Costume electronics, I've put it off long enough

Arduino Uno on the left and Raspberry Pi on the right

I've been putting off adding electronics to my costumes, even though at least one of them (Darth Malgus) would have benefited. However, I'm now at the point with the Ithorian build when I've got to add some motion control. And, there are a lot of features I'd like to add that will require additional electronics.

But here's the thing. A big part of my career has been building electronics, and I've been pretty burned out on it. It's hard to have my hobby so closely match my work. Although currently my work has been mainly software engineering, I come from the early computer revolution: designing and assembling digital circuitry, embedding microcontrollers and firmware into equipment, and working in the robotics industry. My graduate work was in Electrical and Computer Engineering since UCSB didn't have a software track (remember, I'm an elder geek). Ever since I was a child I did a lot of hobbyist electronics (analog), and as an adult I built a lot of home robots (digital). But after many years, I burned out on it all. I occasionally solder a few wires or check continuity on some circuitry, but I never dive deep into the latest SBC or other electronic project.

Now though, I need to add some servo motors to the Ithorian costume in order to move the eyes and the eyelids. I'd like to flash some lights on Malgus' control gauntlets and chest plate. So it's finally time to face the current maker zeitgeist and explore what's available for the hobbyist.

The main building blocks are: power, sensors, actuators, wiring, and logic. Of them all, the logic is the central component that will have a significant impact on all the other components. So I'll start there.

Sitting around my office are the two most popular control cards currently available for the hobbyist maker. The first is from the Arduino family of controller cards, the Arduino Uno. Arduino is open source and has been popular for many years now. The system seems easy to set up and program, is small enough to be embedded in any costume project, and has a lot of community support as well as multiple manufacturers of add-ons and accessories.

Also, I have a Raspberry Pi. The Pi is a relatively recent development, but it already has a huge support base and user community. There are a lot of additional peripherals and components that can be purchased from third party suppliers. It's a little more difficult to set up, but it is very powerful.

Which one to choose? I don't know, so I'm going to learn and work with both of them initially. At some point, i'll make a decision on which platform to keep for my particular needs, but I may find that I need different systems for different applications. I'll post my progress with both, as well as the bits and doo-dads I need to add to accomplish a particular task.

First up, blink and eye movement using servo controls!

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War Doctor: Wigging out

Another screen shot from The Day of the Doctors showing a closeup of the face and hair. — Another screen shot from *The Day of the Doctors* showing a closeup of the face and hair.

Today was one of those days where I was able to make progress on a lot of different fronts. In this post I'll focus on my progress with the War Doctor.

The belt arrived but is too short, so I'll add an extension in the back.

Pants from a local thrift store; they'll need some weathering.

A stripped shirt from the thrift store which also needs some weathering, although you only see some of the collar in the final cosplay.

I have a big piece of reddish brown suede I pulled out of my fabric storage that will be used for the gaiters.

First up, some pieces of the costume I was able buy or gather up. A trip to the thrift store provided me with a shirt and pants. These are probably the least noticeable parts of the costume, so dead nuts accuracy isn't critical. They are both pretty close already, and after weathering they'll be a great match.

I bought the belt on-line, but unfortunately it's too small. I'll cut the back and add a canvas or leather panel to size it correctly. That part will be covered up by the jacket or the waistcoat.

I also got the chance to go through my fabric supplies and found a big piece of suede I bought at a garage sale a couple of years ago. I'll use it to make the half-gaiters. The color is a little too red, but I'll spend some time weathering it as well to make it a more neutral grey.

Next up, the wig. I put together the tools and materials I need for cutting and styling the wig and set up my work station. My poor shop. It had gotten used to all the wood and metal work I've done over the years, but lately it's had to suffer through foam, fabric, and plastic fabrication. And now it's become a wig salon.

Applying heat until the hair is hot to the touch, but not too hot to handle.

Both new parts in place and the hair flattened a bit into the new directions.

The wig I'd bought was the closest I could find from the cosplay wig manufacturer Epic Cosplay. But it's still too long and not styled the way I need it. So, I started by establishing some new partings. I spent some time researching this and came up with the method pictured above. I combed and held the hair with the part I wanted, wet it with a spray bottle, and then briefly hit it with the heat gun so that the wig would hold the new hair directions. Brief is the key. I'd sweep the heat over the part and then check how hot the hair had gotten with my fingers. The wig material is heat resistant to 410 F, but the low setting on that heat gun can go over 700 F, and I'd rather not melt the wig. Once I could feel that the hair had gotten hot (but not too hot to handle), then I knew it would set. The last picture above shows the hair after this initial styling.

Cutting in towards the head avoids the blunt blocks of tufts left by horizontal cuts.

One side cut, but you can see the blunt ends

Next, cutting it. I've never cut anyone's hair before, except maybe cutting the knots out of our dog's fur. So, I took to heart every on-line video I'd consumed and just started in. It was strangely addicting. I cut one side down first, and then took a picture to review. The length was pretty good, but it's a little blunt. I don't cut horizontally across the tufts, but in towards the head in order to avoid this (as shown in the picture, above). I think I'm probably cutting too much at once.

i continued in this fashion, cutting the other side and then the back, and finally the top. I stopped several times to put the wig on and make adjustments. The last picture above shows the final cut for length.

I did a little bit of styling with the got2B spiking glue that's recommended by just about every cosplay tutorial out there. I didn't want to do a lot because I still need to color this wig, and I'm not certain how the got2b will interact with the dyes. But I was pleased with the effect, and since the War Doctor's hair looks a bit sweaty and stringy, I think this will get me there. Plus it will hold that weird Mohawk look he's got.

So, here's the final test for the day. Not bad at all. It needs to be colored, and I'll need to color my goatee to match. I'll use the got2b to make it look less dry and blown out. But the length and basic hair directions are good. And that's enough for today.

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This day in geek history: August 16

1973

First convention officially named San Diego Comic-Con. The convention that was to become Comic-Con started in 1970 and was called the Golden State Comic-Minicon, but in 1973 the convention officially changed its name to the San Diego Comic-Con and expanded to 5 days.

And please, PLEASE check out the pictures from that 1973 convention. They are eerily familiar. Most of the elements from today's convention have their seeds back then.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_Comic-con

http://www.comicconmemories.com/2010/02/28/more-1973-san-diego-comic-con-photos-can-you-identify-people-in-the-pictures/

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Costume electronics, I've put it off long enough

War Doctor: Wigging out

This day in geek history: August 16

1973

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