So I'm going to do something I have not yet seen done to any AT-ST model. I'm going to light the inside of the cockpit. Since I plan on displaying my model in it's complete form with the top on, the interior is not visible, and a lot of work was done to the inside.
As you can see in this photo, you cannot see inside at all .
And yet we have 2 pilots and electronics inside.
I don't plan on lighting the consoles themselves, but just the interior so it can at least be seen looking through the front windows of the AT-ST.
So I began by cutting out a little notch in the front bottom side of the top...
and with a dab of good old Elmer's glue...
I'm attaching a 0403smd LED, which is about a 1/4 the size of a grain of rice. It's the little white dot where the red and black wires meet. You can kind of get a scale reference from the tip of the Xacto blade.
And a little test of the LED to make sure it works before going through the whole process.
I would still like the ability to remove the top if I choose to do so, so that the full inside can be seen. But as this will most likely be under glass, that probably won't happen often. So, because of wanting the top removable, I've come up with a way to light it with metal tabs. I've labeled the backside of the cockpit with a + and - for the wires...
and cut grooves for the metal tabs and wires.
I bent 2 small metal tabs into "L" shapes ...
to glue down to the back wall topside where the top attaches.
I then soldered the + and - wires to the tabs...
and attached 2 metal tabs to the underside of the top as well, in the area where to top attaches to the cockpit.
And when the top is then set down on the cockpit, the metal tabs make contact with one another creating a circuit to light the LED and light up the interior as seen here.
So then begins the very tricky and painstaking part. Running wire through the body of the AT-ST. I bean by drilling out little holes on each end of the nect.
which the wires from the back of the cockpit ran down and through...
The wires were then run through the upper body and out the left leg hole.
The hardest part was then running the wires down through the very thin legs of the AT-ST. Again, I drilled a hole on either end of the joint, attaching the leg to the body...
and ran the wires through the holes.
The legs themselves required not only some drilled holes on either end, but also cutting out some grooves on the inside for the wires to run cleanly though without being pinched when the 2 leg halves are re-attached. And these wires then ran out the bottom of the foot.
A hole was then cut in the bottom of the base where the wires would run out of the leg.
Notches were also cut out on the backside of the base for a power button and my USB power board which will power the AT-ST.
A resistor was first soldered to my power board, as to limit the current flowing to the LED so that it will not blow up.
And then wires attached to the power board.
Using hot glue, I attach the USB power board and power button to the underside of the base.
Some grooves and holes were also cut in the base for the wires to run through without keeping the base from sitting flush.
A connector was attached to the wire leads from the AT-ST foot so that it can easily be connected to the base and removed if necessary.
And when the AT-ST is set on it's base, the connectors attached, a USB cable plugged in, and the power button pressed, we have.....
So there you have it. The first lit AT-ST to my knowledge. Still have the painting of the body to do,
So stay tuned. MUCH MORE TO COME....
