Exploring the inside of the Rangefinder (possible found part alert!)

The thickness is the same and the best way to verify this is to check out the C-IV images for the ESB (the front corner of the perspex block is hanging out a bit) and the Heilman images for the ROTJ (the perspex block is also hanging out from the RF casing), the only major difference is the front cut angle (around 50 degree for ESB and 64 degree for the ROTJ), the lamp channel diameter and length (?) and the triangle is a bit bigger on the ROTJ (with 0.5mm), but again these are not set in stone and further research might change these values.

View attachment 66862 View attachment 66863

I can't verify that the perspex are the same or different in thickness, but will say that they are clearly hand cut so there are differences.

Also, I think it is highly unlikely that the drill holes or drain of wheat bulbs would be different from helmet to helmet. There might be slight variances in the perxpex, but I would tend to believe those aspects are the same.
 
This is much more accurate, although the metal is not foil. It is actually a surprisingly rigid little piece of metal.

The aluminum foil was just a wild guess. So, a 0.5mm thick metal sheet is more accurate.

No, the wires aren't what hold the perspex in. The perspex is primarily held in place via pressure from the sidewalls of the rangefinder top. The doublesided tape helps support it, but the pressure is the primary thing that hold it in place.

The grain of wheat bulbs are a good fit into the holes in the perspex, but aren't a tight fit. The wires are actually pretty strong and I suppose they could provide some support, but again, the true support is coming from the rangefinder body itself.

I agree that the perspex block is (was) hold in place by the tight space with the RF casing, but also partially by the double sided adhesive tape and a bit from the GoW wires. But mainly the RF casing.

I can't verify that the perspex are the same or different in thickness, but will say that they are clearly hand cut so there are differences.

Also, I think it is highly unlikely that the drill holes or drain of wheat bulbs would be different from helmet to helmet. There might be slight variances in the perxpex, but I would tend to believe those aspects are the same.

I did some comparison images between the 6 rangefinders (the Sandy was the hardest in lack of reference images) and there are only 2 types of perspex body shapes used: the ESB style is (was) present on the Supertrooper/Pre-Pro #1 RF, while the ROTJ style is (was) present on the Pre-Pro #2, Pre-Pro #3 and Sandy helmets. It is possible that Brian Archer used a 12mm thick Perspex sheet (we can see a piece of Perspex in front of his table) and the only difference in style is the cut angle in the front and the triangle part cut at 45 degree but with slight differences (around 0.5mm or more). And I agree that is hard to say for sure the diameter of the GoW channels, but the ROTJ style looks a bit thinner than the ESB.
 
And I'm guessing the slightly angled in front side of the RF housing ( where as the back side of the housing is square to the top ) provides that grip from a bit of 'flex' in the housing material?
 
You may find the discrepancies in the three holes diameters may be caused by the drilling process. Too fast and not clearing out the Perspex swarf can result in a slightly larger bore...
 
And I'm guessing the slightly angled in front side of the RF housing ( where as the back side of the housing is square to the top ) provides that grip from a bit of 'flex' in the housing material?

It seems that the slight angle inward is also part of the 'grip'.

You may find the discrepancies in the three holes diameters may be caused by the drilling process. Too fast and not clearing out the Perspex swarf can result in a slightly larger bore...

You have to know better because you have worked with the actual material, so anything is possible. Whatever diameter you chose, I think is OK as long the GoW lamp fits that channel.
 
You may find the discrepancies in the three holes diameters may be caused by the drilling process. Too fast and not clearing out the Perspex swarf can result in a slightly larger bore...

Certainly there may be slight discrepancies (like the obvious discrepancies in the length of each hole), but I don't think there is enough of a difference to account for a different grain of wheat bulb being used.
 
Also, the grain of wheat bulbs are much longer than anything that has been posted so far. I did a quick google search and couldn't find any that directly matched the originals in overall shape.
 
This thread is a perfect example of what a forum should be; everyone working together to get the most accurate information. Art, thanks for starting this thing and allowing noobs like me to be a part of it.
 
Also, the grain of wheat bulbs are much longer than anything that has been posted so far. I did a quick google search and couldn't find any that directly matched the originals in overall shape.

I thought about longer lamps too (because of the ROTJ setup), but I couldn't find a GoW lamp with a length of 6mm or so and a 1-2mm diameter. If my ROTJ measurements are correct, than it has a GoW lamp with a 1-1.5mm diameter and the length is around 7-8mm, and this is a given lenght by the green wires inside the Perspex block channels.

ROTJ GoW Lamp.jpg

I would say 0.4mm... ;)

Then it is 0.4mm! Thanks for your support!
 
Using the image that Art posted as a guide (with some liberty, because I don't know that lamp's exact measurements) and also the image with the lit lamps inside the Perspex block (Slave I cockpit scene) I managed to get a fair value for the lamp's length, somewhere between 9-10mm:

ESB GoW Lamp.jpg

But sadly I couldn't find something that is close to the one Art posted and in lack of the 'correct' GoW lamps we should stick to the available lamps on the net.
 
It is a little confusing based on the fact that the glass tube has a bit of a tail, but I would say 8mm X 2mm is pretty darn close. If you count the little tail piece of the glass you would be close to 9mm.
 
It is a little confusing based on the fact that the glass tube has a bit of a tail, but I would say 8mm X 2mm is pretty darn close. If you count the little tail piece of the glass you would be close to 9mm.

Yeah, I noticed the tail and my measurement included that part too. Thanks for clarifying the correct values!
 
Lights... Lights?

...Christmas lights!

Christmas Lights 01.jpg Christmas Lights 06.jpg Christmas Lights 05.jpg

This is a 4mm diameter and 10mm long light bulb used for Christmas light installation. The light bulb gets its power from a AC/DC adapter with adjustable values from 3V to 12V and the current value is set to 12V.

Christmas Lights 02.jpg Christmas Lights 03.jpg Christmas Lights 04.jpg

The RF casing is made from 2mm cardboard (an older work of mine) and the lamps are fitted with double sided adhesive tape (I know, I will need it at one point). The wires are temporarily attached between them in the following manner: the first wire of the first lamp is left open, then the other wire is twisted with the first wire of the second lamp (it doesn't matter which wire), then the second wire of the second lamp is twisted with the first wire of the third lamp and the other wire is left open to be later attached to the power source (in this case the AC/DC adapter).
The bulbs are powered with 12V and the intensity is not as good as the single bulb had but might work with a real Perspex block. I know these are wrong bulbs, but are a cheap variant and I wanted to see and post a first test of these lights.

Thoughts?
 
Came across some 2mm x 6.5mm dolls house lights, I think used for candles, not sure if they flicker or not though!

It is possible that these small lights to not work too well, and when I say small, I'm referring to the length not being long enough. I did a test 'Perspex block' by sandwiching 6 piece of transparent PVC sheets with a 1.5mm thickness, but not before I cut 3 stripes in 2 of the 6 sheets, so when I put all the sheets together, these cuts formed a channel for the Christmas lights (or GoW lights). I also found a 3mm diameter and 7mm long lamp on another Xmas light installation. And I forget to mention that you need to scratch off the paint on the lamp bulb with a cutter or hobby knife, so you will have your own transparent lamp.

Christmas Lights 07.jpg

The RF casing this time is my new version 'painted' with a black marker while the reflector material is a piece of baking aluminum foil.

Christmas Lights 08.jpg

I did some testing at 12V with the 'new' lights by first pushing the lights deep into the block and then I positioned the lights at the opening of the channels. The viewfinder is also a scratch build piece.

Christmas Lights 09.jpg Christmas Lights 10.jpg

Christmas Lights 11.jpg Christmas Lights 12.jpg

The result is not what I was expecting. But I said to myself that I need to try it with a lower voltage, so I did it with 3V then with 4.5V:

Christmas Lights 13.jpg Christmas Lights 17.jpg

Christmas Lights 14.jpg Christmas Lights 16.jpg

Kind of disappointing... We definitely need those longer lamps (2mm X 10mm) to replicate the long light seen inside the ESB Rangefinder in the Slave I cockpit scene. The hunt continues...
 
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