So you like being a stormtrooper on the Death Star, but you can’t see a thing in that helmet, and the whole thing gets a little too hot for you? Or maybe you just moved into the Jundland Wastes and all the other Tusken Raiders seem cool and collected when you’re sweating your ass off. Then this is the tutorial for you! Putting a small battery-powered fan into a mask or helmet can make all the difference in the world and allow you to stay in costume for hours on end in air-conditioned comfort. It’s an extremely simple circuit, but I try and give you a few tips that can certainly make the difference between success and failure. Here are links to some of the parts I use: There are also small centrifugal blowers that can work very well if you need to blow air up onto your lenses or if you don’t have an opening to pull air in through. I’ve never used these before, but would like to try them sometime. Maybe in my new Master Replicas UK CE helmet. Hmmmm.
Comments:
14 Comments posted on "Helmet Fans"
Derek on July 5th, 2008 at 12:20 am #
how do you adhere the fan to the rubber strips, and then the strips to the side wall?
Tom on July 5th, 2008 at 8:39 am #
Derek, the material I use was left over from an FX trooper kit and had adhesive on one side already. I stuck that side to the fan and used Zap-a-Gap cyanoacrylate (CA) adhesive (aka superglue) to adhere the rubber to the plastic wall of the helmet. Superglue-type adhesives work very well as long as the rubber material you’re using is solid. I prefer Zap-a-Gap because I’ve had the best results with it. Believe it or not, there is a difference between different CA adhesives. If your rubber material doesn’t have adhesive, I’d try the Zap-a-Gap on that side as well. Just make sure you have enough contact area on the fan. I’d also recommend scuffing up the plastic you want to adhere to with a little sandpaper before applying the glue. That holds true for hot glue as well. Good luck!
Joyous on November 4th, 2008 at 6:14 pm #
Great tutorial, I’ve been looking for this kind of info. How strong is the airflow for these fans? If I mount one beneath a layer of sheer, gauzy material, would it have enough strength to blow material outward?
Tom on November 4th, 2008 at 6:41 pm #
It might, Joyous but probably not very well. It would probably puff the fabric outward slightly. It’s main use in my application is to provide a cooling breeze in the helmet. The end result depends as much on the intake area as it does on the fan’s ability. Your best bet would be to try several fans until you find the one that works best for you. I know that’s not the most economical solution but when it comes to costuming each application is often unique.
stormtrooper costume on November 26th, 2008 at 7:13 pm #
Wow, thats a really clever idea. Can’t believe I never thought of it. I’m a fan of setting up cooling in any costumes with whatever is possible, which most often seems to be thin plastic ice packs. But this, this is clever. Thanks for the tutorial.
wulfgar on January 5th, 2009 at 7:01 pm #
I have a fan out of an old pc that has 3 wires, a black, red and blue. Would I be able to use it for a situation like this. I am guessing that the blue is a thermostat wire.
Tom on January 5th, 2009 at 8:24 pm #
wulfgar, the fan you have could work. It really depends on the voltage it requires. Look on the fan itself and see if it’s a 12V fan. If so, you should be able to power it with a 9V battery. You just need to test it. Strip a little insulation off each conductor and put the conductors on the contacts of the 9V battery to see what happens. Check the sound level and the airflow and see if it’s good enough for you. If so, I say go ahead and install it. Good luck!
Costume Bot Blog Archive Helmet Fans | Outdoor Ceiling Fans on May 31st, 2009 at 8:25 am #
[...] Costume Bot Blog Archive Helmet Fans Posted by root 5 hours ago (http://costumebot.com) Putting a small battery powered fan into a mask or helmet can make all the difference in the there are also small centrifugal blowers that can work very well if you need to blow air up if so i say go ahead and install it good luck post a comment powered b Discuss | Bury | News | Costume Bot Blog Archive Helmet Fans [...]
Albert Mory Jr. on October 1st, 2009 at 2:35 pm #
Hi! I have a question for you on installing the helmet fans. I wanted to ask you what would be a great spot or place to mount a fan inside a biker scout trooper helmet? Thanks A Lot,
Tom on October 15th, 2009 at 9:49 am #
Hi Albert, sorry I didn’t see your post sooner. If you have a hole through the mic tip you could put a fan behind it. If not, you can cut holes in the “ears” and put mesh in there then put fans behind them. It really depends on where you need the air. I wear glasses so I usually need it to blow directly on my face. Check out squirrel fan blowers as an alternative as well. http://www.BikerScout.net could be a good resource for you too.
Tanner Roberts on January 17th, 2010 at 1:20 pm #
Hey man im installing one in my biker scout lid. Just one quick question. How do you install the switch?
Tom on January 17th, 2010 at 3:43 pm #
It depends on your switch. There are lots of different types. If it’s the type that will mount to a surface you’ll have to make a hole and decide where you can mount it where it won’t be seen.
Miranda on March 17th, 2010 at 3:45 pm #
Thanks for posting the video. I have one question: if I want to just keep my helmet from fogging up, should I position it so that the wind blows onto the inside of the mask or should the air blow onto my face?
Tom on March 17th, 2010 at 4:43 pm #
I suppose it depends on what works for you. I’ve always had the fans blowing on my face because I wear glasses. They usually fog up before the lenses do. I’ve heard of several people using tiny centrifugal blowers (basically little squirrel-cage fans) to blow air up onto their lenses but I haven’t tried that myself. Post a comment
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