I got this Roddenberry.com Tricorder in around 2007 via eBay as it was on its way of being out of stock. This was the Golden Opportunity where the eBay price was so much affordable. You can read from the link here as I am just too lazy to re-write the topic again. After taking photos and so on, I kept it away and it was never to be found again, except in memory. So, after more than 15 years, it resurfaced when I was moving. However, I don’t think I want to build it as the resin casting was so clear and crisp, I might just want to display it instead.
I just want to compare this with the 3D print by UnimatrixRed I sent to JLCPCB. Although the electronics (that came with the eBay purchase) was not meant to fit the two replicas, I will display that too, one day.
At first glance, you realise the 3D print is slightly larger. The 3D file can be easily scaled to match the resin cast but the exact locations of details and openings for the LEDs might be an issue.
And so, the two gmsprops’s Tricorder boards are now mounted inside the Ikea’s Hovsta Photo Frame. It is a very simple exercise but ti still took me decades. I do not see myself ever building the beautifully casted Roddenberry.com Endgame Tricorder. As for the MkVII, I do have a few Playmates Toys which I might want to mount it but there is still the front sensor detailing and also, the lightblocking solution for the screen to do.
What’d you need
The main components for this is… just a battery. But you will need to know what type of battery or to be precise, the circuit’s working voltage. I have forgotten the working voltage for the Endgame Tricorder but it did work well with 3x AA batteries. That would be 4.5volts and so, 5volts does not hurt. As for the MkVII Tricorder, it came with a LiPo battery, which means, it does work with 3.7volts.
However, I am aiming for a very light power system and so, I am looking at LiPo batteries. I do have a specific LiPo charger which also boosts the battery’s 3.7volts to 5volts. And to top it off, it comes with a push-button and a set of LED indicators to show the LiPo battery’s state of charge. Last but not least, when it comes to charging the LiPo batteries, I do not want to connect them to a USB cable of sorts. And so, if I can find the receiver coils, I will be using Qi Wireless chargers.
The two Systems side by side and if you look at the TR-990 (aka MkOSX aka Endgame) Tricorder, there are some very dimly lit LEDs when the LiPo chager is on standby mode. I suspect I might have soldered one of the wires wrongly. Even after a few days, the LiPo battery is still fully charged.
The MkVII Tricorder (left) is very bright, no thanks to the 5volts power I’ve given it. But i was too excited to notice this until too late.
This is the back of the MkVII Playmates Tricorder. I used the micro switch to replace the reed switch. This switch will simulate the opening and closing of the Tricorder’s lower flap. I do not want a latching switch as over time, the Tricorder warble can be a bit annoying. Later on, I will use a normal charger board which outputs 3.7volt instead of 5volts.
Anyway, here is the video
Do you want to build your own Tricorder?
You can still get the Electronics from Mr. Gerhard Mros. Just shoot him an email at gmros77@gmail.com.
And for the Tricorder Shells, you can get them from Mr. Myron Stapleton at https://www.facebook.com/myron.stapleton
