What's the best electronics for helmets (fans and amps) and blaster?

[Nada[TK]]

I was wondering what is the best electronics for both blasters and helmets I'm planning to get an E-11 after I finish getting my armor and everything else (Another reason is that I'm in Australia with strict gun laws even for replicas).

 

So I'm wondering if fans are necessary for long trooping or is it better to get just to focus on getting a good amp to have a better more realistic voice for trooping? 

 

With the blaster because of being in Australia is it better to get just get a prop weapon that can't make sounds or look like it can shoot or go all out on it and getting a nice blaster that can do everything?

 

Thank you for the help!

 

-Nadas

[Frank75139[501st]]

As for the blaster I’d say start with no sounds. If you want to upgrade in future years you can but in an effort to save money I went basic on this.

Amp system- I think most people use Aker. I have an Aker amp, Bluetooth mic, and an Icomm for the clicks.

As for fans- there are some for sale here and on various sites. I have two Henry’s helmet fans and I personally have trooped without them and my lenses fogged like crazy so I think they are a necessity.


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[Disco]

Hey Nada

 

Definitely fans in helmet. You'll regret it if you don't. Talk to Sly11 re fans 

 

Regarding the amp/fx etc, I started my journey with an AKer amp and just a headset mic. I didn't get an iComm as I kept putting it off and to be honest the Aker by itself was fine.

 

Then I went bats$#t crazy and went with a TRAMP setup from the UK - Bluetooth mic in the helmet and the amp/speaker in my chestplate. It has built in chirps, loops, the whole shebang. I also have the remote in my glove to prompt TK quotes on cue. TOTAL OVERKILL but I love it! But be warned - the cost from the UK to OZ is pricey. https://www.facebook.com/trooperamp/ - I thought if I'm going to do it I may as well go the whole hog, right?

[sharkbait[TK]]

I recommend the Aker 10 watt.  It's plenty loud, good quality, and worth the money.  I tried cheapies at first, and they all died and I should have just bought an Aker outright and spent about the same.  I use a generic wireless mic set up (Amazon, $20 - $30).  

 

My fans are generic home-made, and they work great.  Some people love the USB power chargers, some people like 9V, some people do those blue 12v rechargeable from eBay (they come from China).  I personally ditched the blues for 9V and love them.  They don't overpower the fans so I can still kinda hear, people can't hear my helmet buzzing from the fans, and they last at least one troop if not two or three.  I haven't seen good luck with the USB chargers locally, but people swear by them so apparently there is something to be said for them.

[Nada[TK]]

I recommend the Aker 10 watt.  It's plenty loud, good quality, and worth the money.  I tried cheapies at first, and they all died and I should have just bought an Aker outright and spent about the same.  I use a generic wireless mic set up (Amazon, $20 - $30).  
 
My fans are generic home-made, and they work great.  Some people love the USB power chargers, some people like 9V, some people do those blue 12v rechargeable from eBay (they come from China).  I personally ditched the blues for 9V and love them.  They don't overpower the fans so I can still kinda hear, people can't hear my helmet buzzing from the fans, and they last at least one troop if not two or three.  I haven't seen good luck with the USB chargers locally, but people swear by them so apparently there is something to be said for them.

Yea I’ve looked into them but kinda want a system that’s all in the helmet for a flush look with everything in the helmet. I might think about using an aker while I save up


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[WhiteWalker[TK]]

I have the hovi mic tip audio system from UKSWRATH here on the boards, everything is inside the bucket, along with 2 fans. Very pleased with how everything works. Let me know if you want more info.


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[sharkbait[TK]]

17 hours ago, Nada said:

 

Yea I’ve looked into them but kinda want a system that’s all in the helmet for a flush look with everything in the helmet. I might think about using an aker while I save up


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I had an all-inclusive helmet set up originally, with the speaker Hovi tips.  They simply weren't remotely loud enough for my area and where I trooped.  IT was hard to hear me when they were cranked up to 11.  With the wireless mic, I mount it in the helmet, so the bucket is self-contained and I can take it on and off with no wires.  The aker just hangs around my neck and sits at my upper chest.  So it still sounds like I'm talking from my head-level, which is good.  Also I run an old iPod shuffle with TK chatter through the same one.

[Mworm1974[TK]]

Hey, you can’t beat Sly’s TK helmet fans, I have 2 sets and use them even on short troops. The guys that dont have them here in Sydney fog up and sweat a bucket, I still sweat but there’s always a cool air flow. I also use an Icomm  kit in my helmet with the speaker and icomm attached to the inside of my chest armour. With regards to the blaster you could get a rubies blaster from costume.com.au in Queensland they are $30 (leave the tip orange) just paint it black/gun metal or look up TK Props (Tom) in Victoria and get a 3D printed one that you have to build. If you haven’t been on the SCG forum look it up and introduce yourself, there are lots of experienced builders there that will be happy to help locally too. 

[Harder[TK]]

Hello all, I found the UKsWrath website and the TMTalkie.

 

can someone link the fans for “Sly’s fans” please?

 

also....

 

question. Has anyone tried both the UKsWrath and the TKTalkie? Which is better? I like the small speaker mod of the UKsWrath but I like the versatility of the THTalkie.

 

very I retested first some input. Finding good reviews is proving challenging to be able to compare the two. 

[Sly11[Admin]]

12 minutes ago, TK91977 said:

Hello all, I found the UKsWrath website and the TMTalkie.

 

can someone link the fans for “Sly’s fans” please?

 

also....

 

question. Has anyone tried both the UKsWrath and the TKTalkie? Which is better? I like the small speaker mod of the UKsWrath but I like the versatility of the THTalkie.

 

very I retested first some input. Finding good reviews is proving challenging to be able to compare the two. 

Hi Craig, I haven't got a Fan thread of my own here on FISD as I was only supplying to Aussie and NZ Garrison.

As Tony has a lot on his hands atm and may struggle with time on some of his items I can make my fan kits available to US members if needed.

My concerns have been the international freight charges and products getting there in one piece, but I will look at the options.

I would only do this as an interim stop gap until Tony is back up to speed and running again.

Here is the link to Ukswrath thread where my Bracket fan kits are also featured.

I don't do all the options he does but I am gearing up to do the OTTK bracket kits and also FOTK bracket kits again soon.

I also have the more basic twin fans and battery box with switch units (currently in stock)

[Harder[TK]]

Thank you so much for the quick reply and info. I’ll get to further investigating! Cheers!

[Firedog[TK]]

1 hour ago, TK91977 said:

Hello all, I found the UKsWrath website and the TMTalkie.

 

can someone link the fans for “Sly’s fans” please?

 

also....

 

question. Has anyone tried both the UKsWrath and the TKTalkie? Which is better? I like the small speaker mod of the UKsWrath but I like the versatility of the THTalkie.

 

very I retested first some input. Finding good reviews is proving challenging to be able to compare the two. 

I have recently installed Ukswrath’s TK audio and fan bracket in my bucket and am very happy with the quality of what he provides. The bucket is a bit of a tight squeeze to get into, but I managed to fit it all in with a decent sized battery pack to boot.

[Harder[TK]]

On 9/3/2020 at 10:28 PM, Firedog said:

I have recently installed Ukswrath’s TK audio and fan bracket in my bucket and am very happy with the quality of what he provides. The bucket is a bit of a tight squeeze to get into, but I managed to fit it all in with a decent sized battery pack to boot.

Thanks Shawn.  Again I appreciate the quick responses. I really like what UKsWrath has to offer. Did you purchase the standard TK stormtrooper audio kit?

 

this one?

-----------
 

i want the voice changer, the clicks of course, a good mic, and I prefer to have the speakers built into the mask mod like the “cannons” he references. I like that more vs how the aker 10 might need to be mounted elsewhere. 
 

having it all in the helmet and no extra wires is gonna be key.

 

did you get the helmet fans as individuals or the new one piece? 
 

and did you plug it all into one power source?

 

Edited April 5, 2022 by gmrhodes13
link removed no longer working

[Firedog[TK]]

 

That is the kit I purchased. He has a thread in the Ongoing Sales area for these and the fans. I purchased the fans with the bracket and it works well, although I had to do a little trimming to get it to sit in the helmet like I wanted.

 

 

The audio system is self-powered and rechargeable. I just have a USB battery for the fans in the bucket.

 

 

 

If you look closely on the right side, there is a section of padding that I removed to put the flat battery pack. It is attached with Velcro. Additionally, the cable that connects to the USB power bank has a switch on it. Since this photo, I drilled another hole in the mounting bracket and inserted the main cutoff switch into the bracket.

Edited September 3, 2020 by Firedog

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Hey Craig I'm here if you have any specific questions. You can also contact me directly through Etsy or other. 

 

Thanks everyone for the kind words and support 

[Firedog[TK]]

1 minute ago, ukswrath said:

Hey Craig I'm here if you have any specific questions. You can also contact me directly through Etsy or other. 

 

Thanks everyone for the kind words and support 

Hard not to talk you up! That’s what happens when you provide a high quality, innovative  product and provide a great customer experience. Best advertising is word of mouth. 

[CableGuy[TK]]

Hey Nadas,

For a speaker system, I have both an AKER MR1505 and TRamp (https://www.facebook.com/trooperamp/). Below is my thoughts on each and a demo of each unit.

As per the video, I think that the Aker is exceptionally good value and I’d highly recommend it. However, for the extra immersion, TRamp offers the clicks and static bursts. If you want them, it also has TK samples and loops built in, as well as 10s of other characters built in.


For helmet fans, I started off just building my own. Simple and cheap 5v fans from China, some wire and switches, and a USB power bank. This was fine for trooping and worked really well.
More recently, I upgraded to TroopaCoola. Not only are they more attractive to look at, but, the system I went for is the Digital Variable System (DVS). This means you can increase or decrease the speed of both fans to suit your requirements.

Here’s my thoughts on TroopaCoola;

Regarding blaster lights and sounds, my personal opinion is that it takes away the “magic” of a costumed TK. Anyone that knows me knows that I love OTTKs and like to represent them as realistically as possible. I’ve used the example of Disney World before, where the characters are “in-character”, allowing the guest to believe they are meeting the actual character. To me, that’s so much more memorable than just “a guy in a costume”, especially for the children.

As such, I find that lights and sounds on an E-11 are never realistic. It comes across as more of a toy than a prop. Of course, this is just my personal opinion, and no offence is intended to those that do use light and sounds on their blaster.

Best wishes

Dan