Altimaster II Skydiving Altimeter Night HALO Parts Adapter

thingiverse

This project involves creating an adapter to join the military-style upper lighting assembly and 2xAA battery pack from a fake Altimaster MA2-30 HALO replica with night jumper rated altimeter capabilities to a genuine, unlit civilian Altimaster II skydiving altimeter while keeping the real Altimaster fully intact. The inexpensive but very durable fake Altimaster was purchased when it became apparent that buying an entire fake MA2-30 cosplay altimeter would be cheaper than purchasing individual parts from my rigger or online parachute shops. As long as I had the lighting components in my parts bin, I thought it worth exploring whether they could work together. Without the adapter, the fit is not ideal, resulting in significant gaps and necessitating removal of the protective lens from the real Altimaster. If I feel brave enough, I might use one of the alternate color face decals provided with the cosplay altimeter to create a 0-12k ft and then 13-24k ft inner scale for the second revolution of the needle, despite the Altimaster II's accuracy being certified only up to 18,000 ft. A MA2-30 is essentially the military version of the Altimaster II, featuring an optional different gearing ratio that changes the scale from 0-12 to a single sweep of 0-30 thousand feet, several distinct face markings and colors, and the battery pack and lighting module pre-installed. Additionally, it has a higher plastic lens to match the built-up area containing the red low-intensity illumination LEDs. Economics: The Altimaster II civilian version is available for approximately US$180 new, with a good pool of used altimeters on the market made over its 30-40 year production run; in contrast, the MA2-30 (NSN 6685-01-213-9035) is essentially the same unit but with lights and an optional different scale for about US$1000, complete with government certifications. If found used, it sells at a premium as a genuine special operations team collector's item. The cosplay altimeter was purchased for US$15 with free shipping, while the best deal for rails and strap was nearly US$30! A better option if you want genuine jump-worthy Altimaster parts on your civilian Altimaster II is to acquire the ultra-reliable chemical lightstick lighting adapter, which was available for US$22.50 during my search. This adapter project serves as a bit of whimsy to play with otherwise wasted parts, and I wouldn't consider jumping with it though I have long coveted a real MA2-30 for many years and would jump with that. Warnings and Use License Conditions: I haven't printed this yet so can't promise fit and I am concerned about visibility even if the fit is great so on one hand equum dono accipitis ne dentes inspicerent but absolutely ask your master rigger what they think of jumping with this Frankenstein gadget on your wrist or chest because they can certify experimental things as airworthy, I DO NOT CERTIFY THIS FOR JUMPING NOR AM I A RIGGER WHO CAN LEGALLY MAKE SUCH AN ASSESSMENT!! I only license my design for use in the air if certified by an FAA or equivalent legally competent Master Rigger maybe an A&P for experimental aircraft designs, consult a lawyer competent in the field; it is your build then not mine, I provided a 3D model and idea only. I only provide a general user license for doing a cool cosmetic hack for airsoft gamers, cosplay, or other for-fun no-risk applications including of course use of the model in the non-real digital realm, not for any application where any lives might be at risk when using this as part of free fall, other aviation, or any dangerous or life-saving application without appropriate certification from a certified legally competent authority empowered to certify a modified experimental altimeter for your application. This is your own experimental modification using this adapter design and use license is not provided without first obtaining written certification from one of the above authorities.