Phatjax's completed helmet

[Hikaru]

Very nice, keep up the great work.

 

[MandoMan531]

nice, id like to see a wiring diagram for the way you did your fans/lights

 

[imMonkeyGOD]

Damn, what sort of padding is in that helmet?

 

[feigned echo]

nice job, another mold quality pep.
props.

 

[howaado]

Damn, what sort of padding is in that helmet?

2. The padding is a combination of a Scorpion EXO motorcycle helmet liner, bought here, and 1" thick foam rubber bought at a fabric store. It's all in there with mounting tape, except the back piece, which is in with velcro, so I can take it out to replace the batteries if I have too.

There you go.

 

[Phatjax]

Thanks again for all the compliments!

Given the large number of people looking for electronics help, I'll try to get something up sometime tomorrow evening. I'm exhausted now and have to work in the morning. I just got the fans in today, so I'm going to try to wire them up tomorrow night. I realize some of you may be trying to get this done for Haloween, but at this point, you're cutting it a little close to be relying on a forum.

 

[Skullcandy Girl]

Very cool work, very inspiring

 

[DarquePlague]

Here is Phat's Wiring guide as promised:

(He doesn't have webspace I do, )

 

[Phatjax]

Thanks DP!

I say the fans are optional because I got my 5V fans and have not yet figured out how to make them run. They have the 3 pin connector, which I cut apart and wired into my diagram but left the yellow ones disconnected. I think that that is why they will not run. Does anyone have any insight into what I should do with that wire when I get back home? I was thinking of grounding it....

 

[DarquePlague]

Ground it to what though, unless you add more metal to the helmet you'll have nothing to ground to. Plus do you really need to ground 10v? Try it with one fan first, make sure its getting enough juice... even though technically 1 9v should be enough to power both... That and also try doing just battery -> fan instead of in the circuit to make sure that they work and the ground isn't doing anything. Worse comes to worse, glue a washer into the back somewhere and ground to that...

 

[malcomtidus]

OMG Great Helmet!!!

Damn I wish I had $$$!!! I'd work right away on mine.

 

[Phatjax]

Well, I was thinking I would just connect the yellow wire with the black wire, which would essentially do the same thing as grounding. I'm fairly sure that the yellow wire is the culprit of the problem because I turned on the LEDs, then hit the switch for the fans, and the LEDs dimmed slightly. The fans are drawing power, just not getting a signal to run. It's a matter of whether the signal is supposed to be + or -, I think.

 

[DarquePlague]

Wish I could post my own thread to show my helm... rather my disappointment in mine... Phat did a much better job than I did.

 

[DarquePlague]

Well connecting the negative to the ground would work in theory... Its still not very OSHA. But thats why you're a Mechanical Engineer not Electric =P Give it a shot, if it blows a fan then oops, but unlikely at that voltage. Could always fall back on my idea but you are probably alright with ground to negative.

 

[Phatjax]

Thanks Malcomtidus! I wish I had saved all of my reciepts so I could say how expensive the project has been so far, but assuming you have the tools you need, i.e. computer, hot glue gun, elmers glue, exacto knife, gloves, respirator, etc... I'd say the materials cost for the whole thing probably wasn't more than $200-250.

The most expensive part was the 2 $40 HJC visors. You can get the rest of it done with 1 can of bondo, 1 can of resin, 1 16 sq ft fiberglass cloth. 3 cans of spray paint, 17 sheets of card stock (or less), 3 oz of elmers glue, 2 toothpicks, some foam rubber, 1 $10 helmet liner, the electronics which come out to about $35, 1 $5 package of 1" diameter corrugated wire conduit, and a wax pencil.... I think.

 

[Phatjax]

Yeah Darque, I'll have to experiment with it. I'm kinda hesitant to blow a fan though... even though it was only $5, I want to get them in by tomorrow night.

 

[DarquePlague]

Lol yea just don't listen to Phat when he recommends CL-14 sized visors... that didn't work out in my favor at all.

Anyway, a negative wire is considered a ground in most circuits, so attaching the yellow ground will probably have no adverse affects. But I'd still try it with 1 fan first, that way both don't die. I'm still a believer in my washer idea.

 

[DarquePlague]

We came to the conclusion that the yellow wire is actually a 12v part to the fan the allow it to blow at full RPM. Seeing that a 12v battery wont fit inside the helmet, gotta come up with plan B. I suggested different fans that are only Pos. and Neg. connections...