Have a guide or tutorial? Post it up!
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By Crix
#454320
Hi everyone!

I imagine this will be an ongoing project, as there are likely bits that I missed, so if something is either vague or missing, please let me know and I'll work to clarify it. My goal is to have a solid, comprehensive location to reference for maximum ease of installation of my kits.

Please take the time to read this tutorial fully before diving in, just to make sure you have a full understanding of what goes where. This will not be covering how to install the kit in your pack specifically, since every pack is a little different.

So, your Heavy Props full kit just showed up, and you have yourself a box of wires, something like this?

Image

Let's give some names to what we have here, along with descriptions:

A: Wand Light Board with Bargraph(In anti-static bubble bag)
B: Wand Light LED/button pack
C: Vent Switch (DPDT with long 3 conductor cable, and short 2 conductor cable)
D: Misc Sound Switch (Generally theme song), (DPST with long 3 conductor cable)
E: Wand Sound Cable (long 3 conductor cable, no switch or connectors attached)
F: Wand Power Cable (long 2 conductor cable, no switch or connectors attached)
G: Pack Light Board
H: Pack Connectors and Cyclotron LEDs
H2: Oops, duplicate! This one is your 'Main Switch' (DPDT with long 3 conductor cable AND long 2 conductor cable)
I: Cyclotron Cable (long 2 conductor cable, the same as F, functionally)
J: Sound Kit

A few notes, the cyclotron cable will need to be cut into 4 equal lengths, and all the cables provided are provided with extra length, so if you'd like to cut them down to fit your pack better, that's a great way to make things cleaner on the inside. Please just remember to measure twice, and cut once. :)

For detailed information on how to attach the crimp connectors, and how to finish the Main Switch, see my tutorial here: http://heavyprops.com/tutorial/switch/

The new wire we use is a smaller gauge, and has a thinner (but more flexible) outer jacket. To remove the jacket on the inner wires, a lighter or other form of heat will be necessary. I also recommend folding the exposed wire back against itself to provide some added thickness to help the connectors crimp tightly.

So now you know what you've got, and how to finish it. Where does everything plug in? Let's start with the simplest kit, the pack lights:

Image

This kit is simple, the bank of four terminals are obviously for the cyclotron. The cyclotron cables will each require a white plug terminal on each side of the cable, and the LED will slot in to that plug on the end of the wire. If your LED doesn't work, just try plugging it in 'backwards', and you should be good to go. You don't need to worry about damaging an LED by plugging it in backwards in this instance.

The blue screw terminal is where you will connect your battery, and also where you will connect one end of cable 'F', which will head up to the blue screw terminal on the wand lights. Positive to positive, negative to negative.

The fifth plug will connect to the wand lights, plug 3 row 2, which is a wonderful segue into the wand lights!

Image

On this board, we have two rows, top and bottom:

Top Row:

1: Sound out, this terminal goes to the sound kit, the center pin is a common ground.
2: Ear light/switch. This is the assembly in the wand kit bag with the white LED and red push button.
3: Blinking body LED, this is interchangeable with 3-6 in location.
4: Blinking body LED, this is interchangeable with 3-6 in location.
5: Solid body LED, this is interchangeable with 3-6 in location.
6: Solid body LED, this is interchangeable with 3-6 in location.

Bottom Row:

1: Power terminal, this is connected to the power terminal on the pack lights, positive to positive, negative to negative.
2: This is where the short end of the 2 conductor wire on the main switch is connected. The 3 conductor portion goes to the sound kit.
3: The remainder of the 2 conductor wire on the main switch is connected here. This one goes back to the pack board.
4: This is where the Vent switch connects via the short 2 conductor cable. The 3 conductor portion goes to the sound kit.
5: This is where the vent LED connects. (The large, 10mm LED. The LED and switch are interchangeable, whatever fits better for you!)
6: Connector 6 and 7 are interchangeable, and are for the blue and yellow LED provided. These LEDs are tied to the firing button, and should be put down the front handle into the front barrel.
7: See connector 6.
8: Black push button, this is your firing button which triggers both the blinking pattern on LED 6 and 7, and the firing sound effect, as well.

Up next is the sound kit, and that will be covered in the next post!
#454321
Sound Kit Tutorial

Please forgive the somewhat crude drawings, graphic design isn't my strong point.

Here are some images showing how to best connect the sound cable from each switch to your sound board, depending on your preference for the pack hum:

Image

Image

This image shows how the connections to your amplifier and speaker should go. This is intentionally somewhat vague, since there are such a variety of amplifiers that are used. Please take a moment to read the documentation that is included with your amplifier, to make sure everything is set up properly. If you've got any questions or need help, please feel free to ask!

Image

If you're looking for an amplifier and speaker(s) to use, I recommend these:

http://store.qkits.com/moreinfo.cfm/FA607

http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-st ... ohm/1.html

I've regularly used two of the speakers with one of the amplifiers, and it sounds great. If you decide to use two speakers, just attach both of them to the amplifier in parallel. (i.e. connect each one to the amp as if the other wasn't there.)
Last edited by Crix on April 2nd, 2014, 2:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
#454322
These wiring diagrams match the most current version of the kit. As of early 2017 the main switch now comes pre-cut, hopefully removing the most confusing part of the installation. If you have an older kit (pre-2017) where your main switch has the smaller cable (2 conductor) uncut and long, just be sure to cut it to match the vent switch, and use the leftover length of wire for the second pack/wand connection.

These pictures are formatted to be easily printed on standard printer paper, I'll occasionally update this post with newer versions as they become necessary/available.

Image

Image

Image
Last edited by Crix on October 20th, 2017, 4:08 pm, edited 3 times in total.
#456926
I'm working on putting my kits together and I'm stumped on the main switch on the wand kit. On the main switch connections (2 & 3 bottom row) it sounds like the two conductor wire is being used in both.

Bottom Row, Connection 2: What is the short end of the 2 conductor wire? The 3 conductor and 2 conductor wires are the same length on the main switch, right?

Connection 3: At first I thought by "the remainder of the two conductor wire on the main switch" you may have meant item F, but that goes into the power terminal so I'm not sure what goes here.

I'm sure it's very simple but I've been over it several times and can't seem to figure it out. I hope my question makes sense. Thanks for taking the time to write this up, it's been a big help. Do you think the sound portion might be posted soon?

EDIT: In case anyone else is confused on this part, the two conductor wire gets cut from the main switch to make another wire. I left about 6 inches on the switch to connect to the gun board.
Last edited by Cassiopeia on August 26th, 2013, 6:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
#457334
Cassiopeia wrote:I'm working on putting my kits together and I'm stumped on the main switch on the wand kit. On the main switch connections (2 & 3 bottom row) it sounds like the two conductor wire is being used in both.

Bottom Row, Connection 2: What is the short end of the 2 conductor wire? The 3 conductor and 2 conductor wires are the same length on the main switch, right?

Connection 3: At first I thought by "the remainder of the two conductor wire on the main switch" you may have meant item F, but that goes into the power terminal so I'm not sure what goes here.

I'm sure it's very simple but I've been over it several times and can't seem to figure it out. I hope my question makes sense. Thanks for taking the time to write this up, it's been a big help. Do you think the sound portion might be posted soon?
You'll need to modify the main switch following the tutorial here: http://heavyprops.com/tutorial/switch/

Basically, you'll cut that long 2 conductor wire down to fit your thrower and then use the remaining portion of wire to connect Bottom 3 on the wand kit to the pack lights.

Also, I'd recommend after heat-stripping the wires in the black cables, fold the exposed wire down over the un-stripped portion of the wire for a better grip and contact with the connectors.

I hope that answers your question, please let me know if it didn't.
#470760
I ordered my kit from Crix but unfortunately not everything was in the box. I don't have the little baggy inside "B: Wand Light LED/button pack" (I have the large bag but not the small one inside it). And I'm also missing H: Pack Connectors and Cyclotron LEDs. Everything else I seem to have. I tried numerous attempts to contact him through here, Facebook, and his personal email but have no received no response. Is there somewhere else where I can these? Thanks.
User avatar
By Crix
#470761
xxbrankxx wrote:I ordered my kit from Crix but unfortunately not everything was in the box. I don't have the little baggy inside "B: Wand Light LED/button pack" (I have the large bag but not the small one inside it). And I'm also missing H: Pack Connectors and Cyclotron LEDs. Everything else I seem to have. I tried numerous attempts to contact him through here, Facebook, and his personal email but have no received no response. Is there somewhere else where I can these? Thanks.
Hey there!

Sorry I missed your message, I've been a bit of a ghost lately with the holidays, but I just happened to be by the computer when the subscribed topic email came through!

You should have my 'newest' revision of the wand board, which includes small green screw terminals instead of the older style white plugs, which is why you're missing that bag of them.

Occasionally there is some confusion with the wires, as you technically cut the main on/off switch into a 7th cable, but if you only received 5 bundles of wires instead of the correct total of 6, I'll definitely get you the missing bit in the mail asap.
#4785639
Kruzer98_2000 wrote:I brought the sound and light kit and i am missing (H) pack in my kit Thanks
Unfortunately I can't update the original post, but the second H pack has been replaced with screw terminals on the board. The only crimp connectors that are needed now are for the cyclotron LEDs.
#4787835
I've updated the sound kit tutorial to hopefully be a bit more clear cut. If there is still any confusion, please ask questions so I can help!
#4788050
Got my kit today, and it looks great (although a bit intimidating).

I am using the sound kit and pack lights only. I'm going with a Matty wand so I didn't need that light kit. I have a good grip on the wire crimping, connecting of the cyclotron lights to the pack light board, sound board connections to the amp and speaker and the overall basic layout, but I do have two questions...

1. Does the 2 wire cable from the main switch go into the blue 2 screw connector or the green 2 screw connector on the pack light board?

And

2. Does the single 3 watt battery holder that was included and connects to the sound board also power the pack lights through the switch or does the pack light board need another separate, dedicated power supply?

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer questions from the electrically challenged...
#4788057
This post may contain an affiliate link that helps support GBFans.com when you make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

n0c00lgamertag wrote:Got my kit today, and it looks great (although a bit intimidating).

I am using the sound kit and pack lights only. I'm going with a Matty wand so I didn't need that light kit. I have a good grip on the wire crimping, connecting of the cyclotron lights to the pack light board, sound board connections to the amp and speaker and the overall basic layout, but I do have two questions...

1. Does the 2 wire cable from the main switch go into the blue 2 screw connector or the green 2 screw connector on the pack light board?
The blue screw connector is for your battery (generally a 12v supply, to be shared with your amplifier), and the small green connector is for your main switch.
2. Does the single 3 watt battery holder that was included and connects to the sound board also power the pack lights through the switch or does the pack light board need another separate, dedicated power supply?

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer questions from the electrically challenged...
The 2xAA battery holder (3v) is for the sound kit, you'll want to share a higher voltage source (usually 12v, but it depends on your amplifier) between your light kit and amplifier. If you had the wand light kit, you could use the same power source for that as well.

It looks like AJ's out of stock on the 'blue brick' batteries that are so popular, but you can also find them on eBay inexpensively:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-9800mA-CCTV ... 257ff77042
#4788065
Fantastic. That's what I needed to know. Thx for the lead on the batteries too.
#4788729
Got my electronics wired yesterday. I was wondering though, to use the "misc sound" which currently the GB theme, do I need a powered switch of some sort or a simple toggle to get that to function?
#4789065
Hi i got my kit Light and sound.

I need some help with it:

1. when pack board and gun board are connected (wand board: Bottom Row / Plug 3 --> to pack board):

the 2 LEDs (Top Row Plug 3&4 blinking LEDs) flashes FAST very fast like the firing LEDs.
The bargraph, is stopping in the middle and then go up to the top it never fall completly down.

2. when pack board and gun are NOT connected (only drive the gun board:
the 2 LEDs (Top Row Plug 3&4 blinking LEDs) blinking like in your videos (but when i firing they flashing like the firing LEDs)
The bargraph ALSO is stopping in the middle and then go up to the top it never fall completly down.


(the wires all got off the jackets and the inner wires are clean and got good connection)

Can you please help me that i can finish my proton pack soon
#4789551
I've been trying to wire up the lights and sound but have some questions.

There was a diagram floating around here that someone made up showing where everything goes on the soundboard. The push button (fire button) says 5 wires are connected to the push button, but I only have 2 on my push button.

The SOUND OUT on the gun kit goes into the INPUT onto the amp? I'm using the Canakit 7W amp.
#4790548
xxbrankxx wrote:I've been trying to wire up the lights and sound but have some questions.

There was a diagram floating around here that someone made up showing where everything goes on the soundboard. The push button (fire button) says 5 wires are connected to the push button, but I only have 2 on my push button.

The SOUND OUT on the gun kit goes into the INPUT onto the amp? I'm using the Canakit 7W amp.
Check out the second post in the thread, the SOUND OUT on the gun kit goes to the sound kit. The only thing that connects to the amp is the sound kit, speaker and power source.
hilmir.kolbeins wrote:Whats the Bargraph Cable connection for ?
The bargraph cable connection is just for the bargraph on the wand, maybe I'm misunderstanding your question?
#4790608
Thank you, No you did not misunderstand, I ´ve been pouring over info on light and sound devices over the last days and I thought for a moment that the Bargraph was something else.

But thank you for a quick response, will be in touch soon, I´m gonna buy a kit from you, it looks solid.
#4790609
Love the kit. Mounting all the electronics on the motherboard tonight. Quick question... Any problem with using a small piece of self adheisive Velcro to secure the small sound board to the motherboard? Didn't know if the sticky stuff would cause a problem.
#4790762
n0c00lgamertag wrote:Love the kit. Mounting all the electronics on the motherboard tonight. Quick question... Any problem with using a small piece of self adheisive Velcro to secure the small sound board to the motherboard? Didn't know if the sticky stuff would cause a problem.
I've never had trouble with double sided velcro, it's what I've used in the past.
#4790797
Did the electronics and Velcro today. Sounds and looks great. Thx!
#4792319
I'm having a tough time finding a clear answer to this one: how should I go about actually wiring a 12v CCTV battery to the kit? Just cut the wires connecting to the battery power out plug and wire them directly to the board, or is there a power in plug that I can buy to wire to the board?
#4792327
This post may contain an affiliate link that helps support GBFans.com when you make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

freudiandave wrote:I'm having a tough time finding a clear answer to this one: how should I go about actually wiring a 12v CCTV battery to the kit? Just cut the wires connecting to the battery power out plug and wire them directly to the board, or is there a power in plug that I can buy to wire to the board?
You need a bare end pigtail connector most likely. Something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Power-Barrel-Conn ... ail+female

Then connect the bare ends of the pigtail to the light kit and amp. The battery will plug into the barrel connector like this:
Image
#4792494
12v to amp and lights only. Small, two battery compartment to sound board only. That keeps from blowing it up.
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