This is for other Ghostbusters Props that don't fit into the categories above.
#4859442
TheKevinShow wrote:Please tell me that you'll be making your way out to WonderCon or SDCC when this is all done. I must see it in person.
I don't think it will ever make it out to San Diego Comic Con to be honest. Sorry. I think we would have heart attacks from all of the foot traffic it would get. SDCC is just a different beast entirely compared to other So. Cal. conventions. Wondercon is unlikely but we have had a booth at Stan Lee's Comikaze for the last two years so that's more likely. When its completed and ready to unveil, we will be sure to let everyone know where they can see it.
User avatar
By 910dohead
#4860447
I gotta make this update short.

Now that we found out we misidentified the vacuum relays, it was time to locate the real parts in which we did. While we were waiting for those to arrive we thought it was best to knock this part out.

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We needed something in its place since we can't figure out what it is. We drew up some blueprints and sent them over to a very talented friend who came up with an aluminum buck for us.

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We had desire to have this made out of brass, but since its heavy and expensive we went with a different route. Let's put it into the mold.

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We are totally cool with having resin pieces instead of brass. Now some sort of 24k gold powder was added to the mixture and they came out looking like this!

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Can't wait to see these in person! Anyways, we are also having the panels upgraded from MDF to aluminum.

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This was all knocked out while we waiting for parts to arrive in which they did. I picked up the little capacitors that get soldered to the sides.

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As far as the vacuum relays go, this is how close we almost got. The base pieces we found are identical in size and height.

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We are almost at the point where this big puzzle piece can be painted and put together. We just need to figure out a few more things, decide which screws to get and one last piece remains which we are working on I swear!

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Work still continues...
Kingpin liked this
#4862481
zeta otaku wrote:This... whole thing is insane and I love every bit of it!
Thanks! I can't wait until its done and finished.
CPU64 wrote:Are you 100% positive those pieces are supposed to be brass? It really looks like insulating board from the pictures. Just wondering.
Nope. Stuff we're positive on are ID'd parts but measurements and anything not identified are always open to discussion and dissection. It was purely an assumption that it may be a brass bracket since that's what it looks to resemble. However, having now looked up insulating board and comparing it, you may be onto something. I am going to run this by Onlyalad19 and ZuulTheGatekeeper and see what they think. In the end we want to go with accurate parts.

A similar and recent mention like this also happened on our thread on the RPF. A user made notion that the black trap housing ribs might be nothing more than electrical cables and provided some proof towards their claim. We might end up going with that but we are at another bloody standstill in the build so I haven't had a chance to go over it with the rest of the group. Insulating board is definitely something I would like to look into to. Thanks for the heads up!

As for an update, I only have a small one so I am going to wait to include it until we have something more to share. We have an even bigger update with the group Ecto but we might just wait to post one big final update. It might not seem like we've been busy but we have been. More to come soon.
CPU64 liked this
#4862496
CPU64 wrote:Are you 100% positive those pieces are supposed to be brass? It really looks like insulating board from the pictures. Just wondering.
It could be the case that this is a busbar.

A BusWhat? You ask.
"In electrical power distribution, a busbar (also spelled bus bar, or sometimes as buss bar or bussbar, with the term bus being a contraction of the Latin omnibus, "for all", or buss being short for buttress is a metallic strip or bar (typically copper, brass or aluminium) that conducts electricity within a switchboard, distribution board, substation, battery bank, or other electrical apparatus."

It is mounted to the heatsink not touching the flap panel and that, along with the components attached to the heatsink, would justify the electric hazard warning label above it and danger high voltage label infront.

Build is more real than real ~ 910dohead's 'hyperreal' build :)
#4862524
910dohead wrote:A similar and recent mention like this also happened on our thread on the RPF. A user made notion that the black trap housing ribs might be nothing more than electrical cables and provided some proof towards their claim.
That was this thread. The name of the awesome user who pointed it out has slipped my mind :lol:
#4862545
ectotwinkie wrote:
910dohead wrote:A similar and recent mention like this also happened on our thread on the RPF. A user made notion that the black trap housing ribs might be nothing more than electrical cables and provided some proof towards their claim.
That was this thread. The name of the awesome user who pointed it out has slipped my mind :lol:
Honestly, I somehow overlooked that. Many apologies. I don't remember reading it but might have and just forgot to look into it.

I'm looking into both the bus bar's and insulating board. Both look promising but no exact matches yet. The board would just need to be cut to size unless a manufacturer part could be discovered. The bus bar would have to be a dead ringer though.
#4863377
The insulating pieces mounted to the heat sinks are a found part that came with the heat sinks and SCRs/THYRISTORs and diodes attached. There were probably 3 to 6 heat sinks mounted side by side using those insulating pieces depending on the exact rectifier assembly they came from. I have dug through about half of my parts boxes and found over a dozen SCR based rectifier assembly's but not these exact ones yet. Some thing tells me i have them at home somewhere or maybe at work. I will post up more if and when I find them but I am betting they are from a high current DC power supply, fork lift battery charger or old welder.
#4863380
So they are thyristors in the middle and not diodes? I had a hard time telling due to the lack of better focused reference. If you can find a decent example of these i'd love to learn more. We had an idea that they were apart of the original heatsink but couldn't find similar examples in the wild. I'm very curious and excited to see what you can pull up.

The fact that the heatsink says "SCR4 & SCR5" on it certainly supports your idea about their being multiples linked together. If the heatsink on the other side said "SCR1" (I would believe this to be more likely since it definitely has a different configuration and possibly only 1 SCR on it), that would mean a third heatsink with 2 SCR's labeled "SCR2 & SCR3" would be highly likely. Though absent from the prop, the three all joined together with insulation brackets as a found part does make a lot of sense. However, I am only speculating the configuration of the left side.

Also, reviewing shots from the movie, I am more convinced on using thyristors. The more I stare at the clearer images the more I become a believer. Time to do some more research!
#4863577
The spacers would be made of Phenolic. The 2 are SCR's / THYRISTOR's are most likely made by GE due to the style or the little triangle tab on the top. The fact that there are the labels CR4 and CR5 visible and that there were two or more heat sinks each with a set of 2 large SCR's and a smaller diode leads me to believe that these were from the Rectifier Stack/assembly of a 3 phase DC motor drive.
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User avatar
By CPU64
#4863583
That's what was swishing in my mind as well... There's a surplus store near by that I visit frequently and they have some fanta-stick vintage equipment, and although not exactly what's on the CU, they share some similarities.
#4863699
This is great information! What you're proposing is that it's going to possibly be on a 3 phase rectifier assembly? So, it's going to look similar in setup to something like this (but obviously a different configuration)?

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I've started a search but since we're dealing with vintage equipment, it's going to be harder to locate something that looks anywhere close. That image is the closest that i've found so far.

Would the quarter inch notch in the spacer have a purpose such as this?

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Get where I am getting at?
#4863712
My best guess as to the original config of the rectifier would be some thing kinda like this.

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I have started to think that It might be from a mid to late 1970's electroplating DC power supply due to the amperage needed for plating . It also could be just a large DC power supply, maybe from a radio Transmitter or some other Industrial use. I even looked into aircraft APU units due to the large number of ghostbuster prop parts that were from boeing but no luck yet. There are a couple of good sized ham fests coming up near me in 2 or 3 weeks. Maybe I will find some thing there or some one who recognizes that rectifier.
#4863757
I definitely think you're right when you say that it's from a rectifier assembly from a DC power supply. I get great results when searching for such, but nothing exact. I think it would have to be a big one too. When looking at the bracket, I think the interlinking of them could be possible since the bolt hole is in a spot where it lines up with the other going the opposite way. Possibly linking six heat sinks together? Plus, I also had to look at the engineering of the part and why was it shaped that way? I believe the way it ended up on the ECU prop was undisturbed from its original configuration. The bracket being designed that way in order to accommodate space for the SCR's and other components. So, I definitely agree with your configuration, but also adding that it could've been a larger setup.

I had something like this in mind.

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Now, I also have a suspicion that the microamperes meter could've been sourced from the same unit? Possibly some of the knobs too? If so, i'm excited but disappointed. Excited for the discovery of knowing this is where the part is from, but disappointed because it's from some 40+ year old power supply that will most likely never be found.

If we go on a hunch that these were on an assembly inside of a big power supply using a Midland 23-208 microamperes meter, maybe with some of the same knobs, then we could narrow down the search much easier. The major downside is that all of these parts are extremely rare. What if this power supply uses 10 trap knobs and that's where the prop makers sourced them for the film? When is the last time anyone has stumbled onto something like that? Plus, this could also be a proprietary part too making it a needle in a haystack. However, that glass has to remain half full. After all, I had a hunch once and that led to finding the Eberhard handle.

At this point it would be amazing to discover this piece in the wild, but at the same time I think the only way to not over pay for it is by finding it in some junk site. These rectifier assemblies fetch some big bucks and at this point I am totally cool with sticking with resin. Maybe we'll buy a sheet of Phenolic, bit route out a few and use those instead (maybe not. This shit is crazy expensive)? Right now, the only thing stopping us from finishing this prop is the jack plate for the handle and we are very close to having one in hand. After that, its just a matter of buying a cheap drill press and putting it all together. We could just easily swap it out if we ever do get our hands on the actual part.
#4863820
Your build is looking great by the way. I have just been starting to collect the parts for a ECU build and you have found some of the big mystery items. Those heat sink assembly's are the one that's driving me crazy. I will probably just end up machining some Phenolic mounts and find and cut down some heat sinks but its the not knowing where they got them that's the worst. I have spent like 30 plus hours researching and have not found them. On the other hand the two units on the back wall that Egon is checking during the ECU demo seen took me less then 30 min to ID, still have to find 2 of them for sale some place though.
#4863889
Thank you for the kind words. I know that "crazy" very well. I experienced it many times researching parts for this build and it still consumes me with the bumper label. The time I spent looking for that goes way beyond 30 hours for me and I am still no closer to finding it. So, I know how you feel. The handle was that way with me, but the excitement and relief that you feel when you find it is a very satisfying feeling.

I look at this project the same way I do with a proton pack as it will never be finished. I think we'll continue to find opportunities and reasons to make upgrades down the line. Maybe one day we will discover the exact rectifier assembly? We just need to keep looking. The information that both you and ectotwinkie have provided brings us all a step closer.

You were able to ID the proper electrical disconnects and the weird seismograph machine? The only other one i've seen in a build was from Ghostbusters Italia. I can't tell if they found one or if it's something they constructed? The one good picture I found of theirs leads me to believe they fabricated it. If you look closely at theirs you can see it says "Seismograph for Ectoplasm." along with a date. It might just be something they added to it? I'd like to know more about it. We don't have plans to include the entire grid to our build but we have looked into it.
#4868994
I made a handle mold from my carving if anyone is looking for plastic handles for the Ectocontainment Unit.
LINK REMOVED
Last edited by Kingpin on June 27th, 2016, 3:34 am, edited 1 time in total.Reason: Member doesn't currently meet forum seller guidelines
User avatar
By 910dohead
#4879723
Thank you.

We are still working on it. We had to stop for a little bit due to the car project. There will be a massive update for that soon. Anyways, both projects are full steam ahead.

An update is due for here but I want to be a little farther ahead before that happens. We did get our hands on the accurate microamperes meter, so now every part we have is the real deal.

We have high hopes that this project will wrap up before Halloween, but not making promises since we aren't rushing it. It is moving along and going to plan.
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User avatar
By EctoPrimer
#4880933
I love your work so far.
A question though, GB fans used to have some blue prints for the ECU. That page seems to have expired. Does anyone still have the files? I'm trying to build a portable unit for my group. For fundraisers and such
User avatar
By 910dohead
#4881172
EctoPrimer wrote:I love your work so far.
A question though, GB fans used to have some blue prints for the ECU. That page seems to have expired. Does anyone still have the files? I'm trying to build a portable unit for my group. For fundraisers and such
Thank you. I believe the plans that you are referring to belong to mikenelson1982 of Karnivorous Creations? If so, then I do have a copy of these plans. It's what we originally based our plans around. I am not sure what the reason for them being removed were but I won't re-post them without his permission. If you can get his ok then I will dig them up. As for our plans, I have not posted them yet since we keep making revisions and vowed not to until it's complete.
#4891923
It's been a long while since the last update. Seriously, where does the time go? 2016 was a crazy year for our group and 2017 is already looking to be batshit as well (but in a good way). We have been making more progress on the car then the ECU, but hopefully that changes in the next couple of weeks. Some progress has been made on the project and I will catch you up on some of it.

First let's take a look at the last mock up of the unit that I can show you.

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Lookin' pretty, right? I agree but this is the pre-abuse photo. I can't go into detail regarding the post-abuse photo at this time, but I will show you some of the damage done. Here is a shot of the inside of the door.

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Notice the bar is screwed right into the back board and a foreign object is coming out of a hole also drilled into the back board? Normally we are over protective of the parts but this was a mutual decision and we had fun with it. One day I will elaborate on it further but for now I can't. Anyways, we decided it was best if we went ahead and just cut out a new back board. It needed to be slightly bigger and the other one was warped.
So, here is a shot of the new one.

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We had a fun build that day. It was smiles all around. As much as it sucks having to go back and repeat this part a third time, it's for the best end result. I am not going to go back and do it again. This is it.

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Before we could finally mount the door, we had to triple check all of our measurements in-door to make sure everything lined up properly. Remember, we have got to make sure the door closes.

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We had set everything up and went over the measurements. Now it was ready for mounting!

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We needed to use the bit router to countersink portions of the frame so the hinges could lay flush.

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This was a little bit tricky to do and we had to make sure the hinge was spaced properly before we drilled. Everything was going great and we mounted the aluminum door!

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Next step was to measure where the door thingies had to go. We got our measurements and we were pleased that we were going to move onto the next step. However, that's when upon closing the door we discovered it didn't sit flush. Serious!? The culprit ended up being a warped frame. Sonofa... The project for the most part has remained outdoors in the dark. We live in the desert and subjected to outrageous temperatures. We made the decision to go ahead and built Mark III. This time we are keeping it indoors and good thing too because it has not warped at all. At this point, it doesn't matter if it does because its full steam ahead and we are not going back. So, here it is:

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We were thrilled with the results and we were able to change some measurements we knew were wrong. So, here is right about where we are at minus the cover (which is cut out and waiting to be mounted).

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This concludes the building aspect of the ECU but that's not everything. Here are a few little things I guess are worth mentioning.

We found the actual microamperes meter! Yaaay!

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Then we got our hands on the right thyristors for the heatsinks.

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As far as the jackplate goes, this was the last picture I have received of it.

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Apparently this is a very hard part to fabricate. It looks simple but without the right setup, it's a nightmare. I put together a backup plan though and this is the first 3d file I have designed.

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I designed it as a reference and possible backup. I decided to check prices to see how much it would be to print in either aluminum or stainless steel. The cheapest price I got was $2,250. HAHA, NOPE!! I also designed this part too.

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Pretty proud of myself as it only took me a couple of hours to figure out how to do it. What a learning curve it is!

Before I go into the last part of this update, I want to talk about our plans for this unit. I get asked a lot about them and have been spending a lot of my free time working on them. It's going to be fairly detailed and quite large. That's if you want to get similar results to ours. I know you can do it in less time then its taken us and that's ok. You won't need to do all of the experimenting like we did. Anyways, here's a bit of a teaser of the cover.

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I get it. It's like an old, in-company manual. It will reveal all when it gets released! With that said, the next thing I am going to go into will be revealed in those very pages too. Keep that in mind.

I know a lot of this stuff in this update isn't very exiting since we've done it twice already. It's kinda the reason why I have held off on an update for such a long time. Something exciting and different did happen recently and it was the push we needed to complete this project and put it behind us. We want to see this project completed this year and I know you do too.

Finally, remember that cool and confusing diagram matching labels up on the Ecto-1A? Well, it's a happy day today because that list has been updated...

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Now, I don't know if that's the right company for the bumper label but it's a damn close match and that company only makes synchronous motors and has been around since 1977. I am doing more research on it and hopefully make a match. This is something I will post in the old bumper thread if I get closer. For now it's a promising lead. The other labels are now found! I am trying to locate them in the wild.

In conclusion, I am going to purchase a drill press soon for the project. That will give us the opportunity to move forward with this project. If we don't move onward, I give you my word that I will drill a hole in my head and paint the unit with my brain matter.
#4891931
Demon Vice Commander wrote:Nice job identifying that faded label on the Ecto-1A's red storage tank. It seems that the prop-builders cut up this label for use on the rear instrument bar and the gun track on the throwers.
The labels were actually given to me so I take no credit in finding or identifying them. I'm just very happy to have them. Oh, wow! You're right! I feel kinda silly too because I didn't make that connection until you pointed it out. That's awesome to know. Now I have to find one somewhere in the wild.
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