I'm open to any suggestions, but I don't think he ever told me it was "difficult", I think what I had in mind would have worked, but the electronics guy said my battery wouldn't last very long if I did it that way (who am I to argue?), he gave me all the bits for nothing too, except for the counter and said it would be "better" to do it this way. He also gave me a bunch of these things:



...and told me they work like 5 resistors in one component so would take up less space in my gun! (I haven't used them, I opted for normal resistors as that's what I have worked with before and I understand them)

_________________
Gamertag: Tyger Cheex | PSN ID: TygerCheex
Wii: 5383-1168-6978-3404 | Steam: tygercheex

Yup,
Single In-Line (SIL) Resistor packages one of the end pins is common and the other five are individual resistor legs pretty easy to figure out with a multimeter or even a field expedient continuity tester (aka a battery and a buzzer/bulb)

_________________
Cheers

Winch

"Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow I shall fear no evil for thou art with me. And together we'll kick ANY bugs ASS!"
You know who you are!

The only reason I could see for multiple resistors would be if you were wiring them in parallel - in that case it would affect battery life to have one resistor. I suppose the parallel/series choice would depend on how beefy the LEDs are - series would certainly be the simpler choice?

He said the end with the Dot is the common and if I connect across two of the other legs then I get double the resistance, great little package but a bit wasteful on my circuit as the positions of the pins on the 2 Digit LED Display would mean that some of the SILs would only have 3 connections on them... might as well just use the standard ceramics.

Also the ceramic ones can be located UNDER the display because there is enough space beneath the footprint but the SILs stand too proud!

The more I look at my diagram the more convinced I am it will work and will be awesome.

Of course, you realise that once I have done this and it works I will then automatically become the world's foremost electronics engineer when it comes to digital displays! (Because I did it once, and it worked!)

Thanks Pug, but none of that makes any sense... I know what it means, I just don't understand how the difference effects power consumption etc. If I had a soldering iron I'd be giving it a go this lunch, but I haven;t got one so I need to borrow one off my dad. (Who just so happens to be coming over for a coffee tomorrow night!)

_________________
Gamertag: Tyger Cheex | PSN ID: TygerCheex
Wii: 5383-1168-6978-3404 | Steam: tygercheex

mine was literally a counter 2aa batteries a resistor and some wire with a switch
worked a treated until the wiring got ripped out by the magazine

_________________
I'm the one they warned you about

Don't think you even need a resistor if using the 2 AA's.
Well I didn't use one and I'm pretty sure Spat doesn't either.

_________________
Martin 'Victim' Victory
A86/TQ3.4.49421E3
UKCM 13th Regt. 1st Batt. Freebooters


you can't take the PUNK outa Spunkmeyer

Yeah I remember you saying... did it last long enough for you to flatten a set of batteries? I just wondered how long 2 AAs would last?

I was gonna go the AA route but decided that the PP3 would be a better option due to it's shape and the fact that I wouldn't a battery holder for it, the downside is the huge jump in voltage!

_________________
Gamertag: Tyger Cheex | PSN ID: TygerCheex
Wii: 5383-1168-6978-3404 | Steam: tygercheex

That is technically very dodgy and isn't to be recommended. But it might work for a while?

always put in a resistor as i blew the first display and it overheated like anything

_________________
I'm the one they warned you about

Use rechargable AA's then it doesn't really matter!

_________________
Cheers

Winch

"Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow I shall fear no evil for thou art with me. And together we'll kick ANY bugs ASS!"
You know who you are!

Precisely.
Mine has no resistor... Then again, I know absolutely feck-all about electrics, so you could (in theory) give me a blue LED pencil torch, tell me it's a Sonic Screwdriver and I would probably believe you

All I know is my LED counter currently (fingers crossed) still works fine...

People with "no resistors" in their counters probably have 7-seg displays with integrated resistors? Just a guess.

The reason I'm so incredulous about LEDs with no resistors is that LEDs inherently have near-zero resistance of their own. Near-zero resistance in a circuit implies very high current (near-infinite! ), which causes everything to overheat and blow very quickly - this is why LEDs need a resistor alongside them: To limit the maximum current so that the LED or even the wiring isn't burnt out by massive current.

Yeah, that makes sense.
Just looked at SpatCave - Mine looks just like that... probably is one, TBH.

If Spat's has an integrated resistor, then I assume mine does.

Easy peasy!

_________________
Gamertag: Tyger Cheex | PSN ID: TygerCheex
Wii: 5383-1168-6978-3404 | Steam: tygercheex

nice looks alot neater than mine was
hence the wiring getting torn out lol

_________________
I'm the one they warned you about

Brief update: (specially censored for woody!)

Counter installed:




oh and this arrived in the post today from the factory... can you tell what it is yet?

_________________
Gamertag: Tyger Cheex | PSN ID: TygerCheex
Wii: 5383-1168-6978-3404 | Steam: tygercheex

You know...

You didn't have to "censor" the pic. From what I see it looks like you are "ready to fire"-

So it's okay to have your finger on the trigger.


Counter looks great!


Kevin

_________________
I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

What he said... But I appreciate it


Why yes, it's an Ikea sleeping cushion support system, model 0-0-16005-292819-3 - The new Comfy-Down Majorette version, with 170 grain faux-pine surface finishing, lightweight support struts and adjustable 20° forward departure cant, for those whose partners have trouble getting up for work in the morning...

Why do you ask?

Unfinished?




Kevin

_________________
I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME!?!

yeah, I work for a laboratory furniture design company, we have our own workshop who make the units, I got them to make me the parts!

A bit of glue, a couple of cans of spray paint and it'll be on my wall in no-time!

All FOC!

_________________
Gamertag: Tyger Cheex | PSN ID: TygerCheex
Wii: 5383-1168-6978-3404 | Steam: tygercheex

Outstanding Rifle Tyger!
=]

_________________
Sgt C. Kee-McParlin
A05/TQ1.0.02160E1

13th Regt. 1st Batt. 'Freebooters'

What's a "resistor"?

_________________
-Spat

A resistor is a two-terminal electronic component that produces a voltage across its terminals that is proportional to the electric current passing through it in accordance with Ohm's law:

V = IR

_________________
Steve
Corporal in 69th Regt. 1st Batt. Homer’s Heroes.

"I'd like to die at the age of 80 in my own bed, with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around my c**k."

in lamens terms you use 1 to stop blowing things up or burning them out

_________________
I'm the one they warned you about

I don't use Resistors on my LED counters. And in 6 years of making them, I don't think the battery on one that I've had in my Rifle has ever died. I don't use the LED a lot, but either way, they last a LONG time on 2 AA batteries.

_________________
-Spat