UP GRADING MY BUCKET

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Thank you Aaron, if you need or want any help with anything let me know.

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Ok so the fans in the frown didn't work out like I hoped so I took drastic action.

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Once again I took bold action and cut into my bucket! At this point I can hear all of you saying, " this guy is crazy!! And some are saying " Wow how come no one has done this already?" Well in some ways you are right but if I want things I have to make choices and some are a little on the edge. The most important thing is that the choices I make and things I do function well and look good to! So with out further a due here we go!!

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Again I took one of my favorite tools my wood burning tool and rough cut the holes in the vocoder.

I always make the holes smaller than what I want so I can trim them out and sure up the edges.

 

 

 

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In this case the slots I put in the vocoder Don't have to be perfect cause no one will really see them but I did do my best to make them look good!

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I took my Exacto knife and trimmed the edges the best I could.

 

 

 

 

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I took the Fans off the bridge I made to fit in the frown and cut off the foam wedge that was in between them.

 

 

 

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The next step was to make another bridge for the fans to sit on, so I took a piece of acrylic and cut it to size heated It then molded it inside the bucket behind the vocoder.

 

 

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Once I had the shape I traced out the vent slots I wanted the using the wood burning tool I cut the slits.

 

 

 

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When I was done cutting the slots out I took my knife and trimmed off the excess plastic and straightened out the edges. I learned that cutting holes and slots that need to be precise using this method is soooo much easier than trying to cut plastic with just a knife, its faster and much much easier.

 

 

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Now that the bridge is complete I put Velcro on the edges and in the bucket where the bridge will go. The Velcro serves three purposes.

 

1. It secures the bridge in place

2. It helps dissipate vibration

3. It allows for easy removal for service / repair or replacement

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I use industrial Velcro with the sticky back, It works very well just make sure you put it the spot you want it in other wise its very difficult to pull it back off. I attach the other side of the Velcro to the Velcro on the bridge then pull off the tabs to expose the sticky back then place it in the bucket exactly where I want it. I also found this is the best way to make sure that both pieces of Velcro line up with each other.

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The next step is to take a thin piece of foam and glue the two fans together. The foam helps damper vibration and provide a smooth surface to secure the fans together with. I also made sure the wires are on the same side cause I'll be heat shrinking them together for looks.

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Then I took the fans and glued them to the bridge.

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This is the Batt pack that powers my fans, I put heat shrink around the fan wires to bundle them together. I also painted the fan case cause they had silver stickers on them. If you saw my rear trap fan install I left the wires alone I wanted to be able to see the wires inside the traps. It really adds depth to the bucket! It looks like a real life military stormtrooper helmet People will make comments like " I bet you are hot in that helmet!" and " Man I'd hate to be in that on a day like today! " I look at them and say" It's not too bad, I have air conditioning in the helmet." They just look at me lol. I say " Really look!! " Then i bend down and show them my rear traps. They just about wet themselves when they see them lol It really adds that real life 3D effect. I was afraid that if I cut into my bucket it would really screw it up but the opposite effect is true, people really think its cool!!!!

 

 

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Here is the fans installed in the bucket. Its hard to see but its in the green circle.

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Here's a pic without the circle