Helmet upgrades: wireless amp, external sound pickups, fan, padding and more

[Logon]

I got a few of these on order but they haven't arrived yet:

http://bit.ly/15IfYRV

 

Also, got two of these to try, but again haven't had time to play with them due to other projects. Look at the size comparison! If it works, both the cost and the footprint of the system can be reduced drastically, which will be awesome!

 

 

 

That was my analysis as well.

 

Where you going to sell kits or are you just doing plans?

I was thinking myself of doing it to fund(break even as i've already bought it ) my armor but will not step on your toes if you did (US or EU based?)

Edited August 5, 2013 by Logon

[Kaden]

OUTSTANDING TUTORIAL! Thanks, Mynock!

[jwelch13]

Mynock,

 I haven't even started putting my armor together and already know I want one of these set ups. When I buy my kit I will message you

[akrembug]

I have a feeling I will be doing this to my bucket whenever I get it.  Very nice work!!!

[komalsharma]

Literally,I was think about such kind of tutorial help for  Stormtrooper helmet /Collectibles ,I loved this thank you for post here.   . 

[bzb]

I was poking around on the Canakit site, and it looks like the R009 kit has changed somewhat.  I have no reason to think it won't work still, but the shape looks like it might be a larger footprint.  Any insight here?

 

Also, found those Burton earpads for $7 on ebay!  They're XS, but I'm OK with cutting into them, so it probably won't matter much.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Burton-Red-Snowboard-Helmet-Audex-Audio-Earpads-kit-speakers-XS-2003-2008-/380379050383?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58905bb18f

 

Here's the R009 board now:

[Mynock]

I was poking around on the Canakit site, and it looks like the R009 kit has changed somewhat. I have no reason to think it won't work still, but the shape looks like it might be a larger footprint. Any insight here?

 

Also, found those Burton earpads for $7 on ebay! They're XS, but I'm OK with cutting into them, so it probably won't matter much.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Burton-Red-Snowboard-Helmet-Audex-Audio-Earpads-kit-speakers-XS-2003-2008-/380379050383?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58905bb18f

 

Here's the R009 board now:

 

That is a link to the exact product I used, but for some reason the photo they have is different than the actual kit they send you. I was puzzled by this when i opened the box for the first time to find a totally different-looking amp board than the one in the photo. Functionally though, it was what I wanted, so I just worked with it.

 

And those earpads are great for that price! I ended up getting 10 of them to experiment with when doing my third lid for the DIY tutorial. I'm putting this mod into every helmet I get now.

[bzb]

It's a great design sir!  I appreciate the work you put into this.  

 

Thanks for the confirmation on the kit.  I assume the "kit" version for $3 less is just all the parts and the circuit board? Typically, I'd want to solder project parts myself, but in this case I would probably prefer just to pay someone else $3 to do it...

[Mynock]

It's a great design sir! I appreciate the work you put into this.

 

Thanks for the confirmation on the kit. I assume the "kit" version for $3 less is just all the parts and the circuit board? Typically, I'd want to solder project parts myself, but in this case I would probably prefer just to pay someone else $3 to do it...

 

Sorry. I didn't get the kit versions but the fully assembled amps. Yeah, for an extra $3 I think it's totally worth getting the fully assembled units to save some time and labor.

[bzb]

I grabbed four of the earpads before you bought up the rest of that guy's stock, lol!

 

Did you make any more progress on the other boards? I immediately thought of the tiny Lepai Class-D amps I've used in some of my smaller audio projects...

[bzb]

Received my CanaKit packs yesterday - I opted for the project kit instead of the assembled one.  Going to make a couple minor modifications, and exploring options for 12v rechargeable power source to get a little more amplification out of it.

 

Mynock - I was looking at the photos from your project page, and it looks like some of the joints are borderline (solder joints look like Hershey's Kisses). Have you had any intermittent issues with yours?

[bzb]

One last thing - I promise!

 

Maybe!

 

The electret microphone that was packaged with my kit is saying the opposite of what you've described.  The pin that is connected the body of the mic is labeled as negative, according to the instructions that came with the kit.

 

Typically, this wouldn't matter on a microphone, as long as both are wired the same in a stereo setup (otherwise you have phase issues).  However, Electret microphones typically need the + and - wired correctly, as the positive is used with power in the amplification.

 

Not sure if the assembled kit comes with these instructions or not.  I did a quick test with the positive connected as instructed, and it appears to be working properly.

 

[Mynock]

One last thing - I promise!

 

Maybe!

 

The electret microphone that was packaged with my kit is saying the opposite of what you've described.  The pin that is connected the body of the mic is labeled as negative, according to the instructions that came with the kit.

 

Typically, this wouldn't matter on a microphone, as long as both are wired the same in a stereo setup (otherwise you have phase issues).  However, Electret microphones typically need the + and - wired correctly, as the positive is used with power in the amplification.

 

Not sure if the assembled kit comes with these instructions or not.  I did a quick test with the positive connected as instructed, and it appears to be working properly.

 

 

You are absolutely correct! The positive is indeed the terminal that is not connected to the body. I just checked my own helmets, and I do indeed have the mics wired correctly. Not sure how I mixed that up in my writeup, but the website has now been updated with the correct info. Thank you again for catching that!

 

As for soldering on the boards, I have not had any issues. I've purchased quite a few of these units, and so far every one has tested to be in good working order.

[bzb]

Not a problem - thanks for all the information you've provided!

 

What's your typical run time on the single 9V?  I'm looking into a small-footprint 12V Li-Ion battery that has 1800mAh: the length is 6.5cm, the width is 3.8cm, the height is 1.9cm. 

 

I placed a jumper on the power since it's externally switched. Thinking of soldering up a female stereo headphone jack instead of stripping the cable with the headphones.  The less of those dupont connections, the better I'll feel about it.

 

 

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

Not a problem - thanks for all the information you've provided!

 

What's your typical run time on the single 9V?  I'm looking into a small-footprint 12V Li-Ion battery that has 1800mAh: the length is 6.5cm, the width is 3.8cm, the height is 1.9cm. [/size]

 

I placed a jumper on the power since it's externally switched. Thinking of soldering up a female stereo headphone jack instead of stripping the cable with the headphones.  The less of those dupont connections, the better I'll feel about it.

bzb....

 

Any updates on what you've been doing with this project?

[Bones]

Wow, awesome work! Thanks for sharing!

[bzb]

Nothing yet - I've just gotten 501st approval this week. I'm going on my first troop this weekend, so I'm trying to get these installed before then so I can test out run time (it's potentially a long troop) to determine whether or not I want to go with a rechargeable solution.

 

I'll update soon!

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

Nothing yet - I've just gotten 501st approval this week. I'm going on my first troop this weekend, so I'm trying to get these installed before then so I can test out run time (it's potentially a long troop) to determine whether or not I want to go with a rechargeable solution.

 

I'll update soon!

Brilliant! Congratulations on your approval, and best of luck/enjoyment for your troop coming up!

 

Looking forward to your discoveries on the project as well!

[mrcosmo1[TK]]

These upgrades are awesome.  I was wondering if anyone has ever tried to use video display glasses and a connected camera to give full vision while wearing a stormtrooper helmet.  

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

These upgrades are awesome.  I was wondering if anyone has ever tried to use video display glasses and a connected camera to give full vision while wearing a stormtrooper helmet.

While I'm not electronically savvy, I've been looking for parts to see if I could find a view screen and camera that are power consumption friendly to do this exact thing. I figure that the best case is to NOT put the camera (a pin-hole camera - you can find them on www.smile.amazon.com for less than $20) in the helmet, but someplace in the back plate where you'd have more room for batteries, and better ability to distribute the weight than trying to do so on your head. If you were able to find one of those cameras and perhaps an old-ish cell phone display mounted above the lenses in the helmet, you'd have a decent CCTV-like system enclosed in your armor.

 

Just some thinking on that subject.

[KlausDragunov1]

I've got to say thia 1 is my fave on how this was done and planning on following how this was done step by step.

[DarthHollister]

Where did u get the CanaKit

Looking for an assembled one

[Mynock]

Where did u get the CanaKit

Looking for an assembled one

 

http://www.canakit.com/electret-microphone-amplifier-kit-ck009-uk009.html

 

It looks different in the picture on their site for some reason, but it's the same one I use in my helmets.

[shnar]

I'm *very* late to the party, but I just bought my first suit and would love to have a self contained helmet like this. Looking at your website (Mynock), doesn't look like you were ever able to get a sellable version of this? I really don't want to shop around for all these parts (I know I'll screw something up), did you ever create a "kit" bundle? Anything to make this easier would be *fantastic*

 

-shnar

[shnar]

Just an update for myself, I've found some bundles to help me out:

 

- EAS (Environmental Audio System): http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/25695-environmental-audio-system-hear-outside-your-helmet/it's the ear amplifiers so you can hear outside your bucket. The bundle is $70, a little more than if you do it yourself, but not by much (considering two of the canakit stereos is $32, then also the speakers, and the wires, and the time, etc, sounds like a good deal to me).

 

- iComm (Imperial Communication System): http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/14832-fs-imperial-communication-system-icomm/and their website http://store.voicebooster.com/icomm-imperial-communication-system/ is a one stop shop for a wireless mic, an Aker amplifier, and the iComm static burst voice card. $105.50 for the iComm, $48 for the Aker amp, and $30 for the wireless mic.

 

- Echo's Helmet Fan System: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/24372-fs-helmet-fan-system-echos/A really nice fan system, puts 2 in your bucket up near the cheeks on independent power systems. They're $70 for the whole kit (add $15 for custom name!)

 

With the above bundles, I should be able to customize my helmet about the same level. Pricier to be sure than just buying the components separately (about $300), but a lot of saved time and headache for people like me

 

The only thing I'm missing now is an intercom to chat w/other troopers...

 

-shnar

 

Edit: As an alternative to the iComm hooked up to a wireless mic and amp in the breastplate, ukwrath has these speakers embedded in the Hovi's of the helmet (the nubs at the jaw level). He sells them at http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/31436-fs-ukswraths-hovi-mic-tips-with-speakers-crl-accurate-tips/ between $60 and $140. The lower end is just the speakers, up to you to get everything else. The upper end includes an amp and even an iComm (so complete Stormtrooper chatter). These speakers won't be as loud as the ones with the iComm, but "good enough" for most trooping needs. Plus, has the advantage of *everything* in the bucket (and won't need a wireless mic).

Edited July 17, 2015 by shnar