RussRep Baker Sonic SOUND conversion build thread

[kristen jones]

Hey all...
So having recently purchased a STELLAR Baker Sonic from RussRep, I have set about working out how to make it BUZZ and WHIRR, as it ought to do!
So I took a dremel to my CO Baker toy, and away i went...!
First, a look at an exploded (NO, not literally! ) RussRep Baker Sonic:



Here's what i kept of the CO toy:



This is roughly where it will sit and be laid out inside:



Looking down from the top of the sonic body, there is this "base" which the central shaft threads into to hold the upper and lower bodies together. The momentary switch which is used in the CO toy will sit here, above the base. The prongs on the bottom of it (after being wrapped in shrink tubing) should allow a press fit into one of those kidney bean shaped slots in the base, and the yellow wires will pass down through to connect to the battery box/PCM/Speaker assembly below...



The momentary switch will be repositioned to work horizontally, as opposed to the vertical position it held in the CO toy. The upper body, as it retracts downward will push the rocker on the momentary switch down while still allowing more downward movement after the sound is engaged.

Here is roughly how they will come together:



Here's that Battery Box/PCM/Speaker assembly:



I cut off all of the excess surrounding plastic from the toy, but left enough to insulate the batteries from the surrounding body that they will be slipped inside of. I then hot glued the speaker to the bottom of the assembly so that it will point down toward the bottom endcap of the sonic, and the sound will emanate out through the diagonal slot in the body.





I still have to figure out how best to lengthen the yellow wires to the switch so that I can remove the assembly to replace batteries when needed. i may put quick disconnects on those two leads for that purpose. I also need to disconnect the switch in order to pass the wires through the body, so that will get done when I work out how to solder everything (since one of my speaker wires is damaged too and needs to be re-attached to the PCM)

I'll keep you all updated!

 

[Terrasolo]

That was the part that I was unsure about, mainly because I haven't tried to dismantle my CO Baker yet, the switch. I'll be trying this soon enough myself so I'll be watching your progress. Thanks for sharing.

 

[kristen jones]

No problem!

I'm sure others have dismantled their toys without damage, but I couldn't... try as I might. It got so hacked up that i just decided to take the dremel to it and cut out the parts I wanted to save.

If you do that, just be more conservative and careful than I was! I nicked a speaker wire (not a big deal) but it could have been much worse. I used one of the dremel cutoff wheels and just sliced away things i didn't need.

I started though by trying to pry the toy apart at it's seam... which isn't easy as it's all glued together. Once I got the endcap off and got the side with the battery/PCM assembly free, then I cut into the rest of the body to get at the switch in the shaft.

Just take your time and you'll get it all out of there. then you can start whitling down the assembly casing till it fits in your RussRep sonic. The width of the PCM board is just perfect for it to sit inside and not wiggle around.

K.

 

[Terrasolo]

I should have some time to play around with this soon. My main concern was if the switch would work for the metal replica. Knowing how the CO toy for Eleven was put together I wondered how they achieved the activation. I don't have a soldering iron myself but I have a friend who can help with that.

 

[kristen jones]

i need to find myself one of those friends!!! The soldering bit is the only thing stopping me putting it all together for a test run.

K.

 

[Michael Bergeron]

i need to find myself one of those friends!!! The soldering bit is the only thing stopping me putting it all together for a test run.

K.

Time for $15 and a trip to your local electronics shop! Once you start playing with electronics it's all you'll want to do. Fun stuff!

I may have to do one of these conversions myself.

 

[kristen jones]

The problem is that we haven't got an electronics shop near here any longer. there used to be a Shand Electronics... but that's long gone now.

I will have to see what's available more towards the Detroit Metro area

K.

 

[greatwazoo42]

Looking good so far!

 

[kristen jones]

Thanks! It really is just down to my figuring out how to/who to solder the wires. The rest is all set i think.

I'm considering making a black insert to hide the guts showing through the diagonal slot. But then I'd have to put holes in in to let the sound out. Maybe a bit of screening or something... just to hide the sight of the assembly inside.

K.

 

[NakedMoleRat]

Beautiful! I don't think my Russ 4th sonic is from the same run as yours! Mine does not break down like that.

 

[Usagi Pilgrim]

I got my soldering iron from Walmart. They're with the electrical outlets & light switches in the hardware section.

I was thinking, a small square of black fabric would hide the guts nicely.

 

[greatwazoo42]

Agreed. Black fabric and experiment with aiming the speaker so you get the best possible sound. Sometimes straight out the aperture doesn't sound as good as reflecting it off the back wall, bottom or even up at the moving internals. You may be able to get slight variation in the sound because of the changing interior dimensions if you play the set up right.

 

[Slave1]

I remember that sonic well, and mine, like yours, didn't come with sound either. I actually just finished my Rassalon version and was just thinking the toy guts wouldn't be that hard to insert.

Thanks for the inspiration! I might get around to this thing yet.

 

[kristen jones]

Well I've got my soldering problem sorted! My best friend's boyfriend can totally solder it all for me. I only wish I'd known that before I drove to their house this evening... I' have taken the project with me.:facepalm

Fabric is a good idea... and it will not take up much space at all. I'll just have to work out how to attach it to the sidewall.

nakedmolerat... hmmm, your's doesn't have the base inside the lower body like mine? I'd be interested to see what yours looks like broken down for comparison.

 

[mobius303]

You do not need to put holes in the cloth or plastic to let the sound it. It is directed out the bottom where the middle attaches.
The piece you have looks like the sound run that Russ did. He uses a magnet to have the sound activate when the middle section is slid down.
He used a thin piece of black plastic to cover the slit in the bottom section.
I do not know if you can modify the sound module you have like this one is but it is a definite possibility.
Mobius

 

[kristen jones]

Hmmmm.... a magnet? How does that function in place of the momentary switch I wonder? does one solder a wire to each side of the magnet, or...?

I'm really not being silly... I just don't understand how it works. But it's an interesting idea and may work better than my momentary switch if you can explain more about the setup Russ used.

K.

 

[markquested]

Here you go, Terrasolo... I started a build thread:

http://www.therpf.com/f9/russrep-baker-sonic-sound-conversion-build-thread-201350/#post3130826

Anybody else who has done this or will do it PLEASE chime in and help

Some of the CO toys, including the 4th Dr Sonic Screwdriver, were designed by UK prop builder, Purple Blancmange. He may be able to offer tips. Although I am not sure how great his involvement was in the electronics.

PurpleBlancmange

 

[Terrasolo]

Russ didn't use a magnet, it was a large round washer that would stop his activation pins from poking holes in the speakers. The magnet was the speaker itself which would attract the washer to it. Art the bottom of his speaker module was a spring surrounded by foam. When you depress the collar the two pins press on the washer which pushes the speaker assembly down and allows the spring to push past the foam and make a connection with the battery. Basically this won't help your build at all since you have the actuation switch and no pins. So finding a way to run those wires and mount the switch in the upper half of the handle makes the most sense.

 

[kristen jones]

I'm starting to get this all in my head, now.

Russ also confirmed for me that the sound versions that he made were different inside than the one I have, and it sounds like his module was drastically different to the one I'm using.

No matter... this should work out just fine. The *only* thing that I'm unsure of is exactly how well the switch will fit where I plan to put it. I hadn't been able to test the fit before as I'd have needed to disconnect the wires from the PCM to do it and I was reluctant to do that till I knew how I was going to re-connect them! But now that I've got that problem taken care of... Allons-Y!

K.

 

[13doctorwho]

I just want to say, you are my hero. A woman who is modifying her own Sonic Screwdriver prop!!! And with her own dremel tool. It's nice to see other people as obsessed about the (classic) Sonic Screwdriver as am.

About the magnet idea, you would need a reed switch that would be wired like a normal switch. When the magnet gets close to the reed switch it turns on, when the magnet moves away the switch turns off. The reed switch would need to be mount so it didn't move. They tend to be glass, so if you dropped the sonic screwdriver the switch could break. The magnet/reed was used to make the Star Trek The Next Generation tricorder turn on when it opened.

Keep up the good work!!!