Alternative to Ironman Helmet Hinge

[indiefilmgeek]

I'm working on an Ironman costume for my 6yr old, and since the parts are smaller than standard, I didn't want to mess around with trying to get a faceplate hinge set up; however, he most certainly needs to be able to open the mask on a regular basis (in between houses for trick-or-treating let say).

So as an alternative to a faceplate hinge on his Ironman helmet, I used two sets of rare earth magnets (neodymium). I also took this one step further and split the electrical lines which power the eye lights so the circuit is only competed when the faceplate is in the lowered position.

In the way of a disclaimer, I have to say the helmet is still rough and has a long way to go before it's done, but here's a short Youtube video of the working mechanics.

 

[c00lwhip]

making an iron man suit for your kid? gah that would rock for him

 

[Tim2206]

I think your idea is great! I am building an Iron Man suit myself and I would appreciate any ideas you may have on how to put a motorized hinge on my face plate. Hope you have time to reply.
Thanks,
Tim

 

[indiefilmgeek]

c00lwhip: We'll see if he can stand being in it. My son has some sensory issues, so although he seems very excited by the idea of the suit, he sometimes is very bothered by having the helmet on. That's the main reason I wanted to make the faceplate something he could just pull off at any time. For ease of motion, I think that the helmet, chest, lower torso and boots might be the main pieces I do (and then fake the rest). It would be hard to allow him full motion with the complete set of arms and legs from the pep files... We'll see I guess.

Tim: I wish I could help, but if you google for 'ironman helmet hinges' you should find several folks with good info. Here is one youtube video that has a fairly simple design:

 

[calastinone]

Thanks for sharing this idea with us, i like how u used those earth magnets and set up the lights to light up though contact with the magnets, very neat and pretty cool.

 

[Tim2206]

Thanks for the google tip. I wanted to ask how you got the lights in the faceplate to work with the magnets. That is really cool, but I am electronically handicapped, and could use your advice.
Thanks,
Tim

 

[indiefilmgeek]

Here is a little better explaination of the mechanics and wiring for the magnetic faceplate design.

 

[indiefilmgeek]

Ok, I totally forgot to pass long the specs on the magnets I used.... sorry about that.

I have purchased all my neodymium magnets from K&J MAGNETS

The heaviest magnets I used were the ones on the inside top of the helmet (for use when the faceplate is in the open position). These were 1/2" dia. x 3/8" thick - Grade N42 - Nickel Plated neodymium magnets (~$2 each).

The lightest (thinnest) magnets I used were on the chin of the faceplate. Those were 10mm dia. x 2mm thick - Grade N35 - Nickel Plated neodymium magnets (pack of 25 for ~$5).

Most of the others were in between these sizes/strengths. There's no one-fit, magic size or strength, I think it just takes a few different types that you can test and try in different spaces.

Hope this helps.