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The Hacksmith: Building a Mandalorian Jetpack

2021-04-08 | By The Hacksmith

License: See Original Project

This project was created by Engineering Superheroes of Hacksmith Industries.

DO NOT ATTEMPT to Re-Create

Ever since Boba Fett was first seen in “The Empire Strikes Back,” Star Wars fans have been captivated by the Mandalorian jetpack. Fully equipped with a powerful missile launcher and autopilot, jetpacks are almost exclusively worn as part of Mandalorian warrior armor, making them a unique asset to the Star Wars universe. In Disney’s “The Mandalorian,” fans finally saw the high-velocity jetpack’s features in action.

Although a real-working jetpack might not be in the cards for The Hacksmith team just yet, they set out to build a jetpack that will sit on the back of the suit and include features similar to Mando’s jetpack. See how the Mandalorian jetpack was made in the video below!

 

Hacksmith Industries has been hard at work completing a full set of Mandalorian armor and gadgets. The jetpack is one of the last chapters in the video series — next up, they’ll create a grappling hook, and finally, the iconic Mandalorian armor.

Check out past Mandalorian projects on Maker.io:

How Does it Work?

Unfortunately, the Mandalorian armor is too heavy to be carried by several jet engines that would fit in the enclosure. By Hacksmith team member Bogdan’s calculations, it would take six jet engines to carry the weight of James and the armor. You can find more jet-engine-focused projects from Hacksmith Industries on Maker.io below:

Because flying isn’t an option, the jetpack functions as a backpack that houses the fuel for the flamethrower gauntlet (a fire extinguisher and propane tank), batteries, and control systems for all of the gadgets, including the upcoming grappling hook. The primary control system for the suit housed in the jetpack is a custom PCB that runs through an Arduino. This includes controls for the solenoid that activates the flamethrower and activation and steering for the jetpack’s servo motors.

Although the jetpack doesn’t fly, it can move around small thrusters to recreate the season 2 scene in which Mando’s jetpack flies remotely. The thrusters are servo motors that can change directions to emulate thrust vectoring like a SpaceX reusable rocket or fighter jet. These flames produced by the thrusters come from gas nozzles fueled by the same propane tank that fuels the flamethrower. Fortunately, James plans to create a fireproof cape to accompany the armor.

Check out how the master control circuit for the Mandalorian armor works in the schematic below!

Schematic and BOM

 

More Star Wars Projects on Maker.io

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