Help wanted: Electronics

Shortly put: I want my 3D Space Hulk to be the best I can make it. For me, that means including lighting effects that tie in to the various mission objectives.

Sadly, I don’t know the first thing about electronics :'(.  So, I’m hoping someone can help me out…. Basically, being the luddite I am, I need all the help I can get.  (Any advice is welcome: instructional sites, advice for books that teach this sort of thing to absolute and total beginners, cheap suppliers.  Anything at all.  I’m essentially a blank slate when it comes to electronics…)

This is what I’m hoping to include:

(This is the state of affairs on 25-8-09, the missions from the new SH may require additional lighting effects…)

My goal is to have appropriate lighting effects to enhance each of the missions from the 1^st/2^nd ed. Space Hulk core set missions.

Plus some additional lighting effects for mood or “cool” factor. J

 

Full Rooms/Corridors:

Mechanicus Chapel:

Description:

Room, 1 entrance: Large eagle on the far wall (with a few mm room between the wall and the eagle), dataterminals along walls, large double door with overhead lights, dais in the centre of the room for a Data-Ark (Gothic external HDD)

Lighting effects:

-6 to 8 amber/yellow lights for over the dataterminals and doors. Ideally speaking these lights gently fade between dim and near full strength, in a fairly long cycle (10 to 16 seconds, maybe more. The fade should subtle, only really noticeable when directly looking at the room.)

-2 sets white/yellow diffuse glow, behind the eagle on the far wall, constant strength. (possibly also 2 similar red glows behind Mechanicus icons, should I fit these.)

The above two effects are the core lighting for this unit.

In addition to this, I’d like 2 additional lighting effects, that can each be activated/deactivated separately from the core lighting above:

-1 bright blue-white irregularly flashing light, like sparking electricity/arc welding sparks. (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9a4rtcldOc for an idea of what I mean).

-A “toxin canister port”: for description see the Loose Module number 3. It functions in the same manner.

 

Console Alcoves:

Description: 

Room, 3 entrances, 2 Dataterminals (large), The lighting for each terminal can be activated/deactivated separately!

Lighting effects:

Per terminal:

1 overhead amber/yellow light, dimmed. Blinks on and off at random intervals (like a failing fluorescent light).

1 Monitor: irregularly flashing medium green light, with incidental flashes at maximal power. (like a failing monochrome monitor)

Ideally the consoles should also have a number of tiny “blinkenlights” (maybe done with fibreoptics and a few internal leds?)

These effects are also needed, but with 3 terminals in a separate module of  12x3x4 cm, the Communications Console

 

Cryochambers:

Description:

Room, 3 entrances, 7 cryotubes along the walls. The cryotubes are semi-opaque, like glass that is severely frosted over. With the lighting effects on, faint shapes can be seen inside the tubes…

Lighting effects: Per cryotube, each cryotube can be activated/deactivated separately:

Each tube is lit from within (from both top and bottom, maybe sides too?) with a diffuse, cold blue/white light. The light pulses (between maybe full and threequarters strength) with 3-4 seconds between the peaks of maximum light. Ideally there should also be random, split second flickering in the light. (At max power the light should be able to throw shadows inside the module?)

 

Devotionary hallway:

Description:

Corridor, 3 squares (12cm) long. One side has a massive bronze Imperial Eagle against the wall, these is a few mm room between the eagle and the wall). The other wall features a small alcove, littered with prayer parchments and seals. Below it is a small shrine (battery housing…) with candles on it.

Lighting effects:

-1 set of soft, diffuse glow (yellow-white) from behind the Eagle.

– yellow/orange flickering light for the candle flames.

 

1. Derelict/damaged corridor:

Description: A corridor that has suffered severe damage when several spaceships smashed into the hulk.

Lighting effects:

1 or more sets of flickering blue-white light (“arc welding sparks”) and several red warning lights, that either blink on and off or smoothly, but quickly fade from on to off (1 second on, 1 second off for both variants).

 

Genestealer territory (hallway and/or room)

Description: A room or corridor that has been claimed by the Genestealers. Sections of the room/corridor have been overgrown/replaced with organic chitinous structures.

Lighting effects:

Pulsing, diffuse purple light at several locations. Flowing organic pulse, it’s rhythm is similar to the Cryopods or a hart beat rhythm. (This effect may also be used for the Genestealer entry points, in which case everything needs to fit in a 4x4x1 cm block…)

 

 

 

Separate Modules:

 

Terminator Exit points:

Description: Small (4x4x1 cm) units, to identify Terminator Exit points.

Lighting effects:

Red or green blinking light (half second on, second off, or a short flash every 3 seconds. Something like a homing beacon.

 

Reactor Dampening controls:

Description: Module about 4x4x4 cm in size (It’s height could be adjusted to 6 cm). It has a dataterminal on one side, the rest looks like a complex control system.

Lighting effects:

-1 Monitor: irregularly flashing medium green light, with incidental flashes at maximal power. (like a failing monochrome monitor)

-1 green “status OK” light at a prominent point on the device. If a switch is activated, the light turns red (Ideally, several other orange and red lights should spring on at other locations on the module as well!)

 

Airpump System:

Description: A large airpump device (8x8x4 or6 cm), at 4 locations there are connection ports for toxin canisters.  4 separate toxin canisters that fit onto/into those connection ports.

Lighting effects:

-Each connection port has a green light above it. Once a toxin canister is actually inserted, the light switches to red for that port only.

 

Communications Console (see Console Alcoves for descriptions).

Description: A block, 12x3x4 cm in size. The block features 3 dataterminals in a row.

Lighting effects:

Per terminal (the lighting for each terminal can be activated/deactivated separately):

1 overhead amber/yellow light, dimmed. Blinks on and off at random intervals (like a failing fluorescent light).

1 Monitor: irregularly flashing medium green light, with incidental flashes at maximal power. (like a failing monochrome monitor)

Ideally the consoles should also have a number of tiny “blinkenlights” (maybe done with fibreoptics and a few internal leds?)