Jimmy BufFETT
Well-Known Hunter
This question has been popping up fairly often, but I don't know how many tutorials there are for this (if any.) Well, Laan recently asked me to rig up his Hyperdyne remote controlled servo to his helmet. So, I thought I'd post a tutorial of ONE way to rig it up if anyone ever decides to do this or do something similar. Here are the items I used:
1) Hyperdyne Bounty Hunter Servo Controller
2) Hollow rangefinder stalk by terminal fettler.
Here is the inside of the helmet with the most of the kit (less the servo) installed:
Right off the bat, I will note the switch right below the batteries is the power on/off switch. I put it there for easy access while wearing the helmet. I also taped the wires down so they won't catch on anything.
The chip at the far left is the servo controller board, and next to it is the transmitter / receiver board. I just used a small amount of hot glue in each corner to hold each board to the helmet. It works really well as it will take a lot of effort to remove a board. I used industrial strength velcro to hold the batteries in place.
A couple of notes about the servo controller board:
The switch there is NOT an on/off switch! It's a "manual/automatic" switch. Positioned to the right like pictured is "automatic" mode meaning the rangefinder will go up and down with just the push of the remote button. Positioned left is "manual" mode meaning the rangefinder will move only when the remote button is HELD down.
Secondly, note the three prongs next to the switch. The servo plugs into that, but note which way:
The black wire is towards the side of the chip, and the yellow wire is towards the center.
Next step is to rig the servo to the stalk. TF's stalk comes with a screw at the end. The key is to secure the screw to one of the pieces that comes with the rangefinder like so:
There is one critical thing here: make sure the screw is centered up!!! I found it is easy to do this first by using some superglue so the screw can be moved around and then set. Once it is set, use some JB Weld to secure the two parts (let it dry overnight.) Yes, this bond is strong enough:
This piece easily attaches to the servo:
And here is how the piece will attach to the stalk:
Yes, it just screws in. I recommend using medium strength Lock Tight threadlocker (blue.) Medium strength will produce a strong bond, but not to the point where it will be impossible to loosen should it ever need to be loosened.
The last step is to rig the stalk and servo to the helmet as described above. NOTE: I strongly encourage this step be performed AFTER the helmet is painted. Otherwise it's going to be difficult to paint with the rangefinder stalk already installed.
1) Insert the stalk through the hole in the earcap (make sure the hole is big enough.)
2) Put some of the threadlocker on the screw, and screw the connected servo piece and screw into the helmet. Let the threadlocker dry!
3) Make sure the stalk and servo are BOTH in the UP position, and then connect the servo as described above. Use hot glue (and super glue if needed) to hold the servo to the helmet.
Here is a picture of what the finished product will look like. I used my helmet to show the finished product here:
1) Hyperdyne Bounty Hunter Servo Controller
2) Hollow rangefinder stalk by terminal fettler.
Here is the inside of the helmet with the most of the kit (less the servo) installed:
Right off the bat, I will note the switch right below the batteries is the power on/off switch. I put it there for easy access while wearing the helmet. I also taped the wires down so they won't catch on anything.
The chip at the far left is the servo controller board, and next to it is the transmitter / receiver board. I just used a small amount of hot glue in each corner to hold each board to the helmet. It works really well as it will take a lot of effort to remove a board. I used industrial strength velcro to hold the batteries in place.
A couple of notes about the servo controller board:
The switch there is NOT an on/off switch! It's a "manual/automatic" switch. Positioned to the right like pictured is "automatic" mode meaning the rangefinder will go up and down with just the push of the remote button. Positioned left is "manual" mode meaning the rangefinder will move only when the remote button is HELD down.
Secondly, note the three prongs next to the switch. The servo plugs into that, but note which way:
The black wire is towards the side of the chip, and the yellow wire is towards the center.
Next step is to rig the servo to the stalk. TF's stalk comes with a screw at the end. The key is to secure the screw to one of the pieces that comes with the rangefinder like so:
There is one critical thing here: make sure the screw is centered up!!! I found it is easy to do this first by using some superglue so the screw can be moved around and then set. Once it is set, use some JB Weld to secure the two parts (let it dry overnight.) Yes, this bond is strong enough:
This piece easily attaches to the servo:
And here is how the piece will attach to the stalk:
Yes, it just screws in. I recommend using medium strength Lock Tight threadlocker (blue.) Medium strength will produce a strong bond, but not to the point where it will be impossible to loosen should it ever need to be loosened.
The last step is to rig the stalk and servo to the helmet as described above. NOTE: I strongly encourage this step be performed AFTER the helmet is painted. Otherwise it's going to be difficult to paint with the rangefinder stalk already installed.
1) Insert the stalk through the hole in the earcap (make sure the hole is big enough.)
2) Put some of the threadlocker on the screw, and screw the connected servo piece and screw into the helmet. Let the threadlocker dry!
3) Make sure the stalk and servo are BOTH in the UP position, and then connect the servo as described above. Use hot glue (and super glue if needed) to hold the servo to the helmet.
Here is a picture of what the finished product will look like. I used my helmet to show the finished product here: