- October 28th, 2017, 12:11 am#4900299
Mounting the ribbon cable
My ribbon cable from Fincher Technologies arrived this week and it is a beauty!
To start, I adopted Pssdffjay’s idea of tracing an arc on one end of the cable and cutting it to match the clamp.
I adopted GohstTarp’s method of securing one end in the vice of a drill press, twisting the cable, then securing the opposite end in another vice. I used a number of zip ties and hose fasteners to hold a tight twist.
I left the cable like this for most of the day before mounting it to the shell, like so:
You will notice that I only kept two zip ties to maintain a more screen accurate look.
When I pushed through the desired cable length through the hole in the shell, I used my Dremel to cut the unnecessary portion on the inside of the shell. I fastened a zip tie to keep the cable from slipping out of the hole. Then I wrapped a few layers of electrical tape around the tip of the cable.
Enlarging the holes for the hat lights lenses and the “clip” lenses in the wand
I enlarged the hole for the white/orange sunken hat light with a 7/8” drill bit. I used a 5/16” drill bit for the white hat light. For the two small lights with clip lenses (or covers), I used a 1/4” drill bit.
Creating a holder for the white strobe light and flashbulb using an clear acrylic tube
Freeky Geeky provides me with a clear acrylic tube that fits well within my clear wand tube. I have referred to this “holder” tube earlier in my build thread.
Since the inner diameter of the holder was very close (if not smaller) than the outer diameter of the flash bulb, I needed to find a way to enlarge that inner diameter and create some sort of ridge that the flashbulb could sit on (when inserted).
My solution was to use a sanding Dremel attachment in a drill press. By holding the acrylic tube with my figures, I manually (and slowly) sanded down a certain portion of the inner diameter in order to fit the flashbulb. Luckily, my dad was helping me. The extra hand was invaluable.
This is how the holder and flashbulb look within the clear wand tube, even though they need to be cleaned. As you can see, the holder is held in place by a tiny set screw, which will be covered and hidden by the trigger tip set screw.
Mounting the wand lights board and four toggle switches to the wand
Unfortunately, I could not finish my wand before the Halloween events start tomorrow. However, I have progressed enough to be able to use my pack in a limited capacity. Therefore, I chose to mount the wand lights board in the wand along with four toggle switches.
Using my trusty LePage Ultra Gel Control super glue, I glued the bottom two nylon spacers of the wand lights board to the inside of the gun body (leaving the top two screwed onto the board, but not glued to the gun body) before feeding and connecting the grey ribbon cable and the four toggle switches. I had to shorten the two cap screws that go through the closest holes, since the screws had the potential of interfering with the glued nylon spacers.
I chose not to mount any lights or to set the pop mechanism for the time being.
Applying the last remaining labels to the shell
The only remaining labels to apply were 1) the grey danger label and 2) the red schematic diagram that belong on the N-Filter. The former is a vinyl label, while the latter is a dry-rub.
I am as ready as I can be right now for the Ghostbusters movie screening tomorrow at the Garneau Cinema. I have to say, this thing is starting to look great in my apartment!
My ribbon cable from Fincher Technologies arrived this week and it is a beauty!
To start, I adopted Pssdffjay’s idea of tracing an arc on one end of the cable and cutting it to match the clamp.
I adopted GohstTarp’s method of securing one end in the vice of a drill press, twisting the cable, then securing the opposite end in another vice. I used a number of zip ties and hose fasteners to hold a tight twist.
I left the cable like this for most of the day before mounting it to the shell, like so:
You will notice that I only kept two zip ties to maintain a more screen accurate look.
When I pushed through the desired cable length through the hole in the shell, I used my Dremel to cut the unnecessary portion on the inside of the shell. I fastened a zip tie to keep the cable from slipping out of the hole. Then I wrapped a few layers of electrical tape around the tip of the cable.
Enlarging the holes for the hat lights lenses and the “clip” lenses in the wand
I enlarged the hole for the white/orange sunken hat light with a 7/8” drill bit. I used a 5/16” drill bit for the white hat light. For the two small lights with clip lenses (or covers), I used a 1/4” drill bit.
Creating a holder for the white strobe light and flashbulb using an clear acrylic tube
Freeky Geeky provides me with a clear acrylic tube that fits well within my clear wand tube. I have referred to this “holder” tube earlier in my build thread.
Since the inner diameter of the holder was very close (if not smaller) than the outer diameter of the flash bulb, I needed to find a way to enlarge that inner diameter and create some sort of ridge that the flashbulb could sit on (when inserted).
My solution was to use a sanding Dremel attachment in a drill press. By holding the acrylic tube with my figures, I manually (and slowly) sanded down a certain portion of the inner diameter in order to fit the flashbulb. Luckily, my dad was helping me. The extra hand was invaluable.
This is how the holder and flashbulb look within the clear wand tube, even though they need to be cleaned. As you can see, the holder is held in place by a tiny set screw, which will be covered and hidden by the trigger tip set screw.
Mounting the wand lights board and four toggle switches to the wand
Unfortunately, I could not finish my wand before the Halloween events start tomorrow. However, I have progressed enough to be able to use my pack in a limited capacity. Therefore, I chose to mount the wand lights board in the wand along with four toggle switches.
Using my trusty LePage Ultra Gel Control super glue, I glued the bottom two nylon spacers of the wand lights board to the inside of the gun body (leaving the top two screwed onto the board, but not glued to the gun body) before feeding and connecting the grey ribbon cable and the four toggle switches. I had to shorten the two cap screws that go through the closest holes, since the screws had the potential of interfering with the glued nylon spacers.
I chose not to mount any lights or to set the pop mechanism for the time being.
Applying the last remaining labels to the shell
The only remaining labels to apply were 1) the grey danger label and 2) the red schematic diagram that belong on the N-Filter. The former is a vinyl label, while the latter is a dry-rub.
I am as ready as I can be right now for the Ghostbusters movie screening tomorrow at the Garneau Cinema. I have to say, this thing is starting to look great in my apartment!