ok, so i’m starting on my pack this weekend. i got a little impatient on monday at work, so i cooked up these Ion Knobs, let me know what you think. on the right of the pic you can see the materials used. anyhow, i plan on making the motherboards and generators for two packs on saturday, so i should have more pics then…
EDIT
sorry bout the inadvertant “Campbell Scientific” add there, that datalogger was just on my bench, didn’t even notice it!
the one on the right looks better doesn´t it?
Sal
Nice looking Ion knobs! I did the same thing last year on my ion knob with solder. did the trick for me since I wanted a thrifty pack. Can’t wait to see the finished product.
That’s… not… bad actually!
Creative thinking wins the day.
nice work…
man, you guys are coming up with all sorts of good stuff today. way to keep the creative juices flowing guys!!!
eh…it’s alright if you like that sort of thing…only kidding. thats an awesome start. just don’t let impatience take over when you start the full build. take your time with it and most of all, have fun with it
Looks good, though I’d probably prefer the look of a stack of washers myself if I was to scratch-build an ion knob. Still, looks pretty neat, and the washer version would add a bunch more weight anyway.
ok, so i finally got started on my pack today. spent about 7.5 hrs on it. maybe thats slow, but i was trying to get it right, you know, “measure twice, cut once” 8) . had a bit of trouble with some of the mmts in norms’ plans, specificaly the generator. the circle diameters didn’t jive w/ the rest of the mmts. anybody ever have that happen? i think i got around it ok. here’s some pics:
front face
side view
can’t stand to see it as just a skeleton! i wish i could work on it more, but without a garage i cant do jack…damn apartments! oh well…
is Norm a member here? anybody know him? i’m mostly using his plans, cuz i can’t get the decimal inches to convert to decent fractions on stefans plans. i sure would like to conversate with norm, cuz i’m having a hard time with his mmts working out. i cut my pie pan/cyclotron holes according to his mmts, and now my n-filter doesn’t fit at all, and i haven’t even put on the washers around the holes! 
! i feel like a newbie piece of crap whining about this stuff, but damn, i built a friggin’ guitar, i thought i could handle this! anybody got any suggestions? sorry to dump on you guys, i promise my next post will be more positive…i swears!
ah, after some frustration i figured out a work around for the n-filter. the pringles can was just to big, plus it didnt jive with stphans plans…anyhow, i figured this would work…i can smooth out the bottom with a 2" dia. piece of mdf and wood putty. i couldn’t find 1" dia. washers at home depot, so i just made some from mdf. kinda too thick, but this is just gonna be my proto-type pack…a beta if you will…heres a pick of the n-filter and washers:
then one day i knocked off early from work and snapped this gearbox/crankcase together. i still gotta put the rest of the fins/side rails/whatever you call’ems on the sides..i ran outta time. since this pack is just a proto-type, i just used a bottle cap with a push pin stuck in it for a crank knob. not screen accurate, but this one is just for experience. here’s a pic of the gearbox/crankcase:
and here is one of all of it together. i just threw the ion knob on there for looks, i still dunno what i’m gonna make the bumper out of…more work to continue on this sunday, i should have some more pics afterwards…
..I like your flashlight.. I have one just like it! :lol:
ok so i got some more work done today. made the power cell, attached the HGA, and the rest of the fins on the crankcase/gearbox. also began walling the generator area. here’s a pic of the upper bout of the pack…
it’s coming along very nice. there are a few spaces between some of the pieces, but i can fill it in with putty. i think my window in the power cell is a bit large, but it should be ok for a prototype. i just used a spray paint cap for the HGA, it was a little smaller than it should have been, but again, prototype. i used foam board from the local craft store on the generator. is tis the same thing as styrene? it seems like it is, from the descriptions of sytrene i’ve read. anyhow, it works good.
i dont think i’m going to stick with the beer can n-filter. it’s just too flimsy. oh well, seemed like a good idea at the time. besides, i need to sand all that damn teflon of the cake pan anyhow. i dont think the paint will adhere very well. anyhoo, more work to continue.
I actually like the use of the random items, especially the knob on the gear box!
Good luck with this one it’s a neat one!
thanks for the kind words GBFreek, it means alot from you, your pack is AWESOME!! i’m having alot of fun with this thing, and learning alot every step, so hopefully when i get ready to build the final project it’ll be as good as some of the ones on here. on a side note, that foam board is great stuff. i walled up the rest of the generator last night and i think i’m gonna re-do the n-filter with it…more pics to come as always!
Although the beer can cracks me up you’d be better of with somthing along the lines of a pringles can.
Couldn’t you fill the can with something to strengthen it? Like an expanding foam insulation (that stuff that comes in a spray can)?
Oh, and I’m suprised no one has caught this, but in answer to your question, syrene is *not *the same thing as foam board. Foam board is basically styrofoam sandwhich between two pieces of some kind of cardboard or other type of hard paper. Styrene is a plastic. I believe styrofoam and styrene are derived from the same compound, but they have different properties, due to how they are made (but then, those technicalities don’t matter to us).
One of the biggest problems with using styrofoam for props is that a lot of paints and glues will dissolve it. So if you are building with foam board you will have to cover the exposed foam with putty or something before painting. Styrene doesn’t have this problem. It also doesn’t have the problem of denting that the foam can have. Of course, it is harder to cut styrene since it’s a solid plastic, but you can cut thin sheets of it with a razor. You just have to score a line with the razor, then you can bend the plastic at the score-line and it willl break there (this works best with 1/16" thick or less; 1/8" is tough to bend, especially if the piece you’re trying to break off is small).
ITS MILLER TIME!! Sorry… someone had to say it!!
i CANT believe it took this long! :lol: i totally heard that line in my head when i looked at the can and thought, hey i could use that! i would have rather used the pringles can, but it’s diameter is just too large to not hang off the side of the generator. the idea about reinforcing with great stuff is not a bad idea really. might try it.
How much would the Pringles can hang over the edge? A little bit wouldn’t be a problem, because the n-filters on the screen used packs hung over the edge just a bit. Just look here on Stefan’s plans:
I actually used a pringles can for my pack. and I didn’t have a problem at all with the look. but, as I always say, use what you are comfortable with 
