User avatar
By csullivan1980
#4917953
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Hey GBFans, been a long time since I’ve posted since my pack was completed a couple years back.

As I had a few spare parts laying around I want to revisit the front grip and build a second as the first has taken a few good hits over the years.

I am working with a TCv3 front grip and always wanted to make the wiring cleaner in the front right ear. As most of us know this is a HUGE PITA!

I just received a new orange hat lens and socket base. Yet, I am trying to brainstorm how I am going to properly wire this to my Spongeface kit. I plan to use to bulbs intended for the socket found here:

https://www.jkllamps.com/344?gclid=CPL6 ... swodpsoBRg

One thing I did notice is that the sockets sold on GBFans seem to be missing a ring around the threads where you can solder a wire. Does anyone know if the hat lights sold on GBFans can be functional?


User avatar
By halliwax
#4917959
I’ve always wondered too how they wire them up.

I don’t want to high Jack your thread but since you mentioned hat lights. Do you know where to get a hat light like the green arrow is pointing to?

That one looks different then the rest
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#4917961
It’s just the orange hat light lens cover sold in the store. At least that’s what I always thought.
Kingpin liked this
User avatar
By halliwax
#4917962
csullivan1980 wrote:It’s just the orange hat light lens cover sold in the store. At least that’s what I always thought.
Really?! I thought they were different, thanks for the quick reply!
User avatar
By halliwax
#4917974
NotSabbat wrote:Its a hat light that is pushed up from inside the body through a hole rather than mounted on top.
Get out!!! I totally see that now!!

Wow!! Can’t believe I didn’t see that! Lol

Thank you very very much
User avatar
By Kingpin
#4917999
Given that yours is identical to the one on the store page (pictured below), I can only presume the fittings were gotten to allow people to thread the covers into their Proton Guns, rather than serve as an electrical connections... It was probably intended for holes to be drilled into the sockets to allow LEDs to be installed inside them.

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#4918006
If you're trying to insert the LEDs from the wand light kit into the socket simply pull that piece of plastic off and the inside comes out leaving a big opening on the bottom.

If you're trying to use the socket as it was intended, you could just solder the wire to the side.
The ring you're asking about is used so the socket can be removed from the panel and it simply touches the side to make connection.

The full setup would be a plastic black ring with a steep that you put on the socket first, then you put it through the hole and put a brown ring that insulate the socket from touching the metal panel and then the soldered ring followed by the nut.
#4918009
I forget to mention that if your wand is resin just soldering the wire on the side would probably work but if your wand is aluminum then you would have to use both insulated rings.

I'm no electronics expert so please forgive me if I'm wrong.
User avatar
By csullivan1980
#4918074
I am working with a spare TCv3 resin front grip that I purchased a few years back when I was just a newbie. The front grip has been sitting in a drawer along with a spare acrylic tip and I now that I gain more experience with building I want to revisit this part of the build again.

The front ear’s push button/hat light components and writing always has intrigued me more than any part of the entire build due to the simplicity and complexity. On my first build I used the pre-made push button and LED included with Spongeface’s kit. While I was new to building it was still a very difficult piece to work with as I personally found the wires to be way too short.

Over time I noticed that whenever I met a fellow Ghostbuster the front ear was something I looked at first. It didn’t matter to me if the builder used resin or aluminum I wanted to see how they approached the front ear.

For my first build I removed the bottom part of the hat light socket and simply fed the LED through, but with this upcoming re-build I plan to use the T-1 3/4 bulbs. I was able to purchase a pair off of eBay as, at this point, I do not want to purchase 20, in bulk, as I might not ever use them all.

Like Glenn suggested to solder wire to the side of the socket could work. I remember this did work when I reverse engineered one of Fincher’s e-cigarette units when mine burnt out. I managed to get my hands on all the parts needed to rebuild the Kanger T2 clearomizer from scratch. So, I am hopeful this will too work with the hat light socket sold from GBFans.

#4918083
Picture time!

Wanted to show you what I am working this.

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User avatar
By csullivan1980
#4918637
Getting a couple steps closer to wiring a hat light and having it be functional.

Using a 9V battery to test it is possible to get a hat light to light using parts from the gbfans store.

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Bulbs are NOT found on the gbfans store but I was able to pick up a couple from eBay. Use T-1 3/4 type bulbs.

As a test I touched one wire to the base of the hat light and other to the SIDE and bingo! LIGHT!

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Now that I know it works a few more things I need do:

1.) wire a new push button for spongeface kit.

2.) thread TCv3 ear for hat socket

3.) install threaded socket while wired up. (I might have to drill into hat light socket for better connection but could compromise thread).

We will see
User avatar
By CPU64
#4918688
Ideally the teminal ring going in before the nut is where you connect the negative wire. You could cut a recess in the bottom of the ear, just deep enough to get the ring in plus a couple truns on the nut. That's the easiest solution imo.
#4918693
CPU64 wrote:Ideally the teminal ring going in before the nut is where you connect the negative wire. You could cut a recess in the bottom of the ear, just deep enough to get the ring in plus a couple truns on the nut. That's the easiest solution imo.
I thought about that too but the one problem with that is fitting it to the ear. It’s an idea, sadly I wasn’t able to find a terminal ring that would fit it properly but the hint continues.

So far I’m coming up with a measurement of 5/16 hole for the hat light socket base.
User avatar
By CPU64
#4918814
I have a surplus store near me that has sockets rings and nuts if you need it.. only thing they no longer have are the hatlights since one ghosthead took a trip there years ago and bought everything they had...
#4918825
CPU64 wrote:I have a surplus store near me that has sockets rings and nuts if you need it.. only thing they no longer have are the hatlights since one ghosthead took a trip there years ago and bought everything they had...
The GbFans ones come with socket nuts, unless you are talking about something else. And, yes, OMG I can’t find those rings anywhere even on eBay or any other site! It’s crazy.
#4918986
Major update

I always believed finding hat light sockets outside of GBfans was impossible but the other day I found a second source that ships the exact same ones, but better, for a slightly cheaper price.

And best part is that they sell the socket nut AND ring with it!!!!

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User avatar
By csullivan1980
#4919522
Discovering that these sockets do not wire up as easy as an LED to the GBFans lightboard. You can wire it separately to the standalone use battery connector but light is always on and runs hot.

I’m not giving up there must be away. I know other have done it
User avatar
By csullivan1980
#4919544
After spending a good part of the day trying to figure how to properly wire the hat light socket I needed to put it down for another day. :sigh:

I was hoping that hooking it up the GBFans light kit would be as easy as it appeared. Solder here, solder there, plug into the proper JST connect and bam! Well, nope. As I wired a new pushbutton with same crimps and wires (gauge 24) the hat light, bulbs and socket base do not appear to function like a simple LED connection.

I am no expert when it comes to wiring but I like to think my basics helped me get this far to wiring a pack together, not to mention re-wiring.

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As I mentioned before the only way this seems to work is when you insert the leads to "+V GND" but after a short while the socket and hat light will run HOT. I'm sure the is much of an issue but thinking of having this on all day at a con will. No one needs a hot tip to flesh if housed in aluminum and it could damage any thrower not resistant to heat.

I am sure there has to be a way these hat light sockets are useable, why else would they be sold in the GBfans store other than for cosmetic accuracy?
#4919545
I was really hoping this would work.
I've been wanting to have my electronics set up just like this but I'm not experienced with electronics so I haven't attempted it.

So do you think this setup work better with Led T-1 3/4 bulbs?
While Incandescent does look better I wouldn't mind having mine set up with
LEDs.
User avatar
By csullivan1980
#4919546
Glenn Frederick wrote:I was really hoping this would work.
I've been wanting to have my electronics set up just like this but I'm not experienced with electronics so I haven't attempted it.

So do you think this setup work better with Led T-1 3/4 bulbs?
While Incandescent does look better I wouldn't mind having mine set up with
LEDs.
I am curious too if that will work but logically I don’t see how the bulb would affect the overall function. But at least it will be easy to get T-1 3/4 LEDS
User avatar
By csullivan1980
#4920147
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Overheating bulb issue solved. Turns out it’s best NOT to use a T-1 3/4 bulb but a Sloan LED P/N 510-147.

I’ve had the LED hooked up to a 9V for over an hour now and it has not produced heat or a hot socket. I have still yet to have the hat light function like a regular LED wires to a GBfans light kit. However, I am willing to sacrifice functionality over getting a hat light socket to be used in the kit.

More to come.
User avatar
By csullivan1980
#4920154
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Fitting a hat light socket (w/terminal ring) is possible into a TCv3 kit. Drilling a hole and filing it to resemble a keyhole is what worked best for me. It even helped me solve the threading issue as the terminal ring adds a nice snug fit.

Wiring it to the GBfans lightkit is easy as you want to connect the wires to “+VGND”. So far no hot socket or light.
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User avatar
By CPU64
#4920444
Not trying to tell you how to do it but, the insulator, terminal ring and nut go in the back side, not the top. And you can skip the plastic gromet since you're not installing it into a standard metal panel. ;)
User avatar
By csullivan1980
#4920448
CPU64 wrote:Not trying to tell you how to do it but, the insulator, terminal ring and nut go in the back side, not the top. And you can skip the plastic gromet since you're not installing it into a standard metal panel. ;)

This was just a dry fitting of the socket. It’s not the final placement. I am not using the plastic gromet when I’m done.

What do you mean by “back side?” Did you mean to say “bottom” or “underside”?
#4920450
CPU64 wrote:Bottom of the ear. Only the socket itself should be visible from the top.
Yes, I know that, this is a rebuild of my old front grip. Like the old one I’ll be using shrink heat to go over the right ear.
CPU64 liked this

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