No Job Is Too Big - Ghostbusters Proton Pack Build

This is a full size budget pack out of 1/4" MDF. I used Stefan Otto's plans to draw a Sketchup model. His extensive dimensions make that very easy. With a 3d model I have all of the pieces together before fabrication to help visualization. Reviewing his plans also helps with the nomenclature of the parts I reference. Here's what I did, and what I would do differently. There are a few things I didn't get a chance to complete like the N-filter, pack bumper, and gun mount.

I made the individual pieces according to the plans, accounting for the thickness of MDF. Once the pieces were glued, I sanded them to remove any edges, or used a file as needed. Wood glue attaches all of the wood. For the various tubes I used PVC epoxied to the MDF.

There are various pieces I haven't done yet, mostly the actual items like elbows, tubes, and resistors. I used 10 gauge speaker wire in place of the prop accurate 1/4" tubing. If you need parts gbfans.com and nickatron props are the best places for any needs you might have.

This was a fun build where I tried to balance cost and fidelity.

Supplies

Purchase List:

-1/8" hardboard (I used hardboard for the motherboard, and I should have used .125" aluminum)

-1/4" MDF

-1/2" MDF

-3/4" MDF

Note, while I used various sizes of MDF, you can always stack 1/4" MDF.

-3/4" PVC

-1" PVC

-1.25" pvc

-1.5" PVC

-2" PVC

-8" metal cake pan

-Styrene plastic

-Light board (from gbfans)

-Sound board (from gbfans)

-LC-2 alice pack frame (from military supply store)

-6x9 speaker (salvaged- I should have done a smaller speaker geared for this build)

-Aluminum can (ion arm)

-Plastic paint can lid (HGA)

-3/8" splitless wire loom

-3/4" split wire loom

-(2) 5/32" socket cap hex screws

-(2) 7/64" socket cap hex screws

-(4) 3/16" socket cap hex screw

-12 gauge speaker wire used in place of 1/4" tubing

-1/2" clear vinyl tubing

-1.25" metal washers for the bumper

-1.5" metal washers for the bumper

Parts Not Purchased:

-Clippard R701 Pressure Regulator (pack)

-(3) SMC 4mm Elbow Fitting

-(3) Clippard Brass Elbow

-1/4" Red Tubing

-1/4" Blue Tubing

-1/4" Green Tubing

-Replica Sage M25W Resistor

-Replica Dale PH-25 Resistor

-Clippard R-331 Pressure Regulator (wand)

-Knobs and Dials for Wand

Tools:

-Table saw

-Jig saw

-Drill press

-Drill

-Scroll saw

-Belt sander

-Disc sander

-Finishing sander

-Hand saw

-Hole saw bits

-Router bits

-Files

-Rasp

-Clamps

-Wood glue

-Two part epoxy

-Super glue.

Step 1: Generator and Cyclotron

Generator

The generator is the shape below the cyclotron. For the generator spacer, I cut out a template, though I could have just drawn a template on paper to layout the pieces. I cut MDF pieces to form each squared edge. Since the generator is squared and not perfectly round, this seemed to be the best method. I had to cut my angles a couple of times before I found the 'right' angle. I glued the pieces together. For the plates I used 1/8" hardboard.

There's a 1/2" MDF plate at the bottom of the generator and a 1/2" MDF receiver for the 1/4" red and blue injector tubing.

For the cap of the generator spacer, I glued it to the plates sanded it to match the square edge. The vertical pieces of MDF held together surprisingly well before the cap. The cap has a cut out for wiring and lights.

There's also a 1" hole in the base through a plate for the wand hose.

At the peak of the generator are two 1/2" MDF pucks. They each have a hardboard spacer. One is for an actual item Clippard R701 Pressure Regulator. I did not buy one of these. The other puck has a 1.25" PVC tube connecting the gear box with 3/4" split loom.

Cyclotron

The cyclotron is attached to the top of the generator. For the cyclotron, I decided to save myself the trouble and bought an 8" cake pan. If you go metal instead of wood or plastic, you will need a metal hole saw bit for the cyclotron lights. The cyclotron light board was out of stock, so I just glued four red plastic pieces in place. The trim is hardboard. The cake pan is epoxied to the MDF cyclotron and there's a 1/2" MDF spacer with caulk to fill the gap between the MDF and cake pan.

I used a punch to mark the holes for the four cyclotron lights. I should have punched the holes before epoxying the cake pan to prevent denting the metal and having a solid backing. I also should have drilled a hole in the 1/4" MDF base to run wires to the lights before epoxy. I put a dent in the cake pan, but hammered it out. The bumper will cover it. I later went back and cut out some more space from the back of the generator cover to fit a speaker.

There's also an SMC 4mm Elbow Fitting drilled into the cake pan. From the elbow to the booster is 1/4" red tubing. Ribon cable runs from the cyclotron with an aluminum fitting to a 3/4" hole in the plating. I salvaged ribbon cable from a computer. I did not make the aluminum fitting.

Test fit pieces early and often. Make sure edges align

Step 2: Power Cell, Gear Box, Gun Mount

The power cell, gear box, and gun mount are fabricated out of 1/4" MDF. I used Stefan's plans to create what is basically individual 1/4" MDF boxes. The box ribs are 1/8" hardboard. The gear box and gun mount corners are rounded with a belt sander.

The power cell has a slot cut out of the front for lights. I glued in a blue piece of plastic temporarily. The injectors are epoxed to the bottom of the power cell. I used hot glue to simulate a welded joint. It's 1.5" PVC with styrene glued on the end to cap them. A 1/4" hole was drilled into the end for the red and blue 1/4" tubing which is expoxied into place. Splitless 3/8" wire loom is at the end of each tube.

The gear box is divided by a 1.25" PVC. The sides of the gear box are 'U' shaped. Split 3/4" wire loom is run from the gearbox to the top PVC tube of the generator. On one side of the gear box is the HGA.

The HGA is a plastic spray paint can lid with (4) 3/16" socket cap hex screws. It has one SMC 4mm Elbow Fitting and one Clippard brass elbow. Red 1/4" tubing runs from the elbow to the PPD on the booster. Green 1/4" tubing runs from the brass elbow to another brass elbow mounted to a capped 1" PVC tube attached to the plating.

Step 3: Booster, EDA, Ion Arm

The ion arm is 1/4" MDF. The ion end cap is a piece of MDF wrapped in an aluminum can. There's a Clippard brass elbow on top of the arm. Two (2) 5/32" hex socket cap screws are in the end plate. The motherboard is not made to cover the back of the ion arm so that will need a filler plate out of 1/4" MDF.

There are replica Sage M25W and Dale PH-25 resistors on the side. The Sage resistor used (2) 7/64" socket cap screws. Yellow 1/4" tubing runs from the Sage resistor to a SMC 4mm elbow Fitting on the bottom of the arm.

The booster is 1/4" MDF, 3/4" PVC, and 2" PVC. The 3/4" PVC is capped with styrene. I cut an MDF spacer that fits inside the 2" PVC to mount the 3/4" PVC. The 2" PVC base is cut on an angle. There are (2) 1/4" MDF pucks on the base. The PPD is 1" PVC angle cut with a styrene cap. Red 1/4" tubing attaches the PPD to the HGA.

The booster has a spacer box that connects the ion arm, booster and gear box. Once these pieces were completed, I glued them together. The gear box also has a 1/4" MDF spacer box between the gun mount.

There is a 3/4" MDF spacer behind the HGA that connects the gear box and gun mount.

Step 4: Pack Assembly

There is a plate between the generator/cyclotron and ion arm/booster/gearbox/gun mount. The plate is 1/4" MDF with (2) sheets of MDF on top of that between the booster and peak of the generator.

There are (2) 3/4" PVC tubes capped with styrene and attached to the plate. One has a Clippard brass elbow. There's also a 3/4" hole for the ribbon cable that attaches to the cyclotron.

With all of this glued together the pack finally takes shape.

Step 5: The Wand

The wand is also 1/4" and 1/2" MDF and (3) 1.25" PVC pipes. I used hot glue to simulate a welded joint between the pipe and MDF wand box.I used a heat sink from a GM radio. It was cut to size.

I realized as I was starting that I wouldn't finish. For one, if you wait until October to order Ghostbuster parts, chances are you will find them out of stock or a long shipping wait.

Holes will need to be drilled for the (4) lights and (4) switches as well. The wiring is enclosed inside the wand with ribbon cable connecting the wand to the pack circuit board inside 3/4" split loom. I used 1/2" clear vinyl tubing so the wire loom wouldn't get pinched or twisted.

I used a wand light kit from gbfans.

Step 6: Motherboard and Frame

I cut the motherboard out of hardboard early in the build. I epoxied aluminum angles to the motherboard. I hot glued them first to confirm the location. Riveting through the hardboard would not have worked. The aluminum is an angle from the hardware store, tapped to fit 1/4-20 socket cap bolts. It turns out epoxying the brackets to hardboard doesn't work either. Avoid hardboard unless it's for detail/trim work. The hardboard de-laminated. You can't bolt through it, and you can't glue brackets to it. I should have made the motherboard out of .125" aluminum and traced it to the back at the end of the build instead of the beginning.

I drilled holes in the pack for the motherboard brackets, and added an MDF speaker bracket and LC-1 mounting bar in the cyclotron/generator.

The frame is an LC-2 alice pack from a military surplus store.

I have a strip of wood that catches the bolts at the bottom of the frame that attach to the frame. I added inserts in the MDF for bolt attachment. If I had to do this again, I would add rivnuts into the MDF and a bolt through the frame into the rivnut. What I did is hot glue the bolts to the MDF with the bolt head extend out of the pack into the frame. I will also need to drill a hole in the alice pack frame and add an insert and bolt for the upper connection.

Step 7: Electronics

The sound board is screwed to an aluminum angle that in turn is epoxied to the inside of the pack. The speaker is screwed to a support inside the generator. I had to do some trimming to fit as I used a salvaged 6x9 speaker. A 4" speaker would have been much to fit.

The power switch for the entire pack is just below the power cell and behind the injectors.

With three days to go, the wand was a box with two tubes, nothing more. I was able to install the light and sound kit. If you order the kits from gbfans, be sure to get the connecting ribbon cable =). I didn't realize I needed it and had to special order the supplies. If you are building more than one sound/light kit it's more economical to order the separate components for the ribbon cable. Also, instructions for both circuit board kits are on the gbfans site.

Step 8: Unfinished Items

I didn't get a chance to finish the N-filter which attachs to the cyclotron, the pack bumper, and the gun mount.

The N-filter was going to be a water bottle.

The bumper would have been MDF and styrene. The bumper has a shock mount consisting of 1.5" and 1.25" washers epoxied together. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to mount them.

I created a triangular gun mount out of MDF and styrene. The styrene couldn't support the weight of the wand. They make aluminum brackets but I could have fabricated something out of aluminum angle with enough time.

I didn't have time to install any of the elbows.

I didn't order a hose/pipe kit in time, so I rigged 12 gauge speaker wire for the hoses. I used hot glue so I could remove them later. The booster ladder will have to be added later.

There are a lot of knobs and dials I didn't get for the wand. It looks good enough if you don't know any better.

Step 9: Paint and Prep

Once everything was together I prepped for paint by sanding the pack and using filler for any chipped corners and gaps. I would have preferred to have more time so I could have primed and sanded the pack an additional time.

I primed the pack first. Paint is a hammered metal finish with flat black to dull it out.

Warnings were printed and spray adhesived to the pack. They make vinyl stickers, but this pack got much more expensive than anticipated, especially once I started adding sound and lights.

The hardboard motherboard delaminated almost instantly. I used zip ties to hold it in place.

Building a proton pack is so much fun. While I see everything that wasn't finished, everyone else thinks it looks great. Kid me never would have imagined having an actual proton pack. The sounds and lights are expensive but totally worth it.