Eccleston/ Tennant Console at Doctor Who Experience

[museumdave]

Question?

Has anyone I.D. the funny butterfly winged things that are on the keyboard panel and the back of the seat?


Are they part of a cathode ray tube?

I thought that Dino had named them, but looking back I can't seem to see it.

any help would be great.

Thanks

Dave

[galacticprobe]

Dave, the copper funnel-like thing you have circled in your photo (bottom center) is a deflection yoke for a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT, better known to non-electronics people as an old fashioned picture tube). In some of Kingpin's close-up photos of it you can even see the alignment magnets on the sides - thin bar magnets used to straighten out the edges of the picture. I've aligned many of those in my days. Judging by its size compared to the little keypads I'd guess it's from a 21-inch CRT. (Of course if you find one from a 19- or 27-inch or anything in between it would probably look just as good.)

I'm always seeing old TVs out for the rubbish pick up. I'll keep my eyes open and see if I can snag one for you the next time I'm passing one. (Hopefully I can get the wife to stop since she does all the driving now.) And of course I'm sure you've seen a few in your area as well. If you get to one before I do, just be careful when you're pulling it out - carry come small wire clippers with you for expediency. The yoke's wires are just slip-ons, but they're tight. Clipping the wires will be faster and you can always pull the wires off once you get it home.

Also, have a screwdriver with you because the yoke is held on with what looks like a hose clamp at the back: could be flat or Philips. You'll also need it to open the back of the TV housing. Loosen that hose clamp-like ring on the yoke and once the wires are free the yoke should just slide off the back of the CRT. Oh, and you'll have to pull the connector off of the back of the CRT as well. That's the easy part; just grab the plastic connector and pull (might have to wiggle it a bit).

Just don't touch the thick wire going to the back of the CRT's large area. That's the high voltage anode and it can (and does - experience speaking here) hold a charge... up to 25kV. Stay clear of that and you'll be fine.

So now I guess it's a bit of a race to see who finds one first: you or me! (And one will hopefully let the other know.)

As for those butterfly-shaped things? I don't know - never seen them before aside from on the console. (Wayne Venomous, you've been great with IDing parts on this console. Any ideas what those are?)

Dino.

[the mister]

http://halfblog.net/2008/11/21/on-the-tardis-doctor-who-set-photos-part-three/

[warmcanofcoke]

Ok there are many replies on this thread (which I haven't looked at)- so please forgive me if this is a repeat of old information.

Season 13 episode 1 Top Gear
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gear_Race_to_the_North
the boiler room of the No. 60163 Tornado Steam Train


Water pressure gauge

Purple's images :



Similar?

[warmcanofcoke]

I think the glass item is a Sight Glass, it looks pretty similar, even down to the release valve:

yeah I guess it was old information - sorry my bad.

[DoctorWho8]

That's OK!  I get to relive that episode of Top Gear.  At very least, you confirmed it.
Bill "the Doctor" Rudloff

[galacticprobe]

Since those Taplights Glen (kiwidoc) found in his stash of goodies seem to be a very close, if not perfect, match for that "shields" button the 10th Doctor used just before starship Titanic crashed into the TARDIS in "Voyage of the Damned", I thought I would quote Glen's post here for reference (another bit of this console ID'd). (I hope that's okay; I tried to link just his post, but it kept showing the most recent post on that page.)

Here's a pic - I figured it was the only useful way to contribute hard data to this conversation.  If we agree that it's the right unit or cousin to the right unit I'll measure and photograph properly and post info to the 2005 console thread.

cheers, glen

And the original:

Dino.

[slidin_sidewayz]

It would seem to be an outside com-link control too here at 1:27 where the master uses it to taunt The Doctor who is outside the TARDIS.

[galacticprobe]

And again... It seems like with all Doctors (and Masters), and consoles, controls can change from one to another. Although, thinking along those lines, when the 10th Doctor used that control in "Time Crash", granted it was just a brief moment, but he was still in some form of communications with the 5th Doctor, so maybe he was using it to reply to the 5th Doctor when starship Titanic so rudely interrupted him.

The 10th Doctor did say to the 5th, though, that he's just finished rebuilding the TARDIS (probably after that whole Paradox Machine thing) and forgot to put his shields up, so maybe during that rebuilding (much like with the constant tinkering the 3rd and 4th Doctors did with their consoles), that control was an external commlink (as in "Utopia"), but was now (in "Time Crash") the shields button?

But what the heck? It's a really coooool-looking button with a domey cover that lights up when you press it! (To paraphrase J. G. Wentworth: "It's your TARDIS, use that button how you need it." )

Dino.

[galacticprobe]

Thanks to Glen (kiwidoc) we have a parts source for the commlink/shields button mentioned just above. Glen does certainly have the right ones judging by the set I received; they're inexpensive and I managed to talk the wife into letting me order a set. Here's the link to the tap lights: http://store.worldstart.com/product/6244/?wsref=sidebar.

(Here's a photo of the package they come in:)


Their OD is (roughly) 3 1/8 inches, and their height is 1.75​ inches (which it doesn't give their dimensions on the web site). I think that once the brass "cone" is added to them (and maybe an outer shell if needed - some pvc pipe or thick-walled wrapping paper core tube) they'd do fine for that button thing the Doctor presses just before starship Titanic crashed through the TARDIS. The outside of the light's original housing does have a fine, textured surface, so it should be easy enough to apply a coat of primer without any extra surface prep to rough things up, and then just a top coat of black to make it look like it does on the console, even without adding an extra outer shell for that part of the light. (You'll still need to make that brass cone thing for the collar, and I think that cut-down old plastic funnel idea would work for that.)

The lights use two AAA batteries, and have a tiny light bulb for the light rather than an LED (which could no doubt be modified; they come apart with four small Philips-head screws). The description says "mega bright", but they're really not even with new batteries. What they've got for a bulb is something like you'd find in a mini-Maglight, only this one appears to be a standard incandescent-type rather than the halogen you get in the mini-Maglight. The brightness is okay, but modifying the thing to use a high-brightness LED will definitely make it better. (It may even be able to take a mini-Maglight halogen bulb; the leads look about the same size and they do sell mini-Mags that use two AAA batteries so the bulb isn't a problem, but I haven't taken one of them apart for a closer examination just yet. And granted, the mini-Maglight bulb wouldn't last nearly as long as a high-brightness LED would and the halogen would generate more heat, though the brightness would be about the same and there is plenty of clearance between the bulb and the dimpled cover so there's no fear of a mini-Mag bulb melting things.)

The company ships free within the US, and says they take "Open" (I think meaning any type - mail, internet, etc.) orders from and ship to Canada. They do ship to other places so check out their Shipping section to get all of the details and any costs.

Anyway, I thought I would post "the source" (which Glen graciously let me do, especially since he's the one who found the site selling the lights) in this thread of the 2005 Console reference section because thanks to Kingpin's fabulous photos of this console from the DWE, this seems to be where most of the bits and bobs (not to be confused with Bob's Bits) are being ID'd.

I hope this helps everyone who is working on this console's build!

Dino.

[davidnagel]

For some reason I thought these were common knowledge. My local poundland has a bunch of these and have done for the past few years.... maybe I should have mentioned something sooner   Would have had been happy to be the international shipper, but hey if its available online, yay.

[galacticprobe]

Well they may be common knowledge in some places, but at so far in every store I've been in that sells "tap lights", these are the only ones on the shelves, hangers, or racks:


Their cases come in a variety of colors (silver like above, black, green, blue, etc., even fluorescent colors), but this is the only style I've ever seen. These are slightly smaller in diameter, their total height is only as high as the main case of the others in my previous post, and their "domes" are (as you can see) extremely shallow, almost to the point where they shouldn't even be considered domes. And their "domes" never have the dimples; they're either clear or slightly fluted.

So I for one was very grateful when kiwidoc found that link to those other tap lights. And I'm sure that I wasn't the only one having difficulty finding them (eh, M.D.? BioDoc?) and also appreciate having the link and reference posted here.

Dino.

[kiwidoc]

Hello again folks, I'm onto my next topic of research  - the glass rectangles that feature in several spots on the console.   Previously (correctly) labelled "sight glasses" I've been trying to research them and find original ones to buy, though with great amounts of frustration.  (See Also: http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?topic=4078.0)

What I have found:

* Most commonly associated with Boilers.
* Certainly associated with steam trains (several references lead to WHR)
* The pieces we see are actually a 'shroud' around the sight glass (aka water gauge) and is there in case the actual sight glass breaks and to protect the viewer.
* There is a firm that is willing to manufacture them for you (minus the sight glass innards), but it's too expensive for me.  http://www.heritagesteamsupplies.co.uk/Z-Heritage-Steam-Supplies/Water-Gauge-Glass-Protectors/p-297-1059

I'm going to attempt to make my own version, following Museum Daves example, but if anyone has accurate info on the size of the sight glass shrouds on the TARDIS console please post or email me as soon as possible.  If you have a couple or come across a couple selling at a reasonable price, a tip-off would be appreciated too...

Cheers, glen

[slidin_sidewayz]

I have previously posted my finding of these little beauties on an old boiler in a paddock nearby a job site:

This boiler is sitting in a property about an hour away.
Perhaps I might be able to pop in next time I go past and run a tape measure over them, if it may help?

[galacticprobe]

Wow! That would be great if they let you get some measurements. I know you'll be as thorough as possible considering the other info you've posted and you're probably already thinking of these, but just to be certain, could you also get these 'B', 'C', and 'D' measurements as well?


(And yes: I'm excited at the prospect of getting measurements of these things!)
Dino.