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Damon's ANH(stunt) Helmet Liner/Electronics Build (Revised)


Damon

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**Being the Noob that I am, it took me a little bit to figure out how to properly post images, so let's try this again...**

After many requests, I am (finally) posting the pics of my ANH (stunt) Helmet Liner and Electronics installation Build.  The pics are on the large size as I wanted to show as much detail as possible, I am going to have to upload them over a series of posts.  Please bear with me and I apologize in advance for being so "wordy".  Keep in mind, despite it's finished look, I still consider this build to be a work in progress as I have left room to add some additional pieces/functions to it over time.  My goal is to take the experiences from this prototype and streamline the process to make future builds easier and more user friendly.  Any and all feedback on how to do that will be greatly appreciated.

This build began back in April of 2015 at the Star Wars Celebration  (Anaheim) where I purchased my full ANH Kit from Anovos.  At Celebration I was inspired by those whom had fully functioning audio systems in their helmets as well as seeing the liners and padding inside new FOTK Premiere helmets.  I appreciated the fact that they looked both finished and comfortable and weren't just either the typical construction helmet rig or worse, just a thin piece of foam hot-glued at the top that didn't prevent the helmet from bouncing around with just basic movement.  Trust me, the irony is not lost on me knowing that the original artifacts used for the production of the movie had just that with only a simple chin-strap to keep them from flopping around.   

During the next year I spent waiting for delivery, I researched the work that others had put into their buckets.  I looked at everything from the types and quantity of electronics, to how they rigged the padding as well as how and where the power supply and wiring were routed.  Finding a lot of inspiration from the various "how to" build threads both here and on youtube, I decided to take on the daunting task of fabricating something that balanced functionality, comfortability as well as being aesthetically pleasing.  Additionally, I preferred the idea of being able to have full function just by simply donning the helmet without the need to flip any switches, push any buttons or connect any cables prior to putting it on.  Naturally, this meant that I had to figure out how to have everything self contained within the helmet, adding to the complexity of the build.

My first step was to figure out size and placement of the padding. I toyed with various sizes and shapes, using everything from old football helmet padding to that of ballistic helmets and flight deck cranials.  I quickly discovered that the unique shape of the opening, forcing one to put the helmet on semi-sideways and then twist it into position presented another problem as far as component placement was concerned.  It's funny how (despite it's size) you run out of room pretty quickly in the classic TK bucket.  The deciding factor to finally just fabricate something from scratch came when trying to figure out how and where to incorporate the electronics without scraping up my face or getting snagged on something when putting on or removing the helmet.  I  opted then to utilize smaller components inside of the padding in order to save space. 

Please see the below link for images.  I look forward to any and all feedback.  Constructive criticism is always welcome as I am always looking for better or easier ways to make things work .

https://imgur.com/a/xVA40Es

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  • 1 month later...

Thanks!  All in all, I've probably invested a little over $350, due to trial and error.  The most expensive part was the ROM-FX.  I am looking at stream-lining the process which will help bring the cost way down.  

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Thank you.  I appreciate the the reminder.  It's something that is going to happen as soon as possible.  I am Active Duty Navy, and without getting into too much detail or breaking OPSEC, my deployment cycle over the past few years has been brutal (at best), hence the long build time.  Since my introductory post, I have been sent on extended detachment twice.  Hopefully now, things have calmed down enough to finally take some good pics and officially request "EIB" status.:salute:

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Don’t mean to rush you but as you already are approved TK you request Stormtrooper status just by using the link I provided, in fact that has to happen before you can request EIB:salute:

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/186-501st-and-detachment-access-requests/

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  • 8 months later...
Thanks!  All in all, I've probably invested a little over $350, due to trial and error.  The most expensive part was the ROM-FX.  I am looking at stream-lining the process which will help bring the cost way down.  

Have you changed anything or stream-lined this process yet? Looking into doing something similar. This is the best I've seen.


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Have you changed anything or stream-lined this process yet? Looking into doing something similar. This is the best I've seen.


Yes...but actually no. . First off, thank you. I really appreciate the feedback.
In the little time that I’ve had between deployments/detachments, I have been fabricating up a prototype bracket that mounts to the aerator/hovi-speaker screws and sits just below the frown. It’s been a trial and error process of constant “trim to fit” to see what I can conceivably fit on it. My end goal is to mount all of the helmet electronics (the Rom-FX card, mic, audio assist card and, at least one cooling fan) to it, running the power supply and switch assembly to separate locations for balance. Ideally I want something can be easily plug and play for whatever you want to mount to it in just one simple unit that would fit anything that has the classic TK faceplate (ie, TK’s, TD’s, TI’s and TA’s). The trick is to find that balance of getting everything on there in one simple assembly and still have plenty of room for your face. So far so good, but it’s been a lot of back and forth up to this point.
At some point I’ll work on something for my FOTK and that whole series of buckets as well, but one step at a time. Thankfully I’ll be enjoying some shore duty here in the next couple of months, so I’ll really be able to kick my production efforts in to gear. And at some point I’ll actually get myself a 3D printer to actually make the whole process easier to produce.

I’m also going to go to a thinner fabric (neoprene mesh) for the liner to open it up a little more on the inside and improve airflow, but still be thick enough to insulate from any sort of echoing and electronic feedback being produced by the speakers interacting with the mic’s. But again, one step at a time.

Thanks again!

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