HWT Backpack build Part 1

[CrookKnight[TK]]

FYI, that is not an official 501st group, and thus any advice dispensed thereon may or may not comply with 501st standards.

I started the page just to share ideas. Invited all current and future HWTs. It is not intended to take the place of FISD.

 

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[CrookKnight[TK]]

Normally, I'd agree but I've seen too many instances as a GML where people read some advice on a FB group page, then apply to the 501st, find out it's not right, etc. You may know it's not a 501st FB group, but that may not be obvious to new folk.

I will add a disclaimer to the page as to the advice dished out and make sure people are not mislead.

 

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[Daetrin[Admin]]

And I dig that, but there have been an awful lot of problems with FB groups lately, not just for TK costumes but for others as well, that people have created (some 501st, some not), which end up in the same state: advice given that may not be accurate and thus issues when those people apply, or people thinking the advice is from "the 501st" when it's not.

 

I dig that FB is really popular (heck, I use it myself), but for what we do it's actually counter-productive much of the time.

[Daetrin[Admin]]

I will add a disclaimer to the page as to the advice dished out and make sure people are not mislead.

 

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Thanks - I think that would help much.  FWIW, I'm not against you doing it, just want to ensure it doesn't become like the other groups.

[CrookKnight[TK]]

I added a disclaimer.  Since this is a Closed Group that I am the Admin of, I will make sure it does not go in the wrong direction.  Our discussions are mostly about Big Cool Guns and trooping events we have recently done.  If there are posts related to armor, approvals, etc....I will take care of it and direct them appropriately. 

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Thanks. One question if I may: what is the advantage to using FB instead of just using the forums? Just curious...

[CrookKnight[TK]]

Thanks. One question if I may: what is the advantage to using FB instead of just using the forums? Just curious...

For a lot of people it is faster and easier to communicate by using Facebook. However it is better to use the forums if you want to keep a history of events. Plus there are lot more active people on Facebook than the forums. I am our garrisons event coordinator and I post things both on Facebook and on the forums. However the Facebook page is always point back to the forum's so we have good records.

 

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[Daetrin[Admin]]

Thanks!

[magni[TK]]

I joined also Paul. And It's like he said. It's a place for HWT's to yap. It seems like it's a closed group. But if it was open to public I'd treat it like a recruiting booth for FISD myself as well as Shawn and all the others would I imagine. Just some fun and THT!

[CrookKnight[TK]]

I joined also Paul. And It's like he said. It's a place for HWT's to yap. It seems like it's a closed group. But if it was open to public I'd treat it like a recruiting booth for FISD myself as well as Shawn and all the others would I imagine. Just some fun and THT!

I have no issue making it an open group to the public. As long as we can keep it under control.

 

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[Daetrin[Admin]]

Entirely up to you.  

 

In a way it's just like your costume.  When you are at an official 501st troop you have to follow all 501st guidelines, but what you do as Joe the Private Trooper in a stormtrooper costume is 100% up to you as long as it is clear you are acting as yourself and not representing the Legion in any way.

 

Looking at the Legion boards, FB groups (and thus 501st members) only really get in to trouble when...

 

1. They start posting or discussing internal 501st business

2. They are perceived as "representing the 501st", or that comments made are representing the 501st

 

Otherwise, you can pretty much do what you want, and is equivalent to making a "Heavy Weapons Trooper Forum", which you could do again as long as it's clear it's not a 501st forum, and you are not discussing Legion business.

 

Hope that makes sense?  Sorry if I am coming off as a square, but I've seen too many people forget and then run in to problems at the Legion level, and I care about you guys.

[Alay[TK]]

Thanks. One question if I may: what is the advantage to using FB instead of just using the forums? Just curious...

For me...

 

Integrated image uploading and scaling. Event/reminders. Push notifications on replies. Threaded-conversations within comments. And above all else, mobile optimization.

 

FISD is actually one of the few message boards that actually is usable on a mobile device, but even then it's a bit lackluster for trying to view images or quickly navigate between pages.

 

Many other message boards I frequent are straight out of '98 and have awful performance on a phone, so facebook serves better for casual discussion when I'm away from home.

 

 

(And no, Tapatalk being a thing is not an excuse to not make a mobile-ready website forum in 2017 for anyone building something new )

[Caligari[TK]]

For me...

 

Integrated image uploading and scaling. Event/reminders. Push notifications on replies. Threaded-conversations within comments. And above all else, mobile optimization.

 

FISD is actually one of the few message boards that actually is usable on a mobile device, but even then it's a bit lackluster for trying to view images or quickly navigate between pages.

 

Many other message boards I frequent are straight out of '98 and have awful performance on a phone, so facebook serves better for casual discussion when I'm away from home.

 

(And no, Tapatalk being a thing is not an excuse to not make a mobile-ready website forum in 2017 for anyone building something new )

I've been helping to look into some new forum themes and templates so thanks for this good info!  Not sure if all of those points can be added to our forum software but it gives me more things to search for.

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Drag and drop image support will come with the new version, as will copy/paste images. I mean, you can take a scree cap and paste it directly in the forums. We can actually do push notifications on reply now, so am not sure what's not working for you there?

 

I haven't played with event reminders - it will be interesting to see what the new version has in that capacity.

 

I do get the mobile bit though, so I guess we'll just have to see.

 

Thanks so much for the feedback, anything we can do to make these boards easier for the community is 100% in our charter to do.

[CrookKnight[TK]]

Drag and drop image support will come with the new version, as will copy/paste images. I mean, you can take a scree cap and paste it directly in the forums. We can actually do push notifications on reply now, so am not sure what's not working for you there?

 

I haven't played with event reminders - it will be interesting to see what the new version has in that capacity.

 

I do get the mobile bit though, so I guess we'll just have to see.

 

Thanks so much for the feedback, anything we can do to make these boards easier for the community is 100% in our charter to do.

Looking forward to seeing the new version.

 

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[Alay[TK]]

I've been helping to look into some new forum themes and templates so thanks for this good info!  Not sure if all of those points can be added to our forum software but it gives me more things to search for.

If you need help/advice, feel free to PM me. I'm a software engineer by trade specializing in web technologies.

 

 

Drag and drop image support will come with the new version, as will copy/paste images. I mean, you can take a scree cap and paste it directly in the forums. We can actually do push notifications on reply now, so am not sure what's not working for you there?

 

I haven't played with event reminders - it will be interesting to see what the new version has in that capacity.

 

I do get the mobile bit though, so I guess we'll just have to see.

 

Thanks so much for the feedback, anything we can do to make these boards easier for the community is 100% in our charter to do.

The image uploader sounds cool! Biggest thing for that would be sizing/optimization, though, and any limits. For example, my phone takes pictures that end up being 3mb+ each because of size.

When I upload them to the forums, I usually convert them down to 1280px max on the larger aspect, which reduces them to 200-400kb in size (so I don't absolutely slaughter anyone's bandwidth reading on a mobile network).

I use either photoshop or a host service such as imgur to do it, but it's honestly a bit of a pain.

 

Facebook I'm pretty sure compresses images uploaded and limits their size to mobile optimize... so my image would become whatever their size/compression specifics are.

Hosting images quickly becomes a huge DB soak, so if you guys put an uploader in, you'll definitely want to scale/compress them!

 

For push notifications, I'm not sure you'll ever match mobile with web tech alone. You can get HTML5 push notifications using web sockets, which works great on desktop (in most circumstances), but is absolute rubbish on mobile, because mobile devices usually suspend the browser thread to save limited RAM.

You'd need a dedicated app to do proper iOS/Android push notifications, but it's not something I think is really necessary unless you're going for a dedicated mobile-only target (which FISD isn't).

 

Event reminders might be neat, but usually they're more scoped to a limited group (ie; whoever is in my facebook group for whatever purpose it serves), whereas FISD serves the world of stormtroopers, so it's probably not a feature you'd really need nor be able to leverage best.

 

If you ever need help on any of this stuff, don't hesitate to reach out! As I said, FISD actually does a pretty dang good job on mobile performance compared to a lot of other sites I visit.

[kman[TK]]

The nicest thing about FB is the free image hosting (ignoring the fact that they absolutely destroy any semblance of fidelity to the original image).  The worst thing about FB is searching and long time archival of posts and data (go ahead, try to find one of your own posts from a year ago that doesn't come from FB "memories" function!).  And then there's the incredible dependency on a third party's good will to make a home to our (your) content, and zero tech support should anything go crosswise.  And don't get me started on the privacy considerations.

 

Of course, FB is a multi-billion dollar organization that makes money off of ads.  FISD is volunteer supported on a shoestring, funded by donations.

 

FB has it's place, but in no way should it replace the forums.

[CrookKnight[TK]]

Who's build thread is this that we have hijacked?

 

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[magni[TK]]

It's Tony's. But he's cool, I'm sure he won't mind.

[ukswrath[Staff]]

 

[Ragtooth]

Just wanted to drop a note and thank you for posting this thread (plus parts 2 & 3).  I'm a newbie that's just starting my journey into the 501st and am shooting for a HWT!  They are bad-an impolite person! 

 

This project is exactly what I needed to keep busy while I'm waiting for my amour. 

 

Thanks again!

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Just wanted to drop a note and thank you for posting this thread (plus parts 2 & 3).  I'm a newbie that's just starting my journey into the 501st and am shooting for a HWT!  They are bad-an impolite person! 

 

This project is exactly what I needed to keep busy while I'm waiting for my amour. 

 

Thanks again!

 

You've very welcome, THT 

[kman[TK]]

On 2/8/2015 at 2:39 PM, ukswrath said:

1d) Install and cut end caps: Mark PCV pipe and caps 1" from edges.

 

 

1e) Install caps on pipe up to marked areas. If the caps are firmly attached proceed to 1f. If not,remove, glue, let dry and then proceed.

 

 

1f) Cut of outer edge of caps where marked and sand down rough edges. 

 

 

Hey Tony: Question about this section:

 

Given how the cap is being cut 1", measured from the opening, I'm curious why cut the top of the cap off while it's still on the tube?  Wouldn't it be simpler to just cut the cap alone, and slide the ring onto the end of the pipe until flush?  (Sand smooth if needed, but that's likely a necessary step either way)

 

Just curious, since I'm getting close to doing this part.

[ukswrath[Staff]]

7 hours ago, kman said:

Hey Tony: Question about this section:

 

Given how the cap is being cut 1", measured from the opening, I'm curious why cut the top of the cap off while it's still on the tube?  Wouldn't it be simpler to just cut the cap alone, and slide the ring onto the end of the pipe until flush?  (Sand smooth if needed, but that's likely a necessary step either way)

 

Just curious, since I'm getting close to doing this part.

Whatever is easiest. Not everyone has a vise or some ability to clamp down the cap while cutting. Leaving it on the tube accomplishes that 

[MaskedVengeance[Staff]]

@ukswrath - Is there any chance that this thread series might be one of those being "cleaned up" here on FISD? I'm wondering if the photo links may be fixed, or if, perhaps, the original files are accessible in some other gallery. I've gotten sucked into HWT mode and am researching backpack build threads. =)