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Work has been slow. Actually non existent. Fly home from Iceland today. Got some great photos though. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey all, I just wanted to post a little build-thread here so that maybe some people might learn from my mistakes. I was looking at a few of the different voice effects units out there for a TK build. I really wanted the static burst at the end of communication and I didn't really like the idea of having a dedicated phone running under my armor. That kind of narrowed it down to two solutions: the iComm and TK-Talkie. I like the idea of the iComm because it is so well used, but with current technology, it seems kind of LARGE. Plus I saw a few complaints about internal batteries dying after a year. I'm sure it's also a great solution but I ended up trying TK-Talkie. It's a bit smaller, a bit cheaper and pretty much "state of the art'. :-) TK-Talkie runs on an ARM processor based USB board called a Teensy 3.2. It really IS teensy. You add a sound board and a bluetooth module for configuring and you've got yourself a TK voice modulator. There's an app for your phone which connects via bluetooth and allows you to change settings. Those settings are then saved to an SD card on the Teensy so you only need the phone to make changes. I think my parts came in at about $50 US. The guy (who is on this forum as lerxstrulz) has everything on his web site. Parts Lists, tutorials, source code (firmware), sound files and even the case and lid as 3D printable objects. He sells completed units but I chose to build my own. It's fairly easy to assemble providing you have basic soldering skills, that you are somewhat computer literate and you can follow the tutorials on their web site. The first two came reasonably easy for me, the last "not so much." I made a few mistakes during assembly which caused me to take apart (un-solder) the entire unit and re-assemble it correctly to get things working. I figured I'd post my experiences here so that others don't follow in my original footsteps. :-) I'm not going to post a full tutorial. They have that on their website. www.tktalkie.com This is just going to hit a few highlights in the idea of a basic description and a few "what not to do" examples. So here we go.... This is the Teensy 3.2 along with the header pins (legs) in the lower-left. The first thing you are supposed to do is chop up the headers and only solder on the legs that are actually required. I think there are 28 pins but only 15 (or so) are actually used. I thought, "Why chop them up? I'll solder them all. It will just take a minute." While I can't say for certain that this caused any issues, when I completed all the steps, I had very low volume and the bluetooth wouldn't connect. So play it safe and chop up the headers like they say and only solder the required legs. It's the safe thing to do. Next up here is the audio board along with a mono 3.5mm audio jack I purchased. This one DEFINITELY caused me issues. My problem with almost no volume was because the mono jack wasn't sending the signal correctly. I can only imagine the mono jack did not connect left and right together but only sent audio down the right.....which was not what either the TK-Talkie or the Aker amp was expecting. Once I rewired using stereo jacks all my audio problems went away. So again, play it safe and just use stereo jacks to begin with. You solder the Teensy board onto the sound module, then add the leads for the bluetooth module. I started with a nice connector to connect the bluetooth module (shown below) then later removed the nice connector because it was too big and wouldn't fit in the case. And be SUPER careful of the bluetooth wiring. I messed this up as well. All I can say is READ THE TUTORIAL CAREFULLY and look at the photos when wiring the bluetooth module. Watch where the wires go. There's only 4 of them. Transmit on the Teensy goes to Receive on the bluetooth. Similarly Receive on the Teensy goes to transmit on the bluetooth. Make sure you get these right. Sometimes the tutorial shows the bottom of the board and sometimes the top. Pay attention. I shrink wrapped the mic and line-out connectors. This is probably a good time to test everything and make sure it works. You need a Micro-SD memory card to write the basic setup and audio files to. I used my computer for this. Then you plug the memory card into the Teensy Audio module. The Teensy itself uses a micro-usb connector for power and/or programming. You plug the Teensy into a computer via USB and install some Teensy software. It's like a programming kit. Then you download and write the firmware (from the tk-talkie web site) to the Teensy. May as well go for version 4 of the firmware, it's the latest. At this point it should be working with default settings. You can disconnect it from your computer and now just power it off the same USB connector via a USB battery pack. Once my USB wiring problems were fixed I was able to connect to the app on my phone. Here I had to boost the mic level and adjust the sensitivity. Fairly easy but it seemed to be time dependent. I had to make changes and save quickly. If I waited too long it seemed to disconnect and I would have to connect again. Lastly, a fellow TK-Wannabe, Mr_Fahrenheit, was gracious enough to print out the box and lid for me on his 3D printer. Here's the raw box before any cleanup... I cleaned up the sides and holes. Did minimal sanding and painted it black. It's going inside my helmet so it won't be seen. I jammed everything into the box only to find the bluetooth module was a little too big. As mentioned, I removed the connector I was using and cut the legs off the bluetooth module, soldering the wires directly to the bluetooth board. Then I even dremmel'ed away at the lid slightly to give me a millimeter or so of additional room on the inside. Then everything fit. :-) The blue and white thing in the side is the memory card. And here's a quick sample of the audio... I hope this helps. Learn from me, people. :-) Mark

Hey FISD! It feels like it's only been a couple of weeks since I set up my account here, but in fact it's been pretty much a whole year. I'm all cleared now and working towards EIB and Centurion right now. Had my first official troop today and what can I say - it was just straight amazing To see that all the effort (and money) I put into this project has paid off was an awesome experience for me, and meeting @T-Jay in person who supported me massively during my E-11 build was great fun as well. Now I'm looking forward to my next event already, and merch is on the way as well Thanks for reading, Freddy (TK-19511)

Approval pics and app submitted, I heard back from the GML and have fixed the one item noted, just waiting on the final stamps of approval!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

2nd that

Take your time and don't heat up too much, it can become too pliable and can be get misshaped easily if left in for too long.

Seem to have this well in hand, hopefully the CRL will be finished soon, good luck with the build

One thing I hope to see in person before I leave this world

Indeed, off they go. I suggest you start with the Ab plate and Kidney/Butt plate first, they are fairly straight forward cut, then put the trim on and temporarily fix them with painters tape, match the chest and back plate and see how it goes, then move on with the cut.

Great to see that as I may need to do the same, it catches behind the knee when I try to bend my leg. Thanks guys, will keep you posted on progress. Thanks again Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oh, one warning about Chicago screws: Add a tiny dab of threadlock (or E6000) to the screw threads. They sometimes loosen over time without it, and it's a hassle to deal with a holster falling off halfway through a parade. A tiny dab of protection, and you won't have to worry about that.

Confirmed they're currently processing orders (you can now select options and add to cart). Just a note for those attempting to achieve higher levels of TK. Be sure to select the "Classic421" under the Shoes menu. Don't be enticed to select the "T7" as these don't meet CRL's for Basic and Level Two certification due to seam on forward portion of boot and they have a zipper (as opposed to small U-shaped elastic). CRL Quotes specific to this: Small U-shaped elastic section on both sides of ankle There is no seam present on front of the boot

Tiny update. I've been exhausted at work lately so work is slow going but its still going. I think I have cleaned the outside of all the armor of scuffs and smudges and glue residue. I want to wipe the insides down one more time with a sanitizing wipe before I put the armor back in the crate to be sure to kill any funky sweat smell. To get my armor ready in time for my first event I used Velcro to hold the shoulder straps in place. I was concerned that I was going to need to adjust them and just didn't have time to wait on glue to dry just to have to peel it back off so Velcro made sense at the time. Now that I like where they are, I have removed the Velcro and glued them on with a generous dab of e6000. Hopefully They stay in place and I don't have issues but I suppose if I ever do I can just hide that shoulder with the pauldron. I have added self-adhesive felt to the backs of the drop boxes and insides of the shoulder bells to try to reduce the clacking sound I get when I walk. I know I won't completely get rid of it but if I can reduce it a little that would help. Next up is the helmet. I am planning on cleaning it, fixing my ears so they fit tighter to the helmet sides, drilling holes for hearing assist, adding a bit more padding to get it to fit my head better, re-route the fan wires better, touch up some paint, and add the last screw on the bottom of the ear. Then that will make my kit ready for submission

In preparation of the troop tomorrow I managed to finish the TK's new home (just in time). I'm quite happy with how it turned out so I might as well share an image of the box with you guys

Single capped rivets were used to attach the ammo belt to the canvas belt but pop rivets with backing washer were used to attach the holster.

Looks fantastic! And the way you sanded them actually makes it look like you've got a return edge there as well. Nicely done.

I would think TK's just talk to each other directly. One on one when together on DS. Like the two thinking " it's a drill". They have no need to have chatter. Sandy's on Tatooine are a police force and spread out in all area's. They're relaying info on the spot as it happens. Which would come across as chatter. I would think they (TK/TD) have different channels of communications and procedures. I use the chatter loop in my HWT backpack. I use my phone and throw it in the radio. It's nice background noise and helps the illusion of being part of something big and sounds cool coming from radio.