Real Dragonball Z Scouter - 27/07/21

An in-Depth explanation of how my DBZ Scouter works.

The reason why I’m writing this is that I want to go more in-depth into how the inner workings of my projects. I will now be rambling on about my DBZ scouter. My DBZ scouter works by displaying an image on a screen this image is reflected at a 90-degree angle and then it is focused using a fresnel lens and then projected onto a piece of acrylic.

The Code

I have an Arduino nano and it runs a code to display a monochrome bitmap image on my screen. Basically, any image is possible with this. I find images on the web that I want to put on my screen. Then, I go to MS Paint and scale the resolution of the image down to 128 x 64 which is the resolution of the screen. Then I save the image as a monochrome bitmap. I used an app called LCD Image Converter which converts images into raw code. I converted the mono bitmap into raw C++ code. Then I upload this code to Arduino IDE and upload it to the Arduino Nano.

The Case

This case is entirely 3D printed using my Ender 3 (files are up on the Instructables post if you want them https://www.instructables.com/Scouter-From-Dragonball-Z/ ). This was my first project with any 3d printing involved. I recently got an Ender 3 v2 as it is a killer bang for buck printer. I printed it with generic PLA and infill 20%. The case is a bit weak but it will suffice as I’m not doing anything crazy. The design is quite simplistic and I modeled it in Fusion 360. I am a big noob at F360. As I was modeling this I was doing a Udemy course on Fusion 360 so try not to cringe if the models are utter garbage.

The Optics

The optics were undoubtedly the hardest part of this project. Solely because a lot of fine tweaking was needed to generate a clear image that my eyes could focus on. Too close and I could focus on the image and too far and the image was not focused and too small. It is recommended that the focal lens is not too strong as the image would be a bit small. My fresnel lens was not strong enough so my image isn’t fully clear but I can still read the text so I am happy with it.

Future ambitions

Where do I want to go next with this project? I ask myself. Honestly, I do not feel that this project is completed but it is just ‘done’. I feel as if the aesthetics could be further improved and the computer and screen could be imrpoved. Just a single low res image is kinda lame. I’m thinking about putting a RPi Zero and upgrading a screen so I can watch videos and having a full-fledged computer would be much, much cooler.