The Naming of Parts

[galacticprobe]

Well, there aren't that many good photos of those (or rather, that; there's only one).


Extreme close-up, not the best; all you really get is the overall shape and color placement as the focus for this shot was on the center of the panel.


A little better. (Bottom left corner.)


Another view from a different angle, but a clear image of it (top right corner, and I think it might be the only clear one I've seen). To me... its shape looks like part of one of those roll-on anti-stink (a.k.a. deodorant) bottles with some blue plastic cover over it. This could be one of those in-house, custom-made components on this console - possibly.


Here's a pretty full shot of the panel it's on. (Notice that the perspex panel has slipped down from where it should be!) This gives you a good look inside the panel compartment (at least along the sides), and it looks like the "Blue Boringer" and those three little switches are actually attached to the perspex part, and not to whatever else is under that panel.


And finally, a shot of the Blue Stabiliser when it's activated (lit up).

And those are about the best photos of it I've been able to come across, and I have no bloody idea what this is made of. It's either one of those roll-on things (silvered up at the bottom and blue plastic covered at the top), or it's a custom-made piece build by the props guys.

If someone else does find out what this thing is, and it is a "something", I'd love to be proven wrong in my guesses!

Dino.

[The14thDr]

Not sure if this has been posted anywhere else on this thread, but I just bought the Essential Doctor Who TARDIS book, so I thought I'd lend a hand to anyone hoping to attempt this console.

Typwriter= Olympia SM3 Portable Manual Typewriter (missing 'tab' key)
Demat Lever= Italian Motorboat Gear Lever (Avanti, Folle, Indietro)
Gear Stick= from a Routemaster Bus
Oil Reservoir= from a classic Mini

Unknown= N52 Belkin Gamepad (need pictures from the console)

I'm sure if you type those into Google or eBay, etc, you should get some good results. (If anyone has the book, this information is from the bottom of page 81.

[galacticprobe]

Thanks, The14thDr! Way back in the thread we did figure out the Olympia (someone got a good photo of it on the console from somewhere). The same goes for the Mat/Demat Lever. (I believe the words on it roughly translate: Avanti, Ahead; Folle, "Stop"; Indietro, Behind, a.k.a. Astern.)

There was mention of the "pink fluid container" on the console, and someone thought it was the brake master cylinder from a car, but wasn't sure which make or model, so this info does come in handy. So does the Gear Stick ("Zigzag Plotter" used in "The Lodger"?).

The Belkin Gamepad is a new one (at least to me). I knew Belkin made wireless networking stuff; my PC has one of their stubby plastic antennas that looks like an oversized jump drive for its wireless connection, but I never knew they made anything for games.

Learn something new every day.

(Now I'll have to go back and re-read that "bookazine" again - only more slowly this time!)

Dino.

[vinster95]

Unknown= N52 Belkin Gamepad (need pictures from the console)

This is it. Photo from my own collection, taken during my set visit back in 2012.



Is located on the communications panel next to the typewriter. Note the palm rest is missing, for production they wrapped it in leather identical to the monitor casing. You can see brush stokes on the edges of the device where they painted over the roof insulation on the panels, note the paint colour.

Interestingly Belkin never released the N52 with a shiny metallic surface, the model used on the console was only available in black. These N52 models can be identified by the ring colour around the scroll wheel on the right, in this case blue. All this means is, the art department must've scrapped the black paint of the device.

[Kingpin]

Or they spray painted it silver.

[The14thDr]

Does anyone have any idea what these switches are called?


Kind regards, The14thDr

[galacticprobe]

Here's a better look at those little puzzlers:

From what we've been able to see of them - at least the way the Doctor works them in "The Eleventh Hour" - they appear to be 3-position toggle switches: center, up, and down. They may or may not be spring-loaded to return to the center position; it's very hard to tell as the Doctor never takes his hand off of the knob when he runs them through their positions and returns them to the center. However, if I was to hazard a guess, I would say they are spring-loaded based on the fact that we never saw them in any position other than Center unless someone was operating them, and then even when the operation was complete they always ended up in Center again.

You can just see what the switches (or at least parts of them) look like under the perspex panel. I'm not sure exactly what specific name this type of switch would have since I've never come across one like this in the total of 31 years I've worked in the electronics field.

My suggestion would be to print out this image, and take it to an electronics supply store and ask them if they've ever seen a switch like it, and if they have what type of switch it is. (And please do let us know; I'm sure more than just the two of us are curious about that.)

I hope some of this is helpful.

Dino.

[The14thDr]

Thanks for the information Dino. I'll take that close-up photo into an electronics store and see if I can get the switches identified. However, I don't think I'll get a chance to do that for another couple of weeks. In the meantime I've been searching the internet for various types of toggle switch but so far I haven't been able to find anything useful.
If we can't find a positive ID of these switches, I may scratch-build a set using wooden dowels and three-position toggle switches.

Kind regards, the14thDr

[BioDoctor900]

I think looking at the switches, they work on a 3 position latching pivot (think that's what you'd call it) similar to the pick up toggle that you have on a guitar, but as Dino says, it's most likely spring loaded. That's my guess on them.

BioDoctor900

[caldellin]

Aren't they the zigzag plotters? Doesn'the 11th Doctor guide Amy through their use in 'The Lodger'?

[BioDoctor900]

Caldellin, the Zig Zag plotter is the gear stick box that juts out from one of the console buttresses

BioDoctor900

[caldellin]

Remind me never to confuse the zigzag plotter with those toggle switches!

[galacticprobe]

Remind me never to confuse the zigzag plotter with those toggle switches!

Here's a little help just so you don't get confused again :


Zigzag Plotter, seen sticking out from the console's rib...


...a little more of an overhead view, off to the side...


...and a pull-back so you can see which rib, and which panel it's on (the same panel with the "wannabe Spock scope" over it).

Dino.

[The14thDr]

Thanks for posting those reference images, Dino. I'm planning to add this control to my own TARDIS console, and I've struggled to find any close-up images until now.
Does anyone know what the second handle sticking out from the "front" of the zig-zag plotter is for?

Kind regards, The14thDr

[galacticprobe]

You're welcome, 14th. I'm not sure what that other little pull knob is for (either practical or console control). I know at times we've seen it pushed in, and at times we've seen it pulled out. But in both cases we've never seen anyone use that part of the Zigzag Plotter. (Maybe someone who knows exactly what kind of shift lever this is would know. As for its function in the Whoniverse? It's anyone's guess.)

And since we're still trying to ID parts on this console, here's an odd thingy and something I've been wondering about for a while:

It's on the inside of one of the console's legs, and it's to the left of the grey pump pedal that's under the panel with the typewriter on it. (You can see the grey pump pedal behind it and below it.)

Here's the rough location of this odd thingy:

That curved dotted arrow shows the location of where the odd thingy is mounted. You can't see the thingy from this angle, but you can see the grey pump pedal, and we know the odd thingy is to the left of that, and on the next leg to the left.

Not that the location would help ID-ing the part, but at least now everyone knows where it is on the console. So... any guesses as to what this things is?

Dino.