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MONSTERBADGE DIGITAL BADGE

Monsterbadge Digital Badge, retail $39.95 (www.digitalbadge.com...)
Manufactured by Digital Badge (www.digitalbadge.com)
Last updated 05-10-12

The Monsterbadge Digital Badge was sent to me by a website fan, and did not come with any retail packaging, but did include everything I needed to make it work except a DB-9 cable, which I received later.

The Monsterbadge is remarkably easy to use; just plug the DB-9 plug into the serial port on your computer, plug the free end of the cord into the infrared transmitter module, load up the program off the included CD-ROM, pop two batteries in the Monsterbadge itself, and type your message (up to 1,024 characters and spaces) into the box on your computer screen. Yes, it really is that easy.

It scrolls your message in blue LED lights on its front surface; you can have up to six messages (1,024 characters & spaces total), or just a single message up to that length (anywhere from 1 to 1,024 characters & spaces).

SIZE

To use the Monsterbadge, first insert the batteries into it (see below). Plug the female end of the cable into the male DB-9 serial port on your computer, and plug the male end of the cable into the IR transmitter module. Pop the included miniature CD-ROM disc into your CD-ROM drive, and run the program "DigitalBadge Large Red_Blue Module" on it. The program will be installed on your computer. An icon will appear on your Windows desktop, named "Namebadeg 2005 for Digitalbadge" (note that "Namebadeg" is spelled that way below the icon).

Run this program. Type your message, up to 1,024 characters and spaces (and up to six seperate messages; totalling 1,024 characters & spaces) into the large box, select the scrolling speed (I recommend setting it to one of the faster settings), turn the Monsterbadge on, position the photosensor on the underside of the Monsterbadge's board approximately 1" away from the IR LED on the transmitter module, then click the "Download" button.

The photosensor is that square white thing on the underside of the Monsterbadge's circuit board as you see in this photograph.

It's really a whole lot easier to do it in person than it looks when reading it in print.

The Monster badge can also be programmed without a computer by using the buttons on the back of the circuit board. This is what the badge's sender calls "the three-button method", where the user selects "Input" mode then uses the buttons to scroll through each character until he/she finds the desired one, then adds it to the crawl by pressing the "Enter" button. Once the user is finished editing this way, simply do nothing for approximately 20 seconds and the badge kicks back into display mode by itself and shows the new message.

I'll look for the instructional material and furnish you a more detailed explanation shortly.

To remove the batteries, turn the unit upside-down so the circuitry faces up. Turn the unit so the arrows near the battery compartments point to you. Use a ballpoint pen or similar instrument, and push the cell out from the side opposite the arrow side of the battery carriage. Once it's out enough, grasp the cell at the edge of the Monsterbadge and pull it straight out. Do the same thing with the other cell.

To insert the batteries into your Monsterbadge, turn the unit upside-down so the circuitry faces up. Turn the unit so the arrows near the battery compartments point to you. Slide a CR2032 lithium coin cell into each carriage closest to where the arrow is silkscreened, flat side (+) positive up, and that's it.

Advertised battery lifetime is approximately 18 hours.

***VERY IMPORTANT!!!*** Batteries will discharge themselves in the unit when not used; take them out if not using the unit for more than a few days or a week at most.

This is a digital scrolling badge, not a flashlight. So I won't try to whack it against a steel rod or against the side of a concrete stair, stomp on it, try to drown it in a toilet, run over it, or inflict other punishments upon it that I might inflict upon a flashlight. So this section of its web page will be rather bare, when compared to this section of the web page on a page about a flashlight.

The Monsterbadge has 21 columns of 7 blue LEDs, for 147 LEDs total.
What I find most attractive about this badge is that it has BLUE LEDs in it, instead of red or yellow-green LEDs like other badges have in them.

One of the first things I do when I test a programmable message thing is to see if there's an onboard censor, and there isn't. I typed in "{vulgar term for intercourse} {vulgar term for feces} {vulgar term for urine} {vulgar term for one who acts as a penus vacume} DOUCHEBAG ENEMABAG" into the program, then uploaded it into the Monsterbadge, and it happily spouted off the stream of obcenities. I immediately changed it back to "Thank you for visiting The LED (and Laser) Museum at WWW.LEDMUSEUM.ORG!!!" just so I wouldn't forget.

So if you have garbage mouth, potty mouth, toilet tongue, sewer mouth, sewer chute, etc. you can input dirty language into the device and have it spew forth with the obcenities when the Monsterbadge is subsequently used.

The Monsterbadge on this web page did not come with the magnetic clip assembly, so I cannot show you or describe to you how it is used.

From the person who sent me the evaluation sample:

"These are intended as OEM modules so the purchaser is left to their own imagination to design it into something, such as a POS (Point Of Sales, not Piece Of Sh...er...uh...{vulgar term for feces})

Display, Marketing Thingy, Badge, Desk Ornament, License Plate Insultinator, etc.

They also sell other types of badges that are actual, finished badges. They also sell a unit that is actually built into a license plate frame.

I tried to take a photograph of the Monsterbadge while a message was scrolling, but the scrolling speed was fast enough and the camera's shutter speed was slow enough that the photograph did not come out well at all.

Spectrographic analysis of the LEDs in the Monsterbadge.

Same as above; newer software setting used.

Spectrographic analysis of the LEDs in this badge; newer spectrometer software & settings used.

Spectrographic analysis of the LEDs in this badge; spectrometer's response narrowed to a band between 440nm and 470nm to pinpoint peak wavelength, which is exactly 459.000nm.

USB2000 spectrometer graciously donated by P.L.

Quicktime movie (.mov extension) showing the Monsterbadge in action.
This clip is ~4.5 megabytes (4,687,616 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than fifteen minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.
I cannot provide it in other formats, so please do not ask.

TEST NOTES:
Sample of the Monsterbadge was sent by a website fan and received on 05-27-05. The first battery of tests were done on 06-04-05.

UPDATE: 02-04-11
I tested it a second time (as my former housemate once said "just to be sure it's Westinghouse") for the presence of an onboard censor, and there is none. I programmed the words {vulgar slang term for intercourse}, {vulgar term for feces}, {vulgar term for urine}, {vulgar term for one who acts as a penus vacuum}, {vulgar slang term for female breasts}, {vulgar term for female vagina} into it, and it happily spouted off the obscenities. I did shoot a video and post it on YourTube, but it is not linked here because of the potty language clearly visible in it.
If you *REALLY* must see it, go to YourTube and search for the phrase:

"Monsterbadge Digital Badge cussing (no censor)"

(including the quote marks), and that should bring it up...well, it was tested and I can now say, it "***WILL***" bring it up as the only video on the search page.

PROS:
No onboard censor

LEDs are bright enough to see in room light - they're really bright, actually
Enough space to input a large sized message (1,024 characters)
Batteries it needs are a bit odd, but not unreasonably so. Should be easy to find
Easy to program if you use the software method
Blue LEDs make the unit unique!

CONS:
No onboard censor

Difficult to program if you use the "three-button method"
Batteries will poop out within a month even if not being used (this is what took that 1/2 star off)

MANUFACTURER: Digital Badge
PRODUCT TYPE: Magnetic scrolling LED badge
LAMP TYPE: Small blue LED
No. OF LAMPS: 147
BEAM TYPE: N/A
SWITCH TYPE: Small rubber-capped pushbutton on/off, character up/down
BEZEL: None (on the prototype board)
BATTERY: 2x CR2032 lithium coin cell
CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Unknown/unable to measure
WATER- AND PEE-RESISTANT: No
SUBMERSIBLE: NO WAY HOZAY!!!
ACCESSORIES: 4xCR2032 cells, transparent blue plastic overlay
SIZE: 5.7"L x 2.80"W x 0.250"D
WEIGHT: 2.4oz.
WARRANTY: Unknown/not stated

PRODUCT RATING:

Monsterbadge Digital Badge * www.digitalbadge.com...

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