I posted this over on ASAP. Thought it might do some good here too. 8)
I’m in the process of building 2 packs, so here are some of my tips: (some learned the hard way!)
Help attaching the Cyclotron:
If you used Paranorman’s cake pan, you can drill 2 holes (1 directly across from the other) in the cake pan rim. Secure it to the spacer with 2 one inch drywall screws. A company called MadeSmart Housewares Inc. makes a 10 inch Cabinet Carousel (lazy susan) product #53322 UPC: 764195533223 (KMart has them for $4.99). It is GREAT for the Cyclotron outer rim, plus it hides the screws. You’ll have to use a dremel to cut the bottom out of it and remove about 1/8 inch off of the ‘inner’ wall, alot of work, (I know, I just did 2 of them) but well worth it. Here’s the best part: These fit snuggly over the cake pan rim (that means NO GLUE, plus you can remove them to get at the Cyclotron screws!) and there’s no gap on the side of the cake pan. It fits like a glove!
The air line hoses:
(I found this link in another post) Go here:
http://www.countypaintball.com/product_overview.asp?from=products&category=3&subcategory=62
Cumberland County Paintball
5378 Route 49
Millville, NJ 08332-8716
Macroline hoses in 1 foot lengths. (red, blue, green, yellow)
You?ll need:
3 red
1 yellow
1 green
2 blue
(per pack)
Construction tips: You may need to drill out the ends to make the inner diameter larger to fit over the dale resistor leads. Wear leather gloves and be very careful. I drilled mine on a stationary drill press. The Macroline hoses are very rigid. To get them to keep the shape you want, cut off a section of wire coat hanger and slide inside the hose, you won?t be able to see it from the outside, plus it will hold the shape you bend it into. For the hose from the HGA to the Beam Line I used rigid hose from Home depot. It gets covered with split loom, so you won?t see it either.
The HGA:
An extra strength Tylenol 150 count bottle with the top cut off makes a great HGA… Cutting the top of the bottle off is a little tricky. I used my table saw (180 tooth blade) with the rip fence set at the correct length and the blade just high enough to cut the plastic. (IE the blade is set real low) Then I spun the Tylenol bottle in place above the spinning saw blade, and voila, I had a perfect cut. The fender washer that Prop Fan sells with his sticker set fits perfectly on the end too!
Update: I couldn?t use the fender washer from Prop Fan, because I cheated when I attached the HGA to the Crank Case/Gear Box. Instead of hiding the center socket head cap screw under the washer, I used it to attach the HGA. Which means it had to be on TOP of the washer. I wound up fabricating my own fender washer out of 1/8 craft plywood, beveled the outer edge so it would fit snuggly on the end of the Tylenol bottle, then painted it with automotive chrome spray paint. You can?t tell that it isn?t a metal washer.
Also, if you use the Tylenol bottle, you?ll want to put rigid craft Styrofoam inside of it to keep the round shape.
The Ribbon Cable:
First, DON?T throw out any of the extra foam pipe insulation that you tie wrap to the top of the Alice pack frame! Cut some of the extra foam into ? inch wide strips. How do you make the ribbon cable look fat like a bunch of wire tie wrapped together? Wrap the ribbon cable around the ? inch wide foam insulation strips and tie wrap to keep in place. You can even use a section of wire coat hanger to keep the bends just right. Slide the wire into the center of the foam insulation strips before wrapping with ribbon cable and ties.
Last but not Least: The Back Plate:
As ProtoKev stated: Cut this piece out LAST. After you have all other parts of the back pack done, lay them out and trace around them.
–Jeff.