Hello.
I am working on one of many projects where I need some tech help in the design.
I have started with a typical handheld barcode scanner (desktop model), which no longer functions, and I am "feinberging" it to make it into a movie prop laser gun with functioning lights.
I have LED's for the "setting indicator" light on the top and for the "emitter", as well as a rheostat to turn the device on and off and to control the speed of the blinking light of the "setting indicator", along with a momentary switch to act as the "trigger" for the emitter lights.
What I want to do is set the device up to do the following:
have the setting light blink at a variety of speeds with multiple emitters coming on at various settings (maximum of six emitters in 3 different colors - red - yellow - green).
Ideally, that is what it would be set to do. One color as the low level, two colors at the intermediate level and all three colors at maximum.
Alternatively, if that is not possible, then simply having the emitters all pulse together at different settings independent of the status indicator light when the trigger switch is depressed, or in synch with the status indicator if it is not possible to make it blink independently on it's own, secondary circuit when the trigger is activated.
My problem is that my skills in electronics are horribly lacking for such a project and I do not wish to go out and buy a bunch of strobe components that may or may not fit in order to make this work (this is a very low budget project). I have the skills to do the assembly, with many decades of model building and my dad teaching me how to solder electronics many years ago, but I lack any functional knowledge of how to make the circuit board layout and all for something as complex as this.
I have a basic (rough) diagram of the device that I am modifying (side and top views - battery pack to be added) and, as I said, it is a commercially available barcode scanner (model LS 2208) that my day job was tossing because it no longer works, so none of the original guts will work for this project anyway.
I plan on powering the device with 4 AAA batteries, so that will give an idea of how much power the system has to manage.
Any advice, circuit diagrams and recommended components would be appreciated.
**broken link removed**