Modding Orac³ - Part 5

Just to let you know the picture for the Orac3 has been my desktop wallpaper on both my work PC and my office PC for about a month now.

 

Everytime this topic gets kicked I relly want to build my own. Before all that i have to get my server setup finished.

Can't wait for you next project G-gnome. maybe a sneakpreview....

 

Don't want to read throug it all again... Can anyone explain how the Jack plugs work? How to connect and all that ****. Maybe a guide or something. I didn't quite understand what it was used for.

 

It's just using jack plugs as power cords- i.e. you could have a 12v and ground on them for fans or w/e...basically the plugs have two points on them (try stripping one to see) and therefore you just need some dual-core cable (sorry I'm not in a very explanitory mood atm, this probs doesn't make sense )

 

Thank i understand, but i didnt know if he used it for stuff with 4 cables like a molex. Do u really need bot gnd in the molex?

 

I bet most of us have visited this site:

http://www.eugenesargent.com/case1.htm

Its a sandcasted aluminum case. I think its terrific, and I think sutch an case has potential for an near silent case. One can cast aluminum sidepannels with integrated radiators etc. I would love to see u do something like that.

The beauty with sandcasting is that you can use wood as pattern, but also fiso-clay ed. and the shape you make, can be made aluminium.

 

2 questions re the cable sleeving idea (fish tank tube / techflex) How flexible is it, how hard it is to do, and to terminate the end, would i he correct in assuming that you sleeve the chrome on, heatshrink the ends, then slide the fishtank tube on, and heatshrink that.

 

The result is fairly flexible and wasn't hard to do, though I don't know how much soldering you've done before. A set of those double crocodile clip 'helping hands' are a must.

With the way they were wired up, the 3rd and 2nd to last pics on this page:

http://www.bit-tech.net/article/114/7

...show exactly how I wired them. All sleeving was done first, then the soldering followed by heatshrink/chrome plug cover. Just remember to put your plug cover on first, then a piece of unshrunk heatshrink, as once you solder the plug on, neither of those fit over the end of the plug afterwards. I had to de-solder and re-do on a few occasions after forgetting this .

 

Ive done a bit of soldering, 1 decent kit (a light chaser / flasher / strobe controler) and numerous adapter leads. So i can solder, its not the neatest job, but it works. And i dont have them crocodile clips, i just get a mate to hold the plug. Or put it in the vice. And we've all put the plugs on without first sliding the leads on before.

 

congratulations

Just seen Orac in CustomPC!
looks great - how many mag's is it now?

 

Thanks jazzle

10 at last count, including on 4 covers.

Another one out (this week I think?) in Czech Republic:

 

WOW

Wow! That is amazing attention to detail and a superb design!! I thought my project was pretty good until I saw this hehe... I really like the pictures. They're all at artistic angles with good lighting and do a really good job of portraying the quallity of the project.

Thanks for being an inspiration to us all!

 

DAMN!

Holy smokes!

definatley the best mod I have ever seen in my life.

real nice work on the orac3 project.

I get stunned everytime I see it.
damn man!

how did u get the idea of doing this mod?

 

If you'd erm, cared to read the project logs, you'd see it's inspired by Orac from Blake Seven

<A88>

 

Yeah, what he said.

 

Sure

I know that.. but what is that? I've never heard of it before :S (exept reading the mod logs, which I have done - thank u very much mr smartguy)

 

It was a sci-fi series run by the BBC in the erm, 70s?! (too young to remember )

<Mr SmartGuy>

 

Google search Blakes 7 or Blakes Seven. You'll find fan sites with everything from pics to episode summaries, etc.

 

Ribbon cable

Hello all.
Nice mod G-Gnome

have a question to ask.

You used a 16-way ribbon cable in the wire mod.

But isen`t the ribbon cable to thin for the 12 and 5 v power ??
its sooo thin. wat about overheat ?

it`s a IDE ribbon cable right ?

Question 2:

how do you get the two wires into the 3mm sleeve when they are so long ?
I mean the sleeve are so stiff and all .

can you G-Gnome or anyone please tell me.

best regards from Tommy

Ps. merry christmas to all

 

Hey DJ-Sonic. The only ribbon cable I used in the mod was for connecting the serial port to the VFD and the odd LED. It wasn't 16 way after I'd finished with it as I stripped off only the number of wires I needed. It's only data for the VFD so thin wire was no issue. The LED circuits were low voltage and had resistors in line so no issues there either.

With getting the wire into the 3mm sleeve, I first fed the wires into the techflex mesh sleeving (easy) and then tied some fishing line around the end of the mesh and pulled it, and the enclosed wires, through the aquarium tube (difficult). It was time-consuming as it was a tight fit and friction got worse the more I fed into the tube. Once through, I trimmed off excess mesh to expose the wires.

Hope that answers your questions.