Cracking Open the MR Falcon to fix front LED. SEE POST #16 AND #17... IT'S THE BASE.

Re: Cracking Open the MR Falcon to fix front LED. SEE POST #16 AND #17... IT'S THE B

S U C C E S S !!!!!
I am back in action!!!

Both front LEDs are now working!

Here's what I did:

I found (among my ridiculous collection of useless old power adapters) an adapter rated for 10V. (The factory one packaged with the Falcon was 9V). I plugged it in and sure enough, both lights worked! But I was nervous about using more voltage than the one that came with it, so I quickly unplugged it. Resolving to go to Radio Shack with some questions, I plugged back in the original adapter, and lo and behold, they are now both working, just as they used to, with the original adapter!!

I have no idea why this worked. Maybe the extra voltage was enough to give it a little kick in the butt.

I am so excited to have this beautiful, centerpiece collectible finally restored to its original condition.

Re: Cracking Open the MR Falcon to fix front LED. SEE POST #16 AND #17... IT'S THE B

Very happy for you!

=)

Re: Cracking Open the MR Falcon to fix front LED. SEE POST #16 AND #17... IT'S THE B

Been reading this fascinating thread. JV stopped posting suddenly almost 2 years ago. I wonder whatever happened with his Falcon...

Inside a Master Replicas Millennium Falcon Mirror Base

After numerous other threads about the topic of the MR Falcon mandible light failing, I determined that the problem was not inside the Falcon, but in the base. Since many tests including a 9 volt battery and having replaced the switch on the base, I think the problem was always in the cheap switch not channeling the power correctly. I replaced the switch, and was going to try and resolder the male jack to the pylon since it had originally torn but since the remaining wires in the base were so short, the base needed to be torn apart so I could get to that wire. Well, long story short, and 6 hours with a heat gun and chisel, I got into the base. But the acrylic mirror was sacrificed. This is what the inside of the base looks like:



And here's a template for the mirrored acrylic I need to have cut to size to replace.



Good news is... all lights in the Falcon once again work with the new switch on the base that I replaced the old one with.

That mirror though had an adhesive tape adhering it to the wooden base that was obviously never designed with any consideration of access for service in the event of wiring or other power failures (although they did the same with the Falcon, at least the mirror base was less of a sacrifice than cracking IT open aside from the front mandible I already figured out how to remove to test the LED in the beginning.)

Someone else posted earlier today that using a 10v power source sent a little extra charge through their base that somehow got their Falcon's light working again until switching back to their 9v adapter.

With that in mind and my experience with the original crap switch, I would suggest to anyone who is having the problem with theirs try getting a replacement switch for the base. Since the old one was always loose, it may solve the problem for the reasons stated above. It's easy to pull out with enough wire slack that you can take the old switch to a Radio Shack and find one the same size that's reliable.

Now I gotta find a supplier that can laser cut me a new piece of mirrored acrylic to my template size with pylon hole and everything will be back to normal with this.

Re: Cracking Open the MR Falcon to fix front LED. SEE POST #16 AND #17... IT'S THE B

Proper said:

Been reading this fascinating thread. JV stopped posting suddenly almost 2 years ago. I wonder whatever happened with his Falcon...

Click to expand...

I gave up when I couldn't pull up enough wire up from the pylon to resolder to the male power jack when it had torn after using the advice of the MR rep to "rotate the Falcon" or play with adjusting the phono jack or the spring. Then B26354 posted and got me motivated to try again. Here are the results:

http://www.therpf.com/f10/inside-master-replicas-millennium-falcon-mirror-base-108751/

Tests this early AM with the power cord from the base into my Falcon powered all the lights. Now I need a new acrylic mirror replacement to restore the base so everything's back to normal.

JV

Re: Inside a Master Replicas Millennium Falcon Mirror Base

jvasilatos said:

Now I gotta find a supplier that can laser cut me a new piece of mirrored acrylic to my template size with pylon hole and everything will be back to normal with this.

Click to expand...

jvasilatos,

You don't really need a laser cutter. I worked in a Plastic Fab company and we used this Acrylic Mirror all the time. Just take your base to an Acrylic supplier who custom fabricates and have them cut a new piece to fit for your base. Make sure you take the base with you and have them cut to fit it.....leaving them a pattern will only void any fault on their own if the mirror doesn't fit right. I'm not sure if a laser cutter would be cheaper but you can always get an estimate before choosing.

Re: Inside a Master Replicas Millennium Falcon Mirror Base

Wouldn't they need a laser to cut that pylon hole in the middle cleanly?

I'm corresponding with this one shop in town that told me they can't sell me a piece in the size I need cut out of a larger sheet so I said I'd buy the large sheet and just discard the rest after they cut the size I needed, pretty simple, some places act like they don't want the business!

Re: Inside a Master Replicas Millennium Falcon Mirror Base

jvasilatos said:

Wouldn't they need a laser to cut that pylon hole in the middle cleanly?

I'm corresponding with this one shop in town that told me they can't sell me a piece in the size I need cut out of a larger sheet so I said I'd buy the large sheet and just discard the rest after they cut the size I needed, pretty simple, some places act like they don't want the business!

Click to expand...

You find that all the time. I needed a knife blank cut for my dad and a local shop that cuts metal wouldn't cut a quick pattern out and i was willing to pay pretty good. Tree cutters are another group. So far i've seen nothing but issues with the MR Falcon, are all their items this glitchy?

Re: Inside a Master Replicas Millennium Falcon Mirror Base

JV, now that you've gone where (almost) no man has gone before, do you have any further insight on the mounting post?

I ask, because I've always been interested in remounting my bird with a level posture. I've only seen one MR MF done this way - Chris King's.

Re: Inside a Master Replicas Millennium Falcon Mirror Base

jvasilatos said:

Wouldn't they need a laser to cut that pylon hole in the middle cleanly?

Click to expand...

This is why I'm telling you to take your pattern AND base BOTH with you and leave them at the shop to have it cut.....if they drill the hole wrong its their screw-up and their problem to get it right. If you just hand them a pattern and they use it to make your piece it may not fit perfect and your out the money to have it done over.....trust me on this. Just make sure you specify the size hole you want drilled so they don't drill something bigger that won't look good. Also you might want to think about making this mirror removable instead of glued in for maintenance purposes. Maybe some countersunk screws in the corners with the heads painted white to help hide them. If you don't like the screw idea then perhaps using an adhesive that isn't permanet but holds. Several things i can think of is double sided tape, or a few dots of silicone adhesive in the corners and in the center then weighted or clamped down till the silicone sets. This way if need be you can yank it out of there without damaging the mirror so it can be reused.

Re: Inside a Master Replicas Millennium Falcon Mirror Base

I agree, I'd take the base to the company and let them fit the mirror themselves.....so no screwups. Make sure to have the post installed and they can't screw it up.

Dave

How difficult to get to the switch to replace without touching that mirror?

Re: Inside a Master Replicas Millennium Falcon Mirror Base

I belive mine is the plug socket rather than the switch. Mine would flicker on and off when you wiggled the plug. No idea how to replace the plug as I don't know how they got it in there.

Re: Inside a Master Replicas Millennium Falcon Mirror Base

JV, could you take a photo up close to the plug/switch area while the mirror is off? Maybe that will tell me how to fix it.

Re: Inside a Master Replicas Millennium Falcon Mirror Base

TymerDC said:

This is why I'm telling you to take your pattern AND base BOTH with you and leave them at the shop to have it cut.....if they drill the hole wrong its their screw-up and their problem to get it right. If you just hand them a pattern and they use it to make your piece it may not fit perfect and your out the money to have it done over.....trust me on this. Just make sure you specify the size hole you want drilled so they don't drill something bigger that won't look good. Also you might want to think about making this mirror removable instead of glued in for maintenance purposes. Maybe some countersunk screws in the corners with the heads painted white to help hide them. If you don't like the screw idea then perhaps using an adhesive that isn't permanet but holds. Several things i can think of is double sided tape, or a few dots of silicone adhesive in the corners and in the center then weighted or clamped down till the silicone sets. This way if need be you can yank it out of there without damaging the mirror so it can be reused.

Click to expand...

Okay thanks for the advice I found one and dropped the base off today for them to custom cut and replace the mirror for $90 with labor. And I wasn't planning on regluing it to the top, it will be fine just laying flat on the base and removable so that this crap doesn't happen again trying to fix a loose connection.

Re: Inside a Master Replicas Millennium Falcon Mirror Base

PHArchivist said:

JV, now that you've gone where (almost) no man has gone before, do you have any further insight on the mounting post?

I ask, because I've always been interested in remounting my bird with a level posture. I've only seen one MR MF done this way - Chris King's.

Click to expand...

I don't know how Chris remounted his with a level posture as the mounting point inside the Falcon is angled do you have pictures of his setup, have you ever asked him? I'd be surprised if he didn't explain how he managed to mount his level because I don't know what one could do to this base and the vertical pylon since the underside of the Falcon has an angled entry point.

Re: Inside a Master Replicas Millennium Falcon Mirror Base

vaderdarth said:

JV, could you take a photo up close to the plug/switch area while the mirror is off? Maybe that will tell me how to fix it.

Click to expand...

I'll take a picture when I get the base back from the acrylic shop.

Re: Inside a Master Replicas Millennium Falcon Mirror Base

jvasilatos said:

Okay thanks for the advice I found one and dropped the base off today for them to custom cut and replace the mirror for $90 with labor. And I wasn't planning on regluing it to the top, it will be fine just laying flat on the base and removable so that this crap doesn't happen again trying to fix a loose connection.

Click to expand...

jvasilatos,

If your going to just lay it on top with no adhesive then go down to the hardware store and get a jar of clear "Museum Gel" or other names it goes by are Museum Wax, Quake Hold or Museum Putty. You just take a dime size bit of this clear putty-like stuff round it into a ball and place it near the corners where the mirror will sit then press down. It holds well but you can pull it up if need be with no damage to the base or acrylic mirror and it removes cleanly. Helps keep the mirror from rising up in the corners or shifting. If you were nearby I would just give you some but your too far away. This is just a suggestion as every application doesn't always work and depends on what surface your using the putty on and it works best on smooth non-porous surfaces and not well on porous surfaces like bare wood and such. You might give it a shot if you think you could use it.

Re: Inside a Master Replicas Millennium Falcon Mirror Base

jvasilatos said:

Okay thanks for the advice I found one and dropped the base off today for them to custom cut and replace the mirror for $90 with labor. And I wasn't planning on regluing it to the top, it will be fine just laying flat on the base and removable so that this crap doesn't happen again trying to fix a loose connection.

Click to expand...

You'll be fine without the adhesive. It looks like the base has a bit of an inset to hold the acrylic in place, but even if it doesn't you'll be fine. I had a custom case made for my eFX Xwing with a black base and then had them make me a piece of mirrored acrylic to place on top so I'd have the option of having it black or mirrored. The properties of the acrylics causes them to attract each other and as long as I don't start tilting the base at sharp angles the mirrored piece isn't going anywhere.

Falcon Finis...

MR Falcon Mandible Light Restored.




Related:

http://www.therpf.com/f10/cracking-open-mr-falcon-fix-front-led-see-post-16-17-its-base-60946/

Re: Cracking Open the MR Falcon to fix front LED. SEE POST #16 AND #17... IT'S THE B

Back to normal without any flickering power or mandible light issues.