User avatar
By Veeb0rg
#4909179
Hey everyone long time lurker, first time caller..

Last year for Halloween I knew what I was going to be as soon as I saw the Spirit Halloween store had a proton pack.

Last year everything was very last minute, I just wore it as it was and it was fine. This year I started early and its time for some upgrades, maybe not as crazy as some of the other builds here but this pack is mine.

I knew I wanted better lighting, which led me to CountDeMonet's thread.

A trip to Amazon later I has a small box on its way to me with way more parts then I needed for my single build since Amazon sells things in multiples. Thankfully I remembered I had the crimp tool I needed for the connectors before I ordered another set.
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At this point I'd basically memorized the simple wire schematic from the thread. I created a small pcb but quickly realized it would either not get here on time or cost way too much so I sat down with a breadboard PCB and got to work. Originally I was going to use a 4x AA batter holder and then later upgrade to a blue battery which is why the board is setup for a buck converter. It dawned on me that I had a 5v 10000mah phone batter bank, a quick test later and that is what I'm using this year since I'm only doing a simple light install. I socketed the Arduino Nano for ease of later upgrades.
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When I first hooked it all up I was having a weird issue with the led's for the cyclotron. Only 3 of the 4 lit up and only the first one was red. I tried swapping them all out one at a time thinking I had a bad led that was messing up the others. I started looking into every thing I could come up with. I eventually figured out I had ordered SK6812 RGBW's instead of the WS2812 RGB's. Turned out the fix was simply adding a "W" to the code to let the program know it was dealing with the RGBW led set. After that small change it works wonderfully.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_ysfTGutuE

I got lucky at a local thrift store and found a set of small stainless steel shot glasses for 25 cents each. They turned out to be the perfect size after an encounter with a drill and a punch/hammer for a squarish hole for the LED.
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As you can see the pcb fit perfectly into that area after a small bit of plastic removal. The glasses are held in by generous amounts of hot glue. I also hot glued the LEDs to the shot-glasses, they don't actually touch the metal they're suspended in a cushion of glue so no worrying about shorting them out.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n21KM0YbpJU

Today I met up with randomZERO and picked up an Alice frame he had spare. A quick trip to the local milsurp store and I had the straps and pads I needed.
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The todo list keeps getting smaller. I'm waiting on a 3d printed holder for the Powermeter LED strips. I may or may not make a new motherboard to replace the cardboard one. I would love to replace the wand but I don't think its going to happen before this Halloween.

After Halloween the pack is being torn down again for a long term upgrade including lights, sounds and cosmetic upgrades.

I'll keep updating as things progress on this fun little build of mine.
User avatar
By Veeb0rg
#4909271
Got the power meter led's mounted. I replaced the lens with frosted clear plastic from a binder I got from the dollar store. I didn't want to do blue. I also found out that the battery bank I am using fits perfectly into this little nook in the pack. I hot glued 2 of the pcb's from the pack I bought to give me something to set the battery pack on and then used zip ties to hold the power bank to them. Best part is that the charger port on the battery bank is accessible from the flap on the stock backing. I zip tied it after I took this photo.
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I am going to take the wand apart, add a toggle switch to it and wire it so I can turn the lights on and off. This will end the electrical modifications I have planned before Halloween. I am going to change the ribbon cable, add the ion rod and cover the green with split loom.
User avatar
By Veeb0rg
#4910307
Its been a bit and having just started a new job I've not had a lot of time but I managed to finish things up in time for the halloween party. Once Halloween is over I'll tear the pack back down and do more cosmetics, a full light/sound kit and upgrade to a full size thrower.

Thanks to randomZERO for some of the cosmetic upgrade bits as he had some leftovers from his pack build up he sent me.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpdTkjUZNE0

I did add switches to the stock spirit wand, they don't make it easy. They filled the end of the flex hose with glue, I managed to get a piece of cat5 through eventually though. The 2nd switch doesn't do anything currently.

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I even had time to print and light a hood ornament for my jeep.
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randomZERO liked this
By BRD 527
#4911105
That looks awesome, nice work! With the holidays right around the corner Im sure the kids will love it! :love:

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