Logic Display Mounting

I had work to do around the house today, but I had a barbecue to go to in a couple of hours so I didn't want to get too involved in some home maintenance. Instead, I worked on R2's dome a little. I started my work off by hot gluing the Front Logic Display (FLD) panel in place so I would know where to mount the FLD surrounds.

I decided to use 1/8"x3/4" Fender washer to mount the FLD surrounds. I used a grinding attachment in my Dremel to grind out areas on each side of the FLDs so I could glue the washers in place.

I glued the washers in place with Tech-Bond.

I drilled and countersunk holes just like I did for the holoprojecters. I super glued 6-32x1/2" bolts in place outside the washer locations. When installed, I will use additional fender washers to hold the logic displays in place.

The thin outer dome strip below the Rear Logic Display (RLD) did not get glued before, so I used dimes as spacers and super glued the strip down. With the strip in place, I lined up the dome panels to find the location of the RLD. Once the location was determined I super glued some 6-32x5/8" bolts in place to hold the RLD surround.

I then started dripping super glue to the top of all the screw heads. I will continue to do this, and sand, over the next couple of days until the super glue is built up enough that there is a smooth transition between the dome around the screw mounting location and the screw heads.

Cutting Dome Base Down To Size

When I glued the outer dome to the inner dome it fit together pretty snug, but there was slightly more room below the dome ring on one side than the other. Not a big problem, I expected something like this. That is why I waited to cut/sand the bottom of the dome to the right height. The gap between the panels and the dome is about the size of a dime's width, so I used several dimes as spacers between the dome ring and the outer dome to set the dome ring gap. Once the gap was set, I used a Sharpie to draw a line where the inner dome need to be trimmed.

It was time to cut the dome base down to size, so removed the dome ring. When I did, it split in one area and cracked in about three other areas. I guess that is what happens when your dome needs a lot of hands on work. I used Tech Bond to glue the broken part back together and seal the other cracks. I'll sand it smooth another night.

With the line drawn I used a Dremel cutting wheel to start cutting above the line so I could sand it down to the exact size I needed. Tonight was game five of the Stanley Cup. GO BLACKHAWKS!!! I recorded it so I could watch it without interruption after the kids went to bed. Hannah, my hockey player, had other plans. She insisted I come in right away and watch the game. How could I refuse? I guess I'll finish cutting another night.

Dome Sanding

Covering the countersunk screw heads with Super Glue and sanding them smooth took more effort than I expected. It eventually turned out great; but I had to do several passes with adding Super Glue to the heads, letting it dry, and then sanding it to make sure all the little holes were filled and the end product was felt seamless with the dome.

I then used 330 grit sand paper to sand the entire dome. I'm not posting any pictures because you really can't tell the difference from a photo. The dome is slightly more dull than it was before, but the texture is different.

Bolts For Holoprojectors

I had a little time tonight so I traced the outside circle of the fixed holoprojector flange on the inside of the dome. I then drilled pilot holes outside of the circles so I can countersink the bold heads on the outside of the dome. When installed I will use washers and nuts to hold the holoprojector in place.

With the pilot holes in place, I used a countersink bit I got from Menards to remove part of the styrene dome to hide the bot heads.

I then used Super Glue to attach the 6-32x1/2" bolts around the lower holoprojector holes. Once the Super Glue on the bolts set, holding the bolts in place, I used the Super Glue on top of the bolt heads to fill in the gap. Once dried, I will come back and sand the Super Glue down to match the curve of the dome.