ajcatalano1
New Member
So I heard Diedre Hall and Judy Strangis was going to be at the Hollywood Convention this past March 2, 2024 in Burbank and I got super fired up to make an Electrocomp to get signed. And OF COURSE I couldn't do it simple. I DID make one of these as a kid, being a maker since back then , I had found some plastic pin box and shoplifted the correct pushbuttons from Radio Shack (sorry Radio Shack). This kids in the neighborhood were floored.
Jump ahead about 50 years and, incredibly, in one month I produced not one but 4 of these! Three fully working with video , sounds and strobe. One with just sound for an enthusiastic customer. And I was able to gift one each to the gals at the convention! To say they were floored was an understatement. My coworkers were even stunned at just the gift boxes and display stands. I gotta slow down...yeah right.
These guys were LOADED with electronics! barely a millimeter to spare inside! When I started looking for reference photos there is almost NOTHING online - I found ONE here on the RPF and it was poor! I wound up downloading the entire series, which I used footage of actual Electrocomp and Crimescope screen footage that I extracted and edited to put on the media player on my builds! The ladies were beside themselves!
The strobe was a military emergency signal , which i actually had one in the 80's and destroyed (of course). So when i looked for them they were going for at least $50 on ebay which didn't really sit well with me as I knew they no longer worked and were sealed, and no one wanted to bargain less than $45. So I found on seller for $25 and it was pretty beat up, but it was perfect for reference. so I was able to 3D model and print then bulb area, switch and battery cover, which i feel I replicated perfectly!
I also added a separate sound chip to play actual button sounds via the pushbuttons and the alert strobe and sound. Thankfully i found a 9volt strobe kit that i was able to doctor the board slightly to fit everything. My last problem (2 days before the convention) was the high voltage transformer was jolting the sound board speaker, causing a back current that would stop the board - ARGGG!!!! But I solved it last minute!
UGHH - I totally need a break!
Enjoy these pics and see the videos here:
Jump ahead about 50 years and, incredibly, in one month I produced not one but 4 of these! Three fully working with video , sounds and strobe. One with just sound for an enthusiastic customer. And I was able to gift one each to the gals at the convention! To say they were floored was an understatement. My coworkers were even stunned at just the gift boxes and display stands. I gotta slow down...yeah right.
These guys were LOADED with electronics! barely a millimeter to spare inside! When I started looking for reference photos there is almost NOTHING online - I found ONE here on the RPF and it was poor! I wound up downloading the entire series, which I used footage of actual Electrocomp and Crimescope screen footage that I extracted and edited to put on the media player on my builds! The ladies were beside themselves!
The strobe was a military emergency signal , which i actually had one in the 80's and destroyed (of course). So when i looked for them they were going for at least $50 on ebay which didn't really sit well with me as I knew they no longer worked and were sealed, and no one wanted to bargain less than $45. So I found on seller for $25 and it was pretty beat up, but it was perfect for reference. so I was able to 3D model and print then bulb area, switch and battery cover, which i feel I replicated perfectly!
I also added a separate sound chip to play actual button sounds via the pushbuttons and the alert strobe and sound. Thankfully i found a 9volt strobe kit that i was able to doctor the board slightly to fit everything. My last problem (2 days before the convention) was the high voltage transformer was jolting the sound board speaker, causing a back current that would stop the board - ARGGG!!!! But I solved it last minute!
UGHH - I totally need a break!
Enjoy these pics and see the videos here:
