The MkVII Tricorders
By now, you would have known that I am a little obsessed with post MkVII Tricorders from the Star Trek:The Next Generation. Although this is just a plot device, it was the folding clamshell design which go to me. Imagine a small compact device which unfolds to reveal its internal controls and display.
OK, I lied. I’m just attracted to its sequencing lights, like a moth to an open flame.
Developing the Playmates Toys MkVII Tricorders
Ever since I got (and lost) a working Playmates MkVII, deep in my Heart, I wanted to make one of my own. Sure, that Tricorder with gmprops circuit boards taught me a lot on electronics design for props. But more importantly, he got me going into the World of SMDs (Surface Mount Components). All of a sudden, my prototype circuits with normal off the shelf components looked so clunky and boorishly oversized, as if some kindergarten kid designed it.
Looking back at it, the circuit was very simple, with the 555/4017 being the centre, and Darlington-pairs to amplify the voltages that came out from it. Most of the blinking Star Trek props, I surmised, uses that circuit. So, nothing has changed, maybe component values but for the, there is something much more serious. While I was chasing to have the ‘better’ circuit, it was also a race to have the necessary right components which gets obsolete over time. As the years pass by, some LED source would dry up or, stopped being manufactured years before.
And so, with every re-visit of the project since the late 90’s, there would be some re-designs to accommodate new components or ideas. As I have mentioned before, the ‘Official’ version is 06 but if I were to count on the sub versions, the number is actually higher…
Baby steps, baby steps
There are still other areas I have not solved, namely the Tricorder’s sound and animated screen. I have spent quite a lot on the former and the problem is that the solution is either quite bulky or, went obsolete. The issue is that when the Tricorder is operating, the sound must be played in a loop and when it closes, there is the infamous ratchet sound. As for the screen, I do have a big (and challenging) ambition for it where, its animated screen changes depending on the buttons pressed on BOTH the body and the flap. Looking at how things are, and me doing this alone, I think I would more time, as in years.
