This would be the second gmprops (aka Gerhard Mros) Tricorder Electronics that I have and would like to preserve. I bought my first from him in the early 2010’s but during a local Malaysian SciFi Prop display, it developed legs and wandered off. I was compensated with a cheap version of the 2009 JJPrise version which I then developed some concept electronics for it. The display, I think, was almost quite there, by the second movie which came out in 2013. But damn, I still miss that Playmates Tricorder. My plan was to install this into a Playmates Tricorder but after successfully restored the Endgame electronics, I decided to do the same with this too.
The Playmates MkVII Tricorder
It is also generally known as the TR-580 but the name, “Mark 7” sounds so much better. Over the years I have been collecting some of these ‘vintage’ toy Tricorders made by Playmates, hoping that one day I would be able to put some lights and sounds into it. Despite the toy being a little small and not quite accurate in some areas, it is still my preferred choice as its soft yet robust plastic construction allows me to bring it out to the World. If you look at the Prop Replicas, they are made from resin and vac-form plastics, held by a pair of metal hinges, which makes them only suitable as display objects.
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
So 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
