A while back the boys and I assembled an aluminum periscope for R2. The periscope is seen in both the Dagobah scene on The Empire Strikes Back and in the Dune Sea during Return of the Jedi. I recently got in on a run of periscope lighting kits that were offered through the Astromech builders site by RotoPod. Having recieved it we decided to get to work. Just like the dome lights soldering was required so ole dad did much of the work after the boys were asleep.
To start, I needed to paint the periscope. Being that the periscope is aluminum it is necessary to prime it with a metal etching primer. This allows the primer to penetrate and grip to the aluminum. After a trip to the auto store I picked up a can of metal etching primer and taped off the periscope. I then applied an even coat of the metal etching primer.
After the etching primer cured I then sprayed an even coat of Tamiya gray primer. Tamiya is a great primer product that adheres to multiple surfaces, aluminum being one of them. To find it I had to go to a local Hobby shop that deals in models and RC vehicles. If you attempt to build an R2 or any astromech you will need to find such a shop as they also sell the controllers and servos required for the build.
Having allowed the Tamiya primer to cure I then applied a coat of Rustoleum Satin White and then Rustoleum Clear Coat to seal it.
After finishing the paint I moved to the lighting kit. As previously mentioned the lighting kit was offered through the club and included everything from the PCB, LEDs, wire, etc.
I began by soldering the wires on the sides of the PCB. There are 3 red LED bulbs that sit in the back of the periscope that these wires run to.
Next I went to WalMart and purchased a bottle of black fingernail polish. The PCB needed to be painted on the sides as the LED's are so bright that I did not want light from the center bleeding through to the sides or vice versa. I then installed black electrical tape on the inside of the PCB for the same purpose.
There are several LED bulbs at the top of the periscope. The kit included a rubber piece to fit over the PCB on the inside of the periscope. I inserted the plastic LED covers and prepared for the remaining LED's.
The next step was to install the red square LED's in the front of the periscope. The bulbs were not completely square but tapered so it was necessary to file them down some so that they would all fit in the periscope. The next step was to solder the red LED bulbs into the PCB.
The next step in the process was to take the white rubber light deflector and install it inside the PCB.
Finally I had to solder the RED LED bulbs for the back of the periscope to the lead wires on the sides of the PCB.
Using shrink tubing I soldered the wire to the LED leads and then heated the shrink tube to close tight around the LED leads.
At this point I put things on hold. There are still two side diffusers that need to be trimmed down and installed into the periscope and upon attempting to make the installation two of the side wires from the side of the PCB broke free. I need to de-solder and then re-solder those connections to finsh the periscope. With any luck I will find time in the next week to do so and will post the finished results.
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