Simulating Magic Eye Tubes With Spinning LEDs and Simple Electronics

[ferencproject]

nice work

[rEdf196]

It would be cool to see virtual magic eye displays for SDRs software defined radios for computers I have seen many examples using virtual 70s style analog meters and bar graph types. perhaps an I-pod style 3D screen displaying the traditional green colour to pschidellic multicolour changing effects the eye effects could be round, square, triangular or any shape imaginable. Just a few ideas I had.

[Subaro0o]

you are a genius, u make kip kay look gay

[rrabit44]

would like to see an update

[carpespasm]

Very nicely done! Perhaps drilling out some "window" holes in the metal support in the front where it goes over the display to allow more of it to be seen in the middle could be done? I don't imagine it needs the full strength of that metal.

[johnsprostock]

FULL COMPLETE DOUBLE MACARONI!!!!!

[CorruptReverend]

Have you considered replacing the top support arm with some sort of bearing embedded into the end of the tube (perhaps a simple graphite cup)? This would rid your design of the blocked out line in the display.

[protelboy]

Brilliant idea! Super interesting and inventive.....great work.

[httpkiller]

I think a good solution is to use a disk with a slot instead of the led on the disk and a microcontroller for the timing. Like a small ATtiny. This has the advantage that it is very easy to use such a "tube" as replacement in many devices without bigger hardware changes. I think this will be my next project when i have the time for it.

[TeravoltOrg]

Too bad it's loud.

[Subaro0o]

someone should just commission china to make a new batch.. tube radios should be widely made again, people love them.. just my opinion

[yellowmetalcyborg]

Nice job!

I wish more people made this good old technology live again.

[basspig]

Very nice. Now if you can adjust the frontporch timing as well as the backporch timing, you'd pretty much have it duplicated.

[ac7zl]

@basspig

I've given that some thought. I think this could easily be done by using the timing signal to generate a triangle wave verses the sawtooth used in the prototype.

[OMGABUSE100]

Soooo postin this on Facebook!!

[teelabrown69]

Nicely done! I had one of the electronic eyes from my old Webcor reel-to-reel. The unit burned out, but the eye survived.

[Riskteven]

I saw somewhere an electronics video where they claimed that a reed switch will wear out quite quickly. I would try with a hall effect element instead.

[robot797]

sooo nice you should make it in a tube form (and same conections)

and sell it

[thedarkone2134]

I've got a full box of those old magic eye tubes, unused. They came from the attic of my uncles electronic store.

[manzot89]

My Radiomarelli has this magic eye.

[RODALCO2007]

Very nice, you went through a lot of trouble building one of those devices.

Thanks for posting.

[XELA2T]

very nice, well thought and made.

In order to get rid of the mechanic motor, would it be a good idea to use a LCD shutter glas instead? You could trigger it the same way you are triggering your device, also it might "smooth" the sharp light of the LEDs.

[Isalys555]

Genius.

[pantyflash]

Like, the tubular eyes are so beautiful with their lovely glow. LED's are absolutely gorgeous, too. Way to go, babe!

[ThreeRsMom]

Once you have an 8-pin chip in the system, you may as well use a microcontroller, which makes RDCST's wish for a more "lifelike" single-wedge display a mere matter of programming. The Microchip PIC12F675 has an ADC, a timer, and several GPIO pins, and can be had for a few dollars. I'll try it sometime.

Dave Wise

[ac7zl]

@ThreeRsMom

I've worked with PIC chips in the past and agree that there aren't too many problems that can't be solved through the application of a microcontroller. On the other hand, ownership of a chip programmer and assembler or compiler, and knowledge of how to use them, represents a barrier to a lot of people. The solution presented is simple to build and make functional.

[ac7zl]

It's a performance by Jascha Heifetz from an old 78 RPM record.

[droggwheel]

The music. What is the Music ?

[RDCST]

It look great, but need one more improvement; the real magic eye looks more like a green pacman so it closes in the same point.

I think you can resolve this by using just one LED and changing the times in order to reach the 360º = 100%

[ac7zl]

@RDCST

Yes and no... there are many flavors of eye tube. The "real" tube demonstrated in the video is the "Pacman" type, but the LED version represents a model more like the 6X6 or EM31. Two refinements easily added would be a current source to charge the cap, and a current sink to discharge it. This would give you a linear triangle wave (instead of a non-linear sawtooth). The display would then become even more convincing.

[mistertentpole]

well done! I appreciate this very much. I had a VM tape recorder as a kid with the eye, and i always thought it was kinda creepy, but very neat. although the movement of your eye is a bit different than the real kind, it's definitely in the spirit of the real deal. i like it. 5 *

[kakureru]

nice