kman

FWIW, the vast majority of users seem to just use a 9V battery. Simple and small, and lasts long enough to get through the longest troops you're likely to undertake. (note I don't know the exact battery life, but I haven't heard people complaining, so it can't be that bad) I agree with you, it sure would be nice if we could run everything off the cheap 5V power banks, though!

USB power banks tend to be 5V, and too noisy to run circuitry because they use PWM to manage power in and out. Great for fans, not so much for these sensitive circuit boards, in most cases. (Ignoring the larger voltage issue) You may be able to use one of the larger laptop power banks, if you get one sized to fit in your backpiece, which often have higher voltages available, but be careful. It's been done (Ukswrath has a really cool setup), but no, the little power banks won't work for the Rom/FX, unfortunately.

I think you'll find the vast majority of people use Velcro, as this thread would indicate so far. Some small items can be glued directly to the helmet with E6000, if they're semi-permanent. (brackets for fans, switches, etc.)

Truly impressive work.

Thanks, Rob! Glad it was helpful. You could easily use elastic on the sides, but I'd be sure to use some of the nice thick 2" like Anovos gives for the arms, so it doesn't stretch open too easily.

Yes, his last batch just shipped out recently. I got mine on Friday.

You can use any method you want, as long as it works correctly and isn't visible outside. That said, I've read a number of reports of people who have tried magnets with OT TK shins, and they have an unfortunately tendency to pop open under any strain, much moreso than Velcro or the elastic bra hooks. Perhaps this particular method cures the issue, but there you go. I'm sticking with Velcro simply because it works very well for me.

Might be loud enough. I had planned to use the Pyle with my other devices, so it's going to take some experimentation to decide my final setup.

I suspect I'm going to end up giving up on the self-contained helmet idea and falling back on my Pyle speaker (similar to Aker), if I can't get more volume out of the Hovis. They're not bad in a quiet environment, but troops tend to get loud and kinda raucous, especially outdoor troops with lots of people, so currently, they're not really cutting it for me, unfortunately.

Beautiful work, Theo! I need to spend some time cleaning things up in my helmet. I will likely borrow some of your ideas. I also need to find some nice small switches like you found. That's been a bit of a stumbling block. You may want to check with Ukswrath re powering your Rom/FX with a power bank. I believe he has done so, although he used a larger power bank mounted in his backplate, designed for powering laptops and various other things, which has a dedicated 9v out. Likely a cleaner circuit than using a step-up converter with a 5V power bank. Also of interest, if you read recent posts in his hearing assist thread, apparently the 5V power put out by USB is very "dirty" as it runs through a PWM circuit. He was not able to use them for his hearing assist setup, either. Could be the problem is related. How do you like the Hovi mics with Rom/FX? Have you actually trooped with it yet? My Rom/FX arrived today, and I'm hoping I can squeeze some more volume out of it, because I've been a little disappointed with the volume of the sound output, despite how much I like the overall kit.

Nice job! I like the little clip you made for the battery pack. I need to figure out some good way to keep mine in place, instead of just stuffing them under the fan bracket.

Takes about 60 seconds with a hand saw if you go slow. (and the cap hides the end so it needn't be perfect!

As Tony said, it doesn't matter for approval, but it's a pretty simple accuracy mod and it looks MUCH more balanced if you just lop off that 1/4". (side by side pics in my build thread)

I used a link of lamp chain from Home Depot. Price: $0.50 for a foot (I have enough D-rings to outfit a squad or two!) Just take a hacksaw to it and cut out a bit from the middle.

Thanks! Next up, gotta make that seam disappear for Centurion...

Great build! I'm thinking more and more that I might want to do this. I'll be liberally borrowing from you methods, LOL!

Very nice! I look forward to seeing this come together.

I used two pairs of pliers. You can twist the open ends in opposite directions to open the ring enough to get one side on, insert it as far as you can get it into the hole you drilled, then "close" the ring by bending it back to where it started, and slide to the middle to center.

Correct, but Anovos gives you the snaps, may as well use them!

The Anovos Velcro is great for fitting, but the adhesive melts if you troop in serious heat. (90 degrees+) So unless you live somewhere perpetually cool, I'd consider upgrading to snaps eventually. No reason you can't stick with Velcro through approval, of course, but once you start really trooping, it may cause issues. As Tony said, only a few of the snaps (the ones Anovos provided, that you can see outside of the armor) are required.

Doesn't Walt's Trooper Factory (WTF) also make suits for smaller troopers? Or just really small? (kid sized)

^^ I agree, they look a lot bigger in person than they do in pictures, but the size 10 are definitely the right ones. I used black because they were out of the nickel ones and I was in a hurry. Black seem to work pretty well, too, so far.

I found it relatively easily to simply pull them apart. Be careful initially so you don't bend the plastic and crease anything, and it takes a bit of muscle power, but once it starts it pulls apart pretty easily. At least, my shins did when I tore them apart. Same construction for the arms, so should be the same.

Given that you used E6000 (good call!), and simple enough, I'd just take that apart and re-glue. Should be a very straightforward process. One day delay, not a big deal. I recommend taping all clamped connections, for future gluing. It's amazing how slippery E6000 is, and it always wants to drift even clamped down. Just a couple strips of tape across the cover strip does a good job of avoiding any drift overnight. Edit: Heh. Take a phone call in the middle of typing a response, and you get scooped! LOL

Congratulations, Matt!