John[501st] Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Hey all... This is what I decided to do today..... I went out and picked up the exact same "ingredients" ...down to the switches...of another well-known self-contained vox system. I have to admit... I do have a new found respect for the individual(s) that make these... they are time consuming...but not bad. I have about $75-$80 in it for the parts... and it is coming along really well. I didn't get all of it completed, however I am about 65% done.... should be completed by tomorrow...possibly Monday. I have about 3 hours into it...so far. It's not that bad...although I hate soldering....cause I suck horribly at it....oh well... what'dya do. I'll post the finished product photos, as well..... - over view of the system. I still have to add another battery feed on the right side for the fans. - Still need to wire the mic and the wires that will connect to the aerator speaker(s) - switches are wired. I still need to in-line the fan(s). By the way...these fans are so MUCH MORE quieter than the ones that are included in "the other" system. - amp is wired and working. I removed the amps large internal speaker to get rid of excess weight. Also severed amps own battery connection and created a new one that is turned on/off at the switch. **For $75-$80....it's alot of fun.... a little challenging... and I feel you get some better components. I'll add more as it is completed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ciscotiger Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Thanks John for this tutorial. Where are your fans from? Mines are very noise when on and can not hear when on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John[501st] Posted February 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Thanks John for this tutorial. Where are your fans from? Mines are very noise when on and can not hear when on. Anthony, They came from Radio Shack....as well. Part # 273-0240 (12VDC Micro fan) 1 9/16 (40mm) Brushless. Also... pick up the Heat-Shrink tubing (sleeves over the soldered areas). Don't touch it with the solder gun tip...just the side as it will melt it.... Makes for nice seal on the solder areas.... and you can see I used about a 4 inch piece to cover the exposed wires that extend from the amp. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvinrobot Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Looking good. Actually, my cheap but started looking into actually building a voice FX board because honestly, all I want right now is that silly (chrzzz) when I stop talking. So I figured if I can make it really cheap then all the better. Good luck on the rest of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naglium[TK] Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 looks like a great system for those do-it-youself-ers who want an alternative to that "other" system! i'll be starting on mine sometime this week! thanks for a great tutorial for a head start! ~Gordon future TK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper[TK] Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Looks good! I also went the RS route to creating my voice and fan system. I can't recall the item number but they also had a small box that I dremeled to death and made the electronic board of the amp fit inside. Gives it a bit more of a stream lined look and you don't have to worry about exposed electronics. Just a thought. Can't wait to see it installed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandman[TK] Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Looks fantastic John, can't wait to get started on my helmet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John[501st] Posted February 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 Thanks for all the kudos.... I finished today in about an hour.... so all in all it took about 4-5 hours. I'm pretty sure I could do it all over again in alot less time.... It just gets a little tricky, initially, when it's all spread across the dining room table.. By the way, those front center wires connect to the aerator/speakers. Just take your time.... and if you mess up... its just wire. *Remember - get heat shrink.... it really strengthens those solders... (also available at Radio Shack) Here is the finished product....it is working perfectly and quietly. Now I'm headed downstairs to put it in the bucket and check to see if there are any feedback issues... Good luck to you all... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amish Trooper Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 looking nice and professional can't wait to see it in your bucket Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John[501st] Posted February 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 Done... ...nice thing is...the feedback isn't too bad. On to the next project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandman[TK] Posted February 11, 2008 Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 Great build John. Cheers.!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper[TK] Posted February 11, 2008 Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 Good job. Looks good. Did you have any balance problems with the large amp in the back? I had to install my fans in the rear of the helmet because I had too many batteries weighing and pulling the helmet down in the front. Thought you might have noticed a similar problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naglium[TK] Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 looks super! whats the next project??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John[501st] Posted February 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 Mark, That's a great question.... although I haven't noticed any issues with that. I've got a troop on Thursday...so perhaps I'll notice the offset, if any. I did rip that heavy speaker out of the amp and chucked it. You'd be amazed at how heavy that thing was. I bet it was 60-70% of the entire weight... Oh...by the way.... I know those little project boxes you talked about.... they are nice.... and I actually put the back of the amp back on so there isn't any exposed electronics.... that was just for photo purposes showing the removal of the speaker. Also that mic....(Radio Shack) I cut if down (dremeled off the handle), removed the switch and re-wired it. I then velcro'd it in place.... it rests right on the lips...so the static burst works well. I was gonna heat glue it...but the velcro was too easy and it holds really well...PLUS I can remove it, should I have to take out the entire system. Gordon, thanks! I had a friend that was going to trade me a Sandtrooper backpack.... but he decided to keep it... SO....guess what.... there ya go.... I have another project. I'll start on that here pretty soon...and will, of course put it up on a thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Steve Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 I like to ask some thing, just how the hell do you stop or cut down on the feed back if you have the speakers in the front tips, and the mic near the nose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John[501st] Posted February 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 Steve. Actually, the feedback is not that bad.... however I certainly can not turn my amp all the way up...but fortunately it is still loud enough. It's something that I am going to work on....to see if I can get the amp all the way up. I've seen others mount larger speakers behind the aerators..inside the helmet and then cover them with aerasol caps.... there is a really good thread I saw on here last nite. That may be a great start...bigger speaker = LOUD = happy trooper(s). Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper[TK] Posted February 13, 2008 Report Share Posted February 13, 2008 Also that mic....(Radio Shack) I cut if down (dremeled off the handle), removed the switch and re-wired it. I then velcro'd it in place.... it rests right on the lips...so the static burst works well. Since you brought it up...I saw that mic in RS and thought, "Way to bulky" and it was killing me trying to find something I liked so I went with a lower tech method. I had an old pair of iPod headphones and the jack fits the RS amp mic input. Those headphones are basically mini mics; you could probably use a cheap dollar store pair too. Plug them into the mic input and speak into the one "ear" (I don't recall which one) that works as a mic. You can easily remove the other with an exacto blade, coil and contain the excess wire and mount as desired. Mine sits the same as yours, right at my mouth and sounds great. Just another option if you are looking to trim down a bit and maybe save some $. And if you do have issues with the weight tipping your helmet, its just a matter of balancing the load. Mostly the batteries since you removed most of the amp weight. Maybe a little extra wire but easy to fix. Good job all around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naglium[TK] Posted February 13, 2008 Report Share Posted February 13, 2008 Steve. Actually, the feedback is not that bad.... however I certainly can not turn my amp all the way up...but fortunately it is still loud enough. It's something that I am going to work on....to see if I can get the amp all the way up. I've seen others mount larger speakers behind the aerators..inside the helmet and then cover them with aerasol caps.... there is a really good thread I saw on here last nite. That may be a great start...bigger speaker = LOUD = happy trooper(s). Good Luck i paid $50 for some hovi mic tips w/speakers... then saw the ones with the caps, and was like "oh man! wish i saw those first!!!" hmm... could be intersting... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John[501st] Posted February 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2008 Since you brought it up...I saw that mic in RS and thought, "Way to bulky" and it was killing me trying to find something I liked so I went with a lower tech method. I had an old pair of iPod headphones and the jack fits the RS amp mic input. Those headphones are basically mini mics; you could probably use a cheap dollar store pair too. Plug them into the mic input and speak into the one "ear" (I don't recall which one) that works as a mic. You can easily remove the other with an exacto blade, coil and contain the excess wire and mount as desired. Mine sits the same as yours, right at my mouth and sounds great. Just another option if you are looking to trim down a bit and maybe save some $. And if you do have issues with the weight tipping your helmet, its just a matter of balancing the load. Mostly the batteries since you removed most of the amp weight. Maybe a little extra wire but easy to fix. Good job all around. That's interesting that that works... I would have never guessed that....ingenious...and compact. The mic that I cut down is really comfortable.... and really...it is out of the way. What I like is the fact that it really creates a good static burst. Just out of curiosity how is that working out for you, as far as the static burst goes..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blaze Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 i paid $50 for some hovi mic tips w/speakers... then saw the ones with the caps, and was like "oh man! wish i saw those first!!!"hmm... could be intersting... which ones with "the caps"? I'm only familiar with the hovi mic tips with speakers. which ones? which ones??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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