Primrodo's Capaldi/Smith 2013 Console Build

[mccoy master]

I completely agree Jason! I'm a big fan of your console as well! Whenever I see the build diary I get a rush of excitement and inspiration! I feel the same way about Primrodo's console as well.Do you still have any plans on making that video of your console? I'm sure it would be great!

[timewomble]

Very exciting!

What dimensions did you and your friend decide the original was, before scaling it down? Still kicking myself for not taking a tape measure on the Tardis Set tour last year.

[Primrodo]

Really? Thank you very much! Like I said, I know that whatever you create it will look amazing! I've seen your other props and costumes and they all look phenomenal!

Thank you! And yeah I quite like that idea and I can use the cheesy push buttons with it too. I think classic fans will love my panel

As a hard core fan of the classic show this is my favorite new series console! It is a lot more reminiscent of the classic series consoles. The random stuff glued to the console for the first two seemed a little cheap looking. It looked like garage sale stuff bolted to a modified table. I know it was a very impressive technical accomplishment to design and build those consoles, but they almost looked like parodies of the original consoles. I'm not trying to offend anyone, it's just my opinion.

I look forward to seeing the progress on your console.

Right with you in a sense. I love those consoles, but this one pushed ahead and I was totally into it!

Very exciting!

What dimensions did you and your friend decide the original was, before scaling it down? Still kicking myself for not taking a tape measure on the Tardis Set tour last year.

Initially I assumed they were 46" but then I measured the panel with the phone and scaled the trapezoid to be flat. When I did that I scaled to the keyboard keys which are usually about 3/4" (19.05 mm) and got just around 52" in width. Which would make the point to point 104" or in and around 8.5' mine will be in and around 6.5' so its not THAT much smaller but enough!

[timewomble]

I tried scaling from the keyboard too, but couldn't decide. Small variances in key size and spacing would add up to a large variance across the panel.
http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?topic=4592.msg48899#msg48899

However, whatever the scale, as long as you're happy with the panel angle it should all work out fine.

[galacticprobe]

This might help with guesstimating the console panels' widths:


(If you open the image in a new tab or window it might show full-sized.)

The toggle Switch Cover (yellow arrow) is a readily available component in many electrical/electronic supply stores. They're all the same size, so all you have to do is browse through one of those stores until you find one of those covers, and then with a tiny tape measure - like the kinds you can get for your car and house keys' chain - and measure the narrow width of the cover (or the mounting plate if it has one; not all do), and then apply that measurement to the panel's width.

Also, those indicator lights (red arrow) also come in standard sizes - usually half-inch diameter, at least for the lens, a 16th more for the flange around the edge, so all told about 5/8ths of an inch diameter. Those are also readily available from one of the above-mentioned stores. Find one of those to get a definitive measurement - which in this case us usually on the packaging - and apply that to the console's width.

Either of those two components should get you a closer guesstimate of the console panels' width - at least at the top near the collar and the bottom at the edge.

I hope this was helpful.

Dino.

[davidnagel]

Gotta love all this talk about a paper mock up

Look forward to the building.

[Primrodo]

Actually Dino, those flip covers come in a few sizes.

I am pretty certain in my scaling, I have Identified a number of parts as it is, and confirmed measurements. Like the footprint of the lever clamps, the lights (actually closer to 3/4") the black toggles, etc. I measured a single key and then went from there for scaling so spacing would have no bearing on it.

[Primrodo]

New video up!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7VTRiHjqQA

[galacticprobe]

Really great video, Justin! And I just read your last comment; looks like you've got a better handle on the size and scale than I do. I've only ever seen those flip covers in one size (that's the military for you), and I took a look in my "box of bits" where I've got some of those indicator lights and <face palm> I've got a few sizes of them in there! So you're definitely a jump ahead of me on that one!

Dino.

[Primrodo]

Thanks Dino, I would have never known until I started looking!

The lights are boggling me, I know what I need and in what size, but hard to find exact models. I have found close collars but the lens is faceted. Pilot lights look close though. They are one thing I will be requesting help for for sure! Some of the lights are fairly large as well.

[timewomble]

I think we decided that some of them, like the two large yellow ones above the dematerialisation levers, are actually marbles or a shaped marble-like material. There's definitely a marble at the center of the assembly above the oval screen panel.

I look forward to hearing what parts you identify, and which parts you find as acceptable substitutes.

What did you find for the collar?

[galacticprobe]

The lights are boggling me, I know what I need and in what size, but hard to find exact models. I have found close collars but the lens is faceted. Pilot lights look close though. They are one thing I will be requesting help for for sure! Some of the lights are fairly large as well.

Justin, have you tried looking at Digikey? They sell replacement lenses for those lights, and I think you can get them "clear" rather than with the facets (flutes) in them. (Actually, I think Dialight makes them, but Digikey is a distributer.) Here are some links for you to check out (but be warned, they don't always have images of the lenses, and there are pages to sift through):

http://www.digikey.com/
http://www.dialight.com/Assets/Brochures_And_Catalogs/Indication/pmi_cat/20.pdf (Spec sheet)

On that note, I would check these guys out first: http://www.turretboards.com/customer_photo_gallery.htm

They've got the sockets, and a wide variety of lenses to choose from, and the bulbs, and it's all on one neat page! (I found them via Google Image search for "indicator lamp lens".) Their prices are reasonable from what I could see. Just for giggles I loaded a "shopping cart" with a complete set - 5 indicator lamp sockets, 2 clear domed green lenses, 2 clear domed amber lenses, 1 clear domed red lens, and 5 bulbs (the 6.3 V kind, but they also have the 120 V kind for $0.50 more). The total came to $26.00 USD even - and they do take PayPal and ship to Ontario. So they might be your best bet for those indicators - lenses or the whole lot.

For other lenses you might find on the console they've got those domed ones in fluted and diffuse, and they've got faceted ones with a little more metal around their base where they screw into the socket.

You might have to poke around Google Images for other sizes, but I hope this at least helps get you going with those five lights (if they are the ones I've pointed that red arrow to in the image I posted).

Dino.

[Primrodo]

I think we decided that some of them, like the two large yellow ones above the dematerialisation levers, are actually marbles or a shaped marble-like material. There's definitely a marble at the center of the assembly above the oval screen panel.

I look forward to hearing what parts you identify, and which parts you find as acceptable substitutes.

What did you find for the collar?

Nick has access to making cool marbledmaterials so I would no be surprised. There is two large 50mm marbles but getting them engraved may prove interesting.

What collar specifically?

[Primrodo]

Thanks Dino, I emailed that site to see.

Biggest issue is that the yellows all have that thick collar, so just a touch more hunting I think, since these collars ones are around 1/2" as opposed to bigger. I found another site at  www.alliedelec.com with options.

So much fun!

[galacticprobe]

Thanks Dino, I emailed that site to see.

Biggest issue is that the yellows all have that thick collar...

Justin, are you referring to the photo of the lens?

If you are, that collar (the silver "flange" at the base) isn't part of the lens. The lens is just plain, plastic. It's probably showing it like that to get the light inside so you can see the lit-up color of the lens, and with that black background it gives the impression of having a collar on it, when it really doesn't. (I've changed out enough of the bulbs inside this type of indicator, and had to order replacement for lost/broken lenses when I was in the military to assure you of that.)

The collar is part of the socket that the lens screws into, and is actually the flange that holds the top part of the socket in place on the panel, with that large nut screwing in to lock it in from behind:

so that lens should come with nothing but the lens - no collar. (Unless you were looking at one of the different lenses?)

Those images of the lens and socket are the ones from here:  http://www.turretboards.com/customer_photo_gallery.htm

Is this extra info a little more helpful, or reassuring?

Dino.