Random Console Parts

BioDoctor900 · Oct 02, 2017, 08:56 pm

Hi guys, so today I went and had a play around at Bob's Bits as I had some time to kill before going to the Harry Potter Studios, which is 15 minutes up the road. I met the two gentlemen who ran the place, who basically gave us free reign of the place to look around. I've taken some pictures of some console parts that may come in use....But I did get some interesting information...

Spoiler

The BBC had only gone in a couple of days ago to buy parts for a NEW TARDIS Console!! The guy said he had some photos, but he couldn't show me....So it looks like Jodie Whittaker's Doctor will be getting a new Console....But I digress....

[close]

A £400 atomic accelerator with inaccurate tips

This pole bracket from the Eccleston/Tennant Console. I got one to go on mine

One of a ton of F1 Clutch plates, as seen on the Eccleston/Tennant Console

Some dials from the Smith/Capaldi console

A Volt meter from the Smith/Capaldi Console

Some Storm Force Keypads from the Eccleston/Tennant Console, but in black with clear keys

And these, which reminded me of the dials on the Eighth Doctor console

Interestingly, I spoke to Bob about IDing some of the Parts, mainly for the Tennant console. The Demat lever IS a boat lever, Bob purchased two of them, and the BBC bought both, he says they have occasionally popped up on eBay. The Trilobe things come from the same place as the cast aluminum piece that I bought, and is also cast aluminium. He reckons he may have some in a box still. The Hexagonal one underneath the trilobe things is a large motor from a hard drive, and he said they had used them for vault doors as the motor spins continuously, again he said he may have some somewhere. They took my name, number and email and said that if they found them they would contact me. So hopefully that clears up some things and also the images help for reference. If you haven't been to Bob's Bits, I recommend going, as there are tons of bits in there, but be aware you'll need deep wallets/bank accounts, as not everything there is cheap

BioDoctor900

Angelus Lupus · Oct 02, 2017, 11:01 pm

Interesting stuff! The 'spoiler' has me intrigued.

galacticprobe · Oct 03, 2017, 03:20 am

Great info, and interesting, BioDoc. Thanks for posting it. That £400 Atomic Accelerator was an interesting find. (I'd be happy just getting enough of those silver "arms" to go around one (18, I think I counted once). Amazon had the main "camera ball" as they called it for only about $15 US, and the blue and amber tire valve caps are available on eBay for next to nothing. It's those arms that we're having trouble ID-ing (proper name for them), so a handful of those wouldn't go amiss.

It seems like the only way to get any response from Bob's Bits, though, is to go there in person (which makes it impossible for someone in the States, like me) as they can't seem to be bothered answering their e-mails. About two years ago I'd e-mailed him and asked about purchasing one of these:

which according to his site, were £15 (to purchase), and I think the site said he had 5 in stock. I waited... and waited... After a month I sent another e-mail asking if he'd gotten my previous e-mail, explaining that sometimes AOL does lose e-mails on me, and again asked about buying one of those and the shipping cost to the US. Waited another month...

Long story short, after almost a year of this with no replies (which is beyond being patient when waiting for any response) I was royally cheesed off and gave up. Now I just checked his site and these appear to be gone. So if anyone wants something from Bob's Bits, be prepared to visit the place or be ignored (and since mentioning my lack of response at the time it was happening, I'd heard the same thing from people living in the UK as well, so it's just not the US he's ignoring). Fine way to do business.

You are so lucky, BioDoc! Being able to visit that place when you want to? Get what you can while you can. You've already got a great console, so anything you get can only make it greater!

Dino.

kiwidoc · Oct 03, 2017, 07:42 pm

Dude, awesome post, thanks for sharing! Like Dino, I've emailed a couple of times and had nothing at all back from them even when suggesting I want to buy some stuff - I guess email and perhaps foreign customers are just too hard for them. I'm a little dubious still about the control lever being from a boat (it measures pressure on that gauge) and the hex thing being from a hard drive but I can totally understand them ascribing them those descriptions years ago and then sticking to them. Must have been so cool to see so much of that stuff for real and to have some screen-accurate parts now too! And interesting spoiler stuff.

BioDoctor900 · Oct 03, 2017, 10:15 pm

Kiwidoc, he did say he'd got the levers from an MOD base, so it could be part of some of their equipment....and with regards to the hexagonal part. I think it comes from quite a large hard drive, like the old school computers, not HDD hard drives, but like the really early computers....he seemed pretty confident in what he was on about, but hey, it's been quite a few years

BioDoctor900

galacticprobe · Oct 04, 2017, 03:30 am

Quote from: BioDoctor900 on Oct 03, 2017, 10:15 pm
...and with regards to the hexagonal part. I think it comes from quite a large hard drive, like the old school computers, not HDD hard drives, but like the really early computers...

The good old (and I do mean old) VAX computers from 1977. (VAX: Virtual Address Extension) They were around for quite a while. In fact, one Coast Guard unit I was stationed at finally got rid of their VAX computer - which took up an entire 24' x 50' room! - in 1995! Those monsters were just that: monsters.

This was the best image I could find that would provide scale and shows a tech handling a stack of HDD disc platters:

Those stacks would be inserted into a washing machine-sized drive unit, and there were usually many drive units that went with one of those systems. I couldn't find any images of one of the drive motors, but I could easily see one of them being like that hexagonal unit. (You'd need something really hefty to spin those big honkin' platters!)

Basically, you put that stack into the drive unit, gave the plastic cover a twist, and that locked the platter stack in while releasing that plastic cover with built-in handle. Then you lifted the cover out, closed the lid, and the drive unit became that monstrous HDD. (And you just simply reversed the procedure with the stacks' lids when you needed to remove the platters from the drive unit.)

I did manage to find a VAX computer system in a room much like the one at my unit (though this one looks more advanced):

Disc Drive units the size of washing machines; processing units the size of large refrigerators, and at least at my unit, the I/O (input/output) unit was a keyboard terminal the size of a small desk. Ours didn't have any video displays, only typed printouts, both yours that you typed in and what the computer would print out in response. (Bloody noisy things these were, too! When they were running, you could hear them through half of the building.)

Yeah... definitely could see one of those hexagonal thingies being part of a VAX computer's disc drive system.

Dino.

Davros Skaro · Oct 04, 2017, 05:26 am

WOW Dino, what a person could do/make with some of those discs!

Mmmmm ....

Chris.

P.S. excuse my eyes, but which hexagonal thingy? I can't see one, or is it that green round one with notches in?

galacticprobe · Oct 04, 2017, 04:53 pm

Quote from: Davros Skaro on Oct 04, 2017, 05:26 am
WOW Dino, what a person could do/make with some of those discs!

I agree, Chris. Those platters are massive! They'd go great around or somewhere on a custom console central column. (Maybe at the base, or on the top like a cap - sort of like the insulator rings on the 2005 console, only more streamlined?)

Quote from: Davros Skaro on Oct 04, 2017, 05:26 am
P.S. excuse my eyes, but which hexagonal thingy? I can't see one, or is it that green round one with notches in?

I think what you're looking at is the clutch plate that BioDoc is holding in the photo. The anodizing gives it that greenish-gold color. The hexagonal part for the large HDD BioDoc was referring to, I think, is this thingy from the 2005 console:

Here's a photo of where it's located on the console:
NewConsole(panel)-01a-close.JPG

On the rib below the trilobe thingy that's below the sextant.

And here's the clutch plate BioDoc is holding:

near the top of the panel. As you can tell by the configuration of the panel (and the neatness of the console) this is from early in Christopher Eccleston's run.

Hopefully that clears up the console component confusion. (Hey... that almost sound like a great title for an episode set totally inside the TARDIS: "Console Component Confusion". I wonder what sort of plot we could work around this one...)

TARDIS Interior - Console Room
The Doctor is working controls on one side of the console while looking closely into the console's monitor.
the Doctor: (reaching across the console, around the central column, pointing at the panel on the opposite side of the console: to her Companion) "I need you to flip that Temporal Affect Limiter switch for me."
the Companion: "Oh, okay." (Looking hesitantly at the console's controls: reaches for a control, balks, then goes for it and flips a switch.)
SHUDDER! The Doctor's face almost smashes into the monitor. She looks up once the shudder stops and sees three of herself, and three of her companion.
the Doctor: (anxious) "What have you done!?"
the Companion: (pointing at the control panel) "Only what you told me to!"
The Doctor runs to the other side of the console and looks at the control panel. Then, she slowly pulls away from the console and looks around the room again at the multiples of herself and her companion.
the Doctor: (recognizing the clothing on the multiples) "That's us, from three, four, and five days ago! (upset, to her Companion) "I said 'the Temporal Affect Limiter switch! Not the Temporal Effect Limiter switch!"
the Companion: (defencively) "Affect, Effect... it sounded the same the way you said it! And besides, those two switches are side-by-side on that control panel. Who in their right mind would design a console with switches like that on the same control panel, and right next to each other?!"
the Doctor: (raising a finger to her Companion as if about to scold him... pausing... turning to look at the console... thinking) "Ah... well... yes; you do have a point there." (Snapping back to her companion) "But that's not the point! The point is that you should have asked me which switch if you weren't sure! Now we're stuck with... 'ourselves'... (looking again at their multiples) "...until I can figure out a way of reversing this little sticky situation."
3-Day-ago Companion: "Maybe I can help."
the Doctor: "I think you've done enough... or at least you will have done, thank you."
4-Day-ago Doctor: "Well, look on the bright side."
the Doctor: "Which is...?"
4-Day-ago Doctor: "At least when I've figured a way out of this, I'll remember watching myself figure a way out of this, so when it happens I'll be able to sort it out straight away."
3-Day-ago Doctor: "No, I'll remember what will happen and be sure to specify 'the Affect Limiter switch', Affect with an A. That way this will never happen."
5-Day-ago Doctor: "Well, then if this never happens, I'll never see how I sort it out, and it will end up happening anyway because I won't know to specify 'Affect Limiter' and not 'Effect Limiter'."
the Doctor: (shaking her head) "Sometimes I really hate being me."
<cue 'stinger' and opening credits>

Dino.