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Another PiCorder

Since I got the ST Tech Manual as a kid, I've wanted to have an actual working tricorder. Hope to pull that off with a Pi 4b and sensor pkgs

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I know practically nothing about writing software, I'm not bad on hardware. Saw a couple other PiCorder projects around here, a TNG Tricorder with a Pi Zero and a lot of cool stuff, and a TOS style with a Pi 3 and a SenseHAT. Hope to learn/borrow/etc from these and other projects to get mine to work.

SO far I've got a Marco Tricorder body from eBay, which needs a little modification, an 8 gb Pi 4b, a battery pack built for the Pi, a SenseHAT board, a display that almost but doesn't quite fit into the display section, a multi-projects set, a variety of electronic components, a circuit board etching kit, and a few other things. I'm a bit annoyed that Radio Shack has stopped doing physical stores; electronic parts stores are hard to find, and I hate shopping online for something I want to actually hold, get precise measurements from and get more info from the store clerk. Plus it'd help not having to know the exact technical term for everything. Thanks loads

I'm thinking that I might be better off to try to "cluster" a Pi Zero into the mix, use it to handle the display, a camera and maybe a couple minor sensors. Mainly because that'll probably make the display section easier to set up.

I've searched for and found web pages describing how someone or other set up multiple Pis in a cluster; that's not what I'm looking for. So, does anyone know of how I would set this up? Wiring diagrams for what goes where and how, software commands, that sort of thing? My battery power supply can provide power to two separate items, so it's perfect for this.

9/12 - bought a dual-fan cooling system for the Pi 4b. Takes it from at least 62C to 35C (aka 143F to 95F) Makes a big difference, and it includes a full and labeled 40-pin connector, so it doesn't gobble up GPIO space.

I've given up on the PI-Zero cluster idea, now that I have a better idea of what that actually is. Still need to find a display. The one I liked has become less likeable. Adafruit has one that looks about right, particularly since it uses the little A/V connector on the side, rather than the 40-pin. The 2.5" size may or may not be something I can work with; the 6v power requirements are something else. Hoping to get a line on a simple way to step it up.

I've acquired a PiMoroni Phat Stack, to make use of multiple devices. got a Breakout Garden, to mix & match things. Found a chip and a board which may or may not allow me to extend the 40-pin, sort of.

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Brett wrote 07/14/2020 at 16:12 point

I remember walking into a Radio Shack when I knew nothing about electronics as a kid, looking at all the components and wondering how they were supposed to make a tricorder work. 

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Dan Maloney wrote 07/13/2020 at 17:16 point

I used to pore over the TM for hours at a time, letting my imagination go. It was always disappointing to see the "internal arrangement classified" callout for things like the phaser, though. But yes, I too always wanted to build a tricorder. Maybe not with discrete through-hole ceramic disc caps and inductors like they show in the original prints. But hell yes to the miniature CRT!

Good luck with the build.

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