Pip-Boy 3000 Build-up (pic heavy)

Now that people have made pip boys..when are we gonna see a Pimp-boy 3 billion?

Funny you mention that... I plan on making one of those for my wife using one of my casts, actually. I'm not going to re-do a new mold so it says Pimp-Boy, but some gold paint and rhinestones are definitely going to be utilized :lol
 
I've been thinking about what a good alternative to the LED backlights would be since the screen I used is no longer made. During my last run someone suggested using an EL sheet. I've finally had a chance to order some parts to play around with and I wanted to share my results.

Here's the setup - it's a 9V battery that goes to the inverter. The EL sheet I got was not a match for the inverters output clip, but it was easy enough to solder in some wire and attach a pair of alligator clips for easy testing. Installed in a Pip-Boy I would just solder the wires directly to the EL sheet, though. In this pic the EL sheet is illuminated, though that it hard to tell with the flash. The off-state color is pink.
DSC_4742.jpg


Here's what it looks like in a dark room with the screen print on top of it and a 1 second shutter delay:
DSC_4744.jpg


That works pretty well, but since the EL sheet glows blueish white, it's not quite the right color. So I decided to try it with a piece of my green lighting gel:
DSC_4746.jpg


and with the screen print:
DSC_4747.jpg


Success! The only problem is that I'm not thrilled with the light output from the EL sheet. It is just not as bright as the LEDs. It looks OK in the photos, but I think a lot of that is due to the long shutter speed I used. In a totally dark room, you can definitely tell that it's illuminated but I wouldn't call it very bright. Here's another look with a shorter shutter:
DSC_4749.jpg


Here's a pro and con breakdown.
Pros:
1) Vastly easier than building your own LED backlight using LEDs and a piece of plexi-glass (my original alternative to my LED backlight)
2) Even lighting across the entire screen - no LED bright spots
3) Easier to incorporate into a lights & sounds option: 1 9V for the EL sheet, another for the sound amp. From either of those it would be easy to also sequence in the yellow LED at the bottom.
4) The EL sheet can be trimmed to fit the inside of the Pip-Boy easily using a pair of scissors making it really easy to install.
5) Potentially easier to fit into the Pip-Boy without taking up as much space. The sheet is much thinner than the plexi, but the inverter does take up some space. The inverter is the smallest I could find and is still fairly sizable when compared with the total space available for electronics; however there are a lot fewer wires and potential loose connections than soldering a bunch of LEDs together, so it's mostly a toss up. I *think* the inverter case could be removed to free up some room, but I've been hesitant to try that at the risk of breaking it.

Cons:
1) Luminosity. It's not as bright as I'd hoped, but that could be due to my using a 7.2V rechargeable and not a full 9V.
2) Cost. The sheet and the inverter are a good 4x more expensive than the plexi and the 4 LEDs to build your own backlight.

In my opinion, the EL sheet is the better option. It still lights up, and is easier and better in a lot of respects. It is a LOT less time consuming in the scope of the overall build, and for that reason I think it's worth it.
 
Brendmar... oooh, that looks nice. Not sure if it would fit, but it looks possible and the price isn't bad at all!

now that i think about it. (grabs a tape measure) .... A psp screen would fit that area nice...without the shell of course but meh. im gonna look arround and see if the buttons can easilly be....relocated. wish me luck.
 
now that i think about it. (grabs a tape measure) .... A psp screen would fit that area nice...without the shell of course but meh. im gonna look arround and see if the buttons can easilly be....relocated. wish me luck.
Interesting... It might be possible to find somebody who'd do a custom Pip-Boy theme for PSPs. That would be the ideal situation -- a prop that actually works!

I see some of the older PSPs going for $75-$100 on eBay -- pricey, but well within reason for a prop of this magnitude!
 
Two questions: 1) is there a video of the Pip-Boy 3000 kit "in action" and 2) will there be a third run? (I hope so!)

Thanks!
 
Two questions: 1) is there a video of the Pip-Boy 3000 kit "in action" and 2) will there be a third run? (I hope so!)

Thanks!

1) No, but I should probably get around to making one :). At the moment a wire is loose from my sound amp, so the "radio" isn't working very well. It will probably be a while before I can strip it out and replace it, or I'll just build a new Pip-boy.

2) There will be a 3rd run, but I'm exhausted after this recently past one. It's an incredibly time consuming process to re-make the mold (which is pretty much necessary after each run since the fine details wear out somewhat quickly), cast the pieces, order the parts, track everything, pack each order for shipment, and all of that in addition to all the other admin stuff that goes into each run... basically it eats up most of my spare time. Heck, I haven't even had a chance to finish New Vegas yet! :cry

So I'm going to be selfish and take some me time for a bit to work on a few projects that I've been putting off :). I'll add you to my waiting list/interest list for Run #3, though, and will PM you once I am geared up for that. It should be sometime in the late spring or early summer.
 
I'm with Warpig on that. I've been broke during the first and second run. Have some ready for tax refund season and I think you will have no trouble selling them. :thumbsup
 
indymogul just posted this sounds like its one of your casts mate

YouTube - Fallout Props: Pip-Boy 3000 : DIY

AWESOME! Thanks for that link!!
Yeah, that is one of my kits, alright. He got one of the B grades from my first run. I knew he wanted to use it for a fan film - I'm psyched that he got it done and made what looks to be an entertaining film!

On a side note, since this thread is one of the top google results for pip-boy resin, pip-boy prop, or pip-boy replica I get a fair number of PMs from people who are interested in getting one and who found the RPF through this thread. A lot of them have stuck around the forum to see all of the other good things there are to see, which is a big win in my book!
 
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"A replica prop forum" ?! :rolleyes

Well, I hate to say this and make things a bit worse, but if you think about it, there are others. And though "the" is a part of the website address, the banner and links of the forum states, simple, "Replica Prop Forum."
 
so while reading this thread I noted that people were using their Iphones or Ipod touches with PB3K kits. I was wondering how do they use them? Do they just download a screen cap of the PB3K screen and add it as a picture and just use that??
 
Wow, can't believe I missed this! Amazing work, I love Fallout and I keep searching high and low for decent replicas. Will be looking out for your next run!
 
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