OK....
Basically, without getting into the details of building the box....
I get a piece of sheet PVC or Acrylic .....
Draw an figure eight on it of a preferred size....say 6 inches...
Then drill holes for the LED's (either one row , two rows, or three rows, etc.)
Stick the LED's thru the holes and ......
Am I correct so far...?
If so, how do the LED's connect up in the back of the plastic sheet?
Any glueing....how am I to firm up the LED light....?
D.
Also....
I see that some counters look like they are made with light ''segments'' rather than a bunch of single LED's....can I get some of those?
I didnt see any components like that....just the single lights.
D.

 

Am I right in assuming that the plastic segments are not lights them selves but have LED's behind them......?
All in all, the pre- made segments are looking better and better.
D.

 

I get a piece of sheet PVC or Acrylic .....

Yup, or 1/4" plywood or temp board or . . .

Draw an figure eight on it of a preferred size....say 6 inches...

. . . use 1/8" pegboard. You'll need to drill the holes slightly larger (#10 I believe, but I'll check). No need to worry about layout this way unless you want more than one row or want the LED's closer together, but still simple. If not, I can post a layout you can print then you mark the centers and drill in your preferred material.

Then drill holes for the LED's (either one row , two rows, or three rows, etc.)
Stick the LED's thru the holes and ......
Am I correct so far...?

Yes.

If so, how do the LED's connect up in the back of the plastic sheet?

Just bend the leads at right angles using needlenose pliers after verifying the leads are in the correct orientation (anode to cathode). Then solder.

Any glueing....how am I to firm up the LED light....?

Assuming we aren't attempting to make this last years without maintenance, hot glue works well. Otherwise, a good silicone that is designed to adhere to the base material.

Am I right in assuming that the plastic segments are not lights them selves but have LED's behind them......?

The segments you see in pre-made digits are made up of small LED's covered in a translucent coating that diffuses the light so it looks uniform. This comes at a price - you won't find many with a high brightness, i.e., won't work in sunlight. Most outdoor 7-segment displays you see are made up of individual LED's.

While I don't know if you could find the material and make your own, you could buy translucent acrylic and space it a little from the LED's. You'd still be able see the individual LED's, but it wouldn't be as pronounced. Whether it is worth the effort is another question.

There is a trade-off for making your own displays - they'll be cheap but they'll require a bit of time. While it sounds like a lot, it really isn't too bad if you like building things. Using pegboard will reduce the time considerably if the spacing looks okay to you.

I'll post some pictures tomorrow showing how the LED's are connected in the back as well as a pegboard display. You can better decide then if the effort will be worthwhile.

All in all, the pre- made segments are looking better and better.

The Sparkfun display MrChips suggested may be your best bet if cost isn't too much. If you opt to buy pre-made, just make sure you get common anode if possible.

 

I'm encouraged.
BTW....Let's get the timer built and working before you help me with the logic of the complete machine.....switches and all...'cause I haven't made up my mind as to the sequence yet.
Let's just build the timer with a start, stop , and reset..
We can just use push buttons to test it and later wire it into the machine's/game logic.
I just wanted to say that.. so you didn't waste any energy with anything but the timer build....just saying...
I'm gonna start making a materials list and get back to you in a day or so......
D.

 

The circuit design can be relatively straight forward.

You will need four digits consisting of:

CD4026 counter
ULN2003 driver
7-segment LED display, common anode

If timing is not critical you can use a 555 timer circuit set for 100Hz.

The circuit schematic is straight forward. If you wish one I can oblige.

 

Thanks....
OK....Going with prebuilt LED numbers..
BOM
3/8 or 1/2 in. plywood.....................................on hand
Wood Trim for cover......................................on hand
SS Screws, wood glue, silicone, etc.................on hand
1/8 in Lexan for cover....................................on hand
solder and soldering tool.................................on hand
VOM ................................................................on hand
Bench top Power Supply 0-30vdc @5 Amp (if needed)...............on hand
12vdc wall wart (WallMart universal 3vdc to 12vdc with different tips .....................................$12.00
Chip # CD 4026 (local Radio Shack)............................................................................................$ 1.00
ULN2003 Driver Board.................................................................................................................$5.00
4 PCS.- KingBright LED numbers from Newark # SC40-19SRWA.............................................$60.00
terminal strip with screws for stop, start, and reset connections.................................................$3.00 (?)
some kind and size of wire if needed..............................................................................................on hand
Anything Else....??????
D,

 

However.......I just thought of something.....
I'm going to have to put the Driver board inside the counter box.....right..?
So that is something to think about....but it's doable....
Maybe a back cover that can be removed for service, etc.
And then there's shipping costs....
so you guys were right....about $100 for each counter box.
If all looks good....generally.
Then...Yes, I'll need some help on the circuit....thanks....
D.

 

The component list I gave you is for one digit only.

You will need:

(4) CD4026
(4) ULN2003
(4) common anode LED 7-segment displays
(28) 220Ω ¼W resistors

plus

(1) TLC555
(1) LM7805 voltage regulator
(1) 5kΩ trim pot
assorted resistors and capacitors

 

The LED you have selected, SC40-19SRWA, is common cathode.

You need a common anode configuration such as SA40-19EWA.

 

Oh yeah.....you said that before....I forgot...sorry...
thanks....
Will change to SA40-19EWA....Common Anode
I haven't ordered anything yet.
D.

 

Here are a couple of pictures of digits made with pegboards.

I was going to suggest the CD40110, but since the OP only needs to count up, I like MrChips suggestion of the CD4026 - it will be be cheaper.

Here is a 4" display from eBay, about half the cost of the Newark displays and if you contact the seller before ordering, you can probably save on shipping multiple digits.

Here is an example of an outdoor enclosure with a clear lid. Not cheap, but you'll avoid having to weatherproof your own box.

I'd suggest waiting until a final design is made before ordering anything. This will save you a lot of time and, if nothing else, multiple shipping costs.

 

The component list I gave you is for one digit only.

You will need:

(4) CD4026
(4) ULN2003
(4) common anode LED 7-segment displays
(28) 220Ω ¼W resistors

plus

(1) TLC555
(1) LM7805 voltage regulator
(1) 5kΩ trim pot
assorted resistors and capacitors

(29) 220Ω ¼W resistors. One extra for the decimal point.

 

EM
Re the pic of the "HOME" counter....did the maker drill into a dark piece of acrylic or something?
It looks like the LED's are stuck into the dark piece and then THAT is mounted (hanging) to/on the peg board.
I bet the maker used the peg board for a drilling pattern. Yes?
Wait....Looking back at our conversation...I believe that is what you were saying earlier, yes?....understood.
BTW...Not ordering until all is decided.
D.

 

OH......Yep.....I'm looking at Mr. Chips revised list and understand....thank you DJ+ for pointing that out to me...I missed his earlier post...
D.
Let me stand back and think about this some....still encouraged..
D.

 

Re the pic of the "HOME" counter....did the maker drill into a dark piece of acrylic or something?
It looks like the LED's are stuck into the dark piece and then THAT is mounted (hanging) to/on the peg board.

The LED's are mounted to the pegboard holes (drilled slightly larger with a #10 drill bit I think). Colored acrylic is then mounted to the front of the pegboard with standoffs to act as a filter so you don't see the unlit LED's.

 

The LED's are mounted to the pegboard holes (drilled slightly larger with a #10 drill bit I think). Colored acrylic is then mounted to the front of the pegboard with standoffs to act as a filter so you don't see the unlit LED's.

As an added feature, you can cover the back of the acrylic with black Contact Paper (self-adhesive shelf liner) and cut out the shape of the segments using a steel ruler and a hobby knife. This results in a sharper definition of the segments.

 

Ok....good info..
I am going to build the counter and dont want to get too far off base but...
Another thing..
I was thinking last night about the logic of this game and because of the fact that I'm not sure if 1, 2, 3 or 4 players will play at the same time.......and of course, I know ANYTHING is possible but the more complicated it gets the ...well, the more complicated it gets.

So here's my question to those of you familiar with say.....the Arduino Board.....and others...
Could I use one of those boards like this .....

Could I select the numbers of players with a separate set of 4 toggle switches ...1 player , 2 players, 3 players, or 4 players .....and upon doing so .....the counter would start and stop by way of any sensor I selected....or group of sensors that pertained to the kind of game that only one player would play......or the kind of game that 2 players would play...or the kind of game(more sensors) that 3 players would play....etc...
AND.....I'm hoping that will not affect what is inside my homemade counter box....knowing that I can only start the counter, stop the counter and reset the counter...
D.

 

In short, the answer to your question is yes.

But the devil is in the details. Will each player have the same set of sensors? Wrench, table? Any others?

One thing about using an Arduino or microprocessor, is that you have to be aware of how many "pins" you are going to use. For example, you'd think you would need 4 inputs for the number of players. But it can be done with two. Similarly, if each player had 3 sensors, you'd think you'd need 12 inputs. But it can be done with 7 or maybe only 5.

My point is we need to know what the sensors you are considering. I know you've mentioned them earlier, but to me they sounded like a tentative list.

Are you still thinking of the counter boxes being being standalone and using the Arduino to check the sensors and start/stop the counters? I like that idea because slough the Arduino could do the counting and displaying it on your displays, it would require a lot of extra resources. I estimate another 11 pins for output, plus additional external circuitry and "special" cabling.

That totals to 18 pins (versus 7), which is more than the Arduino Uno supports (14 pins). So you'd have to go to a more expensive Arduino or another micro.

 

Well, yes is good news, I think.
One player:
1.)Player 1 takes the impact gun out of the shoe (common foot switch for shears, etc.) which throws a switch which inputs to the Arduino....
2.)Arduino starts the timer.
3.) Player 1 takes the tire off the car As Quickly As Possible.
4.) Player 1 then put the same tire back on the car and tightens it up... AQAP
5.) Player 1 then puts the gun back in the shoe which inputs to the Arduino...AQAP
6. Arduino stops the timer.
7.) We keep the lowest score on a white board... manually as the night rolls along.
8.) That's one switch (on and off) and one counter on and off.
Are 2 pins required for that or 4?
D.

 

For one player, that is two pins.