Having been a huge GB fan since I learned to talk, I figured it was past time I built my own proton pack. As luck would have it, I have a large collection of computer parts I can incorporate into the build, but even still, it’s no simple or cheap build.
I had a burst of inspiration, and found a wooden wine crate that a friendly liquor store owner would let me take home. It’s just a hair small, but I think I can work with it.
Step one was to carefully pry the box apart, remove the nails and staples, and re-glue the boards together. Next step is to map out the rest of the pack onto the board, and work out how to attach the rest of the junk. A lot of the parts I’m going to be carving out of foam, and coating with a glaze to harden them.
This does not include the ALICE pack frame, which I’m hitting up surplus stores for soon.
I’ll post updates as I continue the build. I welcome advice.
Word to the wise: DO NOT cut your motherboard first! Make your parts, then trace out your board. I was using Stefan’s plans and even with almost perfect measurements I still have have to junk my board because the parts just won’t fit.
Bitter experience with other projects has taught me to measure 1,476 times, and cut once. As it is, there will be minimal cutting with this particular board, as it’s actually an inch too thin, and about two inches too short. BUT because I have some extra scrap wood from the broken-down crate, I intend to fill in those spaces with custom cuts that will be carefully glued to the MB, and secured further by the equipment. It’s going to be a bit uneven, but beggars can’t be choosers when penny-conscious ghostbusting.
UPDATE: Bought the foam for the cyclotron housing during a sale at Joanne Fabrics, so it was $5. I found some blinking lights that will just barely work ($6.50), and will be shopping for other parts soon. So far, total spent on pack: $11.50.
Finding the right dollar-store cake pan for the cyclotron has been oddly vexing. They all have these intricate handles.