Fallout 3/NV Dektop Terminal Project

WA5TE

New Member
So I started work on a fallout terminal and thought it would be nice to try and document the build process. Hopefully the finished product will have a working CRT monitor, a keyboard, and a PC. The main panels are made from thick card which I am fiberglassing and I might add some foam for support and the bottom will be fiber board. I am planing to make this as accurate as possible. The whole thing is 50cm tall 60 cm wide so its a pretty hefty thing but I am confident it will house all my components. Suggestions are always welcome!
IMG_1934.JPGIMG_1943.JPGlatest.pngfallout-new-vegas-robco-terminal-papercraft.jpgIMG_1945.JPGIMG_1944.JPG
 
If I were you, I would build the frame from some kind of wood, maybe plywood or fibreboard, and then think of skinning that. You might want to build a sturdy shelf inside for the CRT to sit on and while that would certainly be possible to construct in fiberglass, I think that wood would be much easier.

Have you planned to replicate the keyboard?

My other hobby is collecting old and building new mechanical keyboards. The keyboard in your picture looks precisely like the keyboard from a vintage Apple IIe, except for the buttons to the right and the top, but those could probably be panel-mounted pushbuttons and not keyboard keys.
Practically all keyboards are based on keys using 3/4" wide square, and then times a width: 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2, 2.25, 2.75 and so on. Each individual keyboard key is of course half a mm smaller around to allow for about 1 mm key spacing.
The cutout for the keyboard in the top panel would therefore be a 14.5 × 5 key = 10.875 × 3.75 inch rectangle, or 277 × 96 mm, except for the panel to the left of the Space bar.
 
If I were you, I would build the frame from some kind of wood, maybe plywood or fibreboard, and then think of skinning that. You might want to build a sturdy shelf inside for the CRT to sit on and while that would certainly be possible to construct in fiberglass, I think that wood would be much easier.

Have you planned to replicate the keyboard?

My other hobby is collecting old and building new mechanical keyboards. The keyboard in your picture looks precisely like the keyboard from a vintage Apple IIe, except for the buttons to the right and the top, but those could probably be panel-mounted pushbuttons and not keyboard keys.
Practically all keyboards are based on keys using 3/4" wide square, and then times a width: 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2, 2.25, 2.75 and so on. Each individual keyboard key is of course half a mm smaller around to allow for about 1 mm key spacing.
The cutout for the keyboard in the top panel would therefore be a 14.5 × 5 key = 10.875 × 3.75 inch rectangle, or 277 × 96 mm, except for the panel to the left of the Space bar.

Thanks for the info, haven't even thought of the keyboard until now :D I did make a frame of sorts out of mdf but it was only temporary to get the right angles and such but I have added foam to the insides of the side panels and it seems to be retaining its shape.

- - - Updated - - -

Added some foam, should be smooth sailing from now on :D IMG_2150.JPG
 
If I were you, I would build the frame from some kind of wood, maybe plywood or fibreboard, and then think of skinning that. You might want to build a sturdy shelf inside for the CRT to sit on and while that would certainly be possible to construct in fiberglass, I think that wood would be much easier.

Have you planned to replicate the keyboard?

My other hobby is collecting old and building new mechanical keyboards. The keyboard in your picture looks precisely like the keyboard from a vintage Apple IIe, except for the buttons to the right and the top, but those could probably be panel-mounted pushbuttons and not keyboard keys.
Practically all keyboards are based on keys using 3/4" wide square, and then times a width: 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2, 2.25, 2.75 and so on. Each individual keyboard key is of course half a mm smaller around to allow for about 1 mm key spacing.
The cutout for the keyboard in the top panel would therefore be a 14.5 × 5 key = 10.875 × 3.75 inch rectangle, or 277 × 96 mm, except for the panel to the left of the Space bar.

Very interesting hobby you have there, most vintage computers all had mechanical keyboards didn't they? One of my hobbies is collecting vintage (more like older) and rare computers like imac g3s and such, im yet to acquire a truly vintage computer like a commodore 64 or apple II but I always keep an eye out.
 
Looking great, interested to see how it all comes together! Have you thought much about the actual internals as far as Operating System? You could get the look you are looking for by stuffing something in there that runs Windows and skin it using Rainlendar to look something like this..

http://www.deviantart.com/art/Fallout-Terminal-1-5-Rainmeter-Skin-364303957

Thank you, yea I was planing on a simple pc running windows. That skin looks fantastic I will definitely try it out.
 
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