Upgrade: Sound off! The TK Talkie SFX Box and Non-Canon Accessories

Disclosure: I haven't been paid to promote any items in this post or been given any free samples for blogging. I'm just a user reporting on some neat items purchased out-of pocket by either myself or my wife :)

So since I found out about the TK Talkie system, I've been interested. The iComm and RomFX systems have always been cost prohibitive, and the idea of building a sound FX box from scratch was appealing. And in the end, it was much easier than I expected.

TKTalkie is a system that was put together by TK81113 using a Teensy 3.2 microprocessor board, a Teensy audio board, and Arduino software. Once assembled and programmed, the system runs off of any old USB 5V battery bank. Input comes from a wired or wireless mic, output goes to your PA system or helmet speakers. Here's a video from TK81113, the guy who created it.

This project required the following:

• Teensy 3.2 USB Development Board
• Audio Adaptor Board for Teensy 3.0 - 3.6
• Two or three 3.5mm audio jacks (female)
• Lead wires (red, white, black). Solid core works best for through-board soldering
• Soldering Supplies (iron w/ fine tip, solder, flux, wicking braid (in case of mistakes))
• Small diameter shrink wrap (for the wire ends on the audio jacks)
• A small non-conductive box in which to mount the system (personal preference - you could always just shrink wrap it)
• A USB battery or other 5V 1A power supply with a micro USB connector.
  -> Some have run power from their PA's battery using a step-down voltage limiter, but in the mean time I'm using a Patriot Fuel Active USB Battery (2000 mAh).

Overall, I think I spent perhaps $65 or so total, including the boards + shipping, the USB battery, the plastic box, and the mic jacks, but not counting the 2GB MicroSD card or PA system and wireless mic that I already owned.

Thanks to his tutorial on the TK Talkie site (tktalkie.com), doing this project was a breeze. I used two 3.5mm jacks for the Line In and Line Out (I had a third for the Mic lead to use for a backup wired mic, but running the leads from the board to the mounting spot in the box was awkward and I removed it for now). Since I use a wireless mic, Line In is better suited for a non-amped input. The Line Out delivers a non-amped output to my Pyle Pro, wherein I can connect to the Pyle Pro's Mic or Aux jack.

On the software side, for getting files onto the SD card (namely the starting config and the sound files) I used a MicroSD USB reader for my computer, and then installed the card into the Teensy once finished. The Teensy software work is all done by USB cable from the Teensy to your computer.

Although I've yet to purchase a 3D printer (some day, I hope), I was able to purchase a small box from my local Orvac and attach a hobby box hinge (you can get these at craft stores like Michael's or Hobby Lobby) to it to access the MicroSD card that stores the board's config and sound files.

That little circuit board in the middle is the TK Talkie.
So small, so simple, so awesome.

At first the system didn't work out so well. I believe it was because of the default config's bitcrusher settings (the bitcrusher is the part of the program that makes one's voice sound tinny). Later I ended up using the config posted by TK81113, and besides turning up the effects_gain to 0.5 to help make the radio static pop out more, it suited me fine. I've reprinted TK81113's config here for reference:

        # Set overall output to about half
        [volume=0.5000]
        # Line-In level. Valid values are 0 to 15
        [linein=7]
        # Line-Out level output. Valid values are 13 to 31
        [lineout=27]
        # Plays when TKTalkie starts up
        [startup=STARTUP.WAV]
        # Background loop
        [loop=CHATTER.WAV]
        # Background loop volume
        [loop_gain=0.010]
        # Voice channel gain on the mixer
        [voice_gain=0.3500]
        # Trigger level to turn on speaker when I start talking
        [voice_start=0.1700]
        # Limit to turn off the speaker when I stop talking
        [voice_stop=0.020]
        # Amount of time to wait (in milliseconds) before playing a sound effect
        [silence_time=350]
        # Not using a PTT
        [button_pin=0]
        # Sound to play when PTT is pressed
        [button_click=TKT_CLK3.WAV]
        # Button sound effect volume
        [button_gain=1.0000]
        # 1 = Microphone, 0 = Line-In
        [input=0]
        # Not used since I'm using Line-In
        [mic_gain=15]
        # Volume level of the sound effects on the mixer
        [effects_gain=0.2500]
        # Equalizer: 0 = off, 1 = Bass/Treble, 2 = Parametric, 3 = Graphic
        [eq=3]
        # 5-Band equalizer since I'm using graphic. Values are -1 to 1.
        [eq_bands=-0.75,0.00,-1.00,0.00,-1.00]
        # Gives the voice a tin-can sound
        [bitcrushers=16,41000,16,8096]
        # Background noise level for when I'm talking
        [noise_gain=0.1500]
        # This is only used when using a serial interface to program in real-time
        [debug=0]

The fun thing about this system is that you can make adjustments on the fly using the Arduino software's built-in serial console which runs over the same USB connection you use to program it (for you old-school types, no need for an additional terminal emulator or USB to serial adapters). This was especially helpful in making my adjustments in real time to drill down the system. Running the calibration command was also useful in dialing in the voice_start and voice_stop parameters. If you use the console commands, remember to use the save command to commit your changes to the SD card's config file.

I also replaced the default "too short to be a stormtrooper" startup sound (no offense Carrie, Requiescat in Pace) with a custom sound. It's pretty easy to do: just find or make a WAV file you want to use, rename the old startup sound file (best not to delete in in case you want to use it again), and save your new sound file to the SD card as STARTUP.WAV.

Another note is that the sketch (source code) and Teensy board are very customizable. Although some of the pins are in use by the audio board, other analog and digital pins on the Teensy can be used for additional buttons and dials. For example, one could make a dial to turn the volume on the background loop up or down, or maybe just a button to start and stop/ pause it. KMan and I were scheming up making a daughter board/ control riser connected to the teensy with a modular connector, so that controls could be surreptitiously placed in an easy-to-reach place, like near the edge of the chest plate, so settings could be adjusted on the fly through buttons, dials, or other human interfaces. I may have to experiment in the future, although   TK81113 has stated that he'll also be coming out with his own set of updates in the future.

Props for non-canon troops

For non-canon props (like these and the orange pauldron I sometimes sport), 501st members should check with their garrisons for what's allowed. For LFL (official LucasFilm Limited) troops these props aren't allowed, but otherwise each garrison has their own rules for what to wear with a costume.

Going back to background loops, another piece I recently received from my awesome wife for the holidays was the Bluetooth Star Wars Comlink from Episode 4. Here's a YouTube unboxing video of the comlink.

The white clip that ships with it, as you might be able to discern from the video, is a bit crap, especially for TK duty where an errant arm swipe could easily knock the thing off one's belt. So I fabricated a holder for it using some scraps from an old belt and four rivets. I used about 8" for the belt loop (3" for each side plus an inch on each end to fold over and for rivet overlap) and a small but to fit around the comlink with enough overlap for rivets. The trick is to soak the belt loop piece in water until it's saturated, then clamp it onto shape until it dries out. This give the crisp belt holder shape to the leather so you can rivet the overlapped ends together, and then rivet the comlink holder loop to that.

My phone (to which the device links) sits in a cheat pouch also attached to the right side of my belt.

Comlink and leather holder shown here during a recent troop

Close-up if the comlink holder. Two scraps of old belt + four rivets.

Overall, the comlink worked well. It isn't very loud but loud enough to give some atmosphere. The main problem is that it's essentially a Bluetooth headset (yes, you can make and receive calls with it) and only has a 1.5 hour talk time (especially with the volume turned all the way up). For longer troops, that might be an issue. In the future, I'm hoping to run a background loop through the TK Talkie, either as-is or with a volume dial or on/ off button.

I'll have to add a photo of my phone pouch, but it's essentially just a gloss 3" x 6" (approx) black leather pouch with a triangle closure and a single snap. I riveted a belt loop onto the back to attach it to my belt for non-canon troops. It could also be used for bin/ car keys, trading cards, etc.

That's it for now. I'm always fiddling with things, so I'll post more when I have something else to talk about. Until next time :D

One Year Ago (Yesterday)

I've been so busy with work, kids, and life in general that it slipped my mind that, on January 31st of last year, I started pulling out the pieces from my Big Brown Box and set off on working on something that ultimately changed my life.

Weird to think that this box changed my life.

There were trials and tribulations. There were shins that didn't match up right and had to be assembled and reassembled three times or so. There were thigh pieces that had to be cut, trimmed, and then partially rebuilt because too much got cut off. Mistakes were made, fixes were affected, and learning occurred.

And after everything was said and done, my armor was fit for duty with the 501st. (But I'll talk about that more at the end of April, which will mark my 1st anniversary with the 501st.)

Yesterday, as it were, was also the official 20th Anniversary of the founding of the 501st by Albin Johnson (with help from his friend Tom Crews). The group was originally called Detention Block 2551, then the 501st Squad, and finally the 501st Legion, broken down into the garrisons, squads, and outposts seen today. For more retrospective, there's:

• The Trooper Survival Guide on the 501st site
• The Mashable article "Plastic Spacemen! How the 501st Legion Conquered Star Wars" which is an excellent read for those not versed in the beginnings of the 501st. 
• Albin's own logs on his web site about the early days of the group, before people had the benefit of the Internet and social media to coordinate gatherings, yet alone share armor building tips, create charters, etc.

Overall, it's been a great experience, and during the year I'll be inserting some reflections in with my further build posts.

Speaking of which, I haven't done anything yet to the armor, but I plan to get it ready for the Expert Infantry Program as a step towards Centurion (which will require at least some new hand guards). I honestly don't think I have much work left in that regard, if any, but if I do I'll log it here for reference.

In addition, I'm going to start toying around with a TKTalkie system once I purchase the two main boards. It's a less expensive solution, I have gobs of experience with soldering, and a degree in computer science, so I think I'll be able to manage. I think.

So yes, I'm still working on the armor (or at least tinkering with it) more than a year after I started. But I guess, like all good hobbies, that one's probably never done with it. If it's not altering something, then it's maintenance, fixing a crack, replacing worn parts, etc. etc. like some sort of plastic Ferrari. But as far as hobbies go, it's not cheap, but it's certainly not as expensive as cars :P

And now my wife might be getting into a (royal guard) build too :)

So, until my next build post, this s TKSnake, (former TK call sign Obsidius) signing off :)

Upgrade: Copperhead (RF Noise Shielding vs Wireless Mic)

Welcome to 2017!

In my last post of 2016, I mentioned how running the wireless mic in my helmet made a lot of radio/ RF noise in my hearing assist system. I decided to tackle it in a couple of ways. I did this work before the end of 2016 but only now have enough time to put words to the blog and write about it.

The first thing I tried was to add EM shielding to the mic lead wires from the mics under each of my bucket ear pieces. I did this using tinned copper metal braided sleeving from Amazon. I cut the length necessary for each lead wire and carefully threaded the wire through the sleeving as I expanded and contracted it to increase the sleeve's diameter. This was really tricky and a giant pain, but I ended up getting it done as you can see below. After installing the sleeves I used already-placed shrink wrap to seal up the frayed ends.

After testing, though, this proved to not be too effective. In hindsight, if I had to do it over again, I probably would have used shielded cable to start, but I'm not sure it would have been more effective than the aftermarket shielding I used.

Knowing the shielding may not do the tick, I resorted to my second and more extreme option, one used by musicians using wireless pickups: copper tape.

Copper tape is very conductive and a great way to create EM shielding to prevent noise on lines, create small Farady cages, etc. Since most of my cabling will be tucked behind the wiring bracket I created for my fan system and mounting the hearing assist system, it was the ideal place to install the copper tape, especially since the wireless mic would be mounted on the other side of the tape, with the tape protecting the cable side from noise.

After removing some H&L tape and other hardware, I tediously covered one side of the bracket with copper tape. I decided to do this on the side facing the inside of the bucket as to not require removing all of the previously installed hardware. If I had to redo the entire bracket, I'd probably put it on the other side, but it is what it is, and not visible when I'm wearing the bucket. Plus I don't have to worry about the (remote) possibility of wires shorting out on the copper tape.

After the tape was on, I re-added the H&L tape for the hearing assist and wireless mic, reinstalled the bracket into the bucket and tested.

And wouldn't you know it, throwing a ton of copper tape at the issue worked. There was still a little noise with the bucket off, but with the bucket on and my head in the bucket blocking the rest of the RF noise, it works much, much better than before.

You can also see above that I moved the battery for the bucket systems into the forehead, for two reasons:

1. It makes putting the bucket on easier since the opening is now slightly less narrow without the battery in the back of the helmet (especially since I'll need to worry about the wireless mic now when donning the helmet).
2. In its new home, it keeps my forehead from running into the blower fans also mounted in the forehead (which ended up being an issue during a holiday troop).

Now that EM noise from the fans and RF noise from the wireless mic have both been solved, I'm effectively done messing the the bucket for now. Next, I plan to try out a TKTalkie system that I'll mount int he chest plate with the wireless mic receiver and Pyle Pro personal PA.

And eventually obtaining the hand plates and doing the other stuff for Elite Infantry :P

One more note: you may have noticed that I changed the name for my blog. This is because I changed my 501st nickname across the board to better reflect my TK persona and my personal TK logo. I'm leaving the URL as-is because it would break every older link to the blog if I changed it without paying for a URL redirect service. So for the time being, you can still find the blog at obsidiustk.blogspot.com

Until next time...

Upgrade: BRING THE NOISE (Hearing Assist & Fan Upgrade)

A Short Novel (and apparently my 50th post!)

I'm trying to remember how this rebuild began, but I think it started when I bought my blower fans a few months ago. I bought them while I was working on my initial fan system for the bucket, but since the build was almost complete, I decided to store them for later.

During one of my troops a couple of months ago, in a hotel no less, I had issues with the helmet fogging due to humidity. The small fans I originally started with just couldn't move enough air to fight the humidity. Eventually it got better as the event went on, but for the first few minutes I had a bad fogging issue.

I messed around with the blower fans and discovered that, in my bucket, they were way louder than my little fans. I wouldn't be able to use them without some sort of hearing assist system.

Then a few weeks ago I discovered the Velleman Super Ear Amplifier Kit - MK-136, a solution which apparently many troopers use for hearing assist, namely because it has two microphones that feed into one stereo headphone jack. It was pretty cheap at the local Fry's ($8), so I picked one up along with some replacement soldering components.

Finally, I wanted to ditch the 4x AA batteries the old fan system used, since they didn't have as long of an operating window as a rechargeable USB battery bank.

So my goal was threefold: replace the old 30mm fans with blower fans, assemble and install the hearing assist system, and run everything off of a USB power bank.

This was supposed to be a moderate bit of work, but it turned into a trek - no pun intended. What I expected to take a few hours ended up taking over a week to do. Hopefully some of my knowledge could help someone in a similar situation avoid some pitfalls for a smoother build. Overall it came out great, but it took some extra time to get there.

Phase 1

I didn't want to start this project until after I was done with a troop for BlizzCon. Once that was done, it was time to break out the soldering iron and carefully assemble the MK-136. Below are the results.

I made the following modifications:

• Instead of soldering the mics directly to the boards, I would obviously need them on the bucket, so I soldered them onto some lead wires recovered from an old DC power supply.
• I eventually cut these wires to insert some 3-pin quick connectors in-line in order to make bucket maintenance easier.
• I soldered a lead wire with a a 3-pin connector where the battery box would be connected, to prep the module for USB power. 
• Before I did this, I temp connected the battery box to the module to test it. It worked the first time. This is a big deal for me because I usually mess something up on the first try, but this just worked. Everything had been soldered together correctly.
• I added the 3-pin female connector to the battery box for testing. Later I'd use a lead wire connected to a USB-A male connector for the USB power bank. 

I used 3-pin connectors, as opposed to 2-pin connectors, in order to better keep track of polarity. The 3-pin connectors can only connect one way, making it impossible to accidentally flip the connector.

After soldering and testing, I cleaned the excess flux from the board with rubbing alcohol. Once cleaned, I used some 2" wide shrink wrap to protect the entire assembly. To shrink the wrap, I used my gas stove range and some tongs, carefully warming the wrap over the flame until it was inform and tight.

With the soldering for the module done, it was time to mount the microphones. Taking a page from UKSWrath and other troopers, I placed the mics under each ear piece (after ensuring the left mic was on the left side and vice versa) after drilling out a large hole for each mic, and miniature holes on the black stripe on the earpiece in order to help with the mic's pickup. The mic was secured on either side with low-temp hot glue.

To mount the mics, I had to remove the foam and screws as originally installed by ANOVOS (and reinstalled by me after I blacked out the interior of the bucket). Since I'd need some room behind the mics for the lead wires, I had to redesign this part. I decided, instead of mounting the eye visor to H&L tape attached to the foam, that I would instead mount it to the screws used to attach the ear pieces. To do this, I needed to replace the existing screws (which I'd already replaced with the correct screw types) with the same screw types - but with a longer length of 1" (twice as long as the screws I previously installed).

After cutting the new screws to length, I installed them with washers and bolts. I then placed the visor in the helmet and marked points on the visor (using permanent marker) to drill holes for mounting each side of the visor. This was tricky and I had to adjust the bottom holes since the visor was a little high at first, but it worked out. I then used these holes to put holes into the ANOVOS helmet foam so that I could use it to help cushion the mics from the visor.

On the screws, the order of parts is: earpiece, bucket halves, washer, bolt, foam, visor, washer, vinyl locking washer.

Phase 2

A few things happened after this. I wired the new blower fans to a USB cable (black for ground, red for +) and a switch, which I mounted into the helmet using H&L tape. I then connected the fans and the hearing assist to my power source, an Antec LifeBar 3.

Originally, I was hoping to use 2x smaller USB banks, mounted on each side of the bucket similar to what I had done with the AA packs I originally used. However, this meant I'd have to double up on charging the banks and remove the harness to get to the batteries. In addition, the original banks I tried didn't have any LED power indicators to let me know how much charge remained. They were also defective. So I returned them for something better.

Running both the hearing assist and fans from the same bank, however, presented a new problem: EM noise. While running the fans, EM noise created from the fans' electronic oscillation would create electrical feedback into the hearing assist module, and into the headphones.

Now I needed a low-pass filter. This is basically a capacitor and resistor in-line with the circuit, which acts as a settling pool for the current to reduce or remove EM noise. They're not hard to make, but knowing the capacitance and resistance needed can be tricky, especially with a module that can have a variable output for speakers/ headphones.

I thought hard about this roadblock, about creating a low-pass filter that would filter out any noise not within a normal hearing range. Then, with the help of my IT and ISP knowledge, it dawned on me: just use a DSL filter.

For those unfamiliar, a DSL filter is used between analog phone equipment, like a phone or fax machine, and a phone system that also has a DSL modem/ router. DSL equipment uses higher frequencies, which can impact regular voice traffic under the 5KHz range. The filter keeps the DSL frequencies off of analog gear.

I grabbed a spare DSL filter and decided to test in in-line between the USB power bank and the hearing assist module, with the module acting as the "phone" side and USB bank as the "line" side. I started by cutting the phone lead in half so I could strip some bare metal for testing by holding the leads in-place.

I connected everything, started the fans, and then connected the hearing assist module.

And it worked. I tested it at varying volume levels and, although not perfect, it cut out almost all the EM fan noise.

Now that I know it worked, it was time to remove the casing (to better fit it into the bucket) and integrate it with the hearing assist module.

EDIT: For my EU friends and others who just want to piece something form components, as far as circuit diagrams go, a full DSL filter will look something like this (click to enlarge):

The basic DSL filters I'm sourcing, which work fine, looks something like this (although it's hard to tell the exact component values as they're not well labeled on my components):

(END OF EDIT)

With the casing removed, I de-soldered the telephone lines and RJ11 jack. Then, I cut the pinned lead from the hearing assist module in half, and soldered the filter in-line.

I wrapped the module in 3/4" shrink wrap the same way I wrapped the audio module, although the wrap was barely big enough to fit over the big caps used on the filter.

Phase 3

More things happened after this.

Even with the hearing assist system and the low-pass filter, I was still picking up a lot of mechanical noise from the blower fans with everything mounted in the bucket. I was at another impasse.

After much thought, I decided two things:

• The tiny fans did a decent job on most days and were quiet, but couldn't move enough air around when things got hot and humid.
• The blower fans would move a lot of air, but at the cost of being able to hear easily.

So I decided to use both fan systems - a low-speed system and a high-speed system. I moved the blower fans from where I had mounted them (behind the Hovi tips) to my forehead (which I can do since I'm using the ANOVOS harness system instead of helmet pads). The original fans would stay in place on the existing fan harness, and I would run lead wires up the inner top of the helmet to power the blower fans (I used a bit of 4-conductor scrap USB cable for this, with red & black wires for one fan and green & white for the other). Both fans would use the same USB-A jack for power (since the 2nd port on the power bank would be for the hearing assist system) but would use two separate slider switches I already had available.

To get the hearing assist module and filter ready for mounting, I put H&L tape on them, along with the corresponding point on the fan mounting bracket. I did have to remove the wire between the module and low-pass filter and replace it with a longer wire so the filter could be installed on the back of the harness (with the wiring) and the module on the front (so I could have easy access to the power and gain while wearing the bucket).

I got both fan systems wired to the same USB-A cable, and installed two switches. Everything worked... for a bit.

Phase 4 (Final Phase)

The wiring with this installation was a mess; too many wires were soldered together, the USB-A cables were too stressed, and the thin 24-gauge wire in those cables wasn't up to the task. This caused both fan systems to loose power. Instead if having two working fan systems in the bucket, I now had no working fans in the bucket. The design was sound, but the implementation needed work.

I started over with the wiring with the following modifications:

• I installed screw-down terminal blocks onto the mounting bracket to help keep wiring clean and make installation easier. This would reduce the amount of soldering, cold solder joints, and wire stress.
• I used three blocks total: 2x 2-terminal blocks as positive blocks for the low (radial) and high (blower) speed fans, respectively; and a 1x 4-terminal block as a grounding block for everything.
• I spent $8 on an on-off-on 3-position toggle switch that would be used for both fan systems. There wasn't really a need to have both systems on simultaneously, and using one switch for both systems would reduce the amount of wiring.
• I replaced the stiffer USB-A cable I was using with thinner, more pose-able cables in order to make connecting the system to the power bank inside the helmet easier. Thankfully, the wire gauge for the red and black power leads was of a similar gauge to the old wires, but would still require reinforcement.
• I used solid-core copper lead wires between components and the screw-down terminals. I soldered tinned stranded wire from the fans and USB-A wires to solid core wires, and then screwed those down into the terminals. Solid core is more resilient and easier to screw down, and would overall improve the life of the wiring through wear and tear. It's also stiffer and easier to cable manage.
• I installed plastic anchors for the USB-A cables to eliminate stress at the solder joints (fastened with spare Chicago screws I picked up to fix a missing screw from my holster). I also installed more tie-down anchors to help with cable management.
• I re-did all the quick connected for uniformity, and added quick connects on the hearing assist module for the mic leads, to make work and maintenance easier.

Finally, everything worked, although I have to be careful when I put the bucket on to leave enough room for the blowers to work. I may add some stiff foam to the forehead as a spacer between my head harness and the fans.

Mounted, everything looks clean, and works great. You can see the blowers near the forehead, the hearing assist module and controls on the left side of the bucket (right side when it's inverted) and the LifeBar wedged between the back of the bucket and the back of the head harness (secured with H&L tape). In the top of the bucket I installed more H&L tape to have more mounting options for the LifeBar, blower fan cables, and other possible future hardware.

Earphones for the hearing assist can be tricky. With all the holiday shopping I don't have time to pick up a good pair of helmet speakers (as used by motorcyclists and skiers) as recommended by squad mates, but I was also recommended an inexpensive pair of RCA headphones (only $5 from my local Fry's) that work in a pinch. Of course, this means I have to put on the headphones before I get the bucket on, and then tuck the spare cabling into the bucket's chin, but until I have a chance to research and perhaps install some helmet speakers, they'll do for now.

Other mods (aka H&L Tape Is Our Friend)

In addition, I recently acquired a wireless microphone and receiver on sale at Amazon. I used H&L tape on the fan bracket and the mic to install the mic into the bucket, but have it easily removable for charging and storing.

For the personal PA, mounting the wireless receiver directly onto the PA makes it stick straight up, putting pressure on the 3.5mm jack due to the curvature of the chest piece. Instead, I used H&L tape to mount the receiver to the plate, and then used a small 3.5mm extension wire to connect it to my Pyle Pro.

Update 30 Nov 2016: after some advice from a fellow ANOVOS Builder FB group member and additional testing, the 2.4GHz feed used by the wireless mic creates RF noise on the hearing assist, which causes a mild to moderate radio buzz on my headphones, even with my head between the mic and the hearing assist module. I may try to create an RF shield for the hearing assist module, or may just revert to a wired mic int the meantime. Any further mods will be covered in a future blog post.

I also added more H&L tape to the inside of the chest piece for my elastic shoulder straps. I've been having issues with the back of the ABS shoulder straps popping out of the elastic loops, and realized that ti was because there was too much space between the chest and back piece at the shoulders. the extra H&L tape allows my to pull the elastic shoulder straps in to close the space off and keep the ABS shoulder straps in their elastic loops on the back plate side.

I might also fasten a holiday hat to my bucket using some magnets from the build :D

I still need new hand guards, new Hovi tip mesh, some thermal detonator modification, and a frown repaint on my bucket before I submit for Centurion, but I'm thinking about finally submitting for EIB this month or next. In any case, any work done to the armor will be documented here for reference. If I don't have any updates before year's end (I don't foresee any happening), then to my readers:

Happy Holidays

and a

Happy New Year!

Until my next update...

EIB & Centurion: Left Side Split Rivets and Strapping

As I get closer to my goals of trying to get EIB and Centurion certification, I'm starting to go through the parts of the armor that need improving towards that goal, and also for a better fit.

One of those areas was the left side closure.

• Using the original ANOVOS system, one rivets three H&L straps to one side of the closure and uses H&L tape on the other side to secure it, giving a wearable, removable closure.
• When I did my closure, I modified the straps by cutting off the H&L pads on the straps, and then riveted them on both sides of the armor, making them non-removable but truer to the armor used on screen.

However, even during construction things were not up to snuff. As was pointed out to me back then, my rivet placement wasn't exactly correct. The problem originated from starting with the kidney plate, where I even spaced the rivets along the kidney plate. This causes a problem with the ab plate, which has a ridge that separates the cod piece from the ab plate proper. My placement resulted in the lower of the ab plate rivets being on this seam. For accuracy, this rivet should be above the seam, with the center rivet spaced evenly between the upper and lower rivet.

A picture from the original post that illustrates the issue.

In addition, after more than a few troops, it occurred to me that the canvas used with the ANOVOS kit has no give or stretch, meaning that if there's a bigger gap between the two plates, it's not going to be as easy to compensate for than with elastic. Further, the straps were held in place with the split rivets. If I had to replace them again in the future due to wear and tear, I'd have to redo all the split rivets again as well.

Resolved to correct the rivet placement and redo teh straps with less gap, the first step was to order some new split rivets, which I did through a member on whitearmor. Once those arrived, it was just a matter of removing the old split rivets and the attached strapping.

 I used a set of needle-nose pliers to un-set the rivets and pull them out without damaging the armor. Once that was done, I had three clean holes on either plate that I needed to seal up with ABS paste. I did this by taping up the front of the plate and filling in from the back.

I wish this would have worked better, but I ended up having to do some front fill as well, and then the typical sanding with 150 - 350 - 600 wet - 1500 wet until the fills were smooth as the surrounding plastic.

I could probably do this in my sleep now,

I've done it so many times...

Finish with Novus 3, 2, and 1 to make everything shiny again. No I have a pristine surface to make new-accurate holes for my rivets.

 I used the following measurements which I followed from USKWrath's post on the matter:

Ab plate:

• Top rivet: 20mm from top, 10mm from plate edge
• Bottom rivet, 10mm from cod plate edge, 10mm from plate edge
• Center rivet: halfway between top and bottom rivets (~63mm either way), 10mm from plate edge

I then put corresponding markings in the kidney plate for the spacing, 10mm from the plate edge. The markings are shown here:

Measure twice, cut once, they say. After satisfied with the measurements, it was time to cut drill the new holes and fasten the rivets. After scuffing the heads with some 150 grit sandpaper to prepare them for future painting, I put them in place using a snap head set, mallet, small chisel, and flat punch tool. For those who aren't familiar, there are six rivets total - three in the ab plate and three in the kidney plate.

You'll note that the rivets were fastened without the strapping in place. This was done on purpose. Taking a page to the common way people fasten garter loops to the inside of thigh assemblies, I decided to fasten the new strapping directly to the inside of the ab and kidney plates using nothing but E6000. This way, the straps would be easy to replace in the future. I used some spare 2" black elastic strapping left over from when I redid my thigh garters. I started by gluing them to the kidney plate, waiting a day, and then gluing them to the ab plate.

As you can see, the results are pretty tight. the bond is strong, and the straps are tight yet stretchy, allowing for a better fit and some give if I end up bending in an unusual manner.

I would have actually placed the bottom strap lower, but I have to leave room for the strapping that secures the kidney plate to the butt plate, as that uses a H&L tape system. Plus, the belt helps keep the pieces together around this area.

After all was said and done, I carefully painted the new rivet heads with Testor white enamel paint.

I also had an issue with the cod strap coming off its split rivet, so I redid this rivet as well, using some scrap ABS to make a large washer so that the hole in the elastic strap wouldn't slip off the small washer included with the rivet set.

And then I had to re-redo it since I reinstalled the strap upside-down.

But you get the picture.

Another recent mod I did was thigh fit. Remember how I lost a bit of weight to fit into my armor better? Most of that weight came off of my stomach, but some also came off my thighs. The problem was that, with the thighs already shimmed, the pieces are actually a little bigger than my thighs now <facepalm>. So what I did was add some foam padding to the inside rear of my thighs to keep the fronts f my thighs against the front of my legs. This resolved an issue wherein the drop-down boxes on my belt kept getting caught on the upper front edges of my thigh pieces, leading to issues walking (thankfully the drop-downs and thighs didn't suffer damage). I haven't decided it it's worth the risk of removing the thigh shims to make the thighs better, but so far I'm leaning to leaving them in, so long as they don't affect the armor's overall look too badly.

Next up on the list is adding a hearing assist system to the bucket to help with, well, hearing, but especially when I run the new blower fans. I plan to run both fans and hearing assist from a new USB battery bank instead of having to worry about AA batteries. Stay tuned...