Anakin Force FX Lightsaber Part III

[03.07.2010 11:47]

OK, this morning, I have successfully removed the saber blade completely. I was hesitant because of the two metal pins which after trying to figure it out, the Internet just said to use a hammer and a rod.....

Circuit board which houses the sound effects.

Ribbon cable is to light the LEDs in the blade.

LEDs in the blade. Aha!

Epoxied the smash sensor. Now its more

sensitive. But still a bit weird. No point

going out to find another sensor as they

usually do not fit in there.

Finally, at 16:58, it is more or less complete. All I need

now is some weak glue to put the panel and the two

buttons together. End result is that the toy is more

responsive than before but occasionally, it has its

moments. One day, I shall go and have a look at

this sensor but not right now. I am tempted to get

one for myself but then again, there are other things

to think about.

Wife did have a look at the toy and tested it. But no comments, except after a few swings and hits, was her, "Is that it?". I had the same moment when I held it, swung it and hit it for the first time too.

"Is that it?"

Then again, maybe I am not a real Star Wars fan. Its just business.

Our new cabinets

[02.07.2010 17:53]

OK, now we have a cabinet each. And we are supposed to move all our diaries there. This is because diaries takes up the most space and even with the smaller cabinets in our office, they are not enough. So, not only does it take up a lot of precious table space, it also makes us psychologically unable to concentrate with so much clutter. As each of us get to choose our own cabinet, I chose the fifth one.

And with the Friday jam outside, I spent most of the time transferring the diaries to my new cabinet. They're bulky. They're heavy.One by one in a flimsy box, they're cumbersome. Phew.

By two hours, I am am halfway finished but

the cabinet is starting to get full.... oh-oh

My Breakfast

[02.07.2010 07:55]

Yum-yum! A currypuff and a half! And this

one is very crunchy due to the fresh onions

inside it. Oh, and it has and egg too. Yeah!

Anakin Force FX Lightsaber Part II

[01.07.2010 22:10]

Now that I have some time with the kids sleeping, I decided to open the toy and see what the problem is. Opening it is not that easy but as I learnt through the Internet, and attempting it myself, I come to realise why this particular saber was built that way. Amazing.

With all the screws and stuff, opening them is

not easy but there were two very difficult ones

which I had no choice but to perform some very

mininal scratching.

When all the nuts and bolts are taken out,

you can slide the saber out of the hilt. And

yes, only the outer sheath is made of metal,

which gives you a very solid feeling when

holding it.

Too bad they did not come out with Qui-gonn Jin's Lightsaber. Not only is the design elegant, it challenges the designer's creativity when putting all the electronics in. But having opeend this saber, I more or less know how they will design it. Yes, the AA batteries can still fit in but not as a cylindrical pack, though.

The GU10 3watt Warm White LED Lamp Part II

[01.07.2010 21:34]

Now, I am going to take things apart. The front of the lamp can be dismantled via the three screws at the back. Once you have done that, the cover ring will come off easily and so is the very clear plastic lens.

(L-R) The cover ring, the plastic lens and

the actual LED lamp.

Now, your lamp is exposed and if you look closely where the 3watt LED is, you can see three more mini screws which you can unscrew.

When it is opened, you can see the electronics

for the lamp, which basically converts power

from mains (AC) to DC voltage and also, to use

PWM to generate the light in a more efficient

way. This would also means less heat is given

out despite the large aluminium heatsink which

also serves as a cover.

The 3watt LED is held by a thermal transfer

paste (read: white gunk)

You can just pull the LED out and wipe

the paste away.

These are the parts I wanted. The rest are

to be used as spares when other projects

need them. Or they might not.

My name is.....

[01.07.2010 15:42]

After more than close to two months, I can stop bugging the girl to get them types out as I finally got my namecard. 300 of them, to be exact. But not happy because of a missed call last Saturday which means they were testing my number and was about to get the cards made, which was ready in less than a week. I mean, queue up for eight weeks for a four day service? Sheesh.

Another point I am not happy is that I

commented the missing "HP" word

(short for mobile phone) before the

actual number and the guy said, "Is it

really necessary?". Plus, the E-Mail

address is wrong since I am in Marketing.

The GU10 3watt Warm White LED Lamp

[01.07.2010 15:29]

Got the parcel today, after waiting in the Post Office to finally collect it after four days of being busy after I got a card from the post office who came on Saturday to deliver the items I bought three weeks ago. Ha ha ha.

And so, for about RM I-forgot-how-much, it

came. I ordered two, in fact.

It took me a long time to search for this type

of design and it has to be just right, given the

fact I have compromised a lot already.

At the heart of the lamp is the 3watt LED

which gives a warm white colour. In other

words, the light is whitish yellow which is

more comfortable to the eye than the harsh

bluish white. As you can see, the plastic lens

is (I think) of optical grade clarity. Then

again, because it is new and unscratched,

I could be wrong.

The heatsink design is OK, and so is the plastic.

But I was hoping for vents in the heatsink and

also, ceramic instead of the white plastic. But

still, its easier to work with anyway. Don't you

mind the voltage ratings as I am not going to

use it on mains or any other power.

Things for sale

[01.07.2010 13:58]

Wow. Imagine this. If you buy you

own set of wheel clamps, they will

not be able to clamp you anymore.

What a bargain for RM400.00!

Fire Drills

[01.07.2010 12:38]

A Fire Drill is just a show and tell for you

to know why unsupervised fires are so

dangerous. They even teach you how to

select and aim the correct entinguishers.

But when I young, I kept looking for the

fiery drill........

The crispy Pisang Goreng @ Bukit Raja

[30.06.2010 16:03]

Well, they're still here after so many years. And just taking a bite still have that wonderful effect. So addictive, that I bought a few bags for the office and doing so, I did feel a sense of accomplishment. No, not from the grateful collegues but I have resisted all temptations to take a bite throughout the journey! Yay!

Only to bite into one soggy banana after everyone had their share..........

When I arrived, they have finished their stock

and so, I have to wait for more than 10 minutes

for them to replenish them.

By the time I came back to the office, it was

slightly after five which is good or else I would

be left the three bags and the inability to explain

to the wife why we have bananas for dinner. Yeah,

I could have gone, er...., bananas

Casino Parking

[30.06.2010 13:30]

This is what I hate. You put RM10.00 for a RM2.00

parking fee. Oh, I know this machine wants to go to

a casino but this is just too much. It should have just

talked to the Management and not get me involved.

My Breakfast

[30.06.2010 07:53]

Once again, we have enough leftover to make a

complete breakfast. Accompanying the tough

croissant guards of hunger the balls of fishy fish

and the length challenged sausage of despair, all

pushing the little flesh of desire into a corner.

Anakin Force FX Lightsaber Part I

[28.06.2010 23:46]

I got a SMS from Richard the yesterday asking me to have a look at a Lightsaber which was left by a customer for a week in the shop. And so, after getting it today, I was amazed at the quality and built of the toy. And so, after examining it, here is a brief review of the Anakin Force FX Lightsaber:

The Review

Its nice as a display item. And should be selling for RM225.00

There. How do you like my 5-star review?

Anyway, before opening such things, I needed to go over again and again so that I can mentally prepare myself for what is to come and/or the scale of stupidity I might be tempted to create if I am not too careful. Luckily, there were many others who have walked this journey before me and so, I can read all about them from the Internet...

Anyway, the problem with this toy is that, the customer claimed it is not very sensitive when it comes to hitting something. In fact, he has to hit it harder to register the sound. Which is weird because when I tried it, it was OK.

Well, it was OK for one angle and not OK for the rest. I did not dare to hit it hard because although polycarbonates are tough, they are not when you mix brute force and stupidity into the equation. (That's why I said it is a display item. don't believe me? Show it to your friends after a rounds of beer.)

This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is a Lightsaber.

And like my own, its nothing more than an

over-glorified torchlight. But here, those little

wonderful boys did something better; they

added a lot of gee-whiz electronics into a very

long traffic baton and called it a Lightsaber

To tell you the truth, I hated this switch design

which reminds me of an embedded peanut. Oh,

and its chromed plastic covering a very stiff and

grumpy slide switch.

I am not sure who did this but I am very sure

someone tried to force this open in the hopes

of well, opening the whole toy. I will tell you

later why this method is wrong.

Opening the bottom cover, I thought the whole

electronics were in this battery pack. Then I

realised that this is not possible since there is

only enough space for the 3x AAA batteries and

the small speaker. I like how they designed the

hilt where the speaker grill is part of the saber

and the cover is a metal ring to hold it all in.

This is the view into the hilt. The yellow arrow is

a plastic alignment guide for when you insert the

battery pack There are only three sprin loaded

connector prongs, which is for positive power,

negative power and speaker.

OK. I am sleepy now. Good night.

The inhabitants of Pudu Plaza

[28.06.2010 11:45]

It was not until a few days ago that I read in the papers (TheStar.com.my) did I notice these people. Most of the time when I was in Pasar Road, I often pass by this place and though I have seen a few Senior Citizens, it did not occur to me about the reasons for their presence there. Actually, there were a few other things such as the so-called 'China Dolls' too but as always, since I was always in a hurry, a lot of things escaped me.

So much so that I even forgot to stop by for a plate of nasi lemak or some other Malay dishes. But then again, this is life. When we're young, everything is fast and we're in a hurry to catch up. But when we're old, we just sit down and watch things pass by, as if they're not important anymore.....

Everyday, they are just there, enjoying the peace

and the serenity of the place. But after the report,

I did see a few Security Guards walking about and

not so much Senior Citizens. Could be my imagination

but if I do see them harass these people, I will do

my best to respond in exact force. There are no

other place for them to go, economically and without

much trouble, I mean.