Ukswrath Audio - RS Bucket

[Aradun]

I recently installed a Ukswrath Biker Scout audio system into my RS Red Label Bucket. The Red Label is RS Props’ Fiberglass and ABS helmet. The dome is one piece cast in fiberglass and fully lined in black fabric over thin foam padding. The faceplate and visor are ABS are plastic.

 

Ukswrath offers two versions. An A grade and B grade. The only difference between the two is the snout engine. The casting of the B grade snout engine may have some slight imperfections, bubbles, etc. All of the audio, mic, and guts are the same for A and B grades. The B grade comes in at $40 cheaper than the A. I went with the B grade and was quite pleased.

 

Here are some images of the B grade Ukswrath engine. You can see some bubble spots and some casting debris in between the fins, but it’s nothing an x-acto knife and a steady hand can’t clean up.

 

 

 

You can see in the image below that the detail of the RS engine is cleaner and finer. The RS engine is also a smidge smaller too.

 

 

After cleaning the engine and giving the sides a light sanding to smooth out any rough surface spots, it was time to get it mounted.

 

I was considering a couple of option for mounting the Ukswrath engine with speaker to my bucket.

 

1) use a spade bit to drill out the mic portion of my original RS engine and transfer the speaker and mesh from the Ukswrath engine into the RS engine. Note: doing so would void any warranty with Ukswrath

 

2) carefully cutting the aerators from the Ukswrath and RS engines and swapping them out. (Again a void of warranty).

 

3) creating a new backing plate to mount the Ukswrath engine and replacing the RS part completely.

 

I really wanted to go with option 1 because I love the detail of the RS engine, but decided on option 3 instead. Given that the RS snout piece is merely attached via a Phillips screw and not glued to the faceplate it was a no brainer to simply remove it and make a new backing plate.

 

RS on left. New backing plate made from .80 mm gray abs on right with Ukswrath engine on far right.

 

The new backing plate was made by tracing the RS plate onto .80 mm abs and cutting it out with an x-acto knife. Then I used a file to round off the top of the plate and finish off the sides. A file was also used to cut the grove into the new backing plate. I then drilled a 1/4” hole in the plate so allow the connector for the speaker to pass through the backing plate.

 

Here’s what it looks like prior to painting. You can see the size difference in the Ukswrath engine on the right.

 

 

Then on to paint. Make sure to tape up the speaker portion of the engine to avoid damaging the speaker.

I used Rustoleum’s medium gray primer, which is the closest match I could find to the gray used on the RS engine. After allowing the paint to cure, I gave it a light weathering with a quick sprits of flat black to match the weathering in the RS engine. Here’s a side by side.

 

 

The engine was mounted to the backing plate with e-6000. If doing this again, I’d tape off a thin line down the center of the backing plate so that the resin cast engine would be glued directly to the abs plastic. While the back of the engine was unpainted it was glued to the painted surface of the backing plate. It’s still securely attached but you could see the glue reacting on the painted surface.

 

I used the original screw hole for the Phillips screw that secured the RS snout to the faceplate and just widened it with a 1/4” bit to allow the connector for the speaker wire to pass through. I filed it down so that no burrs would cut into the speaker wire.

 

 

I then used 15 lb 3M 1” outdoor double sided mounting tape (boy that’s a mouthful) to mount the snout to the visor. The snout area was painted flat black and I really didn’t want to muck it up with glue. Plus the surface has a slight curve to it so the mounting tape provided a great surface area for the snout to adhere to than if glued directly to the faceplate.

 

 

This baby’s not going anywhere.

 

I’ll get the interior install of the battery pack and running of the wires posted shortly.

[Nathanzx10r]

Cant wait for my armor to arrive from Spike so I can get started, wait time window is up, hopefully very soon. I also have the Ukswrath Biker Scout audio system that I am putting in too.

[Aradun]

So for the interior mods. I ran the speaker wire along the inside of the faceplate and secured it with strips of adhesive foam padding ensuring that I had enough slack to open and close the visor without issue.

I used one piece of foam to cover the hole where the wire passes through the faceplate. That will keep dirt and water from getting into the speaker.



For the battery pack, I ideally wanted to set it up on the back right side of the bucket to make accessing the volume dial for the speaker easy to adjust with my left hand hand on the fly. The volume dial would have sat right behind my right ear with this set up, but this positioning left the mic wire exposed and visible through the right ear hole.

So I moved it over to the left back side, but now the green battery was visible through the left ear hole. I taped it off with electrical tape to cover the battery.


I then added self adhesive industrial hook to the back of the pack.


The self adhesive loop side was applied to the lining of the bucket.


Here it is with the the pack installed. I can still get my gloved right hand up in the helmet while wearing it to adjust the speaker volume dial, but the dial is located just left of center to the back of my head. I little more challenging to reach on the fly, but doable. You can see the fly wheel for the volume control of the speaker positioned directly below the mic sticker in the photo below.


The last thing I did was to connect the speaker wire to the pack. I didn’t want the wire dangling and getting caught on something while taking the bucket off and putting it on. So I wrapped it in a loop and using two stitches secured it to the lining of the helmet. Now the speaker can be unplugged from the battery pack and the pack removed for charging. It can also be left in to charge.


The mic provided is decent quality, but for an Omni-directional mic, I feel that it doesn’t pick up the sound of my voice well from the side. I get way better performance when the mic’s foam cover is removed and it sits right on my lips, otherwise the volume drops noticeably. This is an easy fix with a replacement mic. I’ll probably experiment a bit with other mics I have lying around.

The directions do warn against possible feedback due to the proximity of the speaker to the mic, which happens in my set up only when the volume is set at max. To remedy this, just put some foam on the inside of the faceplate directly where the speaker is to provide some insulation.

And there you have it.

[pben]

Very nice solution!!

[mickeymark34]

I'm debating on going with Ukswrath's audio in my TB helmet. I have his setup for my TK and I love it. 

 

[Aradun]

I'm debating on going with Ukswrath's audio in my TB helmet. I have his setup for my TK and I love it. 
 

Then you know you can’t go wrong Mark. I’m quite pleased with it. I’ve only used it for a virtual troop with Special Olympics where I had to send in a video recording and the audio was fantastic. Looking forward to trooping live with it next month.

[Stryker_412]

 Very nice setup! I’m installing the Ukswrath’s system in my RS bucket now as well, I was getting feedback as well so I’m going to use that hack with foam over the speaker to see if that helps insulate the speaker. Thanks for the post & good job.

[That One Scout]

@AradunFF did you ever find a better mic? took the foam off mine and its still quiet

[Aradun]

[mention=85551]AradunFF[/mention] did you ever find a better mic? took the foam off mine and its still quiet

I haven’t Mike. Been a bit lazy about looking into it b/c our Garrison doesn’t have any troops lined up for a while so I’ve been working on other projects. Like 3D printing with my new “material replicator” .

I will say that to get decent volume, I need to remove the foam tip and actually have the mic resting on my lip. So I definitely want to replace it. My son has an Acker 1560 system for his TK and that mic is a bit better.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tim0424]

I have the ukswrath in my Altman helmet I like it but I do get the feedback. Definitely going to try adding foam to the speaker. Also the microphone headset itself could be better. It doesn’t really fit me all that well. Another negative is it’s not all that loud at projecting your voice. I also have an acker which was recommended by some other scouts. It’s nice having both options and the ability to alternate depending on the event setting. I like how your helmet is lined it definitely makes installation of the unit nice. I don’t have the lining in my helmet but might consider it now. Also have an icomm box in my helmet. With the icomm and the ukswrath battery back audio unit it feels packed in there. Was considering adding fans but there’s just no room.


Tim
TB-82609

[Nathanzx10r]

Yeah, I installed mine and I am really not thrilled about it. Its way to quiet to really be effective at all.  I remember back in the old days (2000), we cut holes in out TK helmets behind the black chin piece between the 2 aerators (which was a separate piece), and glued on a 1.5-2" speaker on the inside of the helmet behind the hole we cut. Then we attached the chin piece back on the helmet to cover the hole. We built little ABS covers over the speaker using the spare ABS material and hot glued the microphone on top of the cover.  We never got feedback issues with it because the speaker was solidly mounted to the helmet as well as the microphone. That eliminated any movement between the 2 components, which is usually the reason for the feedback.  So I may purchase another microphone to attach solidly inside the helmet and give it a shot that way.  

[Lucasfan7]

Yeah, I installed mine and I am really not thrilled about it. Its way to quiet to really be effective at all.  I remember back in the old days (2000), we cut holes in out TK helmets behind the black chin piece between the 2 aerators (which was a separate piece), and glued on a 1.5-2" speaker on the inside of the helmet behind the hole we cut. Then we attached the chin piece back on the helmet to cover the hole. We built little ABS covers over the speaker using the spare ABS material and hot glued the microphone on top of the cover.  We never got feedback issues with it because the speaker was solidly mounted to the helmet as well as the microphone. That eliminated any movement between the 2 components, which is usually the reason for the feedback.  So I may purchase another microphone to attach solidly inside the helmet and give it a shot that way.  

This is very interesting, I have always had feed back issues in my costumes but it was because I would hang my ackers around my neck from a lanyard and I believe they were too close to my mic when talking. I never knew the real reason why the feedback though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Aradun]

This is very interesting, I have always had feed back issues in my costumes but it was because I would hang my ackers around my neck from a lanyard and I believe they were too close to my mic when talking. I never knew the real reason why the feedback though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

The primary reasons for feedback are the proximity of the mic to the speaker or turning the volume of the speaker up too high. For the former, the closer the mic is to the speaker, the greater the likelihood they’ll produce feedback. That’s why Ukswrath recommends installing a piece of foam directly behind the speaker on the inside face plate if you find your getting feedback. The added insulation should help reduce feedback.

I think the speaker is sufficient (it’s rated at 90dB). I can’t find anything on the Watts though. The higher the Watts the greater the projection.

The mic is on the budget end, as are most offered on Amazon. It is Omni directional which is what you want because it will pick up sound from every angle, which is great for in the helmet and will give you a more “authentic TB” sound.

By comparison, the professional mics used by public speakers, performers, etc. (like on TEDTalk) are about $500.00 and have greater sensitivity and better pick up which is why it can sit about 1 - 2 inches behind the corner of your mouth and provide great sound.

Keep in mind also that the system will sound softer than it is while wearing the helmet because the speaker is projecting out in front of you and not toward your ears. If you really want to test it, use someone else who can listen to you or record yourself on your phone. That will give you a better sense of it’s projection.

I find the set up to be sufficient for small venues, but noisy ones like a convention or large outdoor area might be a bit tough. Remember too that’s it supposed to be an Imperial comm unit and not a stage mic . How much need do you really have to project over large distances?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Nathanzx10r]

Yeah, I'm just saying what worked for us back in the day before we had kits availiable to buy. We had zero feedback issues and our mics where practically attached to the back of the speaker and were pointed right at our mouths. Hell, we made the static burst noise after we spoke by blowing a puff of air into the mic and it actually sounded pretty good lol.  

[Aradun]

Yeah, I'm just saying what worked for us back in the day before we had kits availiable to buy. We had zero feedback issues and our mics where practically attached to the back of the speaker and were pointed right at our mouths. Hell, we made the static burst noise after we spoke by blowing a puff of air into the mic and it actually sounded pretty good lol.  

There’s no school like old school brother .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Nathanzx10r]

1 hour ago, AradunFF said:

There’s no school like old school brother .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

White Armor Pioneer LOL 

[Lucasfan7]

The primary reasons for feedback are the proximity of the mic to the speaker or turning the volume of the speaker up too high. For the former, the closer the mic is to the speaker, the greater the likelihood they’ll produce feedback. That’s why Ukswrath recommends installing a piece of foam directly behind the speaker on the inside face plate if you find your getting feedback. The added insulation should help reduce feedback.

I think the speaker is sufficient (it’s rated at 90dB). I can’t find anything on the Watts though. The higher the Watts the greater the projection.

The mic is on the budget end, as are most offered on Amazon. It is Omni directional which is what you want because it will pick up sound from every angle, which is great for in the helmet and will give you a more “authentic TB” sound.

By comparison, the professional mics used by public speakers, performers, etc. (like on TEDTalk) are about $500.00 and have greater sensitivity and better pick up which is why it can sit about 1 - 2 inches behind the corner of your mouth and provide great sound.

Keep in mind also that the system will sound softer than it is while wearing the helmet because the speaker is projecting out in front of you and not toward your ears. If you really want to test it, use someone else who can listen to you or record yourself on your phone. That will give you a better sense of it’s projection.

I find the set up to be sufficient for small venues, but noisy ones like a convention or large outdoor area might be a bit tough. Remember too that’s it supposed to be an Imperial comm unit and not a stage mic . How much need do you really have to project over large distances?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for that run down. A lot of knowledge in there.
I have pretty much always used the Akers mics. They have done me well, so if this mic is better than that then I will use it but if not then I have no problem using the aker mic. Plus it’s black, so it fits my color scheme better


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[L0CKSTER]

Here a shot of my lens so you can see the placement of the hot glue. You definitely want a little gap to allow for venting as noted above.



Glued along the outside edges and a dab above and below the bridge.

The little metallic square sitting in the snout with the wires running from it, is that a contact mic?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Aradun]

The metallic square is actually an RS Props label, but yes, the wire was running a 1W UKSWRATH speaker set in the snout piece.  
He’s taking a break from selling at the moment but here’s his Etsy page:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/UkswrathsSpeciality
I’ve had two 1W speakers crap out on me, so I bought a 5w TV speaker that I have placed in the back of the bucket and that is working well with the rest of the system. 
 
 

[L0CKSTER]

The metallic square is actually an RS Props label, but yes, the wire was running a 1W UKSWRATH speaker set in the snout piece.  
He’s taking a break from selling at the moment but here’s his Etsy page:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/UkswrathsSpeciality
I’ve had two 1W speakers crap out on me, so I bought a 5w TV speaker that I have placed in the back of the bucket and that is working well with the rest of the system. 
 
 

Oh sweet yeah I did check out his mic and speaker kits out a little while ago. Didn’t know he was having a break though!

The cable management is pretty neat btw haha very clean looking interior


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LocoOttomobile]

How's the audio sounds with just the UKsWrath amp? Does it sound like you or do you get that poor amp quality electronic sound from a movie trooper?  Does the ICOM system add to the electronic sound or just add static bursts?

[Aradun]

[mention=89560]LocoOttomobile[/mention] it’s merely a amplification for your voice to allow you to be heard through the bucket. It does have a little bit of an audio sound, but nothing like the TKs with the iComm and that is how it should be for scouts. Scouts didn’t have static bursts in the films when they spoke, just a clear audio voice, which the Ukswrath system provides.

[LocoOttomobile]

Thanks Aradun! That explains why I don't see the ICOM with shoretrooper kits. Shore's are based on the scouts. There's not much with them talking in Rouge One so I wanted to be sure.

[KOtrooper]

I went with a TK talkie for sound effects and voice amplifications. Tons of options that I can move from costume to costume. Static bursts might not be cannon for the Shore but it's still fun.

[Stryker_412]

I really loved the concept of the setup but sound was too distorted and way too quiet for anyone to hear or understand what I was saying. I tried several options to make it work butI ended up removing the ukswrath setup and going back the old reliable headset and speaker in my pouch. Nice and loud, clear and no feedback.