Rich's posts about his H-11 made me wonder: can anyone recommend a business where we can have replica side covers made for the PDP-8? We have both of the original covers. One is intact and in good shape. The other is broken into multiple pieces and there's a whole piece missing. I looked a few years ago, but failed to find any local businesses that could make replica covers. The covers don't have to be * exactly * like the originals, they just have to evoke the originals.
For those of us who haven't seen a PDP-8 in decades, what does the side panel look like? Flat? Sheet metal? Plastic? Thanks, Bill Dudley On 02/12/2016 10:34 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
Rich's posts about his H-11 made me wonder: can anyone recommend a business where we can have replica side covers made for the PDP-8?
We have both of the original covers. One is intact and in good shape. The other is broken into multiple pieces and there's a whole piece missing.
I looked a few years ago, but failed to find any local businesses that could make replica covers.
The covers don't have to be * exactly * like the originals, they just have to evoke the originals.
For those of us who haven't seen a PDP-8 in decades, what does the side panel look like?
Plastic: http://www.ganssle.com/tem/tem231-pdp8a.JPG Each panel has three sides. It hangs from the top where there are vents in the plastic. The dark middle section is translucent.
The easiest thing I can imagine is making them out of sheet aluminum. Bigbluesaw.com can waterjet cut aluminum sheet and make the array of vent holes, then "we" bend the three sides on a brake, then wood grain contact paper for the side surface. I have a sheet metal brake, or you could hire a sheet metal shop to do that work. Bill Dudley On 02/12/2016 10:44 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
For those of us who haven't seen a PDP-8 in decades, what does the side panel look like?
Plastic: http://www.ganssle.com/tem/tem231-pdp8a.JPG
Each panel has three sides. It hangs from the top where there are vents in the plastic. The dark middle section is translucent.
are we talking about the side of the computer, or whatever that blue and translucent thing is on the top? On 02/12/2016 10:44 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
For those of us who haven't seen a PDP-8 in decades, what does the side panel look like?
Plastic: http://www.ganssle.com/tem/tem231-pdp8a.JPG
Each panel has three sides. It hangs from the top where there are vents in the plastic. The dark middle section is translucent.
For those top pieces, I'd get smoked plexi, cut it to size, and bend it using a hot wire bending jig. Finally, paint the lower bit blue. Bigbluesaw.com may be able to make the smoked plexi piece with vent slots, then we do the bending and painting. Bill Dudley On 02/12/2016 10:44 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
For those of us who haven't seen a PDP-8 in decades, what does the side panel look like?
Plastic: http://www.ganssle.com/tem/tem231-pdp8a.JPG
Each panel has three sides. It hangs from the top where there are vents in the plastic. The dark middle section is translucent.
I have a plexi bending table and the super expensive plexi specific saw blades to cut a piece to size. I just haven't had time to make this cover for VCF. It's actually more that there is always something higher on my list of things to do when I'm at Infoage than load up my car with tools. I don't want to do this without being there and able to adjust the fit. I think the way we get this done is what Evan is doing now... Shaming me into making it by publicly asking where we can get one made. It seems to work for my wife to get me to fix things so maybe they spoke on how to motivate me. corey cohen uǝɥoɔ ʎǝɹoɔ
On Feb 12, 2016, at 10:59 PM, William F. Dudley Jr. via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic@lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:
For those top pieces, I'd get smoked plexi, cut it to size, and bend it using a hot wire bending jig. Finally, paint the lower bit blue. Bigbluesaw.com may be able to make the smoked plexi piece with vent slots, then we do the bending and painting.
Bill Dudley
On 02/12/2016 10:44 PM, Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
For those of us who haven't seen a PDP-8 in decades, what does the side panel look like?
Plastic: http://www.ganssle.com/tem/tem231-pdp8a.JPG
Each panel has three sides. It hangs from the top where there are vents in the plastic. The dark middle section is translucent.
participants (3)
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Corey Cohen -
Evan Koblentz -
William F. Dudley Jr.