The purpose of this blog is to describe my current academic and research pursuits, areas of personal interest, and related activities. Such areas include unmanned development, teleoperation, situational awareness, human-machine interfaces (HMI), simulation, and human-in-the-loop research. My intent is to provide a forum to capture the attention of similar researchers, foster collaborative interest, and provide feedback or editorial responses.
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Kylo Ren Helmet - Further Progress
Monday, September 12, 2016
Halloween - Kylo Ren Lightsaber
Applied Ultracote 2X white primer |
Applied Rustoleum Metallic Finish paint |
Added finishing details to give worn appearance |
Reverse details |
Details of top (17mm socket visible) |
Detail of bottom (17mm socket visible) |
Saturday, September 10, 2016
Halloween - Kylo Ren Progress
Applied base coat of white primer, sanded, and reapplied |
Applied next layer of primer, black semi-gloss |
Applied Hammered (Gunmetal) spraypaint (sloppy job covering seams) |
Applied clear, matte finish protector |
Removed painters tape, some slight pickup on edges |
Friday, September 2, 2016
Halloween and More: Star Wars Kylo Ren Costume Build
- Removed stock audio board (clipped connections) and wired speaker to an RCA plug (input)
- Wired ten momentary (tactile) buttons, power source cable (JST input), and an RCA cable to an Adafruit Audio FX Sound Board (2MB; loaded with trigger *.wav files; see their excellent tutorial for details)
- Wired two RCA cables (input and output) and power source cable (JST input) to an Adafruit mono 2.5w amp
- Created Y-adapter for power cables (one JST input, two JST output)
- Created an "audio toggle adapter" using two RCA cables for input; an RCA cable for output; wired to DPDT switch
- Created a USB power adapter; cut one end off USB cable, isolated power and ground, then wired to JST (output)
- Modified 3.5mm Apple headphones (with mic) by clipping LEFT earbud off and soldering signal and ground to an RCA (output; very difficult task); also clipped and sealed right earbud
- Plug all elements together, as follows:
- Adafruit Audio FX sound board to audio toggle adapter input 1
- Apple 3.5mm headphones with mic to audio toggle adapter input 2; slip Apple headphones mic into helmet vocal focus cone (i.e., parabolic dish)
- Audio toggle adapter output to Adafruit mono amp input
- Adafruit mono amp output to speaker RCA input (in helmet)
- Power cable Y-adapter output 1 to Adafruit Audio FX soundboard power input (3-5.5V)
- Power cable Y-adapter output 2 to Adafruit mono amp (2-5.5V)
- Connect USB battery to power cable Y-adapter input
I also drilled out holes for each of the buttons (glued into place) in a plastic project enclosure and then placed the amp, audio toggle adapter, and Audio FX sound board inside, with the power adapter input, audio toggle input 2, and amp RCA output leading out through another drilled hole (for connections, as noted above).
A lot of folks have been working on their own Kylo Ren costumes and are amazing contributors to this massive fanbase. If you would like to learn more, I recommend starting with the following:
- Adam Savage's Ted talk on Costuming: http://www.ted.com/talks/adam_savage_my_love_letter_to_cosplay?language=en
- Knights of Ren Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/KnightsOfRen/?ref=bookmarks
- RFP, Knights of Ren Forum: http://www.therpf.com/forumdisplay.php?f=94
- Rebel Legion Forum: http://www.forum.rebellegion.com/forum/index.php?sid=8aee847b5bea4f55fc3b66193adf09cf
- 501st Legion: Vader's Fist (they do awesome charity work): http://www.501st.com
- Hasbro Kylo Ren Black Series Voice Changer Helmet: http://www.hasbro.com/en-us/product/star-wars-the-black-series-kylo-ren-voice-changer-helmet:4C13DCD2-5056-9047-F51B-D4B60F4D37B1
- Adafruit Audio FX Sound Board: https://www.adafruit.com/product/2133
- Adafruit Mono 2.5W Class D Audio Amplifier: https://www.adafruit.com/product/2130
- Overview of Common Switches: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/switch-basics/poles-and-throws-open-and-closed
- Hacking a Headphone Jack: http://www.circuitbasics.com/how-to-hack-a-headphone-jack/
- Velleman MK171 Voice Changer: http://www.vellemanusa.com/products/view/?country=us&lang=enu&id=522368