TARDIS Console Rebuild (Phase 2 WIP)

[The14thDr]

Thanks for the comments and ideas guys! The scanner display is currently half finished at the moment, all I need to do is remove the rest of the black background so you can see all of the space scene behind. And the layers need realigning so that all of thelines match up, but I can do that later.

Nice image, 14th. Not sure who (pardon the pun) did the starfield image, but those and tons more are available (in nice high-res) from here: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html (the image archive for NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day).

If you could get Tom's image printed (or painted?) on something clear and use that as the monitor's "screen face", then if you collected some of those NASA images and placed a computer monitor behind it, you could set up a slide show so the image would change every so often, and Tom's graphic would always be there - as if the TARDIS was scanning the cosmos. (That should give a few people some ideas.)

Dino.

The starfield image also came from the thread you linked, and it was also uploaded by Tom_J. And as for the computer monitor idea, I'm thinking of maybe mounting one of those digital photo frames onto the base of the time rotor, similar to the twin monitors on the 2013 TARDIS.
And last but not least for now is the demat lever, which I've just added the finishing touches to. Photos coming soon.

Kind regards, The14thDr

[TheWitch]

I have another 2 scanner HUD for the swivel monitors if needed .

Give me a shout

- Tom_J

[The14thDr]

Oh that would be fantastic! Could you post them please?

[The14thDr]

Hello again.  
As promised, I'm here with another update on the TARDIS project. I finished painting the demat lever and applied the overcoat of PVA glue. This will act as a sort of sealant/shiny-fier, which will stop the paint from flaking and peeling whilst at the same time giving the lever a lovely shiny look.


I've also completed my collection of switches, buttons and gizmos for the console. I ordered them from various places around the world using the wonderful sight we all know as eBay. Most of them arrived a while ago but the final pack of switches turned up this afternoon.
First up are the slider head knobs. They came in a pack of 5 for just under three pounds. Now all I need to do is figure out how to mount them onto the panel. If anyone has any ideas for this, feel free to chip in. All help will be gladly appreciated.


I also bought a couple of missile-style toggle switch covers. I was originally going to buy a pair of red covers, but then I saw the carbon fibre ones and decided to go with those instead as they match the silver/black theme of my "demat lever panel". Behind the toggle switch covers you can also see the pack of push buttons I got for 83 pence on eBay.


Next up in my collection is the pack of 10 chicken head knobs, an idea I stole from the Hartnell console. (Many thanks to aaron63 for the help identifying this piece).


I also purchased this pack of 20 LED rocker switches for just two pounds. This is probably the most amazing bargain I've found whilst shopping for parts to mount on the console. There are five switches of each colour in the past (red, blue, green and yellow). I was originally going to wire these up so that every single switch lit up when turned on, but the cost of all the wires and equipment would be a little over my budget for now.


The last switches to join my collection were the 10 toggle switches that arrived this afternoon. Six will be mounted on the first panel, with another two going inside the missile-switch covers. The last two will be tucked away as spares in case the others break or something like that.


I've also constructed a quick mock-up of the second panel. I tried to give a sort of Five Doctor's theme to the panel, with the buttons and sliders, although I'm not quite sure if this is visible or not. What do you guys think?


Let me know if you have any suggestions or ideas for the console below. Any and all criticism will be gladly accepted and taken on board.
Kind regards, The14thDr

[galacticprobe]

Bah.  Beat too it by Dino.

Just trying to keep you on your toes, my friend!

That panel layout looks pretty nice so far, 14th! I can't wait to see it with some controls installed.

Dino.

[The14thDr]

Thanks Dino! I've been playing around with some of the other switches and controls and have managed to come up with a couple more panel mock-ups. Hopefully I'll be able to post some photos tonight.

Kind regards, The14thDr

[The14thDr]

Not much to report, I've been swamped with homework for most of the day, meaning that there's been barely any time to work on the console. I made a template for the Hartnell levers that I'm using on one of the panels, although I haven't started the actual construction yet. I also printed off the display that I'll be using for my scanner. For this I decided to forego the HUD that I was previously working on. This has nothing to do with the image that Tom_J posted, I just found this image online and decided to use this instead of the display I was going to use before. (p.s. if anyone wants a copy of the original image, let me know and I'll give you the link).

All I need to do now is laminate the image, finish the scanner and mount it on the console. My dad says that we can assemble the TARDIS at some point during the holidays and spend the entire day making all the necessary finishing touches. So I have about 4 weeks to build all the levers and controls.

Kind regards, The14thDr

[The14thDr]

...And so it came to pass that yet again I have left it for almost 14 days to update this thread. I really need to get more punctual with these posts. The photographs you see before you were taken a week ago, and it's taken me this long to post them, and for that I apologise.
I managed to make the first Hartnell lever using a bit of 1/4" dowel and some cardboard. I'm still waiting to get the lever painted and glued before I can add the all-important wooden ball on the top (or polystyrene in this case).

I've also made a start on my custom helmic regulator control, which I'm planning to mount on the center of one of the panels. It's supposed to be a sort of miniature handwheel, with two small trimwheels mounted on either side. It's a little hard to explain at the moment, but I hope I'm making sense. Here's a photo of the helmic regulator alongside my unfinished Hartnell lever.


Kind regards, The14thDr

[galacticprobe]

Looking good so far, but the lever you're describing for the "Hartnell Demat Lever" is actually the Door Control Lever used during the later Tom Baker/Early Peter Davison era. The Hartnell Demat Lever never had a "shaft" with a big red ball on it:


Here is the Hartnell Demat Lever from a great side view to show its detail...


...and a color publicity photo if Hartnell at the console, with the Demat Lever in shot. Notice that it has a red disc in the center of the large knob. (Of all the knobs of this style on the Hartnell console, this one is the only one to have that red disc in the center.)

And if you're going for more of a Hartnell-era console with the controls, then you'll have to adjust the design of your Helmic Regulator. The one on the Hartnell console looked like a large "roller controller" that you'd find on some arcade video games (though I don't thing the one on the Hartnell console actually "rolled"; it was probably just a bit of dome-shaped plastic):

The Hartnell Helmic Regulator...

...and how it works.

All of the above images are in the http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?board=51.0 Child Board, each under a separate topic, but easy to find.

I hope this helps (for accuracy). Your construction method looks rather sturdy considering the materials you're building this out of. Great job there.

Dino.

[The14thDr]

Thanks for the info, Dino, but the levers I meant were the other Hartnell levers (the ones with the red and yellow balls on the ends that were arranged in rows on the panels). For the helmic regulator, I was going for a more custom feel, just to add my own spin to the project, rather than any "screen-accurate" controls. Besides, I find that the wheel works much better for guiding the TARDIS through the Vortex than that control from the 60's console.

Kind regards, The14thDr

[The14thDr]

Hello guys. Sorry for the radio silence over the past few weeks; I've been so busy working on the console and doing other things that I just haven't had the time to sit and type out an update. Over the festive holiday my dad and I drilled out all the holes on the panels for the switches to be plugged into. I also constructed the second ball lever, which is based on the red and yellow levers from the 1960's console.

As you can see they are both nearing completion, all I have to do now is construct the second lever handle and paint both of the boxes silver. I also built the box for my potentiometer sliders. As with the 60's levers above all I need to do is add some silver paint.


Next on the list is the main scanner and two of the Hartnell Demat Levers for panel number three. After that I can glue everything together and add all the finishing touches such as switches and any extra greeblies. At the moment I'm right on track for hitting my final deadline of the 16th February (which incidentally is round about the same time I finished my last console). More updates soon!

Kind regards, The14thDr

[The14thDr]

Hello again! With the deadline for this project coming up very quickly, I've been working super fast to try and get all of the controls finished in time. My dad was kind enough to spend a couple of hours over the Christmas holidays drilling all the holes in the panels for the switches and buttons that I plan to install, and last night he cut out the huge hexagon to go on the top.
Whilst my dad was covering the 'toolkit' jobs, I've been busy cutting out and assembling all of the levers and other bits and bobs that will be going on the console. One such greeblie is the slider box for panel number two. I made it using a cereal box and some tape. As you can see it's been painted since the last post and the control knobs have been added.

I also completed my two door levers from the Tom Baker console. I had originally planned to paint the balls red but in the end I decided against it because they are made from polystyrene and that doesn't really take well to being painted.

At the weekend I made a start on my custom telepathic interface panels that will be mounted on either side of the sonic screwdriver charger. They are made from a hardboard base (which will be painted black) with a silver cardboard overlay glued to the top. I haven't quite finished the second overlay yet and the hardboard still has to be painted.

Last but not least for today's post is the main scanner screen. If you can remember my update from the end of November, you will recall that I had assembled the basic shape of the scanner and printed out the graphic to go inside it. Since then the graphic has been cut out and laminated, and the scanner has been painted.



If you have any questions about how I made any of the controls, just post a comment below and I'll reply as soon as possible. More updates will be arriving soon.
Kind regards, The14thDr

[galacticprobe]

Things look like they're coming together nicely. As for painting the levers' ball-tops, if you use an acrylic (water-based) craft paint and a paint brush (not a spray paint), they should take the paint well enough. It's only spray paint that can turn a polystyrene (styrofoam) ball into something that looks like an asteroid!

If you've got any extra polystyrene bits lying about, give it a try. If it works on that, then it should work just fine on the levers' ball-tops.

Dino.

[The14thDr]

Cheers Dino. I'll do some paint tests soon.

Update time!!! With the deadline looming just around the corner (only 4 days to go now!) I thought it was about time I posted an update. Last week I finished my Hartnell Demat Levers and they have now been painted and assembled. I'm planning to mount these on Panel number 3, right above the coordinate controls.
Here's a shot of the levers alongside all the other controls.


At the weekend my dad and I hope to attach the panels together, just in time for the 16th. The reason I chose this date as my deadline is because that is round about the date I finished my last console last year. Speaking of which, I've dug out some photos of the old 'Old Girl', taken just days before I added the final touches, so I'll aim to get those uploaded soon.

In the meantime, feel free to post a comment below and let me know what you think. Kind regards, The14thDr

[warmcanofcoke]

Excellent work! That is a hansom collection of Tardis Controls. Keep up the good work.