 1/32 deep
- Use a thicker drill bit in the center of the heart shape to make room for the LED circuit
--------> about 13/16" deep
- Use a smaller drill bit to run the wires from the back of the LED cavity (that I created with the thicker drill bit) down to a terminal implanted in the figurine foot
- The heart shape will be covered by either translucent paper or I might use a flexible cutting board to cut the shape
- The figurines are in the mail (should have them Monday) and are made of PVC so they should be pretty easy to work with
- Dimensions are 2.2"x 2"x 4.4" so they are fairly small
I considered doing this multiple ways but it seems that a reed switch would be appropriate; this would allow me to put a magnet in the second figurine that would close the circuit and illuminate the LED when they are in close proximity to one another.
Questions:
Do you think a magnetic hall effect sensor might be better considering the size limitations? I would like the circuit to consist of nothing but the LED, the resistor, the battery, and the as yet to be determined magnetic trigger. Would using a magnetic hall effect sensor require an additional component in the form of a relay?
Are there any wireless solutions to this? I know it's possible by using coils of wire but that would be impractical and impossible to conceal. Perhaps you are aware of other options in that area.
To make it even more complicated (haha) I was also considering having a 9V recording module (capable of playback) that would be triggered when the circuit is closed. I could record a sound clip of the character that plays at the same time the heart (red LED) illuminates.
I am fairly new to the world of electronics but have solid experience in soldering and can be as patient as it takes to do it right.
Thanks for any suggestions
