Mynock

It's actually not as hot as one might think; fan works well and the padding acts like insulation keeping outside heat out. Still, I wouldn't do a long troop in my prototype; It's as heavy as a motorcycle helmet! But the new system im designing is simplified, and will come with only ear pads (since most people already have some type of padding in their lid), and have virtually no weight to it. It will be very comfortable and removable.

By interest only. Not by trade

First application of bondo And comparative shot of all the molds I'm working on

With all the projects I have on the go, I decided it's time to do another lol. I decided to sculpt a TK lid. Working on all my molds at the same time to conserve materials such as bondo. Im using photos from starwarshelmets.com for reference, as well as my efx and AP helmets for size reference. Sculpting it from scratch out of plasticine to start, over an old cut up Fett Don Post dome. I will then harden it with bondo or fiberglass and go from there. ----------- Half way through sculpting, I replaced the Don Post dome with a much smaller kitchen dish, to still give it some form, while decreasing the profile of the buck, as later hardening will thicken the mold again. Don't want to end up with an FX sized monster lid --------- Here is the rough plasticine sculpt. -----------

Update: My headset speakers supplier has crapped the bed and mistakenly didn't send out the order. On the bright side, all other parts are on hand Now, while I wait, I'm working on the enclosures and ear pad design that will be versatile and adjustable enough to fit most helmets (and ears). I'm excited! I'm thinking of selling off my eFX lid from the YouTube video in anticipation of the new design. Although the amount of time and labor that went into that puppy has been equivalent to working a full time job for a few weeks, so I'd never make my money back lol. Will keep you posted (with pics soon)!

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.

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!

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.

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

Thanks. Yeah, after doing some research into the plastic types, I decided to go with HIPS. Ordered some .08 and .06 guage white sheets from US Plastics. Should arrive within the next day or two. My first project will be making a Boba Fett helmet. I know vac-forming fett lid isn't the ideal way to do it, but i figure for a first project, why not. Im using a hulk of an old Don Post '96 helmet from which I salvaged the ear pieces, and sanded them smooth after I took the picture. Now, my question is - would these pieces work as the pattern to pull over (they are made out of the same hard rubber-like stuff the helmet is made from), or would i be better off making them from scratch (im thinking MDF and Bondo)? Also, can plastics be used as pattern to mold over, or would they melt? I'm talking hard, thick plastic parts. The heat transfer between the plastic and the mold would be very short given my heating method (see picture above), and from what I understand, the plastic sheeting cools very quickly once exposed to suction. I've looked and looked but cant find any concrete info on this.

Thanks! Yeah, any info would be welcome. I just emailed a plastics company in Winnipeg with what I want. We'll see if they have it.

Hey, troops I have recently decided that I want to start making my own props, and built a vacuum forming setup (see attached picture). I've taken pictures and videos at each step so that I can put together a nice and detailed video outlining everything I've done, including tools used, measurements, dimensions, and costs. Now that that’s done, I’m looking for a Canadian plastic supplier that sells 0.08, or 0.09 guage HIPS and ABS. There are a few places in Winnipeg (where I am from) that sell these materials, but not in the thickness I want. Does anyone have any recommendations for a Canadian plastics supplier they use for their projects? Actually, what are some US suppliers that people like to use as well? Thanks in advance!

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

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.

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. .

Man, some of these look amazing. I wish I had found this forum earlier Anyway, I've posted this video in a brand new thread, but here's what I've done.

[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

Hi there. I've modified my eFX helmet with some motorcycle helmet padding. I made an informational video describing all my upgrades (of which there are A LOT) in my youtube video here: It was a pile of work, but totally worth it in the end. Cheers, Myn