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

[Mynock]

[July 2013 update: DYI tutorial now avalable here:

http://mynocksden.com/projects/stormtrooper-helmet-upgrade/environment-amplification.html

I will post the tutorial here in a separate thread when I have a free minute]

 

 

 

Hi there. I'm a newcomer to these parts, however I am not at all new to the world of loving Stormtroopers.

I've always wondered that if Stormtrooper helmets were real (well, of course they're "real", but you know what i mean ), what they would look like on the inside - the kind of electronics and gadgets they would actually have. So, I decided to try and make a helmet that not only looked awesome on the outside, but on the inside as well, with no glue, tape, or wires showing anywhere. Further, I attempted to make it "functional" with not only a voice amp, but environmental audio pickups to amplify the external world straight into your ears in stereo. In that respect, I'm convinced I've done something that no one has attempted to do before (maybe never needing to).

Take a look at my video and what I've done. It's my first youtube video ever - hopefully one of many in the stormtrooper line of things.

 

Cheers

Edited December 2, 2013 by Mynock

[Laserbrain[TK]]

Very nice, helmet and video.

[Uncle[TK]]

Awesome work!

[Geaux Saints[TK]]

Great job!

[Dday[501st]]

Excellent! Now you need to assemble a kit, a how-to and price it. Then setup an on-going sale and BAM. I"m pretty sure you will have as many orders as you can handle. I know I will buy one if the price is within reach.

[MartinSivertsen[501st]]

That's really nice.

[Uncle[TK]]

Excellent! Now you need to assemble a kit, a how-to and price it. Then setup an on-going sale and BAM. I"m pretty sure you will have as many orders as you can handle. I know I will buy one if the price is within reach.

 

+1

 

I would be interested in a kit

[Mynock]

Excellent! Now you need to assemble a kit, a how-to and price it. Then setup an on-going sale and BAM. I"m pretty sure you will have as many orders as you can handle. I know I will buy one if the price is within reach.

 

Thanks for the replies, guys. Yeah, I have thought about making it into a kit, but not exactly sure how I'd go about doing it just yet. As a prototype, this thing literally took about 6 months of trial and error, ordering parts, waiting for parts, modifying parts, making my own parts, and seeing what works and what doesn't.

.

Edited July 21, 2012 by DrunkenMynock

[Mynock]

So I have been giving the "kit" design some thought, and ordered some necessary parts to start designing a simplified, more assembly-friendly version of the system.

 

What would you guys like to see in the kit?

 

There are a lot of components that went into the helmet: padding, fan, voice mic, voice transmitter, environmental amplification system with multiple components.

 

I'm thinking I'd do the environmental amplification system and everything that it would include (including my own design-ear pads with speakers), installation materials - all preassembled and ready to "plug and play". I would provide detailed instructions as well as a video showing it all done step by step.

 

Of course, I could provide pretty much everything in the video, however this would be difficult since;

 

a ) the size of padding would have to vary from person to person as everyone's head size/helmet is different;

b ) most people have some sort of padding already in place;

c ) some people would prefer more than one fan, and to have them in different spots;

d ) some people will prefer a wired amp to a wireless one, and may already have something in place.

 

Offering everything from the video would offer components that some people may already have, and would be redundant and not cost effective.

 

I'm really wanting to offer this because I think it's pretty cool, and everyone who's tried my helmet has loved the environmental amplification system, especially since you can control the volume of both ear speakers at once (with a single volume control), and also be able to adjust each ear separately.

 

Let me know your thoughts!

 

 

I'd need to get another helmet to use as a template, as the prototype helmet from my video cannot be taken apart without destroying it.

Edited July 21, 2012 by DrunkenMynock

[Dday[501st]]

You bring up a lot of points about variations, but in reality, it's much simpler. You offer a kit, people can take it or leave it.

 

I would stay away from the padding, you're right a lot of people already have some sort of it in their kit.

 

I think if I was you, I would only provide the bare minimum and any specific parts to make it a single unit.

 

So the electronics, special earpads, caps and covers. If people want to add fans, they can buy another and wire it in easily with a splice.

[Mynock]

That's what I was thinking too. Alright, I got some work to do!

[Nicol Bolas]

That is awesome. I love the idea about the hidden mic's because i can hardly hear in my bucket.

[Dizzydevil105]

great helmet I have an efx as well still fresh except mine is ANH instead of ESB and after seeing that i would buy a kit like that cause it doesn't take all the space away and great idea using welding lenses on the eyes

[Evilboy[501st]]

I want the external mic/internal audio speakers as a kit, ready to install. Most of us have an Aker or iComm and I am good on the fan kit...

[Mynock]

I just received most of the components necessary to design a plug and play kit. I will keep you all posted!

 

[Dday[501st]]

Can't wait, this will be a big seller, getting in line.

[boomshakra[TK]]

I really need the external mics - i'm completely deaf in one ear and if I put a fan in my bucket, well...you'd have to hit me with a Ghaffi stick to get my attention (or walk by in a Slave Leia outfit ).

 

I would be interested to see the external mic/internal speakers used along with the iComm/Aker setup. Would feedback be an issue using all those electronics in such close proximity, or would the use of an amplified voice cancel out any benefit of the mic/speaker setup?

[Mynock]

There would be no feedback between the external and internal mics because they are not on the same circuit. Where you may run into issues is if you blast the volume on the external pickups, which would cause the sound from the ear speakers to bleed back into the external mics. I've eliminated this problem by making sure the padding around the ears is snug, and that the ear mics are positioned exactly where the ears are. With correct positioning, you can turn up the volume to the max and not experience any feedback, although I've never had the need to go full volume.

 

You will also not have any problem hearing your own voice, since the external mics will amplify that too and transmit into your ears. So this will not at all be like trying to talk (or yell!) while listening to headphones.

 

The fan will be picked up by the external mics as well if its mounted directly to the plastic of the lid, because sound resonates through the plastic. This can be minimized if you attach some foam or some other porous material (even cloth) to the lid first, and then mount the fan to that. It's the same idea as soundproofing a room; the weakest links are the joints where the walls connect to other walls and structures, causing sound to travel through the framework. Even though in my lid my fan is mounted to the inner plastic, and I can hear it, it doesn't bother me since the amplification of the system is pretty good.

 

 

Also, for those who have hearing problems with one ear, this system would be great because it allows you to regulate the volume of each ear separately via volume control on each amp board. Once you set the amp balance the way you like, you can then use the single volume control wheel to regulate the amplitude of the whole system: turn it down (or off) in noisier environments to prevent distortion, and turn it up in quieter environments. As i mentioned in my video, with the system on, I can rub my forefinger and thumb together from my arm being fully extended, and hear it! It may not sound all that impressive, but try it! My wife placing a cup on the table two rooms away sounds like a loud bang inside the helmet. It's awesome!

 

There is some ambient noise (soft "shhhhhhhh" sound) caused by the sensitivity of the electret condenser mics, but just as with the fan being on, this is not an issue for me since everything else is amplified adequately.

 

Just to clarify, what I'm doing is designing the external audio pickup system only. As many people already have some kind of a voice amp system in place, it would be redundant and not entirely cost effective for me to offer a voice amp as part of the package.

Edited August 20, 2012 by Mynock

[Dday[501st]]

love it, waiting to see it in sellable form

[Evilboy[501st]]

I'll take one when they are available!

[Emilio Estevez]

I'm IN too!

[Mynock]

Holy smokes! I didn't realize what the reception to this idea was gonna be like lol! Okay. I'll put my vacuum forming projects on hold and get on this ASAP! I'll keep updating as soon as things start rolling. just waiting on a few last components!

Edited August 15, 2012 by Mynock

[Evilboy[501st]]

What do you estimate these will cost? Just an estimate, I won't hold you to it...

[Mynock]

I'm estimating $100, give or take a few bucks. I'm designing and building my own earpads with speakers, foam,hard plastic backing in them (vacuum formed to fit the curves of the helmet), a custom wiring system and vacuum formed housings for the circuit boards. I'll know more after I've built one.

[Emilio Estevez]

I'm estimating $100, give or take a few bucks. I'm designing and building my own earpads with speakers, foam,hard plastic backing in them (vacuum formed to fit the curves of the helmet), a custom wiring system and vacuum formed housings for the circuit boards. I'll know more after I've built one.

 

Now, I'm even MORE interested.