Case Mod - In Progress Felix: Old Soviet computer

Nice!

 

Lighting is almost ready, but now I want to ask you about something different.

What do you think, would it be better to leave the panel empty...



...or to add a short manual like this?

 

I'd go with the manual

 

Leave it empty I'd say. I know it's tempting to add nice add-on detail... But, there's soooo much amazing stuff happening on the front, and you'll need some visual breathing space to keep it mind blowing. Looks great btw!

 

i wouldn't draw attention away from the center piece front panel
and even if you tried to, i don't think it would work

 

Manual. I'm usually a "less is more" kinda guy but definitely go with the manual.

 

For me, manual for sure. It looks ace!

 

I would go for the manual as well. It just seems to fit so well in my opinion

 

Definitely go with the manual. For some reason, it makes the case look more "authentic"

 

Concerning the manual, I decided to make a compromise: I will add it, but on the left side panel. So the laconic view from the right will remain.

As a whole, lighting is ready. I still have to make some minor improvements in the upper gauge, so I'll show you what I've done with the lower ones.

It turned out that the lower device has almost the same design as the middle two, and so it was modified according to the same scheme.



Due to the larger size I had to use six LEDs instead of four. I took LEDs of three different types — all that lied unattended.



Scary picture before going to bed:

 

That looks bloody fantastic!!

 

Lovely build done with great skills. As mentioned my my fellow modders, I'd go with the manual too ... but maybe on the inside, like it was done on old electronic devices.

I don't have any pics, but I have several TSF and vacuum tube device that have a yellowed sheet of paper glued on the removable panel with the schematics printed on it. All of them have it glued on the inside side.



A great addition could be to punch a serial number on one of the side panels (or back panel or any other panel) using that kind of tools:

 

Those gauges look fantastic, good job.

 

Thank you.

GuilleAcoustic, your idea about putting a manual inside is good and authentic. Unfortunately, I'm not going to make insides of the case observable.

But I have a set of punching stamps, although they are not mirror-reversed and are much bigger (5 mm high). They can be useful, but only if I manage to print a manual on brass or aluminium sheet like it was done in real old devices:

 

This can be a mod for yourself, only knon and visible from you .

The lasertran thing can help there :



... or maybe some brass etching :

 

This is stunning! Just the sheer attention to detail is astonishing! Well done sir! I tip my hat.

J.

 

A manual plate would be a nice touch.

 

Finally, I put my hand to largest gauge. And there were troubles. Firstly, there was no space behind the scaleplate, so I had to place LEDs in front of it. So I chose SMD LEDs.



Secondly, to induct a power wire for illumination, I had to disassemble the instrument completely, up to the smallest screw. Also I had to be very careful: powerful magnet draws metal tools and one can easily bend a thin pointer or even tear it away from the coil. Totally I disassembled and assembled this gauge for three times, and each time I had been sweating like while defusing a landmine. But eventually nothing broke.



So I had to make my own LED stripe. I decided simply to make two contact strips — ground and power. As a material I chose thin sheet of brass. It was all covered with oxides, but Cillit Bang that I had already used during the restoration of the old radio chassis, proved to be excellent:



I cut two stripes, soldered eight LEDs to them and was going to reassemble the gauge. I placed the LEDs on top, crooking brass petals around the obtrusive part of the scaleplate. The scale is connected to the metal frame of the instrument and through it — to the ground (as I thought, ha-ha). But when I applied a small voltage to the "power" stripe, the pointer swung! I realized that this device was designed by an heretic. Whereas all normal gauges have frames and scaleplates connected with ground, in this one they are connected with the signal wire!

So I had to abandon the idea of using the scaleplate as a second contact. I removed my stripe, wrapped it with tape for insulation, soldered two wires and sticked it with adhesive tape. Finally I assembled the device thinking that my troubles are coming to end, but I had been far from it. When I turned on the backlight, I discovered that the frame of the device has such a wonderful internal angle of the bevel so that eight light spots reflect from it right in my eyes! The effect that I wanted to overcome, placing the light on top, appeared with a vengeance. Firstly I had wanted to behave with this gauge like Lev Andropov did with his space device in "Armageddon" movie, but then I calmed down, dismantled the instrument, moved the stripe down, replaced tinfoil reflectors with paper ones and finally obtained the result.

 

Amazing craftmanship! I can barely solder PSU wires

 

Looking good, can't wait to see dark-shots of the completed front panel