Noble six build work-log (Satchmo III)
- Thread starter Satchmo III
- Start date
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Satchmo III
Well-Known Member
MID-WEEK #6 PROGRESS (THURSDAY)...
"Once around the circuit."
I've spent some time designing the circuit I'm intending to use for the helmet's electronics. I put together a materials list for the associated components and wrote up the analysis as shown below. The circuit is fairly simple but I've never designed a circuit for actual use so I wanted to map it out. I temporarily built the circuit using alligator lead wires. Wiring everything in parallel will allow the rest of the circuit to operate should any one component fail.
COMPONENTS
Quantity two - 9V batteries (550 mAH each)
Quantity two - Push-button switches (The ones shown had LEDS but I blew them out)
Quantity two - 220 ohm resistors (For white LEDS)
Quantity two - White LEDS (25 mA at 3.3 V)
Quantity two - Computer fans (130 mA at 12 V)
I'm going to try to install everything this weekend. After mocking-up the fans inside the helmet with tape I noticed even at 75% speed the fans are fairly loud within the enclosed space so I might add resistors to the fan switch-leg to decrease speed (and hopefully noise) more. I figure as long as the fans are circulating air they don't have to be super-fast.
If you have any questions or comments on the circuit setup (or ideas to improve it) please let me know.
Out.
"Once around the circuit."
I've spent some time designing the circuit I'm intending to use for the helmet's electronics. I put together a materials list for the associated components and wrote up the analysis as shown below. The circuit is fairly simple but I've never designed a circuit for actual use so I wanted to map it out. I temporarily built the circuit using alligator lead wires. Wiring everything in parallel will allow the rest of the circuit to operate should any one component fail.
COMPONENTS
Quantity two - 9V batteries (550 mAH each)
Quantity two - Push-button switches (The ones shown had LEDS but I blew them out)
Quantity two - 220 ohm resistors (For white LEDS)
Quantity two - White LEDS (25 mA at 3.3 V)
Quantity two - Computer fans (130 mA at 12 V)
I'm going to try to install everything this weekend. After mocking-up the fans inside the helmet with tape I noticed even at 75% speed the fans are fairly loud within the enclosed space so I might add resistors to the fan switch-leg to decrease speed (and hopefully noise) more. I figure as long as the fans are circulating air they don't have to be super-fast.
If you have any questions or comments on the circuit setup (or ideas to improve it) please let me know.
Out.
Satchmo III
Well-Known Member
MikyVengeance said:You're building the armour I wish files existed for before the beta came out. This really makes me want to go back and HD my armourYou're doing an incredible job!
btw, What size is your foot? Maybe you don't need to throw the boot armour away ;D
d1omede5 said:
Swift said:Looking killer Satchmo! Keep it up man
thorn696 said:
Thanks for the compliments guys!
MikyVengeance, I wear a size 8 1/2 shoe. If you want to check your sizing, the model in Pepakura Designer was scaled to be 12-3/4" in depth...let me know if you might want it (I don't really know what to do with it).
Satchmo III
Well-Known Member
WEEK #6 PROGRESS SUMMARY...
01) Designed helmet electronics circuit
02) Installed helmet electronics (Switches, lights, and fans)
03) Worked on minor helmet aesthetics
04) Completed torso fiberglass
WEEK #6 PROGRESS DETAIL...
"Improve the mind, improve the body."
Made pretty good head-way (and torso-way) this week. Having designed the circuit for the helmet electronics during the week (it took me a couple of iterations before figuring out how I wanted it to operate) I really wanted to mount and wire everything. First I made some minor revisions to the helmet including adding some rough details to the front of the visor and making the light diffusers. The diffusers were constructed using the edges of a CD case (the ridges look cool on the outside and i brushed the inside to help distribute the light from the LEDs (thanks Brandon McClain)). Right now the shades are just pressure-fitted in but after paint I'll probably hot glue them in.
I mounted the push-button switches (one for the fans and one for the lights) on the exterior...I thought this would be easiest as far as access-control and I wanted to add a personal touch to the helmet. When I went to drill the holes the space between the two proved to thin and broke out. To fix this I used painters tape to tape off the holes on the outside and to create a reservoir around the holes on the inside. I poured rondo in the reservoir and the resulting built-up material allowed me to drill the holes. The extra material also conceals the recessed bodies of the switches and keeps them held in tight.
The two battery-holders are mounted to the inside of the ear pieces. I used two-part epoxy putty to create flat mounting platforms for the holders to sit on and screw to. I also used the putty to section off the vent areas (which I drilled out) so that the air-flow is directed to and from the outside instead of recirculated helmet-air. Again, the putty allowed me to screw the fans to the helmet without penetrating the helmet-itself. One fan intakes and one fan exhausts.
The LEDs were inserted into a drilled-out section of square-dowel. I soldered the resistors to the LEDs and screwed the LED assemblies to more putty-platforms behind the light openings. I completed the wiring from the LED assemblies and fans to the switches and batteries. I have quite a bit of extra wire but it's fine for now. I used male/female wire connectors between each device so any component can be removed/replaced as necessary. All wire and devices can be removed and installed fairly easily, this way I can remove everything to finish the aesthetics and paint (I plan on spraying the interior black).
Moving away from the helmet I spent the better part of Sunday afternoon applying fiberglass to the inside of the torso piece. The strips of fiberglass mat went in much easier than when I glassed a thigh. I used a dabbing motion with the brush of resin instead of a stroking motion. Stroking served to pull the fibers apart...dabbing adds time but it's much more effective. Even so there are quite a few straggler-fibers all over the torso and although there is over-hang at the edges that need to be sanded I went ahead a prime-painted because the pepakura numbers/lines needed to be gone.
Although I'm going to tweak some minor elements of the helmet all that's really left to complete is the padding and painting. I stopped by a motorcycle apparel store over the weekend and took some photos of their helmet-liners. They didn't have much for liners-only so I intend to make the padding myself.
I've noticed an uptick in the time I spend outdoors on the weekends since this hobby has combined with the temperate months of summer. I have added sun-screen to my typical materials list. Unless I add hardening activities to weekdays I think I'll have to encroach upon July to complete the armor. Aside from a few items, I haven't addressed the under-suit really. I hope to have the helmet complete within the next two weeks.
Thanks for reading four-oh-five! Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. Until we meet again.
01) Designed helmet electronics circuit
02) Installed helmet electronics (Switches, lights, and fans)
03) Worked on minor helmet aesthetics
04) Completed torso fiberglass
WEEK #6 PROGRESS DETAIL...
"Improve the mind, improve the body."
Made pretty good head-way (and torso-way) this week. Having designed the circuit for the helmet electronics during the week (it took me a couple of iterations before figuring out how I wanted it to operate) I really wanted to mount and wire everything. First I made some minor revisions to the helmet including adding some rough details to the front of the visor and making the light diffusers. The diffusers were constructed using the edges of a CD case (the ridges look cool on the outside and i brushed the inside to help distribute the light from the LEDs (thanks Brandon McClain)). Right now the shades are just pressure-fitted in but after paint I'll probably hot glue them in.
I mounted the push-button switches (one for the fans and one for the lights) on the exterior...I thought this would be easiest as far as access-control and I wanted to add a personal touch to the helmet. When I went to drill the holes the space between the two proved to thin and broke out. To fix this I used painters tape to tape off the holes on the outside and to create a reservoir around the holes on the inside. I poured rondo in the reservoir and the resulting built-up material allowed me to drill the holes. The extra material also conceals the recessed bodies of the switches and keeps them held in tight.
The two battery-holders are mounted to the inside of the ear pieces. I used two-part epoxy putty to create flat mounting platforms for the holders to sit on and screw to. I also used the putty to section off the vent areas (which I drilled out) so that the air-flow is directed to and from the outside instead of recirculated helmet-air. Again, the putty allowed me to screw the fans to the helmet without penetrating the helmet-itself. One fan intakes and one fan exhausts.
The LEDs were inserted into a drilled-out section of square-dowel. I soldered the resistors to the LEDs and screwed the LED assemblies to more putty-platforms behind the light openings. I completed the wiring from the LED assemblies and fans to the switches and batteries. I have quite a bit of extra wire but it's fine for now. I used male/female wire connectors between each device so any component can be removed/replaced as necessary. All wire and devices can be removed and installed fairly easily, this way I can remove everything to finish the aesthetics and paint (I plan on spraying the interior black).
Moving away from the helmet I spent the better part of Sunday afternoon applying fiberglass to the inside of the torso piece. The strips of fiberglass mat went in much easier than when I glassed a thigh. I used a dabbing motion with the brush of resin instead of a stroking motion. Stroking served to pull the fibers apart...dabbing adds time but it's much more effective. Even so there are quite a few straggler-fibers all over the torso and although there is over-hang at the edges that need to be sanded I went ahead a prime-painted because the pepakura numbers/lines needed to be gone.
Although I'm going to tweak some minor elements of the helmet all that's really left to complete is the padding and painting. I stopped by a motorcycle apparel store over the weekend and took some photos of their helmet-liners. They didn't have much for liners-only so I intend to make the padding myself.
I've noticed an uptick in the time I spend outdoors on the weekends since this hobby has combined with the temperate months of summer. I have added sun-screen to my typical materials list. Unless I add hardening activities to weekdays I think I'll have to encroach upon July to complete the armor. Aside from a few items, I haven't addressed the under-suit really. I hope to have the helmet complete within the next two weeks.
Thanks for reading four-oh-five! Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. Until we meet again.
Satchmo III
Well-Known Member
Thanks vapir. I remember looking at your build a few months ago when I was researching for mine. You did a great job and I think you built right around the time Reach came out, right? I thought the image of you overlooking your city-scape was cool.
I appreciate very much the criticism. I considered other mount-points but the switch body's diameter made working around the edges of the helmet's side-pieces tricky. I actually didn't want to conceal them very much because I think they look good and wanted them to be visible.
This all looks great. I can't wait to see the finished project. I hope to start pepping this today, actually.
Thanks Bsandlin. Are you beginning with the helmet or torso? In either case good luck. I was first introduced to pepakura for this build. If it's your first time my main advice would be to take our time assembling the paper as a well-built pepakura model creates a solid base for however you go about hardening it afterward.
MID-WEEK #7 PROGRESS (TUESDAY)...
"Planning out the (helmet) padding out."
I still need to finish sanding and finishing the helmet but I wanted to start laying out what I'll be doing for padding. I plan on sewing high-density foam into fabric material and attaching the created pads to the helmet with velcro pieces. I'm not set on the fabric. The material shown below is something like you might find with non-mesh athletic shorts...my concern is if it breaths alright (if such a thing matters a great deal).
The layout for the padding basically consists of three strips. I'm not set on the dimensions of the strips just yet but I have an idea of what I want to do so just need to make the decision. The neck-seal strip runs around the neck-opening...the material around the fans will be cut back and around so air can still enter/exhaust. The temple-high strip runs around the back center horizontal plane of the head...with a notch for the switch assembly on the side and no material at the battery assemblies plus a small strip at the top of the face-shield. The top strip runs from front-center to back-center at the head's top...I want to leave the top-sides open so as to maximize airflow. Since there will not be material around the batteries which are located near the temples, air from the fans will be able to circulate to the top of the head.
The layout may need to be altered as work proceeds but I wanted to share before I get at it (which is hopefully sometime before this weekend). Any opinions or advice are very welcome. Thank you.
Satchmo III
Well-Known Member
WEEK #7 PROGRESS SUMMARY...
01) Created helmet-padding plan
02) Applied fiberglass to second thigh, each shin, and the belt/cod
03) Applied second rondo layer to each forearm, each bicep, and the package
WEEK #7 PROGRESS DETAIL...
"Wizard and (fiber)glass."
I didn't get around to working on the helmet-padding this week and wasn't able to get much finishing work done on its exterior either. That said, I was able to harden the rest of the primary armor components.
I glassed the leg and belt components. Having glassed the torso last week I'm starting to pick up the skill of applying the fiberglass mat. Working with the shins was somewhat difficult due to their small size...cutting the handle off the brush helped to move around in the shins' space. I cut the over-hanging glass from the torso and decided to cut the right rib-protector so I could play around with putting the piece on.
In lieu of fiberglass for the forearms and biceps I went with a second rondo layer. I figure these components don't need fiberglass-strength and I didn't want to work in the confined spaces. Having the rondo out I put another layer on the package...I may do some sanding as is but it's strong enough now to do some bondo work. I cut out the paper struts and will be replacing them with wooden dowels sometime in the future.
All in all, nothing looks drastically different this week. I prime-painted the belt/cod and the shins to see how they look. I'm hoping to get some solid bondo work in this coming week.
Thanks for your interest. Keep up your builds everyone!
WEEK #7 POST RESPONSES...
Thanks vshore100. Your CQB is stellar!
The clips are called something like storm-pane spring-clips and can be found at smaller hardware stores like Ace Hardware. I haven't been able to find them at the larger home improvement stores but after describing what I was looking for to the attendant at Ace he knew exactly what I wanted.
Thanks Jonus. Although fairly new to the forums and many of the techniques commonplace here I do strive to have a clear path for the build. I check out your recent modification to your scratch torso-pieces...looks good and keep it up!
01) Created helmet-padding plan
02) Applied fiberglass to second thigh, each shin, and the belt/cod
03) Applied second rondo layer to each forearm, each bicep, and the package
WEEK #7 PROGRESS DETAIL...
"Wizard and (fiber)glass."
I didn't get around to working on the helmet-padding this week and wasn't able to get much finishing work done on its exterior either. That said, I was able to harden the rest of the primary armor components.
I glassed the leg and belt components. Having glassed the torso last week I'm starting to pick up the skill of applying the fiberglass mat. Working with the shins was somewhat difficult due to their small size...cutting the handle off the brush helped to move around in the shins' space. I cut the over-hanging glass from the torso and decided to cut the right rib-protector so I could play around with putting the piece on.
In lieu of fiberglass for the forearms and biceps I went with a second rondo layer. I figure these components don't need fiberglass-strength and I didn't want to work in the confined spaces. Having the rondo out I put another layer on the package...I may do some sanding as is but it's strong enough now to do some bondo work. I cut out the paper struts and will be replacing them with wooden dowels sometime in the future.
All in all, nothing looks drastically different this week. I prime-painted the belt/cod and the shins to see how they look. I'm hoping to get some solid bondo work in this coming week.
Thanks for your interest. Keep up your builds everyone!
WEEK #7 POST RESPONSES...
Thanks vshore100. Your CQB is stellar!
The clips are called something like storm-pane spring-clips and can be found at smaller hardware stores like Ace Hardware. I haven't been able to find them at the larger home improvement stores but after describing what I was looking for to the attendant at Ace he knew exactly what I wanted.
Thanks Jonus. Although fairly new to the forums and many of the techniques commonplace here I do strive to have a clear path for the build. I check out your recent modification to your scratch torso-pieces...looks good and keep it up!
Satchmo III
Well-Known Member
WEEK #8 PROGRESS SUMMARY...
01) Continued sanding helmet
02) Cut foam and began helmet padding
X1) Assembled pepakura, applied primary resin and two rondo layers to Mk.V(a) helmet
WEEK #8 PROGRESS DETAIL...
"Two heads are better than one."
No work to report this week on anything below the neck-line. I really wanted to near-finish sand the helmet so that's just what I set out to do on Friday. I ended the work session early however as the helmet got away from me and landed weirdly on asphalt causing some structural damage around the neck opening. I tried out some new two part glue which worked excellently to bond the rifts. Kind of neat...one part is white and the other black so you know you've achieved a good mix when it turns grey.
Moving to Saturday I primed the helmet with brown paint. Since brown is the color I'll eventually paint the helmet I was happy to find brown primer at Home Depot. I finished sanding with 80 grit paper and found there were many divots to take care of (brown areas as shown below). I filled most of these with spot putty and sanded to 150 grit paper.
I re-primed with the brown and threw in the face-plate and switches to see how it looked (and liked what I saw). There is still some detail I'll be putting in and then I plan to wet-sand (thanks Thorn696 for describing your wet-sand process). Took some photos and caught a glimpse of the Arwing hanging in the kitchen.
I've simplified the padding plan a bit and was able to get all the foam cut out. I've test-fitted the pieces and started making the fabric covers (starting with the C-shaped lower piece). I hadn't used a sewing machine since 1997 so most of today (Sunday) was spent aggravatingly relearning. I sewed in velcro pieces which will be married to velcro pieces adhered to the helmet's interior (yet to be completed). I'm really happy with the piece but I know it could be improved with a bit of time (though, it'll keep for the time-being). I hope to use what I am learning here with the under-suit later on.
In other news: I've added a Mark V(a) helmet to the build docket. When I first saw this helmet in Reach I wasn't a fan but it's grown on me and having seen Roadwarrior's impressive build (http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/29805-RoadWarriors-Mk-V-sculpt-Wip) and knowing of the looming Halo:CEA I decided to make this my second helmet. As it sits it is hardened with two layers of rondo and is primed-painted. There is some slight skew at the very top which will have to be dealt with. The model used is by Roadwarrior and modified/unfolded by Rhinoc (http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/28588-Reach-HD-MK-V-Heavy-big-pics?p=507616#post507616), thanks guys.
That's all she wrote. I will be out of town next weekend so might not have much of a progress update. Although my initial schedule showed me completing the armor set about now I'm glad I've down-stepped pace...this being my first build it's nice to take time to try new things and to not rush. That said, I need to revise my schedule to get an idea of when I'll finish.
Thanks for checking out my work. I've looked at and continue to look at many people's work on the forums and it's awesome to see how builds are progressing and learn new methods and ideas. Do work four-oh-fivers!
01) Continued sanding helmet
02) Cut foam and began helmet padding
X1) Assembled pepakura, applied primary resin and two rondo layers to Mk.V(a) helmet
WEEK #8 PROGRESS DETAIL...
"Two heads are better than one."
No work to report this week on anything below the neck-line. I really wanted to near-finish sand the helmet so that's just what I set out to do on Friday. I ended the work session early however as the helmet got away from me and landed weirdly on asphalt causing some structural damage around the neck opening. I tried out some new two part glue which worked excellently to bond the rifts. Kind of neat...one part is white and the other black so you know you've achieved a good mix when it turns grey.
Moving to Saturday I primed the helmet with brown paint. Since brown is the color I'll eventually paint the helmet I was happy to find brown primer at Home Depot. I finished sanding with 80 grit paper and found there were many divots to take care of (brown areas as shown below). I filled most of these with spot putty and sanded to 150 grit paper.
I re-primed with the brown and threw in the face-plate and switches to see how it looked (and liked what I saw). There is still some detail I'll be putting in and then I plan to wet-sand (thanks Thorn696 for describing your wet-sand process). Took some photos and caught a glimpse of the Arwing hanging in the kitchen.
I've simplified the padding plan a bit and was able to get all the foam cut out. I've test-fitted the pieces and started making the fabric covers (starting with the C-shaped lower piece). I hadn't used a sewing machine since 1997 so most of today (Sunday) was spent aggravatingly relearning. I sewed in velcro pieces which will be married to velcro pieces adhered to the helmet's interior (yet to be completed). I'm really happy with the piece but I know it could be improved with a bit of time (though, it'll keep for the time-being). I hope to use what I am learning here with the under-suit later on.
In other news: I've added a Mark V(a) helmet to the build docket. When I first saw this helmet in Reach I wasn't a fan but it's grown on me and having seen Roadwarrior's impressive build (http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/29805-RoadWarriors-Mk-V-sculpt-Wip) and knowing of the looming Halo:CEA I decided to make this my second helmet. As it sits it is hardened with two layers of rondo and is primed-painted. There is some slight skew at the very top which will have to be dealt with. The model used is by Roadwarrior and modified/unfolded by Rhinoc (http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/28588-Reach-HD-MK-V-Heavy-big-pics?p=507616#post507616), thanks guys.
That's all she wrote. I will be out of town next weekend so might not have much of a progress update. Although my initial schedule showed me completing the armor set about now I'm glad I've down-stepped pace...this being my first build it's nice to take time to try new things and to not rush. That said, I need to revise my schedule to get an idea of when I'll finish.
Thanks for checking out my work. I've looked at and continue to look at many people's work on the forums and it's awesome to see how builds are progressing and learn new methods and ideas. Do work four-oh-fivers!
Satchmo III
Well-Known Member
WEEK #9 PROGRESS SUMMARY...
01) Cleaned up helmet electronics wiring
02) Worked on helmet finishing details
WEEK #9 PROGRESS DETAIL...
"Helmet type Mark(er) V(b)."
Happy Independence Day everyone! I got a bit of work done this week. I decided to take the helmet with me to a get-together with family/friends this weekend so before Friday I taped-off and prime-painted some of the grey areas so they (and I) could get a better sense of what the finished project will look like.
I also prime-painted the helmet's interior to clean it up a bit. Re-installing the electronics I cleaned up the wiring (to cut down on excess). Although the devices are mounted (with screws) I think I'll leave the wiring itself unattached to the interior's surface. Once the padding is installed with velcro, the wires will be held in place between the padding and the surface.
I've started the finish detailing by dismantling my first Mark V(b) to use parts as templates. I used the templates to marker on lines to be etched. Using a small etching attachment for my rotary-tool I began etching the marked lines. I like the Dremel Stylus because it's easy to manipulate but the battery charge only lasts for approximately an hour so you can only complete so much during one session.
Slowly but surely progress marches on. I think I'm going to continue work on the helmet to completion before re-approaching the rest of the armor components, which I don't think will require quite as much attention. Until next time keep fighting the good fight, everyone!
WEEK #9 POST RESPONSES...
Thanks for your input, fellows. I'm trying to include as much detail as I can to gain an idea of how better to go about things with any future projects. The c-shaped padding is pert comfortable but I think I'll need to shave down the thickness. It's slightly tight to pull on and off. If I'd do it again I'd think about breaking the neck-seal piece in two or more parts.
01) Cleaned up helmet electronics wiring
02) Worked on helmet finishing details
WEEK #9 PROGRESS DETAIL...
"Helmet type Mark(er) V(b)."
Happy Independence Day everyone! I got a bit of work done this week. I decided to take the helmet with me to a get-together with family/friends this weekend so before Friday I taped-off and prime-painted some of the grey areas so they (and I) could get a better sense of what the finished project will look like.
I also prime-painted the helmet's interior to clean it up a bit. Re-installing the electronics I cleaned up the wiring (to cut down on excess). Although the devices are mounted (with screws) I think I'll leave the wiring itself unattached to the interior's surface. Once the padding is installed with velcro, the wires will be held in place between the padding and the surface.
I've started the finish detailing by dismantling my first Mark V(b) to use parts as templates. I used the templates to marker on lines to be etched. Using a small etching attachment for my rotary-tool I began etching the marked lines. I like the Dremel Stylus because it's easy to manipulate but the battery charge only lasts for approximately an hour so you can only complete so much during one session.
Slowly but surely progress marches on. I think I'm going to continue work on the helmet to completion before re-approaching the rest of the armor components, which I don't think will require quite as much attention. Until next time keep fighting the good fight, everyone!
WEEK #9 POST RESPONSES...
Thanks for your input, fellows. I'm trying to include as much detail as I can to gain an idea of how better to go about things with any future projects. The c-shaped padding is pert comfortable but I think I'll need to shave down the thickness. It's slightly tight to pull on and off. If I'd do it again I'd think about breaking the neck-seal piece in two or more parts.
Shadow Of Intent
Active Member
I've used the same codpiece file you have, but after scaling the width of it, the front to back distance is still way too big. Say I scale the width to 400mm, the depth becomes 344mm, but for another 400mm file I have (Not as game accurate), the depth is only 259mm. This is a huge difference of 85mm, and as far as I know can't be solved by scaling. How have you managed with the one you made, because in the photos it seems to be a pretty good shape?
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