PKD2019 Lighting - Piscean Works

This is the first version of the PCB, being test-fit on the AndersFP 3D print. It does look perfect on paper but once the board came back, there were a lot of other issues which I did not anticipate.

I’ve always wanted a PKD Blaster for decades. Scouring through Forum such as theRPF showed me that the only way to get one is to buy a real metal kit, either from the late Sid or Richard A. Coyle. There are alternatives such as resin ones from Rick Ross. And you can even get ready made ones from the Tomenosuke brand and even a water pistol version from Takagi. All is well and fine but there is one little problem, which would be our ever vigilant Royal Malaysian Kastam who will confiscate any object that resembles a weapon. Plus, depending on the evidence and circumstances at hand, deliver you to the Police.

However, there is also the main issue to what do I do with it if I got it? I cannot bring it out of the house, talk about it and I am sure, even my Wife would not appreciate having such object in my collection. I mean, it does look more like a gun and not Sci-Fi. It’s as much fun as waving my NERF blaster around in the house. After reviewing these points, I have come to the sad conclusion that the only reason I wanted one was because of the LEDs in there.

Or rather, the Blaster’s Clip. Inside it, there are 5 LEDs; 4x red 3mm and 1x red 5mm. Lighting them is not an issue as there were so many solutions out there. I have finally settled my own demons on this and have let it go.

The Bad news

Years later, when I am in Zen with the Blaster, a Facebook friend, wanted to have the red LEDs ‘glow up’ when it is switched on. And so, the only way to do this is to either design an off the shelf circuit which can be bulky or, use a micro-controller. I have seen and watched the progress on the FB Group where the solution would be to use an Arduino solution or rather, a Pico Pi. He is building a 3D printed blaster, from a source which I have seen before. It was modeled by one Mr. Anders Fogde Pedersen aka AndersFP who kindly uploaded the files to Thingiverse.

Challenge Accepted

No, this is not official or anything. I just want to see if the circuit can be powered from a CR2032 coin cell and for how long. The CR2032, is a 3v battery with an average 225 mAH capacity but seriously limited with a 10mA output. Electronics using this battery were usually remotes which uses power for a very short time. So, this means, the battery can last for a long time. But for the Blaster, where the electronics are switched on for longer times and with a higher power consumption, this scenario is actually not workable. We are looking at higher power discharge.

A typical LED has a maximum current consumption of 20mA. The Blaster having 5 LEDs means we’re talking about a current consumption of 100mA to 140mA (including the Green LEDs). So, guess how long the CR2032 battery will last (Not much). There are some tricks to help conserve battery power. A common solution would be to use current limiting resistors for every LED. A much more effective solution would be to use PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) where the LED flashes or blinks in very quick succession. This power saving technique uses the POV (Persistence of Vision) of the human Eye which will register the LED as being lit all the time. However, is many cases, the human eye are very sensitive and hence, you will notice the flickering effect when you move it around. In terms of voltage requirement, the Pico Pi can operate between 1.8v and 5.5v, and the same goes for the Microchip PIC which operates between 2.0v and 5.5v. The only advantage is that I can design the whole circuit around the PIC and still be able to fit snugly into the Blaster. The Pico’s RP2040 on the other hand is huge.

My plan is to use the microchip PIC for lighting the blaster and have some lighting effects while at the same time, use PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) to prolong battery life. I would also be toning down the LEDs to about 10mA instead of the maximum 20mA, and it might go down even further with the PWM programming. In my experience, the brightness of the Red and phosphorus-based LEDs such as White is quite noticeable even at 10mA. Again, as I have mentioned, the trade-off is that the PWM does have some flickering issues. And it is quite noticeable.

What happens after that?

I suppose once the prototype is finalised, I can go for a run. But you see, there is already a solution on the market by DUplex Designs in the form of a kit. Furthermore, my FB friend has moved on with his Pico Pi solution too. So, in truth, not many would be printing a 3D PKD Blaster and so, it would be very difficult to sell them. Maybe I’ll just use them for my own 3D Blaster, that is, if I plan to print one, which can cost quite a bit. I have yet to reach out to the original author, AndersFP, where I based my circuit board design on his 3D file. His kit is being sold at Tip Top Workshop too.

Update: OK, I have decided to try my luck and sell them, albeit in limited units. But if the bottom line are encouraging, I might even go for another run.

Progress Notes (The Boring Part)

The following are the Journey I took to get the Boards produced and I must apologise in advance as they are mostly notes to myself. Yeah, I learned a lot of new things and some unpleasant ones. But Luck was on my side where printing the Instruction Manuals were concerned. I could say, this Project in a sense, establised and standardised the packaging process for future products.

Where to get what:

AndersFP (Anders Fogde Pedersen) PKD-2019 Blaster Download File

Duplex Designs Lighting Kit for AndersFP PKD-2019

Duplex Designs’s Upgrade Parts for AndersFP PKD-2019

20250117: The Completed PKD Lighting System is now on Sale

The Bad news

Challenge Accepted

What happens after that?

Progress Notes (The Boring Part)

Where to get what:

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