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Hello Peeps,

This is Bladebaka, a newbie to the forums. I actually joined a while back, but kept to the smaller, podcasty forums, because quite frankly, you guys over here scare me

Anyway, back to why you popped over onto this page. I made this in November, posted on my blog and over on a couple other forums as well, and figured that it was high-time to get back on the scene over here, so please bear with me if it isn't top-notch work.

So, without further ado, I give you... The iRhino tutorial.



And I'm gonna show you how to make one! But be warned - its kind of difficult to put together, and requires some knowledge about soldering and circuitry unless you manage to find a kit (like I did the first time) or have half a set of computer speakers - the speaker without the power connector will be a perfect substitution (and you won't need the amplifier circuit!), if you don't mind it being a Rhino afterward!



A cheaper and easier alternative would be just a speaker wired up to a headphone cable or auxiliary extension cable. This would place more draw on the gadget you connect it to, making said gadgets' power usage go up, and if you use an iPhone or iTouch that battery flies out the speaker pretty rapidly!

Note: The ONLY purpose of the amplifier circuit would be to make the quality and the volume better and louder, and to provide power for the speaker in question. If you don't have expert/intermediate knowledge of soldering or wiring circuits, PLEASE just use a speaker and a hacked-up audio jack from a pair of headphones or something.

Disclaimer: If you hurt/shock/burn yourself, I take no responsibility for your inability to handle pain or materials involved in producing said pain. You assume full responsibility for any lawbreaking that arises from failure to comply with your state and/or countries' policies regarding homemade electronics, if such policies exist.

Items Needed:

1. Vehicle Kit (Rhino, Land Raider, etc)
2. Speaker
3. Headphones/earbuds/auxiliary jack
4. resin core solder
5. soldering iron
6. power switch or button (1/0, AKA in/out or on/off only)
7. optional audio amplifier kit / parts to make one

Where To Get These Items

1. Your local Games Workshop retailer, closet, garage, attic
2. Radio Shack, garage, attic, local electronic parts store
3. Walmart, Radioshack, garage, attic, local electronic parts store
4. Radio Shack, garage, attic, local electronic parts store
5. Radio Shack, garage, attic, local electronic parts store
6. Radio Shack. garage, attic, local electronic parts store
7. garage, attic, local electronic parts store

And, of course, all these may also be purchased online.

Now... To Business!

Step One:

disassemble the speaker carefully. if it is one that happens to already have the auxiliary cable, and you aren't going to make the amplifier, then Kudos to you! mount it onto the rhino and rout the cable however you want. I,however, purchased a speaker from my local electronic parts store for ~80 cents.

Step Two:
Skip this step if you aren't going to make the amplifier.

assemble the amplifier kit, or build it yourself. There are sure to be some good tutorials on http://www.instructables.com/. If your kit or build has a large heatsink, do a dryfit in your Vehicle Kit. I had to cut the floor out of my Rhino to make room for the heatsink, and the "driver pane" got left out to make room for the circuit board.

Step Three:

attach the components. This either means Speaker and Auxiliary cable/headphone jack, or Speaker, Amplifier, and Auxiliary/headphone jack. For those not so tech-savvy, the best way to do this is to solder the separate leads (Wires) to their respective counterparts. (i.e. headphone1 to speaker1, etc. Which ones to which doesn't necessary matter, as long as you aren't connecting, say headphone1 to headphone2 ) An alternative to soldering is to use electrical tape to securely connect the leads. However, this method is more prone to breaking than soldering, so make sure to secure it safely in the vehicle.
[EDIT] if you plan on using a toggle/switch to turn your amplifier on or off, I'd recommend attaching it to the back door, like in the picture at the top of this post. Instead of a switch, however, you can turn it off by removing the batteries.



Step Four:

assemble and glue the vehicle around the amplifier board and attach the speaker, OR assemble the vehicle and attach the speaker. If using the amplifier circuit, MAKE SURE TO GOD that the heatsink is not touching the side of the vehicle, or you will have a squirrely, molten vehicle part to play with.





Step Five:
Paint and play!

--

This is the result of my Project: Birthday Present, as mentioned on my blog http://www.hereticaltechpriest.blogspot.com/, and my good friend Zaid enjoyed it immensely! So, if any of you make one of these, post them up for all to see!

--Bladebaka

That is one of the coolest ideas I've seen in a while, and a perfect centerpiece for a noise marine army. How do the sound quality and volume hold up?

That is so cool. Shame i dont play chaos! Might try it on an ork conversion (to a looted wagon or summfink)

If only I'd seen this before I'd built my Chaos Rhino. I'll have to get another now and do this. That's an awesome idea.

Ha! Wicked! I love the idea, but I think you could use a smaller speaker, right? That one's pretty large, IMO.

Yay chaos music wagon! Add a disco ball and lights!

@Guildsman The sound quality is pretty decent, as long as you don't go over half-power on an iTouch or iPod Nano.

@ComissarCandlestick Yay! Post up pix when you finish!

@Samus_aran115 the bigger the speaker, the better the quality at higher volume. If you want your music to sound like whispers, go ahead and use a smaller speaker... but I wouldn't sugest it. /Maybe/ use two small ones, one for each line-out and mounting them on predator sponsons could make a nice effect!

Oh, BTW: We decided to call the weapon mount on the front a Voxcannon, and make it a special Noise-Marine-only vindicator for apocalypse formations. Lemme go grab the profile real quick...

S5 AP3 Apoc. Flamer Template, Pinning, Ignores Cover /and/ reduces cover save given by terrain fired at by -1 for the rest of the game (eg: ruin would go from a +4 to a +5 after being fired through)

figured it would cost ~50pts or so for the weapon upgrade.


--Bladebaka

Where did you get the PCB for the amp?

The local electronic parts store, EPO Computers Electronics had a kit for sale, which is why I mentioned kits up there. I have no experience making PCB's as of yet, so I'm limited to kits or line feeds (which with capacitors is pretty much asking for an explosion/short/molten model). You can probably find tutorials on Instructables, or kits on amazon or some such. Easiest would be just a plain ol' iPod speaker that was battery-powered that you'd gut and reassemble in the model. When I personally find one that doesn't cost $30 and isn't the size of a brick, i'll probably do another, and update the tut.


Cheers,

--Bladebaka

Just as an extra, find a small iPod speaker dock that has a digital clock on the front.
Then you have a Rhino speaker/clock. Though considering that most docks are still large, might fit better in a Land Raider.

Maybe put a full sound system on a Titan.

heh, not a bad idea! would look really neat on a raider. I smell a new project!

iLand Raidock. Needs a better name though. I'll have to see how much room I'll have in the pre-assembled raider I'm getting soon. I'm gonna need an ipod omnidock as well... or the cable at least. I can rewire a regular radio alarm clock to use an audio jack instead of the radio, effectively giving me something around half the size.

I may get around to scratchbuilding a Chaos Sound Reaver or sommat for my pal Zaid or myself, since I may get into chaos/Ahriman's Warband after my necrons... of course, i'll have to incorporate some audi-dakka for it!

Also thinking, if I manage to get my land raider outfitted for sound I may stick sound-sensitive tech in a Stormraven, and have audio and an aerial light show going on at once! Axel F, anyone?

bladebaka wrote:The local electronic parts store, EPO Computers Electronics had a kit for sale, which is why I mentioned kits up there. I have no experience making PCB's as of yet, so I'm limited to kits or line feeds (which with capacitors is pretty much asking for an explosion/short/molten model). You can probably find tutorials on Instructables, or kits on amazon or some such. Easiest would be just a plain ol' iPod speaker that was battery-powered that you'd gut and reassemble in the model. When I personally find one that doesn't cost $30 and isn't the size of a brick, i'll probably do another, and update the tut.


Cheers,

--Bladebaka

Don't bother making your own unless you have a proper workshop. The 'simple' way to do it involves a vat of nitric acid. Not something you want to deal with at home.

Requia wrote:Don't bother making your own unless you have a proper workshop. The 'simple' way to do it involves a vat of nitric acid. Not something you want to deal with at home.

You can buy prefab breadboards and just solder the links together in series, if you know what you're doing. But like I said in the beginning, if you're not too tech-savvy I suggest just grabbing a speaker and make do... Especially since soldering irons are really, really hot; and capacitors have the capacity (pun intended) to give you a nasty shock! But I'm sure there are some of my fellow BigMeks out there that will charge on ahead, just the same...

[edit] you can make pcb's with an inkjet printer and a better compound, Ammonium Persulfate (etchant). I won't go into details and be the instigator for a modd-happy Mek explodin' his house, so if you feel up to it, search google or Instructables.

Now just play let the bodies hit the floor and down with the sickness and you have chaos music and chaos rhino.

very nice, what is the point of this??

The point, supagigashoota, is to make something awesome. Obviously you aren't a Big Mek, because if you were you would've known without having to ask.

You, sir, just got told.

Anyway, as soon as my Land Raider comes into my possession, I will commence with Versions 2.0. Imagine, Mephiston Deep Striking in a Land Raider to the tune of Axel F or Chariots of Fire!

bladebaka wrote:

Requia wrote:Don't bother making your own unless you have a proper workshop. The 'simple' way to do it involves a vat of nitric acid. Not something you want to deal with at home.

You can buy prefab breadboards and just solder the links together in series, if you know what you're doing. But like I said in the beginning, if you're not too tech-savvy I suggest just grabbing a speaker and make do... Especially since soldering irons are really, really hot; and capacitors have the capacity (pun intended) to give you a nasty shock! But I'm sure there are some of my fellow BigMeks out there that will charge on ahead, just the same...

[edit] you can make pcb's with an inkjet printer and a better compound, Ammonium Persulfate (etchant). I won't go into details and be the instigator for a modd-happy Mek explodin' his house, so if you feel up to it, search google or Instructables.

The breadboards mean more bulk thanks to the wires, since my project involves cramming a battery, and amp, and an el chepo mp3 player into a box I have no control over the size of, it's gotta be as small as possible.

As for the inkjet thing, that requires a special kind of inkjet (you can mod one of the CD printers if you've got boards in the right shape, but you still have to have one first). Though.... it looks like they make etch resistant pens now... that'd work well, and cheap.

supagigashoota wrote:very nice, what is the point of this??

If you have to ask, you'll never understand.

hmm i dont know jack about soldering but ive seen cheap battery operated mini speakers at walmart that look about the right size for a rhino combine that with a cheap flash memory mp3 player could work. I am sure yours would work alot better I will have to ask one of tech friends to help me.

Now THAT is a sonic weapon worthy for the noise marines!

You should make a youtube video about it. Then we can see the coolest sonic weapon in action.

I'd like to say it looks awesome, but many of your pictures are too blurry to really tell what's going on. I potentially like the concept, though, more so with a shuffle or something equally small.

If I may, that would make an awesome Vindicator.

Yeah, Slarg, it does My pal Zaid uses it as one when we're not playing apocalypse! Bursting people apart to the sound of "Everytime We Touch" was never so fun!