It plays lots of things...
The Orville PM-44 pistol build
- Thread starter JOATRASH FX
- Start date
It's been a few days so I just wanted to show a little progress. Need to be in the proper mindset to solder, but I have more of the main wiring attached to components now. Just have to do final assembly.
Here I'm test-fitting the buttons in the little holder piece. (Taking some photos to help folks assemble the kit- that's why one of the buttons is crooked, to show the pins.)
Here I'm test-fitting the buttons in the little holder piece. (Taking some photos to help folks assemble the kit- that's why one of the buttons is crooked, to show the pins.)
Shut up and take my reputation!
Ok, time for another update. Life's been kicking me in the shins lately, and it's hard to solder when you have to keep alternating which foot to stand on, bu here we go. I have soldered together all the components to confirm that everything works as intended, off the breadboard! Hooray!
Here's a video. Please excuse the wiring chaos- there was an error in the first wiring diagram export I got, which meant that some things were connected improperly and I had to go back and cut/splice a lot of wires! But with the (correct) updated diagram, everything got sorted. In the video I was also tinkering with a couple different speakers- funnily enough, the small one (which we chose for the kit) is the one you actually hear due to having a lower Ohm rating. It's not super-loud but there are not many options when there is so little space.
Final functionality is as follows:
Holding the trigger during bootup sets the pistol in 'disco mode'. In this mode, one select button plays the (entire) Orville theme song and the other will play one of about ten different sound bytes in a random order.
Here's a video. Please excuse the wiring chaos- there was an error in the first wiring diagram export I got, which meant that some things were connected improperly and I had to go back and cut/splice a lot of wires! But with the (correct) updated diagram, everything got sorted. In the video I was also tinkering with a couple different speakers- funnily enough, the small one (which we chose for the kit) is the one you actually hear due to having a lower Ohm rating. It's not super-loud but there are not many options when there is so little space.
Final functionality is as follows:
- Startup takes a few seconds and when you hear the 'powering up' sound, you're ready to go.
- It starts in 'stun mode' (purple). the left/right selector switches changes to 'kill' (red) or 'cigarette lighter' (blue).
- Press trigger to fire.
- Pressing the safety turns the led to green and it will blink if you try to fire. You'll hear the little 'click' of the safety engaging.
Holding the trigger during bootup sets the pistol in 'disco mode'. In this mode, one select button plays the (entire) Orville theme song and the other will play one of about ten different sound bytes in a random order.
How soon until payments are needed?
I answered in the run thread too, but probably this week. There are a couple final checks I want to do, then I'll send out the call so we can order the electronics.
Will you be accepting Union Reputation as a form of payment?
Only if you tell me where I can trade it in for an Exploratory Class A ship of my very own!
Very impressive.
I wish I had the spare money to get in on this run.
I wish I had the spare money to get in on this run.
Thanks. : ) And in all sincerity, I wish that too, because I'm having to completely rethink my approach to how I do projects like this.
I did manage to get a little cleanup done on the wiring last night. Next step is mounting everything inside the gun...
In what way? We can discuss this over PM if you want to keep this on track with the build progress.
To be clear, that wasn't a personal comment directed at you- apologies if that's how it came off.
It's no secret that I've been lamenting the lack of follow-through on runs and the currently shifting patterns of the hobby. I know the things I do aren't inexpensive, and my main goal is just being able to keep the status quo, breaking even in the long run, so that I can continue R&Ding new things, but lately it's been a losing battle. I spend I-don't-know-how-many hundreds of hours poring over details and testing things, but it isn't really sustainable. Take the PM-44 for example- if I were making just one for me, I would have just cobbled the innards together... and I might've skipped the electronics, or done something different. I certainly wouldn't have my buddy programming for a couple weeks coding it, when we're already behind in a game we're making!
Take something like the 'button holder' above- for just one copy, I would've jury-rigged the thing, but for others to have a reasonably easy time putting the kit together, I had to put a lot of design time (and test printing) into making it work for multiple copies. Now multiply that for every piece in the kit, and take into account that only about 3 kits are spoken for out of maybe 12-15 'interested'. Add to that, a couple late dropouts that were 'certain' before, even though the thing came in more or less under the predicted cost. All of a sudden, those hundreds of hours (and dollars) spent would've been better put into something else, like playing with my cats, (seriously, they are great), or maybe finishing one of the 'just for me' projects I have been neglecting. It is, of course, my fault for not getting with the times. Folks want cheap kits with 'kinda looks the part' accuracy and 200-300 micron print lines instead of paying double for something that took 20X as long to R&D and is much closer to the real deal. I just have zero interest in making the former. Since I'm not doing it to make a quick buck, I don't wanna half-ass it. I don't want to make stuff that someone can lose at a con and not care. I spent the better part of a year tweaking my K Blade Runner blaster (which is still, if you'll excuse the blatant brag, unmatched in accuracy) so that the details were close to perfect and that it could be built without filler-primers despite being a FDM print. I just barely filled that run, over time.
So right now I'm thinking over how to approach future projects- do I just go back to making a single copy of something for myself and let the chips fall wherever they may (not caring if a potential run would be easy to build), or do I have to do some kind of 'crowd funding' thing before I even start working on an item? (And I've strongly resisted starting something like an etsy shop. It just opens up another can of worms.) I've got a long list of things in s spreadsheet I want to start (or finish) and I need to prioritize.
It feels like a lot of the 'old' RPF guard (folks 1000X more important than me) have disappeared and maybe the changes in the hobby are part of it. The torch is getting heavier to carry.
Now back to our regular scheduled programming...! : )
Close to having a finished model to show off now. Spent much of yesterday putting it together. Made the mistake of using too much wire, and I don't feel like cutting and re-soldering, so I just have to cram it in there! Had a quick test of the electronics 'in place' and can report that it all works pretty well. Will have a video up soon.
In the meantime.... photos.
Damned be all 'as built / factory new' props! I tend to look much too closely at any minor flaw.
Diffuser bezel for the emitter LED glued in place.
Trigger switch glued in place. had to be a little careful with this, so that any misalignment would not affect the trigger movement.
Buttons!
Underside of the button holder. (Note how the wires are drawn- I made space for them so that they would all fit.)
In the meantime.... photos.
Damned be all 'as built / factory new' props! I tend to look much too closely at any minor flaw.
Diffuser bezel for the emitter LED glued in place.
Trigger switch glued in place. had to be a little careful with this, so that any misalignment would not affect the trigger movement.
Buttons!
Underside of the button holder. (Note how the wires are drawn- I made space for them so that they would all fit.)
Looking great!
Bring on the photos and video of the finished prop.
Bring on the photos and video of the finished prop.
What colors did you go with?
I used Alclad "White Aluminum" for the top barrel shroud and buttons, Games Workshop / Citadel "Lead Belcher" (rattle can, now discontinued) for the body and Molotov "Chrome" (through an airbrush) for the emitter. In hindsight I might've gone a tad darker than the Lead Belcher but it's pretty close to what you see in the daylight shots of the gun. Top coat is urethane-based clear from House of Kolor.
In other news... it's ALMOST done. Just a couple small things to take care of, like putting in a fresh battery! So, not much in the way of video today, mainly photos...
Diffuser and RGB LED for the screen glued in place.
As I mentioned earlier, I went overboard with the wires. Could've used a lot less!
I coated the outside of the diffuser with some molotov chrome to help spread the light. It probably wasn't necessary, but I did it just in case. Then I brushed on a high-pigment black acrylic to stop any light from bleeding through the (intentional) gaps/seams in between the parts.
And here she is, with the rubber grips just stuck on (not glued down yet.)
Stun setting!
Aaand here's just a little tease until I get a new battery in there...
Attachments
Looks amazing!!
Dude....
Holy crap, man.......
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