Pimp My Rhino - Noise Marine iRhino upgrade Tutorial

[bladebaka]

Hello Peeps,

 

This is Bladebaka. And today, I have with me my good friend Zaids' very own - iRhino.

http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/oo122/bladebaka/1118102154-00.jpg

 

And I'm gonna show you how to make one! But be warned - its kind of difficult to put together, and requires some knowledge about soldering and circuitry, unless you manage to find a kit, or have half a set of computer speakers - the speaker without the power connector will be a perfect substitution (and you won't need the amplifier circuit!), if you don't mind it being a Rhino afterward! :(

 

http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/oo122/bladebaka/1118102154-01.jpg

 

an alternative would be just a speaker wired up to a headphone cable or auxiliary extension cable. This would place more draw on the gadget you connect it to, making said gadgets' power usage go up.

 

Note: The ONLY purpose of the amplifier circuit would be to make the quality and the volume better and louder, and to provide power for the speaker in question.

 

Items Needed:

 

1. Vehicle Kit (Rhino, Land Raider, etc)

2. Speaker

3. Headphones/earbuds/auxiliary jack

4. resin core solder

5. soldering iron

6. power switch or button (1/0, AKA in/out or on/off only)

7. optional audio amplifier kit / parts to make one

 

Where To Get These Items

 

1. Your local Games Workshop retailer, closet, garage, attic

2. Radio Shack, garage, attic, local electronic parts store

3. Walmart, Radioshack, garage, attic, local electronic parts store

4. Radio Shack, garage, attic, local electronic parts store

5. Radio Shack, garage, attic, local electronic parts store

6. Radio Shack. garage, attic, local electronic parts store

7. garage, attic, local electronic parts store

 

And, of course, all these may also be purchased online.

 

Now... To Business!

 

Step One:

http://zedomax.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/speaker-dolls.jpg

disassemble the speaker carefully. if it is one that happens to already have the auxiliary cable, and you aren't going to make the amplifier, then Kudos to you! mount it onto the rhino and rout the cable however you want. I,however, purchased a speaker from my local electronic parts store for ~80 cents.

 

Step Two:

Skip this step if you aren't going to make the amplifier.

http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/oo122/bladebaka/1025101548-00.jpg

assemble the amplifier kit, or build it yourself. There are sure to be some good tutorials on http://www.instructables.com/. If your kit or build has a large heatsink, do a dryfit in your Vehicle Kit. I had to cut the floor out of my Rhino to make room for the heatsink, and the "driver pane" got left out to make room for the circuit board.

 

Step Three:

http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/oo122/bladebaka/1117101552-02.jpg

attach the components. This either means Speaker and Auxiliary cable/headphone jack, or Speaker, Amplifier, and Auxiliary/headphone jack. For those not so tech-savvy, the best way to do this is to solder the separate leads (Wires) to their respective counterparts. (i.e. headphone1 to speaker1, etc. Which ones to which doesn't necessary matter, as long as you aren't connecting, say headphone1 to headphone2 :D ) An alternative to soldering is to use electrical tape to securely connect the leads. However, this method is more prone to breaking than soldering, so make sure to secure it safely in the vehicle.

http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/oo122/bladebaka/1117101552-01.jpg

http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/oo122/bladebaka/1117101552-00.jpg

 

Step Four:

http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/oo122/bladebaka/1026101758-00.jpg

assemble and glue the vehicle around the amplifier board and attach the speaker, OR assemble the vehicle and attach the speaker. If using the amplifier circuit, MAKE SURE TO GOD that the heatsink is not touching the side of the vehicle, or you will have a squirrely, molten vehicle part to play with.

http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/oo122/bladebaka/1117101551-00.jpg

http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/oo122/bladebaka/1117101551-01.jpg

http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/oo122/bladebaka/1117101551-02.jpg

 

http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/oo122/bladebaka/1117102137-00.jpg

Step Five:

Paint and play!

 

--

 

http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/oo122/bladebaka/1119101020-00.jpg

 

This is the result of my Project: Birthday Present, as mentioned on my blog http://www.hereticaltechpriest.blogspot.com/, and my good friend Zaid enjoyed it immensely! So, if any of you make one of these, post them up for all to see!

 

--Bladebaka

[asfargone]

um, odd to ask, but given somewhat different parts, you think you would make it a bit sleeker? i know this hobby is a real money sucker but i would be real neat to have a thing like that pretty much all-inclusive, you know-arms and legs inside ride at all times. actually what would be really cool would be a magnet track- a game board with servo- arms with magnets on the end- guiding pieces to their position by command. even if it were chess it would be cool as hell.

[Zincite]

Aye, this did make me laugh. And the good thing is that it's fine of you call it a noise marine rhino!

 

It'd look even better if you had a land raider, then you could hide the battery case as well. Though you would have to make the top magnetic to replace the batteries...