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By LandoSystem
#4817815
I'm sorry if this is in the wrong place but I've been thinking about a product I'd like AJ to consider creating and stocking in the shop.

It's a simple extension kit for the gbfans wand board.

Basically it's a set of 7ft (or so) wires with male and female plugs compatible with the wand kit, plus some kind of extender for the bar graph led ribbon that allows us to put the wand board in the pack instead of the thrower. It would open up more space for a pop mech or a speaker or something.

I've seen some DIY attempts at this on the forums and I've read comments from others who want to add a pop mech but don't have the space. I personally don't like opening my wand to adjust the board settings because I'm concerned with wearing out the threading I've tapped in the resin. Having it in my pack with the rest of my electronics would be nice.

I have no knowledge about wiring or electronics and I don't know if it's feasible or cost effective or anything else. It's just something I'd be interested in and I thought I'd toss it out there.
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By pyhasanon
#4817858
I think the big thing that makes a wire kit difficult is that not everybody's going to have the same length going from wand to the board... at least with the current kit, all they had to worry about was the one ribbon cable...
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By Grimmy GB
#4817871
AJ Quick wrote:The bar graph ribbon cable is not intended to go long distances, be subject to repeated flexing / movement.. etc.

Why can't the board be mounted in the wand? It is fairly small.
To open room for an e-cig setup ^^
By LandoSystem
#4817907
AJ Quick wrote:Why can't the board be mounted in the wand? It is fairly small.
Of course it can! It's the easiest board I've worked with. I adore this thing.
But...
- We may have a thrower that, once the board is added, doesn't have room for a pop mech. And we really want a pop mech.
- Others with more space want common extras like a rumble motor and a pop mech and don't have room for both with the board in there.
- Or, like Grimmy said, there are more unconventional additions like e-cig smoke effects, or additional TVG light effects, a silly string blaster or some other add-on that needs space.
- Or they, like me, want to add a nice little speaker in there.
- Some of us just don't want the headache of trying to squeeze the board and pop mech in it together. It may all fit but convenience and ease of installation is an issue.
- Some, like me, don't like opening the wand because you're afraid screwing and unscrewing bolts in resin will damage the holes you've tapped.
- It would alleviate the fear of grounding out your board against a metal thrower or a bolt or something.
- And it's easier to just open your pack up and have everything in one place during maintenance.

I read comments pretty regularly about people who want to add things to their wands but can't due to space. I've also seen a recent build (just that I've noticed, there are probably more) that is wiring this up on his own.

It's obviously one of the most cramped parts of a pack and even if the board is pretty small, I'm sure a lot of people would welcome having more room. I would.
AJ Quick wrote:The bar graph ribbon cable is not intended to go long distances, be subject to repeated flexing / movement.. etc.
Judging from PssdffJay it looks like Spongeface is already working on that issue?
PssdffJay wrote:Doug has made something, but the wires to the switches have to be done on your own but it extends the bar graph. I'm not sure if it will be a regular item he will make.
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By bishopdonmiguel
#4818998
AJ Quick wrote:The bar graph ribbon cable is not intended to go long distances, be subject to repeated flexing / movement.. etc.
To clarify, the ribbon is the same 10-foot one that runs from the soundboard to the wandboard in the current setup, just used for another purpose. Because the boards are mounted together in the pack, the grey ribbon is repurposed with Doug's kit to serve as the bargraph wiring bus.
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By AJ Quick
#4819188
That's pretty much how I would envision it. An extra ribbon cable carrying signals to a small breakout board that connects to the bar graph. The savings from the lack of a larger board would in some ways be negated by the increase in wires floating about though.
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By pyhasanon
#4819191
A couple builds have already done it and have proven it saves space, which is why people are asking for it...
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By bishopdonmiguel
#4819194
Pics from my build to illustrate.

Doug's breakout (extension) board is upper right between the wand lights board and Ethernet plate...
Image


And the other end inside the thrower...
Image


My reason for doing this was to have the option of disconnecting (upgrading) the thrower at some future time without tearing out the guts... but a well planned installation should allow room for extra stuff. I didn't include a pop mech in this build but I had plenty of room for a vent light panel and a rumbler.
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By Sephiroth
#4829516
An alternative would be to change the space available in the wand to accommodate the additions; i.e., make use of parts already there.

My wand has a front cylinder that is hollow and houses the vibration motor and is threaded to screw into the gun-body. Save for small set-screw that secures a removable end-cap, it looks just like a normal front-cylinder..but mine actually serves a purpose rather than being just a "palm rest".

I'm also currently brain-storming with my father on a way to create a hollow rear-cylinder with a removable end-cap that makes use of the green Clippard tubing in conjunction with an e-cig set-up. This would allow space for the e-cig cartomizer to fit in and tube the vapor to the trigger box and then to the top vent and even split off to the barrel if desired. The removable end-cap would allow the cartomizer to then be refilled easily without having to open the bottom panel of the wand. The UBEC switch and mini air-pump may require some room, but should not interfere with a pop-mech or other boards if done with some fore-thought. If a vibration motor is not installed, the air-pump may even fit into the front-cylinder. Even the Clippard 701 could be hollowed out if need be for space if desired. Sometimes you just got look at what is there and see it from another perspective.

Then again, a completely new/upgraded GBFans sound/light board that is smaller and more versatile than the current offering could be the way to go and make all the above unnecessary.

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