1st Build First Armor Set -

[e0verlord]

Hello All!

I'm Erin, I'm new as of this post, and I'm seeking to open up to the advice of the people of the forums. I'll be looking through the different threads and seeking out the wisdom of those much more experienced than myself, but for now, I will post at least what I have.

Being a fan of the Halo series since it's inception back with Halo: Combat Evolved, I have played all of the games in the series as a solo player on legendary, and through the co-ops on legendary. The one that really caught my heart in the series, however, was Reach, which introduced the campaign and cutscenes which allowed you to see your glorious player-armor and setup on screen.

I've always been a huge fan of armor. I've been in love with creating things for years. To find the combination met here only increases my excitement. I have been on the outside of these forums for a while and have drawn many plans.

I'll never get those done unless I start, and I'm going to try and reach out now for accountability, and for this to serve as a log and place to receive advice, discussion, and to make connections.

Now, without further ado, where I'm at.


Being on the back-end of school, I'm going to have a bit more time. I will have limited space to work, but if I keep things organized, I hope that I can keep things streamlined and possible.
My armor design is based off of the armor I settled into during the campaign at Reach.

Armor Design:
Helmet: CQC + CBRN Attachment
Chestplate: Default (Mjolnir Mk V )
Left Pauldron: ODST
Right Pauldron: Recon
Left Arm: Bracer
Right Arm: Tac-Pad {Phone Holster}
Kneepads: FJ-PARA
Greaves: Default
Extra: Soft First-Aid bag

Goals:
- Closed Cooling Circuit: Installed into the undersuit, stitched between two layers of fabric. One is against the body, the other is against the armor. Worn as many pieces as needed. Using a water-based cooling circuit (taking inspiration from the water cooling systems fancy and extremely high-end computers might use), I intend to have a small aquatic pump push water from a small storage unit (like a water bottle) out to the rest of my suit, especially across chest, neck, and back to reduce heat build up within the suit. Cooling setup I'm considering is a Peltier, which needs electricity to cool one side impressively quickly. The other side heats very quickly, and I'm pondering a heat-sink escape in the "backpack" of the armor, where the fusion cell would traditionally sit. The only other question is how to prevent the cooling system from running too cold in one place or freezing.

- Helmet Speaker System: A simple wiring circuit [Such as This Example] would work well, allowing my voice to be heard outside of the suit.

- Helmet Audio System: Another simple piece of technology would allow me to hear in Audio outside of my helmet. [This will do for that purpose.][This Chip]. The benefit of the attached chip is that my "hearing" will be in earpieces that I can tuck into my ears. I'm concerned about feedback or interference but hope the circuit will not conflict with the speaker system.

- Dependable Airflow Through Helmet: The design of the CQC allows for the potential of airflow to enter through the front of the helmet. With the CBRN attachment, I hope to have small fans be able to push this air out of the helmet, allowing for airflow and to help keep the helmet cool.

- Tac-Pad- SmartPhone: With the intention of having my phone available, I would like to have a casing for it I can easily slide case and phone into the arm-brace for accessibility.

- Trauma Bag: First Aid kit filled with first aid materials. Just in case, after all.

Wishlist:
- CBRN capable Attachment at end of Existing CBRN design. (In an emergency, would make this helmet functional.)

- Heavy Magnetic Strips: On Back to hold a cosplay DMR. On right thigh to hold a deactivated energy sword.

- Heel/Calf Exo in leg armor, assisting the walking. [See Here]. I am fascinated by the idea of it, and anything to help make walking easier in the suit would likely be a bonus. And an unpowered version?! That helps a person move faster/more easily in armor? All the better!!!

- [ADMIN REDACTION]

 

[e0verlord]

Here are the main drawings that go with the above write-up.
Who knows? Maybe I would have found my place working alongside the technicians designing the Mjolnir.

 

[Cadet]

Hello, just a reminder that the 405th does not allow for the discussion of "Real" i.e. Airsoft, paintball, or Bullet proof armor. Our costumes are purely cosmetic and made for use in Fan Group activities such as attending conventions, community events, charitable events, or Fan Projects.

 

[e0verlord]

Hello, just a reminder that the 405th does not allow for the discussion of "Real" i.e. Airsoft, paintball, or Bullet proof armor. Our costumes are purely cosmetic and made for use in Fan Group activities such as attending conventions, community events, charitable events, or Fan Projects.

Shame.
I'll strike it from this wish list. (Truth be told, that was among the reasons it was on the wish list instead of a goal.) Thanks for the heads up!

 

[e0verlord]

In considering all that I have posted above, here are the concerns and questions I anticipate.

Sizing:
I love how the armor looks and how it seems to flow. I want it to function well on me. Which also means that I'll need to change some of the scaling, or else work from scratch for some of the parts.
I feel like a duct-tape mannequin will be necessary for me. (And then some.)

Material:
Bondo has a lot of benefits to it. I've worked with it before on another project. Will it be something I can work with to get the detailing I want?
Fiberglass is a material I'm interested in using, but I've never used it yet. I would also need more space and ventilation than is currently available to me.
I want my armor to have some weight to it, but not so much that it weighs me down. I'm struggling to decide on the materials for the armor proper. My under layers have already been designed.

Health:
One thing I let stop any efforts in making a suit for so long was I was too overweight to be comfortable. I want to be in my best shape in the armor. I want to feel my best.
I will instead be using my armor, and its creation, to further inspire my health journey instead of depending on my weight to come down first.
I'll be using this Couch to Spartan Race training. I've already done Zombies 5k training. I've signed up to my local YMCA to swim in the mornings. I've been eating better for the last few months. Now to kick the rest of the healthy living into high gear.

Cooling Circuit:
I have a concept for the pump and water-cooling system I want to use in the under-layers. Unfortunately, until I have a proof of concept to wrinkle out the kinks, anything can go wrong. Heaven forbid the system bursts while I'm out and about.

Energy/Battery Concerns:
Depending on the electronics I use, I might either burn through batteries or not effectively power the systems. I don't have backup systems planned yet for if any of the planned electronics fail, such as the cooling peltier, the speaker system, or the audio system. How efficient can I make these systems?



In short:
I'm not a normal-shaped person. How do you size the armor? Compare it to a self-made mannequin?
I'm not sure what material for the armor would be best for my goals.
How do you keep motivation/ focus to bring a project to completion?

 

[Electraknite]

a lot of people use armorsmith to scale armor properly, ive never used it but maybe check it out..?
As long as you use fibreglass+resin and not rely on bondo too too much i find the weight isnt actually too bad. my suit isnt entirely fibreglass, ive got a bunch of foam on it for details. just make sure youve got some padding on the inside and find out all the pinch point and deal with them.
for health/motivation I set up all my armor pieces in my workout/crafting room aka the basement and whenever i was working out i could see my goal but since summer started Ive just been skateboarding a bunch.

Good luck!!

 

[TurboCharizard]

In considering all that I have posted above, here are the concerns and questions I anticipate.

Sizing:
I love how the armor looks and how it seems to flow. I want it to function well on me. Which also means that I'll need to change some of the scaling, or else work from scratch for some of the parts.
I feel like a duct-tape mannequin will be necessary for me. (And then some.)

Material:
Bondo has a lot of benefits to it. I've worked with it before on another project. Will it be something I can work with to get the detailing I want?
Fiberglass is a material I'm interested in using, but I've never used it yet. I would also need more space and ventilation than is currently available to me.
I want my armor to have some weight to it, but not so much that it weighs me down. I'm struggling to decide on the materials for the armor proper. My under layers have already been designed.

Health:
One thing I let stop any efforts in making a suit for so long was I was too overweight to be comfortable. I want to be in my best shape in the armor. I want to feel my best.
I will instead be using my armor, and its creation, to further inspire my health journey instead of depending on my weight to come down first.
I'll be using this Couch to Spartan Race training. I've already done Zombies 5k training. I've signed up to my local YMCA to swim in the mornings. I've been eating better for the last few months. Now to kick the rest of the healthy living into high gear.

Cooling Circuit:
I have a concept for the pump and water-cooling system I want to use in the under-layers. Unfortunately, until I have a proof of concept to wrinkle out the kinks, anything can go wrong. Heaven forbid the system bursts while I'm out and about.

Energy/Battery Concerns:
Depending on the electronics I use, I might either burn through batteries or not effectively power the systems. I don't have backup systems planned yet for if any of the planned electronics fail, such as the cooling peltier, the speaker system, or the audio system. How efficient can I make these systems?



In short:
I'm not a normal-shaped person. How do you size the armor? Compare it to a self-made mannequin?
I'm not sure what material for the armor would be best for my goals.
How do you keep motivation/ focus to bring a project to completion?

Sizing: Having a digital mannequin and a physical mannequin is always a good option for checking the interaction of parts as you go. An added bonus of a physical duct tape dummy is that it's very handy when it comes time to make sewing patterns for undersuits.

Material: Good call on space and ventilation when using fiberglass. Still use masks, goggles and long sleeves when glassing to protect yourself from the microshards of glass.

Energy: Using a USB power bank to run lights and fans at 5V or 12V is the easiest method I've come across that comes with the benefit of not having to keep buying, replacing and swapping batteries out of the suit. Many large capacity power banks have the 5V/12V option with the 12V only being active if pulled by a device that pulls it, I often just create a power bus and connect 5V then a 12V converter connected to that for things that need it like more powerful fans.

 

[e0verlord]

Thank you for your feedback so far!

The last program I had to buy for a class was a bit more costly than armorsmith. I'll definitely be adding that to my group of tools!
(I'll admit, I hesitated with it. Hesitation abated!)

I'll definitely keep using safety gear. Gotta live a long and healthy life to tell a story!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the idea of using a power-bank.
I ADORE the idea of moving the armor-in-progress to where exercising happens.

 

[e0verlord]

Sizing: Having a digital mannequin and a physical mannequin is always a good option for checking the interaction of parts as you go. An added bonus of a physical duct tape dummy is that it's very handy when it comes time to make sewing patterns for undersuits.

Material: Good call on space and ventilation when using fiberglass. Still use masks, goggles and long sleeves when glassing to protect yourself from the microshards of glass.

Energy: Using a USB power bank to run lights and fans at 5V or 12V is the easiest method I've come across that comes with the benefit of not having to keep buying, replacing and swapping batteries out of the suit. Many large capacity power banks have the 5V/12V option with the 12V only being active if pulled by a device that pulls it, I often just create a power bus and connect 5V then a 12V converter connected to that for things that need it like more powerful fans.

a lot of people use armorsmith to scale armor properly, ive never used it but maybe check it out..?
As long as you use fibreglass+resin and not rely on bondo too too much i find the weight isnt actually too bad. my suit isnt entirely fibreglass, ive got a bunch of foam on it for details. just make sure youve got some padding on the inside and find out all the pinch point and deal with them.
for health/motivation I set up all my armor pieces in my workout/crafting room aka the basement and whenever i was working out i could see my goal but since summer started Ive just been skateboarding a bunch.

Good luck!!

Thank you both!!
I'll make a new thread to use as a log.

 

[kyle clement]

In considering all that I have posted above, here are the concerns and questions I anticipate.

Sizing:
I love how the armor looks and how it seems to flow. I want it to function well on me. Which also means that I'll need to change some of the scaling, or else work from scratch for some of the parts.
I feel like a duct-tape mannequin will be necessary for me. (And then some.)

Material:
Bondo has a lot of benefits to it. I've worked with it before on another project. Will it be something I can work with to get the detailing I want?
Fiberglass is a material I'm interested in using, but I've never used it yet. I would also need more space and ventilation than is currently available to me.
I want my armor to have some weight to it, but not so much that it weighs me down. I'm struggling to decide on the materials for the armor proper. My under layers have already been designed.

Health:
One thing I let stop any efforts in making a suit for so long was I was too overweight to be comfortable. I want to be in my best shape in the armor. I want to feel my best.
I will instead be using my armor, and its creation, to further inspire my health journey instead of depending on my weight to come down first.
I'll be using this Couch to Spartan Race training. I've already done Zombies 5k training. I've signed up to my local YMCA to swim in the mornings. I've been eating better for the last few months. Now to kick the rest of the healthy living into high gear.

Cooling Circuit:
I have a concept for the pump and water-cooling system I want to use in the under-layers. Unfortunately, until I have a proof of concept to wrinkle out the kinks, anything can go wrong. Heaven forbid the system bursts while I'm out and about.

Energy/Battery Concerns:
Depending on the electronics I use, I might either burn through batteries or not effectively power the systems. I don't have backup systems planned yet for if any of the planned electronics fail, such as the cooling peltier, the speaker system, or the audio system. How efficient can I make these systems?



In short:
I'm not a normal-shaped person. How do you size the armor? Compare it to a self-made mannequin?
I'm not sure what material for the armor would be best for my goals.
How do you keep motivation/ focus to bring a project to completion?

for energy/battery concerns: I power my leds and fans in my helmet odd a v6 arduino battery sled that holds 2 18650 batteries and I am using 13000mah batteries in it. The sled has 5*5v and 5*3.2v slots to solder on wiring as well as 5v USB output. It is rechargeable via micro usb and i think also usb-c depending on the model. My fans are 5v and I used 12v leds (would work better with 3-5v leds). The 12v leds are wired into a dc-dc buck convertor that will up the 3 or 5 volts to 24 volt max. I was also using this to power an in helmet voice amplifier but have not been able to get the bugs worked out so it was removed.

 

[e0verlord]

for energy/battery concerns: I power my leds and fans in my helmet odd a v6 arduino battery sled that holds 2 18650 batteries and I am using 13000mah batteries in it. The sled has 5*5v and 5*3.2v slots to solder on wiring as well as 5v USB output. It is rechargeable via micro usb and i think also usb-c depending on the model. My fans are 5v and I used 12v leds (would work better with 3-5v leds). The 12v leds are wired into a dc-dc buck convertor that will up the 3 or 5 volts to 24 volt max. I was also using this to power an in helmet voice amplifier but have not been able to get the bugs worked out so it was removed.

Sounds like you might have a little signal issue with the voice amplifier and the light circuit. I wonder if that was creating just noise.....

I'm also furiously taking notes to compare. I do like the sound of having most, if not all, of the setup hooked up to the same power source, but I feel at this point I'll split it into two. An independent power for the helmet voice circuit parallel to the audio circuit, and the cooling/lighting circuit affixed to the power pack on the back of the chest armor.

:> It's exciting to think about all of this. I love figuring things out. These are the best kind of problems to work on.

 

[indigoD0g]

Sounds like you might have a little signal issue with the voice amplifier and the light circuit. I wonder if that was creating just noise.....

I'm also furiously taking notes to compare. I do like the sound of having most, if not all, of the setup hooked up to the same power source, but I feel at this point I'll split it into two. An independent power for the helmet voice circuit parallel to the audio circuit, and the cooling/lighting circuit affixed to the power pack on the back of the chest armor.

:> It's exciting to think about all of this. I love figuring things out. These are the best kind of problems to work on.

I agree that two power sources will be necessary, for a few reasons. Whatever you decide to use, just make sure that they have enough usb outlets and that they can be charged easily.

• Energy saving: The more stuff you have hooked up to one source, the faster it drains. You’d be down bad if your entire cooling system turned off because you’re splitting the power between helmet accessories. Consider bringing a third spare power bank in case something runs low / didn’t charge fully
  
  
• Space concerns: Having a power bank for everything would have to be very strategically placed. Make it easier on yourself a just use two!
  

 

[TurboCharizard]

I agree that two power sources will be necessary, for a few reasons. Whatever you decide to use, just make sure that they have enough usb outlets and that they can be charged easily.

• Energy saving: The more stuff you have hooked up to one source, the faster it drains. You’d be down bad if your entire cooling system turned off because you’re splitting the power between helmet accessories. Consider bringing a third spare power bank in case something runs low / didn’t charge fully
  
  
• Space concerns: Having a power bank for everything would have to be very strategically placed. Make it easier on yourself a just use two!

Truth. Also depending on current draw of everything USB power banks heat up overtime, some have shutoff protection to stop them from cooking themselves and damaging itself, some don't. Always have spares and keep your pack in a place that's fairly well ventilated or able to have airflow past it.

 

[e0verlord]

Adding Figma to my toolset. Using that as an ever-expanding idea board where I can organize my ideas.

Current Plans: Tackling and addressing the helmet, how it will fit around my head. I will also be ensuring I can breathe through it.
Helmet Breathing system will be unpowered, so the helmet is always safe to wear. I'm still deciding whether or not I want a cooling system in the helmet. If armor cooling circuit is effective enough, and airway effective enough, helmet cooling may not be necessary.

Current Problems/Considerations:

• Filtering system in the "CBRN" portion of the helmet, gentle enough to breathe through.
• Reduce Fogging in Helmet
• Size Consideration and "Firm Fit"
• Weight and Diet Considerations

Possible Solutions:

• One-Way Valve Inward, Possible Diaphragm Valve.
• One Way Flow outward, Possible Reed Valves.
• Silica Bead Insets. Possible placements near chin or near Out-Valves.
• Paper Proof of Concept for Helmet to check sizing with/without foam for secure fit.

Accepting outside thoughts!

 

[TurboCharizard]

Adding Figma to my toolset. Using that as an ever-expanding idea board where I can organize my ideas.

Current Plans: Tackling and addressing the helmet, how it will fit around my head. I will also be ensuring I can breathe through it.
Helmet Breathing system will be unpowered, so the helmet is always safe to wear. I'm still deciding whether or not I want a cooling system in the helmet. If armor cooling circuit is effective enough, and airway effective enough, helmet cooling may not be necessary.

Current Problems/Considerations:

• Filtering system in the "CBRN" portion of the helmet, gentle enough to breathe through.
• Reduce Fogging in Helmet
• Size Consideration and "Firm Fit"
• Weight and Diet Considerations

Possible Solutions:

• One-Way Valve Inward, Possible Diaphragm Valve.
• One Way Flow outward, Possible Reed Valves.
• Silica Bead Insets. Possible placements near chin or near Out-Valves.
• Paper Proof of Concept for Helmet to check sizing with/without foam for secure fit.

View attachment 310275

Accepting outside thoughts!

I recognize those CQC helmet images!

If you need the CBRN pieces hollowed out to make your life fitting valves inside, just let me know. I wouldn't recommend it since most air movement is going to be through the head opening but if you're set on building the thing, let me know.

 

[e0verlord]

I recognize those CQC helmet images!

If you need the CBRN pieces hollowed out to make your life fitting valves inside, just let me know. I wouldn't recommend it since most air movement is going to be through the head opening but if you're set on building the thing, let me know.

My current plan is to have the upper part sealed and the "CBRN" be open flow instead. So, I'm following this wonderful image, while not necessarily printing yet. (Due to a lack of 3D printer where I'm at, but that's for another day.)

On the other hand, I had earlier considered having the air-opening at the top of the helmet instead... But I recognize that tends to pull hot air and steam upward, which I thought would fog up the helmet further.

Is there a reason you recommend the upper part being the opening? Or did you mean "head opening" like at the base of the helmet where the neck of a person is?