Disney's stormtrooper voice changing mask

[usajdm]

Do keep in mind that standard solder won't stick to aluminum, stainless steel or bronze wire/pads.

Your wires do look to be primarily cooper.

That soldering station looks like it should do it.

Alittle bit of flux and I'm sure it's gonna work out for you.

[skyone]

we can add voice activation adding a small arduino powered by the same batteries (supports 3.3v-12v)  that control a sound sensor connected to the voice changer switch with a transistor

i will test it when i have all the components.

[charlesnarles]

Sounds way better than a ptt. Great idea, then you could just say "pshh" to get it to play the chatter too

[charlesnarles]

Success! For about 3 presses of the button, then the - came off, but that's cause I burned my finger on the bare copper as I tried to put it in place lol. But it did work, it sounded great, it was loud enough, and I love this setup.

Tinned thanks to a 45 watt iron:

 

And soldered thanks to the fine folks here:

[welshchris77[TK]]

Just curious, were there small holes in the circuit board where your soldering the wires?, if not you could drill (very small) holes in the centre of the soldering point, just big enough to take the wire, push the wire through the hole and solder in place, this would create a much stronger and reliable binding, if you have a dremel or similar they sometimes come with tiny drill bits that are handy for this, might help you out in this situation! 

[Plasma]

I just bought this and have gutted the electronics. I intend to mount the speaker, batteries, PCB and switch in an ABS project box to be mounted in the chest, then run the activation switch down to my palm . I've never done anything like this before so there should be interesting times ahead....

[charlesnarles]

the connectors do have little holes, I'll have to give it another try. Thanks Chris

 

Once it's connected securely I'm considering heat shrinking the whole board to keep the other wires safe. A project box would do wonders indeed

[welshchris77[TK]]

No worries Scott, a glue gun can come in handy for insulating and securing wires too.

[usajdm]

Glad this is working out.

It was pretty clear it was crossed wires.

Let me add alittle more if you don't mind.

Be very careful if you decide to drill into the pcb.

It's very easy to damage the traces.

Also, some pcb's have internal traces that can also be damaged.

A properly soldered joint should not need to go through the pcb.

 

Also, it may just be the picture, but be sure the exposed copper of your +'s and - wire are not touching.

Heat shrink tubing should be covering those exposed wires.

Remember, you only need alittle wire exposed to get a good joint.

Cover the rest.

Again, that might just be how it looks in the picture.

As far as "sealing" the board, may I recommend silicone.

The stuff you buy by the tube at home depot is fine.

Be sure it says 100% silicone.

Great seal and if you ever need to remove it for pcb work, it'll peel right off.

Please keep us informed on your progress.

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Interested to see how this works out for everyone else. I've tried several types of speakers, with and without additional amps and I'm still unable to get it to sound decent. 

 

[charlesnarles]

I think it sounds great just like this. I'm getting a good clear outdoor speaking volume with no distortion. It sounds just like ANH. My audio out female plug is a 1/4 to 1/8 inch adapter, if that matters.

 

I got everything connected, reconnected, and hot-glued so now it's ready for installation into its dark round home:

 

I was finally able to test out the voice changer with an observer who could hear the speakers more than my voice at around 10 ft away (just on a table, not installed and not with my head in a lid). Perfect! It also has a great sounding burst when you let go.

I'll probably keep posting the installation pics here even tho I had better be done with the electronics side of things lol

Edited July 30, 2015 by charlesnarles

[charlesnarles]

Here's a short demo of the "try me" function. Gives an idea of their range when used with the Disney card, at the very least. I love that all the chatter is from ANH (albeit including "open the blast doors" from the Specisl Edition)

Edited August 19, 2015 by charlesnarles

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Here's a short demo of the "try me" function. Gives an idea of their range when used with the Disney card, at the very least.

 

Awesome, great job Josh. Can you post some pics and maybe a schematic of how you have all this connected. 

[Major Tom]

man thats awesome
how does the voice changer part sound now? does it still burst at the end?

[charlesnarles]

I'll do one of the changer with fans and everything going soon. And yes there's a nice unobtrusive click/burst at the end

[BIGDEAL[TK]]

Im jealous. These sounded great in store.

[charlesnarles]

321 Penguins? Lol

 

Here's my first try, not sure exactly how close the mic needs to be. It seems to be designed not to pick up breath etc.:

 

Pretty clean inside if I do say so myself:

 

[Energizer bunny says hello]

Edited August 11, 2015 by charlesnarles

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Pretty awesome josh. Can we get a pic of the assembly outside your bucket? Thanks

[charlesnarles]

..me? 😅 I'll MS Paint a diagram in a sec but this and an echo fan are all that's in there.

 

"Here's the whole vocal system together. One 2 sq inch board, 3 AAAs, mini mic; no external amp or MP3 player required:

 

"

Edited August 11, 2015 by charlesnarles

[ukswrath[Staff]]

That's exactly what I wanted to see. Thank you

 

In the video how close is the mic to your mouth? 

[charlesnarles]

Sure. I have a big skull and it's an ATA, so there's an inch or less of space. Still have to use an outside voice for the mic to pick it up, but that's solved by soldering on another female Jack and using a better one. A throat mic with VOX would be ideal 😎

[ukswrath[Staff]]

How big of a difference is there in output volume if you put the mic next to your lips instead of 1"+ away as you say you're using it now?

[charlesnarles]

I overestimated. I can kiss the mic so it's probably 1/2" or 3/8" away. I wasn't consciously enunciating the whole video but it's much clearer when I do. The little round mic has that white plastic cover which must help with pops but idk if its tiny hole is the cause. I tried speaking really softly and it picked it up, I think my issue was being tired more than the mic being crummy 😅

Edited August 11, 2015 by charlesnarles

[ukswrath[Staff]]

I wired in a female 3.5 connector as you did, but for the mic and tested two different mic types in hopes it would help. Neither helped, always came back with a weak output. I believe the built-in amplifier just isn't robust enough for higher amplification. Heck I went so far as to add a amplifier after the PCB, still no luck, hence the reason I've been watching this thread to let someone else beat their head against the wall for a while   Maybe you'll have better luck. 

[AZ_ST]

Are you planning to extent the PtT button or just reach up under your helmet to talk? I have one of these masks and plan on using it in my Anovos kit when it arrives. But the best way to initiate voice has been a question for me.