Tyrael's Pack Build -- IT LIVES!!!

Equipment Proton Packs
1

First off, I’d just like to say how AMAZINGLY AWESOME the shells that Vince has made from the INSANELY INCREDIBLE pack Bigi71 made. I can’t really speak from experience on how they rate against previous shells, but I can’t say how much I feel like I’ve lucked out in being a part of this run. Kudos!

Now, butt-kissing aside (:P), I got this bad boy in the mail this week and couldn’t wait to start work. So far, all I’ve really done to the shell itself is a bit of clean-up of fiberglass around holes/edges (truth be told, not much really had to be done in this area) and a few pieces, but as time goes on and I finish collecting the materials needed, it’ll all come together nicely.

I don’t really have any “fresh out of the box” images of the shell and mobo, as I was too busy geeking out to take any. Thus far, I’ve mounted the mobo to my ALICE LC-2 frame (no pics yet; will post as soon as I have the brackets and mounting set up for the shell) and placed a few things on the shell itself.

Thanks to Vince and his DIY metal parts thread (DIY Metal Proton Pack Parts (A Shopping List) - Proton Packs - GBFans.com) I’ve been able to do a lot of the extra parts of the pack myself. The vacuum tube is JB Welded to an aluminum disc that has a 1/4" hole drilled through the center, with a wooden dowel rod in the center to hold the loom that will later go in. Another bit of wooden dowel rod has been screwed into place for the other end of the loom, as well. The screw wouldn’t hold inside the resin body of the shell very well, so I hollowed out where the tip of the screw would end up and filled it in with Liquid Nails to hold it in place. It’s not going anywhere soon!

A resin PPD was kindly provided by Vince, as well, and it’s also been screwed into place. Unfortunately, the screws aren’t holding it in very tightly, so a bit of JB Weld went into the backside of the PPD to hold it in. It’s still drying, as well, which is why the strip of yellow tape is holding it down.

As I said before, Vince’s DIY metal parts thread has been very helpful for me. With a section of tubing from Speedy Metals and another disc from the extra detail bits available from Vince, I’ve been able to craft my own full-aluminum HGA.

The holes for the SMC elbow and Clippard bit are each backed with a 10-1 metric bolt for easy installation/removal from the HGA. I’ve tested the fit and once installed, those things won’t come out easily (but they will come out without damaging them).

Here’s an interior view of everything. JB Weld has been used extensively to hold everything in place, as I don’t have access to a MIG/TIG welder and my attempts to solder aluminum have failed due to a comprehensive lack of aluminum soldering supplies in Cheyenne. :-/

The center screw will be used to anchor the whole thing to the pack shell itself, thanks to a 1/4-20 extension. The well for the center screw was made by screwing a 3/8" hole in the top of the HGA lid, a 3/8" hole in a small aluminum disc, and a 1/4" hole in another aluminum disc, with the three stacked and then JB Welded together. I’ve tested the hold and it’s firmly in place with the HGA tightly screwed into the pack.

Here’s a pic of the bits inserted into the HGA. Solid as a rock!

I’m currently holding off on working on the thrower assembly, as my Dad (who lives on the other side of the US) has offered his services in that regard. He’s worked in metal manufacturing and tool-and-die for longer than I’ve been alive, and he’s as much a GB fan as any of us. Hellooooooo full-metal thrower for the cost of materials! :smiley:

There is one piece of the thrower I’ve already started on, though. I had trouble finding banjos, so I decided to make another order to Speedy Metals and make my own.

Not bad for only having a Dremel, corded drill, and jigsaw, eh? :cool:

Overall, I don’t have a lot of tools at my disposal (I would LOVE a drill press and bandsaw, but the wife will likely kill me with them if she finds them in the garage one day without permission >_>; ), so here’s my full working environment:

Not a lot to go on, but it’s enough for me. :slight_smile:

Finally, no major undertaking ever takes part without sacrifices. Here’s my “In Memoriam” section thus far, left if only to remind me to be more careful. >_<

2

Nice start!

3

Nice job dude. I love my shell. If you’d like plan to use aluminum for the beam line and filler tube let me know. I have a set already cut and welded up that I decided not to use. I’ll make you a good deal on them.

4

Well, I’ve already got the stock aluminum for the beam line and filler tubes, but if it ends up not working out the way I plan, you’ll be the first one to know. :cool:

5

This is why you should proof read your posts ^^^^ I didn’t and I sounded like an idiot. "if you’d like plan to use… geez

Cool dude let me know. They are doing nothing for me now.

6

Well, I’d like to say the time from when I started this build has been spent on finishing up the pack and I was just too eager to take pictures, but I’d be lying. I’ve spent the last weeks busy with work-related stuff (deactivated communications system equipment removal from 15 different sites, as well as getting rejected by the latest USAF OTS board… grumble grumble grumble).

I have done quite a bit of work in what little time I’ve had outside of work, though. Pics will be coming soon.

Anyone have any tips for cutting an aluminum booster tube to exactly 130 degrees? All I’ve got on hand is a jigsaw for cutting metal like that, and that thing’s not nearly precise enough.

7

I used a chop saw with a metal blade for mine. If you rotate the support bracket of your saw to its max it should be right about 130 degrees. You then have to grind the upper edge of the cut to make it fit tight against the shell. With a little massaging you can get a perfect fit and not even need a fake weld.

8

Lookin good, man. :smiley: I’m digging those banjos too ==6

9

Hm, a chop saw would probably work, but for the price I can buy a benchtop bandsaw and use an angle brace to get the cut at the angle I want. Thanks for the suggestion!

10

If you think finding supplies for anything in Cheyenne is hard, try shopping in Rock Springs sometime. :smiley:

Nice job on that HGA. Planning to make an N-filter to go with it?

11

Nah, I’m pretty happy with the N-filter on the shell.

12

Some updates!

Gotten a lot of work done on the pack itself, but haven’t taken pictures yet. Currently waiting on some parts to come in the mail to put the finishing touches on it, anyway.

About a month or two back, I contacted my dad to see if he was interested in helping me out. He’s been working in the tool and die trade for automobile parts manufacturing for pretty much as long as I’ve been alive, so I know he’s got access to all sorts of handy-dandy equipment and insane amounts of knowledge when it comes to metalwork and fabrication. I knew the pack work would be mostly handled, and asked if he could help me make a thrower entirely out of aluminum, as I can’t really spare the expense of jpa or cpu64. :-/

Imagine how I felt when all he said was, “Send me an AutoCAD file and I’ll get it made”. :3

Took me a bit to get back into the groove of working with SolidWorks (haven’t used it since I was introduced to it in a college class back in 2003; excuse me while I feel depressed on how long ago that was…), but after a full day’s work, that’s what I got so far. Just need to do the trigger box, instrument bar, and barrel stuff and I’ll be a couple weeks away from having a gun to go with my pack!

13

UPDATES!

Got various bits and pieces in the mail the other day (genuine Clippards, some tubing, and an AWESOME light kit courtesy of R2DEVO) and got most of it installed and running.

LIGHTS!

Also been slaving away more in SolidWorks, getting this gun to be exactly everything I could ever dream of…

Really hoping this thing can be finished by the end of the month, but if not, I’ll have to spring for one of the aluminum guns from Dimensional Fabrications. Also really hoping the sound kit being made by the GBFans crew will be available by then, but if not, the pack sound system may have to wait. Already got 2x 4ohm speakers in the thing, I wanna use em! :stuck_out_tongue:

14

Just a few adjustments and that model will look pimp!

15

I know there’s a few things wrong with the gun track (ie the separation between the two indented parts with the gun discs is too big). Any suggestions?

16

Well, in spite of the lack of suggestions, I trucked along to continue working on the SolidWorks model of the proton gun. Here it is, at about 90% of the work I’m going to do on it…

I’m not going to bother with the gun grips as those are not only easy to come by in the community, be it from sellers or being hand-made, but they’re also a TREMENDOUS pain in the ass to model. SolidWorks no likey curved surface sketches. >_<

I’m torn on whether or not to bother with the trigger tip, as they’re also readily available from sellers in the community. I’ll probably break down and model it and the acrylic tube anyway, if only for the sake of providing the community with dimensioned models of them.

I was able to procure an acrylic tube of the right diameter and length off eBay, but the “frosted” surface on the tip appears to be done by someone just grinding away at it with some curled-up rough sandpaper, so I’ll probably be looking at a decent, GBFans-known seller in the coming weeks for another one.

17

truer words have not been spoken. solid works can do it, but it’s definitely not as easy as you would think

18

Jpa35 has what you need at a great price. I got one and it’s pro. :cool:

That gun model looks perfect, good job modeling it! Pack is coming along great, metal parts ftw!

19

Thanks, man. Means a lot coming from a fellow Iowan. :cool:

20

Many thrower parts on order at this time. Now for the maddening period of waiting before I can work on finishing this thing! >_<

On a better note, I got my ReplicaProps sound chip in the mail today, along with the 12V 6800 mAh battery to power my lights and my sound’s amp (which should come tomorrow). I ordered both the suggested 7W pre-assembled amp, as well as a DIY 10W kit just to try it out. I’ve got a pair of 75W, 4ohm speakers in the pack (one pointed forward, one pointed back), and even without an amp, they put out enough sound to make the pack vibrate a bit! Definitely thinking 10W is gonna be overkill, but you never know. :3

Also,

Being of engineering background, I’ve had no choice but to give this some thought. In other words, SHUT UP BRAIN IM TRYING TO SLEEP, STOP THINKING SOLIDWORKS >_<

I know SolidWorks 2001 had the “Revolved Cut” option. Couldn’t you just extrude the front face of a gun grip, use 4 revolved cuts, then just fillet the edges to proper diameter? It’s been about 8 years since I first learned the program and we almost never used that feature, so I may be remembering it wrong. :-/