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Hi Guys, Thanks again for all the positive responses
Finally moved in so I can continue the plasma cannon project, the end of year target is getting very close so I better get some stuff done.
Blue ray drive
Ok so some of you remember that the grip hat a hat switch on it this is going to be replace with a simple momentary switch and that is going to be wired into the Blue ray eject switch.
I removed the base plate of the drive to revel the switch and led circuit and located the pins I needed to solder . and also drilled a small hole to feed the wires through.
A simple positive and negative wire with a 2 pin plug on the end.
Next was to wire up the switch in the grip but first I need to tidy up the grip itself. A Repay to get rid of the button text and to freshen it up.
Next was to re-spray all the Buttons and caps With Brass Paint. Originally i was going to replace theses with brass plates but due to the ones in the grip being a very unusual shape i changed my mind.
The Trigger I wanted to bulk up a big so i cut 2 tiny insets and fitted them as well as soldering in the trigger switch
The 4 way directional hat switch has been replace with a single momentary switch for the blue ray eject .
next Task was to Glue in the side buttons as these are just aesthetic (no need to have theses as functional buttons)
Time to put it back together
Looking smart and stable with its metal support frame inside
Now to Bring the two parts together i put a single 2 pin socket between them just encase I needed to separate them later and makes it a lot easier to assemble later.
Was about time I tested out some of the lighting for the side panels So I drilled several 5mm holes into the frosted red panels just touching the aluminum the other side. and wired up a single LED with a inline resistor.
With a simple 9v batter it's a quick test. The results were OK I may have to increase the amount of LED's to get a even flow of light. and find some way of blocking some of the white light that's escaping from the LED.
Also did a quick board with connectors to allow the side panel to be easily removed
Next was to get the case ready for painting/protective coat So first was the barrel Strip down and sanded down to as smooth as i could get it. I am still a little unsure if I should just put a protective coat directly onto the aluminum or paint it first...
Next was the side panels and all the other Pieces that required cleaning
This may surprise some I think I'm going to try the sides and belly of the case being polished aluminum. Though may plan is still to create a battle warn effect so this polish isn't going to be perfect not by a long shot.
So first ran a angle grinder over with a quick white block polish (I stopped near the end so you could see the difference) and also a shot of my new workshop
Then I went over it again in a blue compound polish but as you can see not a perfect finish. I Hope this is a good choice!
Paint
Been dreading this part as I have little Painting experience but here goes. My choice of color is candy deep red from Kustom Cans (paints)
After covering my work bench with a old cloth I found a scrap piece of metal and gave the colour a try.
Not too bad, please forgive the scratches and dust I didn't bother preparing this metal it was straight out of the scrap bin.
Cleaning down All the Parts with a 99% alcohol cleaner
Ok so after my Dexter style temporary spray booth to try and prevent any dust partials setting into the panels while there drying was made I applied the base coat.
After a few main coats I got the colour I wanted Though i fear i may of messed up on one part and may have to redo it. As this was only sprayed today I am not going to dare move them as there still wet so theses shots will have to do for now.
Much more still to come!