You have the same voice qualities of Bob Ross. Very soothing.

The genius is at it again!

The fact that the mod allows the wand to power up the pack after 5 minutes is a huge selling point - this, a 12V battery, and upgraded speaker would make the perfect pack.

Nice! I have all your Spirit Pack kits and can say that I will definitely be picking this up when available!

Awesome! Looks like I'm modifying another wand with your kit to go with the new pack electronics. I love the spengler link kit in my older pack. Keep up the great work! We appreciate it!

You sir are amazing! Thank you for all your contributions to the community!

Yea! After all the great spirit pack kits I’m glad to see this! When they are ready I’ll be ordering!

Awesome! I originally intended to keep the original D batteries but after seeing how this board even has a part to let you plug an external battery and how it's literally "plug and play", it's definitely making me reconsider the D batteries. Looking forward this to this item.

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

Or use BOTH. The KeepAlive now works with either source or both combined for even longer run times.

Sold! As soon as these are available, I must have one! Thank you for your work!

Great and straight forward tutorial for hook up Doug! Once these boards are available for sale color me interested!

Definitely got 2 sold here. Keep up the great work!

That's looking pretty good, look forward to when you release it!

Awesome! Would love if new sound for the wand was added. Like what we hear in Afterlife with the beep and high pitched hum that gets higher when you switch on the other switches.

Can't wait to get my hands on this kit!

commenting so that you may have my money once this is in production! You are a gentleman and a scholar!

Very excited about this! Can't wait!!!

Amazing work!

I’d be interested in buying one once they’re ready to go, great mod!

Definitely excited for this little mod!

I WANT ONE! Seriously, I really do want one.

This is amazing, truly remarkable work here. I will definitely be picking this up as well as a larger rechargeable 12v battery when this is available! Thanks! Question - If I have this board installed with the stock wand connection to the pack, will this also keep the wand running without a timer or do I also need the 'Spengler Wand KeepAlive Board' you also mentioned. Thank you!!

Can’t wait to get my hands on a kit! One question though, if we haven’t done the stay alive mod in the wand previously, will we still be able to use this mod or do we need to do the wand as well?

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

The pack can live through the wand powering off. So not really needed unless you also want the wand to be able to keep the lights on continually. Or (if it works out) ever want to add an e-cig smoke kit that the wand could control...

this is so cool. was hoping for a nice "Drop in" rehcarable battery solution and the idle timer removal is a great bonus. will def be picking this up. anyway to get that battery to also power a powered speaker? seen lots of people adding BT ones that sound great.

Wow this is awesome

When they're finished I want one.

I will have to get one for my pack and wand, this is awesome. Is there a light bar graph for the wand, to replace the lights behind the lens?

What a great mod! Two questions: 1. Do you have a link to that battery? 2. What is the time difference, then between the old battery setup and the new battery? Is it a 10% increase in pack life, or greater?

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

Depends a lot on which D cell batteries and which 12V rechargeable battery you use. I haven't timed it directly yet, but it looks like the pack shuts down early from the D cells, at around 4V, so does not use the full mAH capability. But that aside, if the D cells are rated at and can use 10,000mAH, a 9800mAH 12 V will run approximated 2x longer because of the higher voltage.

Definitely a lot of screws to open the pack. Actually 15 of the little buggers unless I forgot one. I love this mod, and hopefully it will be available soon. Thank you for including a plug for the battery pack. I do have one question. I'm building a control box that I'm attaching to the front pack straps, so I can control a smoke emitter in the pack. Since I'm going to run wires into the pack anyway, I was going to see if I can also wake up the pack from the control box. I know the red switch wakes up the pack, but didn't know which wire to cut my switch into. Can I use either, or is there a specific one?

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

The pack's big red switch just shorts the two wires together when it wants the pack on. As long as the switch you add is run in series with one of those two wires and does NOT connect to anything else, then either wire works. You swith would normally be closed so the main sw still works and then flipping it open is the same as flipping the big red switch off. I am trying to get the Wand KeepAlive and Pack KeepAlive to communicate so the wand could directly control a vent relay. No extra switches would be needed. Of course I am not done with this yet - it is a stretch goal for that feature!

That is such a cool (needed) upgrade to the haslab pack. Couple of questions...will it be possible to add in a relay for venting/smoke effects? &, will the wand need to be modded as well? Thanks!!

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

That is the plan! And yes, it will require modding the wand also so the wand can send the request to the pack. No extra or separate switches needed to control the vent relay.

@Payne-ted_Plastic

Жыл бұрын

@@ghostlab42 awesome!! Thanks for the info & working all of this out. I cant wait for the next update! 👍👍

Looks great! And I will be (im)patiently waiting for this to come out. Do you have any plans on attempting to link this with the wand so that the wand will still be able to control the pack? (If possible at all)

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

Almost - working on two main items: power up/down control even when both have keepAlive boards. The up/down control is already there, but you end up ignoring it somewhat to have the pack keep running. And I am working on getting the wand to be able to control a vent relay in the pack, so some limited communications between the two.

@ecto1139

Жыл бұрын

@@ghostlab42 so I’m laimens, even if both have keep alive boards the wand could in theory power the pack up and down like default? Sorry if I’m not getting it right.

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

@@ecto1139 It is complicated, and also not finished yet, so may change somewhat before the boards are finalized. With both KeepAlive boards installed, the wand will powerdown the pack when you turn the wand off.

@ecto1139

Жыл бұрын

@@ghostlab42 awesome man. You’re doing an amazing job so far it seems. I really look forward to the finished product!

I knew you would come through pretty quickly. I’ve been putting off any mods until you would have some upgrades ready. Now I can start prepping the pack in anticipation. Before I go get a speaker, do you have any intentions of releasing a sound upgrade similar to your Spirit pack kit? I’d prefer to open the pack once and get everything installed in a single session.

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

Not for some time - At that point I may want to just gut all of the original electronics and that is a larger undertaking. You may consider just tapping off the speaker wires and putting that into a separate differential input audio amp and power that from a 12V battery (the same one if you have another Y cable). That should be able to supply about 10W for a much better speaker. Probably some soldering to attach wires to the speaker.

@ezehogan

Жыл бұрын

@@ghostlab42 thanks for the reply. Any ETA on when this board will hit the streets?

Ive been waiting to do any mods because I was certain you would come out with something! Thoughts on speaker replacement or power amp yet?

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

I don't think just a different speaker will help much. For louder it is going to require an audio amp and use of a higher voltage, like a 12V battery powering the audio amplifier. This should enable up to 10W into an 8 ohm speaker and possibly more to a 4 ohm depending on the audio amplifier. The pack's speaker is labeled as 1/2W so a different speaker would be needed.

Heck yeah!

Awesome! So if I get it right, there is another version of the Spengler Wand Keep Alive coming that will keep the pack alive too ? Any timeframe for that?

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

I have protoypes and am working on that now... But this is part-time so it may be another month or two.

Any idea when production models come out?

Yes!

I'm ready Doug, take my money! Just to clarify, if I were to have a custom 6v 2.7Ah battery, with a jst connector (like the original battery connector), this will still work, correct?

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

If you had a 6V battery it would just replace the 4x D cell pack and connect to the same connector on the Pack KeepAlive board that the D cells would normally plug into. It would also work on an unmodified pack by plugging that into the place on the pack's original board that current connects to the D cells. It would not work well with the DC power plug on the Pack KeepAlive board since the switching regulator wants a voltage higher than its output and it is designed to provide 6V.

Thank you! But, do we still have to wait months before you start selling the kits??

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

Unfortunately, yes. This is just my hobby gone out of control - my regular job is quite taxing so it's hard to find much time to work on this...

I'm in!

Amazing work. So the pack can run on 5v from a talentcell, so you must be stepping down the voltage that the pack sees from the 12v input, correct? I know 12v direct would kill the haslab board. lol

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

Yes - a switching regulator down to 6V DC since a fresh set of Alkaline D Cells would provide about 6V.

@TheJustinc23

Жыл бұрын

@@ghostlab42 Awesome. You sound like a electronics college professor I had - his name was Doug Sherman. Is that you Doug? LOL

I can't wait for this to starttto go into production ... I was wondering who was goin to come out with it first .... My first pack build had a Spengler wand sound and link board and all my lights by ghost labs ..

a bezel inside the door compartment with on off switch and charge port for the batterie monunted on it would be nice with dédicated stickers

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

That would be awesome - not something I can get to for some time, but will add that to my todo list to look into.

Can a clockwise/counter clockwise option switch for the cyclotron lights also be added?

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

At this point I do not connect to the signals between the Pack's original circuit board and the serial LEDs in the powercell or cyclotron, so no way to modify sequencing of the lights.

Awesome! Will you consider starting an Etsy store as well?

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

No time! Just trying to find time to work on the actual product is tough enough. And... eBay is already set up for me!

I bought the talentcell 12v 3000mah with 5v USB. Would this one be enough power to run the pack with this new circuit board or would I need to buy a more powerful one

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

That may be about the same as the D Cells, depending on the D cells and how low of a voltage the pack can use. The 5V USB is not used by the Pack KeepAlive's power jack, but you could use that with the appropriate JST connector cable instead of the D cells. Otherwise you could use both the D Cells and the 12V connection on that battery with the Pack KeepAlive for maximum run time.

What does the toggle switch do if you use the battery pack? And if you use a battery pack is there danger of frying the boards when you charge it?

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

The toggle switch in the production board is only used to disconnect the battery pack, since there was no switch included on the pack to actually disconnect the battery. The 12V input no longer has a switch and I am relying on you either disconnecting the battery or turning it off when not in use for long periods of time. As for charging... Some chargers do put out more voltage than expected/needed and also it can be very noisy and have larger voltage spikes. It is best to disconnect the battery when charging, but the power supply on this board is rated to handle 18V in, so if the spikes do not exceed that the output voltage of 6V (to emulate a fresh set of D cell batteries) will not be affected.

Do you have a sign up page where we can sign up for notifications for when the board is ready to be purchased?

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

Best place is the gbfans page that is referenced in the description. www.gbfans.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=50623

iam so buying this once your selling these

I am definitely interested in this! I want one when they go into production. Does this also keep the wand alive (the 30 second timeout from Hasbro is ridiculous)? When these are in production, and I add this board to my pack, will it also keep the want alive, or does that require modification to the wand as well? I really like my Hasbro pack and wand, I just don't want the damn thing to turn off on its own.

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

I have the same issue and that is why I am making these boards! For the wand to keep the lights on indefinitely, you would need the Wand KeepAlive board installed in your wand. That is the only way I found to get around the 30 second idle timeout. But... that can also keep the pack alive, so if that is all you want the pack would not have to be opened up.

@adamhutchins1981

Жыл бұрын

@@ghostlab42 The wand keep alive will also keep the pack alive? I want to make sure I get the right part. Could you perhaps direct me to a link to the correct part for this? I have seen so many different things people have been working on, that I don't know which is the right thing. I am still interested in this mod, too, because I would like to also keep the pack alive by itself without the wand running.

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

@@adamhutchins1981 The Wand KeepAlive can keep the pack Alive also, but if the wand is not attached it can't do that so you would need the Pack KeepAlive. Basically if you want both the pack and wand to be able to run indefinitely when they are used separately or together, you would need both KeepAlive kits. I do not have these available for sale yet (still developing them), but the description above does give a link to the GBFans thread I am keeping updated on the progress.

@adamhutchins1981

Жыл бұрын

Right, yeah, I know the wand would only be able to do that if connected...but I remember someone doing some testing with arduinos and found that (at the time with the current setup) he was able to keep the wand alive, but the pack would still shutdown. That's why I was asking if the wand keep alive could do that. And yes, I know these new pack keep alive boards aren't available yet. I was asking if you could provide a link to the wand keep alive that you mentioned, so I could make sure to get the right one for my wand. Sorry for any confusion. And also many thanks, I'm looking forward to doing these mods to my pack.

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

@@adamhutchins1981 Interesting... The Pack KeepAlive board will keep power to the wand, but the wand has multiple idle times that make it hard to have the wand keep the lights on even if the power never goes away. No links to the wand KeepAlive yet, other than the GBFans link in the video description. I will add a link to the description when it is available in my eBay store.

Is this a business only project or open source (gerber files , component data, schematics freely available) ?

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

Probably business - if I decide to stop making them I should push out all of the info for others to take up where I leave off.

how much power does this board draws from the D cell batteries?

@ghostlab42

9 ай бұрын

Not much... Most of the power draw is the same as what the pack and wand normally draw: All of the current just goes through this board over to the pack and from the pack through this board to the wand. Adds just a few mA compared to without the board.

Will the spengler link kit for the wand work with this?

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

Yes - ish. It will keep the wand alive but it will not control the pack. The Pack Keep Alive will look for new signaling from the Wand KeepAlive board to know that it should respond to the wand. The Wand KeepAlive will use the same connector and mounting as the Spengler link, but does not support the audio or power connections.

Could you provide info on what battery pack that is and where you bought it? (A link?)

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

I randomly purchase on eBay and amazon. Search for "12V rechargeable 9800mAH". If that is not narrow enough you can add "DC 1298A"

Outve curiosity can it still run on the d cells as I'm not wanting to add a new battery pack

@brianbennett2775

Жыл бұрын

from what the video shows, yes it can.

@craigbrenkley8106

Жыл бұрын

@@brianbennett2775 just wondering what the ETA for this is

Any timeframe for release?

Is all this available to buy?

This will keep the pack alive, even when the attached wand times out?

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

Yes. Kind-of - if you also have the wand KeepAlive, the wand won't time out... Either a standard or a modified (Wand KeepAlive) _can_ turn the pack on /off, but not because of a time out. Details are purposefully sketchy until I verify the operation!

How do you charge that rechargeable 12v battery?

@ezehogan

Жыл бұрын

Should have two cables. One to output power and one to receive a charge via a DC charger. I’ll bet you just open the side door if the pack to access the charging cable (and battery power switch).

Does this board keep alive the wand too?

@brianbennett2775

Жыл бұрын

No it wouldn't, that's a totally different system. Tho he does have a keep alive system available for the wand. Its just not as easy as this. You have to solder it to the existing board.

@Morimoto84

Жыл бұрын

@@brianbennett2775 I know the keep alive for the Neutrona Wand. But once installed it is no longer possible to turn off the Proton Pack via the wand. That's why I'm asking if the keep alive for the pack would also be able to work on the wand, especially since we see in the video that it plugs into the wand's power supply.

Can anyone tell me what the talentcell equivalent would be? To the blue brick

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

The talentcell equivalent mAH capacity battery was larger than the blue brick so mounting was not obvious. Even the 600mAh capacity (YB1206000) I have is physically larger than the 9800mAH capacity Blue Brick I also have (DC 1298A)

@craigbrenkley8106

Жыл бұрын

@@ghostlab42 thanks for getting back to me, does it have to be 9800mAH?

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

@@craigbrenkley8106 Not at all! That is about the largest one that I had that fit nicely in that area behind (and into) the secret compartment in the pack. Smaller capcity (mAH rating) or larger are all fine. The main requirement is 12V DC and a 5.5mm x 2.1mm plug if you want it to connect to the Pack KeepAlive board which can then power the pack and an attached spengler wand.

@craigbrenkley8106

Жыл бұрын

@@ghostlab42 that's a relief I'm grateful for your help, really appreciate it. Any chance of an ETA for this?

Will a 12V Talentcell work with this?

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

It worked great with the TalentCell I have (YB1206000). It uses the 12V output and the TalentCell's cable with a male 5.5x2.1mm connector. No need to have or use the USB 5V output if you have that on the Talenctell you are using.

@EctoPlasmic

Жыл бұрын

@@ghostlab42 I have the 3000mah version.. will that work too?or do I need the 6000mah?

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

@@EctoPlasmic IT will work fine. The 3000mAh vs 6000 or 9800mAh (the blue brick style I also use) is related to how long it takes to drain the battery. In theory, a 6000mAh battery will run the pack for twice as long as a 3000mAh battery, though actual current load, internal resistance, and other factors can come in to play so the 2x is just the first order estimate. I have not run the pack with a fully charged battery until it stops (yet) with a new battery pack to give you reasonable estimates of how long it will run. I will do that when I have the final boards done. The D batteries are not really allowed to run down as far as they could, so some of the capacity of those is not used. With the switching power supply for the 12V connection (or if you are not using this board and have some cabling to use the 5V output from a TalentCell) a very high percentage of the 12V battery capacity should be able to be used to power the pack.

When is this being released? I keep checking your ebay store

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

All parts and boards ordered -- should be available in a month if all goes well...

@irishsuperman24

Жыл бұрын

@ghostlab42 nice! I can't wait, thank you for your hard work

What happened to your Ebay Store?

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

Been on vacation! It should now be back up and running. The Wand KeepAlive circuit boards have arrived, but the pack KeepAlive boards have not yet shipped... Hopefully soon!

@genedavis1386

Жыл бұрын

@@ghostlab42 you already made the circuit boards for the haslab packs and I missed them? Or you mean they will be up soon on ebay?

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

@@genedavis1386 Nothing missed. Just that the Wand KeepAlive finally has all of the parts (I still have a lot of work to do before they are available for sale), but I am still waiting on the Pack KeepAlive parts - it always takes longer than I want it to!

@genedavis1386

Жыл бұрын

@@ghostlab42 that's great news. I know you have a life outside of all you do and I appreciate the hard work you put in to this mods. I see lot of people making keep alives and having problems. I plain on just wanting on yours cause I know you do great work and it'll definitely be worth the wait. Thanks for your response

Love the video, but can you do me a HUUUUGGGEEE favor? Can you speak up louder? I'm deaf in one ear and strugging to even hear you speak whilst you're speaking in a quiet voice.

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

I'll be more conscious about that on my next video! I don't do too many of these and am a definite amature when it comes to making these videos!

Ok. I'm in. Very interested in the stretch goals. How are you make that decision ?

@ghostlab42

Жыл бұрын

If it can be done in a reasonable amount of time... I believe the design will support it, but until I have it programmed and working it is not a certainty. And if it requires a lot of unanticipated hardware I would drop the stretch goal feature.