EYES

As mentioned in one of my earlier 'Research' posts, getting the eyes right has been a key component of the build, and proved to be quite a challenge. I wanted to achieve the eye/lens aesthetic of the T800 from the first film and opted for the lens to have the appearance of being clear when unlit (as opposed to red). Additionally, I stumbled across a great post by Max (Sio's T800 Project) where he has a great idea to utilise a clear marble as the lens, and mount the bulb/LED behind it. So I decided to follow his example and purchase some cheap marbles from eBay, and mounted them inside the eye balls. I also stippled some black paint onto the back of the marble from the inside of the eye ball, to dim the effect of the red light passing through it, and to also give the lens a darker 'empty' appearance when not illuminated.

For the light source itself, I purchased a couple of clear LEDs from eBay (again!) and used the information I collected from a few sites to create the necessary circuit. With my original (decade old) build of the skull, I had used a battery source to power the lights. I decided to trawl the internet to see if anyone had an easy method for using USB as the power source, and discovered the following tutorial: How to build a USB powered LED light. For wiring up the two LEDs I found this page: LEDs for beginners. And finally, to work out the kind of electronic resistor I'd need in the circuit, I came across this site: LED Series Resistor Calculator, and this one (which also handily draws a diagram of the circuit out for you): LED series/parallel array wizard. This final page might prove useful in understanding how the circuit should be laid out: LED Circuits.

The marble (and stippled paint on the back) helps reduce the glare of the LED, and provides a slightly softer and flatter glow. It also has the added effect of providing a slightly blotchy appearance, which resembles the red glow we see on the eye closeup scenes in T1.