A Really Sharp Console!

[fivefingeredstyre]

Since January, Tony and I have been working together on building two versions of the Sharp console, one for each other.

Tony was always going for the full console, but for me, I initially intended on only building the Time Rotor as I've always thought it looked beautiful in its original form, before it was butchered around 1975 into the version that lasted pretty much through to 1983.

I've always thought that it would make a nice looking lamp in the corner of my study at home; however once I started the project I found myself more and more looking at ways to replicate the various switches and meters to the point where I had pretty much set upon the idea of building one for myself.

The plan was for me to make the interior of the Rotor, with Tony working on the base and outer cylinder, all based on the plans Tony has been working on since before Christmas. Once Tony's drawings were finalised we set about procuring the various cylinders and acrylic used for the build.







One thing we found immediately was that you cannot get hold of Green tinted tubing in the right size (it only seems available up to about 50mm rather than the 100mm we need for the rotor), so we needed to look for a solution. One school of thought was to use green acetate as an inner sleeve inside the tube, however this didn't look quite right to me (the join is always visible), so another solution is to paint the tubes green with translucent paint with the help of an airbrush.







Personally I don't think the end result looks too bad, although we have to be careful when using adhesive as this will cause the paint to run where it touches the glue.

The next problem we faced was the lamp holders for the tube lighting. The style of lighting used in the original prop was 221mm tungsten filament tubes. You can still get these tubs now but they are considered very old fashioned, and energy inefficient. They also give off a tremendous about of heat and have a habit of destroying their lamp holders and the surrounding fittings.

There are LED equivalents that do not give off the same amount of heat, so we went for those. The biggest problem was the lamp holders. You just cannot get hold of replacements for them, so we had to make our own!





















Once they had been screwed and mounted on their supporting plates, they looked like this:

[davidnagel]

*bookmarks to use as tutorial later on*

Looking good so far. Can't wait for more updates

[fivefingeredstyre]

The next thing to work on was the Central Pier. This was simply a case of taking three acrylic strips, ripping a 60° bevel on each side and gluing them together...







Meanwhile, in his top-super-secret compound hidden deep in the north of England, Tony was taking a break from counting some rivets to organise the laser cutting of the annular sectors and the triangular collars.



Once these were completed and posted to me, we set about fixing them up to the mirrored bases so I could use the triangular collars as fixed points for drilling the holes that would be needed for the lighting cabling.







Once the holes were drilled we set about gluing the lower parts of the structure in place.







Credit Where Credit Is Due Time: I have to say, Tony's measurements are spot on, everything fits like a glove!

[fivefingeredstyre]

Next up was the yellow strips, which go top and bottom of the rotor.









And then it was time to start work on the central pier lighting











The wires are an absolute bugger to keep straight, so you are best off giving up worrying about it until they are finally fitted, and you can straighten them then...

We also made up a set of transformers so we can pull down the mains voltage to 6V like the original flashing lamps.

[davidnagel]

If you have a spare set of the tube lighting, I'll take them off your hands :p

Really nice! Very nice! Good work you two!

[Rassilons Rod]

Wow!!!!!

[fivefingeredstyre]

We then drilled out securing holes in the top triangular collars



And put it all together so they look a bit like this:


Hopefully this video will work as it shows the lighting in action...

And this is as far as we've assembled so far. We still have the coloured flags to put together, and then we just have to marry the rotor up with the bases and fit them inside of the outer cylinders. (more to come later...)

[davidnagel]

Did you keep a heineken count while you built this?

[fivefingeredstyre]

I should add this did take place over a few months...

[tony farrell]

Did you keep a heineken count while you built this?

Never fear David, from my Top Secret Control Bunker in the North I have been watching and counting (and not just the rivets)!  



In all seriousness though, Steve's use of the word 'we' is to give me far too much credit; all I've done is work out the dimensions, suggest a few parts and talk through the drawings with the laser cutter. All the (excellent) work you see here is Steve's!

T

[meantimebob]

Hahaha! That photo is utterly brilliant!

[galacticprobe]

Whoa, Steve! When you start a Diary and post Updates, you really do some posting! (If there was ever any doubt in anyone's mind about Tony's measurement calculations, you put the doubt to bed when you said everything fit like a glove! And this is also proof that sometimes it is necessary to count those rivets!)

This column is magnificent and she's not even completed... and there are two of them! (One could swear to seeing double which just goes to show you how accurate Tony's measurements are; the columns are identical: no variation!) The painting of the green tubes is brilliant, and building your own sockets for the LED-substitute light tubes inside? Nothing short of outstanding.

The Central Pier looks fantastic, as does everything else up to this point. And that video showing the flashing lights on the Pier: spectacular! Well done to you both! I can't wait for the next update.

Dino.
P. S. I must admit that seeing builds of this caliber, at times, makes me feel rather inadequate.

[davidnagel]

I should add this did take place over a few months...

A likely story...

By the way, whats achieving the lights blinking?

[russellsuthern]

Wow!

That's really great work!

Can't wait to see more!

Russell

[tony farrell]

... and there are two of them! (One could swear to seeing double which just goes to show you how accurate Tony's measurements are; the columns are identical: no variation!)
Dino.

Dino, this is what I've been trying to tell you; Tardis Consoles are like buses, you wait for ages and none turn up. Then, all-of-a-sudden, two turn up at once!

"By the prickling of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes!"

T