Case Mod - In Progress Project: Bärsärkar-gång, 25th December, no update; Every Who down in Whoville says...

MOAR!!!

 

I approve, but now everything you cook in that will taste like car keys.
-Brilliant way to overcome shaky hands!

 

Thanks everyone for watching and commenting!

No worries, I'm only going to use it for soldering and don't intend to taste those.

Moar soon, experimenting with radioactive glass, be right back.

 

good god.

 

just WOW

 

*radioactive glass*

...Has he dismantled a kitchen sink yet? I forget.

 

No, no kitchen sink. I did take apart a bath tub though.

 

Let's inch the story and mod forward this time.



Via Operation Paperclip funding, Dr. Yi Suchong drugged unwitting subjects with hallucinogens derived from the puffer fish and sea cucumbers (among others). Subjects frequently experienced manic and aggressive episodes. They were often placed in a public setting with the apparent intent to cause a berserker attack on bystanders. Subjects wound up in jail or the hospital with no memories of preceding events. Suchong's research may have influenced the further experimentation with LSD and other psychotropics under the auspices of Project MKULTRA. In the 1973 CIA purge(pdf), a majority of Suchong's research notes were destroyed fueling speculation on his research progress and goals.

Did the CIA and Suchong attempt to re-create berserking in the 1950s?

-----

Some small progress, both in scope and size. I need some buttons for input on the Arduino board to change the different lighting and sound modes. Something a little stealthy though. The front of the case offers several spare possibilities from the original mounting screws.


The targets are the holes left by the two silver screws.


The idea is to fill those holes with push buttons that look like the brass hex head screws used for case screws


The dregs of the friendly neighborhood shooting range. They see reloading rejects, I see brass. I just could never figure out what to do with them.


Until now that is. The cast of characters from left to right. A piece of scrap brass tubing, a micro switch, a hex head brass screw, a standoff, and the 22 casing.


22 shell casing drilled out.


Everything whittled to size. The tubing was slot cut to hold the switch. The standoff rounded to act as a plunger and the 22 shell cut down to act as a cap.


The push button head on, glued in place with some hot glue.


The plunger assembled. There's about 1-2 mm of play in the plunger. Just enough to depress the button on the switch


It all fits together very tight. The ID/OD of the tubing and 22 shell is perfect.


The button in place and working. Rinse and repeat for the other side.


Still on the topic of buttons, last time around, you were left looking at a large gaping hole in the front of the Bioshock logo hidden compartment. Let's talk about filling it.


First, a brief aside to introduce a fascinating material called uranium or vaseline glass. As the name suggests, its made with trace amounts of uranium (although some pieces were found to contain as much as 25% uranium). Yes, its radioactive. It'll register above the normal background radiation of a sensitive geiger counter but is consider harmless (unless you vaporize the glass through grinding or sanding).


It was popular during the late 1800s until the 1920s. Collectors sometimes call it Depression Glass as it was very popular during the American Great Depression. Take a look on eBay, there is still a lot of this stuff around. I find it amazing that a little Grandma somewhere has an entire china cabinet full of cut radioactive glass.


And once you start looking for it, its everywhere in vintage knick knacks, utensils, dishware, and costume jewelery.


Oh yeah, one other thing. The way you tell if you have a piece is with UV light. Seems that all that radioactive material causes it to glow….alot.


I mean really glows.


Back to the mod, one of the cut uranium glass gems.


A micro switch from the local electronics salvage store.


A brass grommet from the modding closet.


I actually went through a 7mm shell casing and a 30/06 casing before inspiration struck.


A couple pieces of scrap square stock


Some careful dremeling and copious amounts of silver solder.


The patina was too cool to sand off so it stays


The stone fit just about perfect in the grommet. Hot glue to the rescue again to set it.


Test fit and we have a power button.


But what about the glow? The micro switches that are illuminated with tiny leds, of the yellow variety. Not exactly the color that we're looking for though.


Off to eBay for some UV SMD leds.


A little grinding and soldering makes a UV microswitch. Unfortunately they're more in the upper end of the violet spectrum. Hmm.


What about a combo shot? Soldering a UV led on top of the yellow led.


Not exactly it either. The glass glows green at an oblique angle but straight on, it looks purple.


Back to the drawing board, I added a few resistors to the orginal LED circuit and the light became distinctly green. A few more times to work in the UV led but couldn't get away from the purple.


So in the end it was the resistor throttled, green led.


This I can live with. I'm working on the Arduino circuitry again in hopes of finishing the base off. Still experimenting with the waterblocks but more on that in the next update. More as time permits. Thanks for looking!


Many thanks to my sponsors!
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HardwareLabs

 

this has got to be one of the best mods I have seen on here as the progress goes... very clever modding... keep it up to the finish!

 

Looking awesome! I love how you used the bullet shell for the button. Nice work.

 

I cant find the proper words for one more time. I am so amazed, this is the top form of art I ve ever seen, just keep on modding my friend, nothing else.

 

I love the uranium glass - I've always wondered what you could do with that stuff. Great build!

 

Yay!
It's a shame you couldn't get the natural glow from the gem. I'm betting it has something to do with the way it's cut. They were made to reflect light, not be backlit.
...Carter Country? The bays have more brass than gravel there.

 

Or a problem with longwave vs shortwave UV... and even that is breaking a whole band down into two points... could you try hooking it up to a pot and seeing if you can get it to produce the perfect wavelength for florescence?

Coming together awesomely! Particularity LOVE the stealthy hex screws, stealth goodness... mmmmm.....

 

Thanks StEm, it'll eventually get there.

Appreciate it Krog_Mod, I've got access to a whole stack of these but haven't had the time or right idea come along yet. One day, one day...

That's high praise coming from you AnG3L, thanks man!

Thanks PureSilver, I've got another mod design that I plan on using it again. I've been itching to work it into a mod. Its very cool stuff.

Yeah, you're probably right. I tried blacking out the back except for a pin hole or slit but still the purple bled through. Another lesson in the modding arsenal

Must resist the pull of Carter Country brass. I have wanted to make an entire case out of brass shells ala Johnny Swing's work. When I lived in the UK, I started squirreling away pre-92 2P coins, as they're solid bronze, for a case but luckily moved before that obsession took on its own life. I will gladly cede the idea for a case made of brass shells to you though. It would certainly be cheap And for the requisite inspirational push, here's "All the King's Men" (made entirely of silver dollars)



Consider the mokume-gane favor returned

 

No words for this kind of art

 

Talk about attention to detail. You spend more time on a few switches than some of us spend on building half of a case.

 

Just thought about the possibility of using these as a base for keys in a steam-punk type keyboard. The only problem I see with that is the weight of them. The little rubber standoffs can lift some light plastic keys, but brass? *shrug*.

Btw I had to read that post a second time for the Uranium part to actually kick in. Wow that's freaking awesome. I'm going to be keeping my eye out for that at flea markets and antique shops now, especially small gem looking pieces like you used.

 

Thanks gentlemen!

The pot is a good idea unfortunately the LEDs are fairly narrow wavelength. Trying to add resistors to one only makes it go dimmer til it goes out. I will try the pot idea on the yellow led tho.

The keyboard idea is the best that I've heard. A little turn in a drill press to cup the tops and an led in place of the primer would be very cool. An older style IBM keyboard could probably handled the weight.

Check out ebay for uranium glass. There always a ton there.