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Project:
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Skaal-tel's All in Oneder Helmet Project - Part 1 |
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Guest Author:
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Skaal-tel
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Date:
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April 8th, 2004
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Introduction:
When I finished my main case modification project Shogun: Total War, I was left with a gaping void
in my life. I wasn't cluttering up the dining room table with junk and I didn't have any new modification
projects to work on. I paced, fretted, and stared blankly at my computer screen to past the time away.
Three or four hours of late night planning produced the All in Oneder Helmet Project, which is the
focus of this article. This article will document the entire construction process from start to finish.
NOTE: Proper precautions should be taken when attempting your own case mod project and as with all warnings,
you are responsible for your own actions.
All in Oneder Helmet Project Parts List:
To start this project off, I composed a project parts list which consist of the following items:
| Description: |
Source: |
Cost: |
| (1) Fiberglass WW2 USA Helmet Liner |
E-Bay |
$5 |
| (1) All purpose Multimeter |
Canadian Tire |
$10 |
| (1) SMC Router |
SMC Networks (originally $30) |
Free |
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(2) Screw drawer
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Skaal-tel |
$3 |
| Assorted stand-offs and screws |
Skaal-tel |
$0.50 |
| (1) Generic CD-ROM Drive |
Garbage |
Free |
(1) Piece of sheet metal
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Garbage |
Freebie |
| (1) Steel Plumber's Epoxy |
Skaal-tel |
Freebie |
| (1) PSU (stock with case) |
Skaal-tel |
Freebie |
| (1) 20ft of electronics wire |
Radio Shack |
$3 |
| (1) Quarter foot of rosin-core solder |
Skaal-tel |
Freebie |
| (1) Red Quad LED 80mm fan |
ADPMods |
$11 |
| (1) Red 80mm Maple Leaf Grill |
ADPMods |
$18 |
| (1) RJ45 connectors |
Skaal-tel |
$0.40 |
| (1) Resitors |
Skaal-tel |
Freebie |
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Total Cost:
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$50.90 |
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The total cost of this project would amount to $50.90 CDN, if I were to include the price of a brand new
SMC router then I would need to add $30. Most of these components listed can be considered spare parts
that I have had available from other projects that I have worked on. By keeping my costs down, I was
able to demonstrate that scrounging for free stuff really pays off.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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Planning:
I've been using a spare stock PSU for testing of fans, lights, LEDs and other wiring projects. It was
always pretty unwieldy to use as a test bed. In order to test LEDs, I would have to hold one end of a
wire to a Molex plug and the other to the PCB. I would have to flick a switch to see my results which
proved not to be the safest idea around. I figured I'd make a really hardcore testing PSU, somewhat
like the one I'd seen at Extensiontech.
I sat down with a pencil and paper creating a list of features that I wanted to include inside the project.
My goals were to come up with a cool PSU sized enclosure and at the same time keep the project unique,
hence the idea of using a helmet. The project rapidly became a difficult challenge of cramming as much
stuff as possible into a helmet. Here for your amusement is how I pulled it all off.
I wanted a LED testing unit with 3.6v and 2.2v lines and have the ability to change voltages at the
flick of a switch. Network routers are ideal tools for LAN parties, so I would incorporate this function
and include a space to connect Ethernet cable. The helmet would also have to include built-in
power, in order to skip using traditional PSU power connectors as well as a Multimeter for all my
electronics modding. To address aesthetics and cooling, I would be adding a cooling fan, high profile
paint job with lighting scheme and a drawer to hold all the random mod bits and pieces I always look
for when working on my projects.
The Project:
The most important part of this project was trying to source helmet that would make my dreams become
reality. Like most people, I didn't just happen to have one lying around and decided to start scrounging
around the Canadian WW2 Memorabilia section of EBay.ca. I posted a few "helmet wanted" queries on the
forums and generally kept my eyes open. I ran across a Canadian NATO Helmet which would have been perfect
for the project but the deal fell through on the offer. I kept searching and managed to find a $5
fiberglass helmet liner. It was probably American made but I was unable to validate the exact source.
In the end, I won it without any competition and once I'd received it the modding aspect of this project
was finally on.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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The first step was to remove the liner and suspension. The straps were riveted to the inside of the
helmet with a steel clamp supports. I used some heavy duty scissors to cut the straps outside of
the clamps. I left the 3 loops in, believing that I might be able to use them later. The next step was
shopping for the various parts that I wanted to include in the project.
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