revlimiter
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Posts posted by revlimiter
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An internet outage has meant I couldn't update my troop log easily... or do a lot of other stuff easily. But here we go!
Troop 17 - 7/9/22 - UNM Children's Hospital
Our first troop was good!!! We brought smiles to kid's faces and behaved ourselves. That meant that other groups could visit the sick kids and we were invited back this month!!! And I got to sign up for the 2nd post-COVID UNM children's hospital troop.
This was the only pic taken by any of us 4 troopers and served as our official troop document. Just the elevator selfie. But it was enough.
The nurses posted this to facebook a few days after. Good times. And yeah, a black pauldron. I own pauldrons now. I'm collecting stuff for HWT after all and have to try out the goods. (it's amazing how much heat that stupid pauldron traps!! omg)
TK-89400 Troop #18 - 7/16/22 - Buckets and Bowling
6th troop for CDZ-5435
This was an unofficial troop, but I was one of the few in full armor so I'm still counting it here. Why? We armored troopers got MOBBED.
Dozens and dozens of kids wanted to take pix with us. They were not shy either. Tons of questions, comments, clowning, and armor hugs. It was full on.
It was also Vader's debut day. My buddy Randy wore the black robes like a champ.
Why buckets and bowling? There's not many troop opportunities or requests here in New Mexico in the apex of summer heat. We scheduled this a couple months back when there was literally nothing on either side of the troop for a long while. An excuse to get together, wear armor, and have a good time.
annnd... few wore armor. But I love my white plastic dearly and couldn't not. And Vader needed at least 1 trooper.
The arcade was ripe for playtime.
My academy training came in handy.
I helped. Really. I definitely got that bonus.
Snowboarding with the daughter. Being in a desert garrison, neither of us were too sure what to do.
The arcade asthetic tho.
My armor just gleamed. So vaporwave. Would "bowl" again.
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I've had crazy network problems here which knocked me offline for several days. Painful but things are working again.
And I haven't stopped working out.
Over 3 weeks straight. I feel so much healthier than I have in so long.
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Dick's Sporting Goods also has excellent compression wear with their house line of DSG running suits. The black leggings they sell have a phone pouch that hides perfectly under our thigh armor. Their online photos show a big white DSG brand stamped on the leg, but all of the ones I've seen in the stores have that branding in invisible black. I own several pairs of these and love them.
Imperial Boots and Crow Props are the go-to's for footwear. My Imperial Boots are super comfy with an insole.
Good luck building your armor! Start a thread here and let us share the fun?
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VERY nice side latch method!! That should be very secure and always align itself nicely.
One thing you might do is swap out the strap in the middle of your back-to-kidney seem with an elastic one. The outer two can remain nylon, but that middle one really wants to have flexibility. It'll pop free otherwise.
That's mine. It's REALLLLY hard to tell that the middle strap under the OII is elastic, but that's what I have. The two ends have some spare plastic sandwiched in between for strength. All the other straps are nylon.
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That's a huge improvement!! Well done sir.
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You might want to replace those clips with longer straps with snaps on the ends. I have double snap plates E6000'd into the inside of my thighs and snaps-on-straps velcro'd to my belt. The strap length is about 6" total to get the snaps a little farther down the armor and not have an end peeking out.
Don't get me wrong though. Looks like a great belt! And some fine paint work.
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heh, Glen beat me to it.
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Yeah, it might be a bit of work, but Glen's suggestion with the straight green strip is totally worth it.
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7/2/22 Albuquerque Street Meet - Dunes
Troopers, forgive me for I have sinned. I wore a pauldron on a troop. AND I LIKED IT.
The troop was a photography meet organized by a local Instagram group. It was about a half hour out of town in the sand dunes. I decided to weather up my Death Star fresh TK for the event. I also borrowed a pauldron from a buddy.
As much as I love being a clean and shiny TK, the temporary weathering deeply appealed to me. Look at that bucket. SO MUCH SOUL! So much dollar store eyeshadow. Love it!!!
Folding stock deployed. And as dirty as I got my armor, it still looks clean next to a sandy.
Yeah. Pauldron. I really really like it. A Heavy Weapon backpack may need to get built...
We had a ton of fun. We shot for almost 3 hours and trooped longer.
I got a few selfies. My real camera stayed in the car unfortunately. No down time meant no taking the armor off and shooting my own pix.
Darian (Ray) was the one who requested the 501st be there. 3 of us answered the call. It was SO much fun!
The theme of the meet was "DUNE" and models & cosplayers were encouraged to dress as Dune-like and post apocalyptic as possible. There were some fantastic outfits, lots of 4 wheelers, lots of hiking up and down sand banks, and general fun photography stuff. I'll be going to the next event for sure, even if it isn't an official troop. Might just bring my camera though.
I mean, how much fun are these? I'm finally at my post.
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Eric's mention of your thigh armor made me look at it. The back thighs seem to have a sorta heart shaped pucker at the cover strip on both sides. You can sand that flat so that it's a straight line / constant angle. A dremel and sanding drum would do it in a few minutes. That would give you one less pokey area.
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Very tidy in there! Hopefully comfortable too.
I'm also a 1 fan at a time kinda guy. I don't often need both of my fans blowing.
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Looking very good! I honestly don't personally see anything that would hinder basic approval, though I'm still not the keenest eye or most knowledgeable.
Your torso sides are PHENOMENAL. Perfect alignment. Belt is looking good too, though it could be ever so slightly higher. And your bucket looks great!
Your thighs seem very low. You could tighten your thigh garters (hopefully yours are adjusable?) and raise them up closer to the cod piece. It'll give a better look and a lot better movement. Knees don't bend too well with the thighs way down there.
Your biceps also seem rather low. Are they attached to your shoulder bells? I use a 3 strap system between those pieces as well as the screen-accurate elastic and J-hook. It keeps them high and tight together.
Hope that gives a few tips. But really, I think you'll be fine for Basic.
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I'm also a day late. Nice job @CountCunning
Keep going with that weight loss!!! Initial sharp losses are to be expected. Newbie Gainz as they say. I've had similar early success and have had a lot of muscle mass return to my small frame. Expect the losses to slow as your body gets more used to the workouts and more efficient at doing what you're asking of it.
I'm now at 15 days of working out. I've had a rest day here and there, including yesterday. But that's okay. Gotta have a rest day here and there.
I've been going on a Heavy / cardio / heavy / cardio / heavy / rest schedule. I was supposed to have a heavy day yesterday, but had a rest day by accident due to holiday stuff. Today I woke up just craving the workout. I haven't felt that in sooo long. It felt good. And now, after having worked out, I would happily do more. I feel energized!
Crohn's has subsided and seems in remission again. I'm eating bland stuff (thankfully protein shakes agree with me and keep me energized) but it's still nice to feel well. I trooped in the desert for nearly 3 hours on Sunday evening and didn't get tired. I was surprised we'd been out that long when I looked at the time.
I even added a new kettlebell to the herd.
More weight was needed.
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Nice work Cam and James!!!
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Slopping the paint on there and then carefully cleaning up the edges with a toothpick covered in a bit of thinner-soaked paper towel was my method. It worked well enough.
For very tiny fixes, I'd just dip the toothpick directly in the thinner and worry away the offending paint edge that way. That worked great on the frown.
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Though I haven't trooped that long, I'm now on my third iCOMM battery. Since they're hard to get, hard to change, and a general bummer of a power source, I decided to change it out using Andrew's excellent tutorial.
There won't be any new information or techiques in this post. I'm copying exactly. This post is mostly for me so I can remember what I did in the future.
My iCOMM board complete with a nearly-new TL-2450 battery. Note that it shows polarity. The center post is positive and the outer (right side in this view) post is negative.
My new battery showing 3.537 volts. My dead battery showed 3.63 volts before I tossed it. These things don't vary in voltage very much. It's just the lost mAh.
I drilled a couple tiny holes in the back case and ran the wires through. Since my iCOMM was already covered in loop velcro, I stuck some hook velcro to the battery holder for attachment.
I've also removed the stock battery. Probably needless to say, but the shot above doesn't show that. It just pulls out of the board, even though it appears soldered in place at first glance.
I used the same 3.6V battery that @Sly11 did on his mod. Bought it directly from UltraFire for about $23 shipped per pair. I have a spare to put in my helmet bag in case of emergency power failure... which is what prompted this mod.
It's a bummer to do a troop without the fancy speakers. I could have wired around it on my last power failure, but would have needed to shift all my padding around. With this rechargeable, replaceable battery I'll never have that problem again.
4.1V with a fully charged battery. Popular belief is that the iCOMM is very picky about voltage and really likes to have the 3.6V power source, but Andrew and others have had this mod working for many years. That track record made me feel confident in doing this to my own unit.
Installed back in my bucket. Hardly any extra space is taken up at all, and it's still comfy sitting just above my right headphone pad.
I downloaded a free decibel measuring app (Sound Meter on Google Play) to see if there was much or any change in volume in a before and after. In my own experience, the iCOMM amplification decreases quite a bit as the battery ages. It's pretty quiet before it starts the click of death indicating it needs a new one again. Anyways, having some test data seemed important. The app also allowed pausing between sample sessions to compare data on the screen.
Before: I saw between 53 and 70 dB while saying my test phrase (kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty).
After: I saw between 55 and 73 dB while saying the same phrase.
I didn't expect much of an increase in volume and was hoping to not see a decrease (or magic smoke come out) after the mod. A tiny increase is very welcome.
Fingers crossed that this is my final iCOMM battery change and case opening. Just a recharge once in a while to keep the battery topped up should be enough.
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I finished my first full week of workouts yesterday... with a rest day. But that's okay, rest days count too. And then I started the new week today with a big workout. It felt good.
1 week down. Gotta keep advancing.
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I've got another shot of it! It's a little fuzzy, but you can see both rail greeblies and the back one is in a little better focus. It doesn't look to be TOO thick.
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Is it a secret patch run? Or can anyone participate? Got a link?
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I just read the whole thread. WOW. Fantastic build. Will be following with interest!
I have this irrational desire to build an R1TK. My ANH is fantastic, centurion'd, and fully upgraded. But that R1 sleekness...
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My last job had a fantastic gym attached to it. Almost always empty. It's where I started working out after my Crohn's diagnosis. To keep myself on track and motivated, I used an app called FitNotes. It's free and has auto backup to your gmail account. You can enter custom exercises and track things, even light stuff like PT movements or walks. I continued to use it when I quit that job and joined a public gym, then stopped when I got into crossfit classes. No need to log crossfit since the workout is on the board everyday.
Anyways, I re-downloaded it, logged in, and opened it. All my workouts and saved custom exercises were in there with my last logged workout being in 2018. I've since logged 3 more.
No affiliation, just a user for the past many years over about 4 phones. I was beyond pleased that the app still existed and worked.
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Dang. Sorry to read that you need this too James. However, I'm very glad there's a handful of us to participate and keep each other going!
I made up something kinda quick to commemorate it.
What do you think brothers? Weekly updates? @Order and Justice @jsilvius
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20 hours ago, TKSpartan said:
I have a saying that I read somewhere, when things turns challenging.
"Retreat Hell, we just got here! "
keep on posting your advances brother !
This meant a lot.
Thank you.
I had a really good workout yesterday afternoon and another this morning. 4 days in a row. Gotta keep advancing!
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Just the silicone hand armor. I was calling it the "white plate. "
The plastic hand plates should get elastic loops installed with E6000 and worn with pilot's gloves. That's what I do with mine on every troop. Never trooped with the rubber gloves...
The silicone plates get glued down.
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This is a timely thread bump. I didn't realize we had something like this.
So... I've got Crohn's disease. Currently I'm untreated with no meds. I've been diagnosed for over 14 years and have gone from a lot of drugs and immunosupressives to a few to none. Diet and obsessive exercise had me in complete remission. I've had maybe 3 flare ups in the 14 years and was never hospitalized beyond my original episode... wherein I almost died.
COVID lock down has been extremely unkind. I *loved* going to the gym. I'm a social exerciser. I don't enjoy working out on my own and have a hard time motivating myself to do it. But if others are around, perhaps in a gym environment, I do well. If I'm in a class with others doing the daily workout board (WOD) I thrive.
I haven't worked out much in the past 2.5 years since lockdown. I built a decent home gym in an unused room and have all the equipment I need... just no motivation to do it. How lame is that? A lovely home gym with a rack, plates, weights, and all I need yet it just sits.
And because of Crohn's, I cannot exercise in a gym. At least currently while COVID is still rampant. I'm fully immunized, but it doesn't matter a whole lot in this condition.
I started building my armor when I was working out all the time. I did the forearms and biceps back in 2019. They were TIGHT. And when I took my centurion photos in 2021, they were quite loose. Arguably, they needed (and still need) to be sized down. And I was still in "good shape" when I took these pix. Healthy without symptoms.
I'm not in good shape now. Crohn's has been rearing it's ugly head and my health is quite poor. I likely need meds again, or I need to actually work out, or both. I've lost about 30 lbs of muscle. I can't eat much to help maintain my weight. I'm in danger of not being able to troop and being in the hospital again.
So I need this Trooper Fit Club. Or something. Anything. A kick in the posterior armor.
I've done small workouts the past 2 days. I just need to keep doing things. Keep moving. Keep lifting things. I need to do something today.
It's so hard to find the motivation.
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Electrobinoculars with Bluetooth speakers
in Electronics for Helmets / Blasters
Posted
So it turns out I do have an update for this little build.
I really didn't think I'd have anything more once I got the binocs sealed up.
I made a little carrying case. This is a cheap 50 caliber ammo box from amazon. It just happens to be the right size to house a set of bincos. I painted and weathered to match my TK armor box.
Of course there's a little plaque on top. I modeled this after vintage military plaques for similar gear. It reads "A unit of stereoscopic sights and enhanced magnification." The serial has my TK number in it, the bar code is my TK number, and it is, of course, property of the Imperial Stormtrooper Corps.
All of this exists to protect the delicate volume knob. The resin holding that in place is super thin in order for the knob to mount and spin. It seemed like that could be damaged in transport to and from troops... so a case was in order.
This was my first attempt at padding the inside of a case like this. It's adequate but not too pretty. Foam wrapped in black cloth. It should last a long time though, since no foam is being touched directly when taking the binocs in and out.
also... the factory put out a 2nd binoc unit.
The left set of binocs belongs to @Daetrin . They're also made by @justjoseph63 and got a nearly identical bluetooth modification in my hands. Paul has taken delivery of these, so these pix aren't spoilers. I was holding off posting them till he had them in hand.
Paul asked if I could do a 2nd pair, Joseph sent me a fresh electrobinocular, and the magic happened. Aside from the extra weathering, the only big difference between mine and Paul's is that his should be able to open if needed via the 5 screws on the eye plate end. Mine is epoxied shut.
I also moved the red light into that grey area. It fit extremely nicely there.
And, of course, Paul's set also got a transport case. I didn't want to mail it with any lesser level of protection.
Enjoy the binocs Paul!!! They're set 2/2. No set 3 will ever be made... unless my daughter demands one. heh