Team Fortress 2 Heavy Minigun Build (3D printed, IMAGE HEAVY)

Wow, it spins so effortlessly! Have you tried it horizontally aswell? It's just a thought but because the shaft is quite long, it's weight may have an affect at the front where the shaft might bend down a little, affecting the rotation. Just curious about that.
 
Have you tried it horizontally aswell?

Yes, I've tried it horizontally, and it spins very well. There is a little more drag, but not much. I just didn't have a jig or enough hands to hold it and spin it for video. :)

This weekend, I plan on assembling (and painting) the barrel assembly... with luck, I'll get to test rotation with the actual motor AND wire up the lights. We'll see how much I get done. I'll be sure to post videos and pics of anything interesting.
 
Update for what I got done this weekend.


1) Modeled and started printing bullet parts for my bandolier.


2) Wired up the electrical for the lights (static portion only... barrels not wired yet)


3) First paint applied to barrel components. Final paint will be applied now that the barrel assembly is done (minus electrical... paint first, electrical after).


4) Rotating barrel assembly complete (minus paint and barrel wiring).


5) Barrel spin test complete... spins smoothly with perfect balance... should be able to achieve quite a reasonable RPM with this build, and I've printed 2 motor pulleys... one will allow barrel to run at full 300 RPM, the other turns it down to only ~150 RPM... but I think 300 is well within the do-able range.




Here are some photos!


Modeled bullet parts (I figured since the Heavy's chocolate bar has TF2 logos, then maybe his bullets should, too)




Printed bullet parts



Soldered ends for energizing barrels as they pass by




Here's how the spacing of the barrel internals will go



O-rings will serve as my drive belts




First step of assembly was to ensure straightness of the first stage retainer



Here's a photo of the FINAL dry fit (just need to add glue, but fit was SO tight, I don't have to worry much about it moving)





And here's a new YouTube video of the turning of the final assembly... even horizontal. :)
She spins very smooth with great balance.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7HZfK_euBI




Next steps will include:
- painting of barrel assembly
- wiring of LED pods in each barrel along with connectors at back end of each (I'll post a video when I get this tested and working)
- begin mockup of ammo drum and frame for holding her all together
 
Nicely done on this, you know how much spinning that barrel horizontally would magnify any problems with things being trued and balanced properly...... You've got it spinning like a machined assembly :cheers
 
Okay, here's some progress to share...

I printed enough bullets and bullet ends to make 54 bullets from 3/4" PVC (for my bandolier). I hid the TF2 logo in the base of the bullet design.


Here are 54 sections of 3/4" PVC cut 4" long... but I think they'll be better if I trim them down to about 3.25" long



I got some 1/4" thick aluminum plate, cut it 12" x 6" and bent it to make the base of the handle assembly. This measures roughly 6" between the uprights and the uprights measure about 3" long on each side... should be just about right. :)



And here's the barrel assembly painted black. One or two more nice finish coats, then I'll hook up the electrical components in each barrel and reassemble
 
TEST RUN, TEST RUN, TEST RUN
simpsons_torch_mob-e1297270050635.jpg


(Not sure why I chose an angry mob lol)
 
It's supposed to rain this weekend, so I imagine I'll have time to install lights and possibly test motor speeds... Will post photos and video.
 
I got something REALLY cool in the mail today and made a huge garage sale find. Can't wait to share my progress this weekend.
 
Update!


I got 54 bullets for the bandolier half assembled (bottoms glued on and ready for paint).
Later, I'll paint and glue the tops on.
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I got the LED pods and electrodes installed in the barrels AND tested them... they work GREAT!
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I made a HUGE garage sale find. This old 7-up cooler is just the perfect size for the ammo drum. Plus, it's rigid enough to easily bolt the barrel assembly to without fear of it breaking loose. I'll have to make the botom of the cooler domed outward a little bit, but otherwise, I'm VERY happy with this component. Plus, its rigidity should help with amplifying/transmitting sound from the speaker to be mounted inside.
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Oh, and my custom sound chip arrived. I didn't get a chance to test it yet, but it is supposed to be loaded as follows...
1 - gun winding up and running
2 - gun firing normal
3 - gun firing critical hits
4 - gun firing critical hits, with game dialogue I added
5 - gun running after firing
6 - gun winding down after running or firing
7 - game theme song
8 - custom assembled TF2 announcer dialogue ("mission begins in ten seconds", then countdown followed by round start siren)
9 - TF2 announcer announcing victory
10 - Heavy Om-nom'ing followed by "That was delicious!"
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Here are TWO videos for you, as well...
1) LED/electrode test


2) Motor test (motor may be a little weak and a bit slow... I'm going to investigate using two motors (since I have 2 of them) or getting one a little faster than 300 RPM)
 

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Update: I've decided to stay with 300 RPM for the motor speed, but I've decided to use LARGER motors and I will be using TWO of them in tandem. This should decrease the load on the drive system by dividing the work (particularly during starting and stopping), thus decreasing the heat generated and stress on the motors... all while keeping power consumption reasonable (motors should only draw what they use).

New motors on order are roughly 1.5x the size of the ones I was using... should have a little bit beefier gear boxes and a little heavier duty motors.
 
What will this end up being weight wise when complete?
Honestly, I have no idea. I'm guessing about 20-25 pounds. BUT, my solution for carrying it around will be to build a harness that is hidden under my vest that clips to a ring on the main "handle plate." That way, I can give the appearance of carrying her while actually allowing my body to bear the weight... plus, that should allow me to have a free hand or two as needed without having to put Sasha down. :)
 
Honestly, I have no idea. I'm guessing about 20-25 pounds. BUT, my solution for carrying it around will be to build a harness that is hidden under my vest that clips to a ring on the main "handle plate." That way, I can give the appearance of carrying her while actually allowing my body to bear the weight... plus, that should allow me to have a free hand or two as needed without having to put Sasha down. :)

Ooof. I have the game. I should play it. Youve got me interested.
 
This is looking great. I am heading to PCC again this year. I will be the 8ft tall wookiee and would love to see me holding this thing.
 
This is a really cool build, been following along too long without commenting. All-around amazing project, can't wait to see it finished. : )
Always great to see TF2 props/weapons, they have such fun designs. Made a Pyro Backburner out of pvc junk back when I used to go to conventions, only trotted it out once though because it was crazy to get through crowds (5 1/2' from end to end) and the con I went to was not a gaming con so nobody recognized my Pyro costume. Two people... TWO... though I was a ghostbuster. D :

Anyway, fantastic build with so much attention to detail/technical planning. Is this going to be a go-to kind of costume for you for a while?
 
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