Rani Tardis Console

[oscarsgraphics]

I know there was a topic on here regarding the rani console but is there any actual plans lurking somewhere? I've saved the screen grabs and the measurements for it but as for the layout I was thinking what if had been upgraded with switches etc along with the 'bumps'. It looks like it was vacuformed and repeated panels. It's the measurements of each individual panel that's going to be a headache. This is the one I will be using, from an earlier post regarding the rani console.

I will be making an adjustment to the time rotor as I do not possess the metal working skills needed to construct the one shown and will be designing a 'crystal' that will rotate on a old record player and possibly pulse with light when in flight. Where the 'fake' switches are on the original, ill replace with either illuminated rocker switches or not illuminated ones. Rough design of placement of vacuformed panels.

[oscarsgraphics]

Second Draft of panel layout.

[oscarsgraphics]

Third draft.No message is associated with this attachment.

[No More]

I will be making an adjustment to the time rotor as I do not possess the metal working skills needed to construct the one shown

Is there that much metalworking?  From what I remember of it, it's a case of finding a pair of metal rings that are already approximately the right size, and sticking them together at a roughly appropriate angle in a way that's not too obtrusive.

(And yes, that is skimming over a whole world of pain and I'm not sure how I'd go about it either; it's more that I hadn't thought of the problems as metal working ones.  It may be that I've just not thought enough about how I'd attach two metal (or metal-looking) rings together...)

[russellsuthern]

Yup, those 2 innocent looking rings would be much trickier to put together than they look.
I'd probably just epoxy two plastic hula hoops together.
Sprayed with the right paint, no one would know they weren't metal.


Good luck!

Russell

[oscarsgraphics]

Found this whilst on google. It's from second life but does give me a heads up on panel design.

[oscarsgraphics]

Final Draft of the Rani console with the following alterations. Those pop up panels which housed some sort of communication screen are now hexagonal and don't pop up. The biggest hurdle is designing each panel for vacuforming and pricing it up then building the support structure underneath as there are no plans that exist for the prop which has disappeared or has been destroyed. Any ideas on structural support for such a console. I have no carpentry skills and it will be a foray into the unknown.

[galacticprobe]

Any ideas on structural support for such a console. I have no carpentry skills and it will be a foray into the unknown.

Well, 1/2-inch thick plywood would be good. Cutting the small circles for the plinth and console top shouldn't be too difficult. Presuming your measurements are in inches, you'd have to cut the circles in two sections, with each section having a 30-inch radius. Then when you put the flat edges together you'd have one large circle that's 60 inches in diameter. You could either use something like a 2 x 4 down the join to hold the sections together, or cut four half-circles with a 30-inch radius, and then overlay one set over the other, but rotated 90 degrees. Then you could secure the two sets of semicircles together with wood screws. (Keeping in mind this would give you a 60-inch diameter circle that's a full inch thick. It would be a bit heavy, but would work well for the base of the plinth.) For the circle at the top of the plinth, you could do the same thing using thinner ply, like 1/4th-inch thick, which would give you a circle that's only 1/2-inch thick. (Then you could always cut holes in that top circle wherever you wanted to run wiring through.)

You could use 2 x 4s at the main framework for the plinth. Those would be pretty easy straight cuts to length. (It's hard to tell on your drawing, but you'd need to take into account the thickness of your circles and subtract that from the length of the 2 x 4s so you get a plinth that's 60 inches tall.) Then set the 2 x 4s around the edge (narrow edge out) so you have a framework for wrapping the plinth covering around. You'll have to judge the distance between the 2 x 4s. Those can be fastened in place with wood screws. The wrap to cover the plinth will take some additional thought as I don't know off-hand what would be flexible enough to make that wrap without cracking or splitting without using some sort of water soaking to soften something like thin 1/16th-inch ply. But once you get to that stage, you can just tack the wrapping material around the plinth, tacking it with wood screws to each plywood "rib" in the framework as you go.

Cutting the underside of the main console would go the same as for the circles in the plinth, but you'd need to get some help figuring out just how many semicircles you'd need to cut and fasten together to get the complete circle. (Again this will be heavy, but this is also one instance when you want that thickness for added strength as this will be bearing most of the topside weight.) And again cutting the top circle for the main console would be the same as for the plinth's.

The internal ribs for the main console can be cut from 1/2-inch thick ply. Most of that is straight cut pieces. Cut the outer edge as tall as needed so you get the console's rim to the right height. Measure from the edge towards the "center" of the console until you get to the top circle. (This is how deep your internal ribs will be.) Then measure 15 inches up (according to your drawing) to get the back height of the rib, which will also give you the angle for your console panels. On this console, it looks like you'll have to take into account that flat spot on top where the top circle will go, and then cut off the top of your ribs so this is where you get your 15 inches. Then you should have something that looks (roughly) like this:

___
|    \
|      \
|        \
|         |
|_____|
(Just turn this sideways.)

Once you've got one of these figured out, use it as a template so all you have to do is trace around it to mark out the rest of your console's internal ribs. Cut as many as you think you might need. You can fasten them to the large console base circle with wood screws, going up from underneath, through the base circle and into the rib. Start with three set at 120 degrees apart. This will give you a solid base for the top circle. (This way the top circle will never rock when you screw it to the tops of the ribs.) Then just keep going until you get enough ribs around the console to support the panels, and the wrap that will be used for the rim.

As for the rim, since this is a much wider turn than the plinth, you should be able to use 11-inch (by the drawing) strips of 1/16th-inch thick ply and bend it around the rim without any risk of cracking, again using wood screws to secure the rim wrap to each rib as you go.

So this is going to be one solid "base" overall to support your console and anything you care to put on her. The main console ribs will be more than enough to support your panels, especially if they're vac-formed, and also support your time rotor and the mechanism to make it spin.

That's about all I can offer at this point. At least that's how I'd go about it. I'm sure others will have more (and probably better) ideas to help you alone, but hopefully this makes sense, and shows that you can manage it with minimal woodworking skills, especially of you've got someone that can help hold and measure things.

Dino.

[timewomble]

Those pop up panels which housed some sort of communication screen are now hexagonal and don't pop up.

This is looking splendid, but those look like pentagons to me, not hexagons.

[Angelus Lupus]

I always liked those pop-up panels - and the fact that they were obviously made from large speakers, but still fitted with the 80's design 

[oscarsgraphics]

Thought they looked like stereo speakers.

[elkad]

I have a flash animated tracing or the Rani's Tardis if that helps any. https://www.deviantart.com/elkaddalek/art/Ranis-tardis-Unfinished-182486995

[galacticprobe]

This is looking splendid, but those look like pentagons to me, not hexagons.

Good eyes, Peter! (Or should I say, 'Stanky old wizzard eyes, Dino'? ) I looked at those and didn't even realize they were pentagons instead of hexagons. I guess when Oscar said they were hexagons, my stanky old wizzard brain just told my eyes what they were supposed to see and I saw hexagons. (This shows you how strong the power of suggestion can be!)

Dino.

[rmef2]

Fantastic Work.  I have always been in love with this console despite its lack of controls and flashy things.  I have built the rings twice before and they are difficult.  Epoxy on hoola hoops doesn't work so don't bother.  My first set was built from three crochet hoops.  They were spot welded together and were quite strong.  They don't have the diameter however.
The second set can be seen in my rani/verne console posted on this site.  For this I used two bike tire rims and welded them together. This worked very well and gave the thickness I needed but at close inspection ....looked like bike rims.

I never built the end result which I was going to try to get some stainless pipe and have a muffler shop bend them into rings and weld.  You can see on the Rani's actual console that the ring mechanism seems to be a separate piece as if the rings had been used separately before.  I suspect they were a free standing sculpture made previously and had a craftsman create the rings.

The rings in the center are simple enough. Just a shaft with a lift mechanism.  I did that on the original console I made.  

I would love to see someone make this.  Its my second favorite.

http://s442.photobucket.com/albums/qq149/rmef2/?action=view&current=Video_082808_001.flv
http://s442.photobucket.com/albums/qq149/rmef2/?action=view&current=DSCN0605.mp4

[rmef2]

Thought they looked like stereo speakers.

Somewhere a long time ago I read that the guy who built it used frizbee's.