Ok, Bussard Collecting…
Something I really want for this build is later accessibility to the electronics wherever possible.
With that in mind I made some light mods to the Bussard Collector assemblies. I want to loosen the tight fitting parts.
The Light and Motor housing: I used my Dremel to slightly open the hole the motor goes through. It is still a snug fit, but easier to push it through.
The Lighting Back Plate: I lightly filed the outer edge of the back plate so it would also pop in and out much easier.
The Inner Bussard Dome: I took a 2mm drill bit and turned it by hand and raked it like a file in the inner dome shaft to help it remove from the motor easier.
The Outer Bussard Dome: I used a razor saw and cut the rim in three places so it would remove easier.
Now everything still goes snugly together, yet can come back apart without undue force.
I will also be adding more of the same mini-connectors used in the lighting kit to various places (like the motor and round circuit board wiring) to facilitate easier removal.
I will need to remove those little locking tabs on those connectors. They are a bit difficult to detach once locked. They still fit snug and I could always put a band of heat-shrink around them for insurance.
I’m told I save things way to long. Sometimes, it's a good thing.
Last Christmas I received a gift in one of those fancy gift bags. I was looking at it and thought, hmmm…
I cut out a shape to fit the back plate for, what I hope, may offer some colorful reflection.
I sprayed the back plate with a few layers of silver lacquer for light blocking and put the piece on. Since my holes were not perfectly positioned, the paper wrinkled up a bit. But, I think that's good.
I also put a strip of foil tape around the inner edge of the outer dome to block light from the sides.
Here is a look at the assembled Collector. I still like the foil tape on the inner dome. The housing is still the unpainted raw plastic.
I like the overall ‘lights-off’ look. I still have a warped inner dome. I may try an orange-tinted version and see how it looks, too.
The photo does not even closely represent, but here is a lights on (not spinning) shot.
My thoughts on the Bussard effect…
It’s pretty cool, but I do have an issue.
I feel like the colored blinkers are just too small, comparatively dim and focally narrow.
Since the large ‘bulbs’ hang inward, they do cast some light on that foil paper I put in there. Since the colored lights sit directly on top of their shafts, they only cast light straight ahead. None of the colored lights hit the foil.
Since I am making things removable, something I may do later (if not sooner), is make up an alternate back plate that can incorporate ALL large bulbs. Then the colors will be bigger, brighter and reflect like the amber bulbs.
Oh, and due to varied LED heights on the Bussard circuit boards, I had to grind all the bulb shafts down to nubs so they would seat fully, but not so much that they need glue to stay put. They still friction mount.
