First Project: The AE-35 Unit! Advice appreciated

Nope. :) It's the best we got, though. The typeface at the bottom definitely looks like Futura Bold, like other sets and props in the film.

I don't remember seeing any photos of the AE-35 prop at the Kubrick Archives, but I didn't look through everything. I was focusing on the EVA pod and didn't request any Discovery photos.
Cheers Neil...I understand;) maybe there is a few pics lying around in he archives...
 
Yep, AE - 35 is seen on this pic +xxxxxxx unit at the bottom of it. I thought the knob was a regular On-Off switch at the bottom like the one on my unit.:unsure:
"CONTROL UNIT"! And on the circuit below mostly just 5-digit numbers, or a letter and 4 digits. (Maybe If I lay out the alphabet in Futura Bold and take my glasses off, I'll be able to work out what the rest says...)
Is that a rotate left/right switch on the front? I haven't managed to buy one of the gyros yet, waiting for Abitofcredit to make more progress with his.

 
"CONTROL UNIT"! And on the circuit below mostly just 5-digit numbers, or a letter and 4 digits. (Maybe If I lay out the alphabet in Futura Bold and take my glasses off, I'll be able to work out what the rest says...)
Is that a rotate left/right switch on the front? I haven't managed to buy one of the gyros yet, waiting for Abitofcredit to make more progress with his.

Yes, I've done the accurately blurred text test too. :)
 
Doesn't help much, but I'll bet that second line starts with 'AE 35' (which makes it 'AE' beginning the first line):

Okay - I wrote this last night and thought I'd hit "post reply", but I come back to this thread and it's still there. So...

It definitely says AE 35, then maybe MOD. Below that is CONTROL UNIT. The bottom block looks like it has CHECK in the middle.

As for the stuff around the holes - I bet they're just random numbers with the odd letter code. If you were to approximate the shape and put some suitable alphanumerics in there I think it'd look good!
 
I ran a high pass filter over the uncompressed screenshot from the 4K scan. Doesn't help that much.

I think the second line is AE 35 MOD C, and the third line is CONTROL UNIT. The top line at the bottom looks sort of like CDF CHECK OUT or something like that. MOD LA 3PF? Who knows?
 

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  • 2001 4K.jpg
    2001 4K.jpg
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Aaaaand through a different image processor. I think this is about as good as we can get it.
Great progress nkg. Whatever software you're using, it beats me relying on raw bad eyesight! A little more squinting and guessing and all the main lines will be pretty-much worked out.
Next problem is how to reproduce it now that Letraset no longer exists? You can get do-it-yourself decal sheets from model/hobby stores.
 
Looking at the pic here, it seems that the 2 bottom slides and the "plugs" of the unit can slides and be plugged in that "tray" at the right of the pic, under Bowman's left hando_O I've never noticed that before. It's like a test bench!
Those AE-35s must be very unreliable - that whole central island in the Pod Bay seems to be devoted to testing them!
Don't you have '2001 The Lost Science', joberg? Essential books from Apogee. It's actually called the 'test bench' on the original blueprints (and the AE-35 outline is shown in situ with a reference to another detail drawing. If I were in the US I'd be trying to get into The US Space and Rocket Center Historical Archives, which holds a fantastic collection of original drawings from 2001, to see if they've also got that original drawing of the AE-35.)
File0006.jpg
Comparing those two plug/sockets to the rear-end shot of the unit held by Poole, they seem smaller in diameter, as you'd expect if they plug in, but they all have pins when surely one side should be female with holes for the pins to fit into. The film's just so full of mistakes...
 
Trawling around other builds I've just noticed in this shot you can see the AE-35's removed cover sitting on the benchtop over to the right:
h03b.jpg I've wondered how it attaches, as there are no obvious empty screw-holes or fixing points.
 
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Well, that is a good lesson for me...
Don't give up on something just because one thing is causing frustration.

After failing to process the top face image in a discernible way I got frustrated and put everything in a box and walked away from it. I only checked this on a whim today due to lack of work coming up to Christmas.
Thank you to Joberg for checking in after 6 months and kickstarting some fresh progress. I owe you one!

From the NKG's image I believe that it is possible to identify the following from the top and bottom text blocks respectively.
Underscores representing unknown characters.

AE _O_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
AE 35 MOD C
CONTROL UNIT


CO_ CHECK OUT
MOD LA 3_ _
O_ _A_ _ _ _A _ _


In the top text block the word may end "MENT"

Regarding the rear connectors and the connectors on the test bed, I do not think they would successfully mate as both those on the unit and the bed are Male type and as a result the pins would collide.
In addition the image displaying the back connectors does more clearly display that the device itself has two parallel rails on the bottom which I had not noticed before.
 
Aaaaand through a different image processor. I think this is about as good as we can get it.
NKG could you possibly use the same image processor on the capture you posted on the 17th of December (Post number 14)
The text on the top block seems clearer and looks like instead of ending "MENT" the long word at the top may end "ONT"
 
Those AE-35s must be very unreliable - that whole central island in the Pod Bay seems to be devoted to testing them!
Don't you have '2001 The Lost Science', joberg? Essential books from Apogee. It's actually called the 'test bench' on the original blueprints (and the AE-35 outline is shown in situ with a reference to another detail drawing. If I were in the US I'd be trying to get into The US Space and Rocket Center Historical Archives, which holds a fantastic collection of original drawings from 2001, to see if they've also got that original drawing of the AE-35.)
View attachment 1380308
Comparing those two plug/sockets to the rear-end shot of the unit held by Poole, they seem smaller in diameter, as you'd expect if they plug in, but they all have pins when surely one side should be female with holes for the pins to fit into. The film's just so full of mistakes...
Thanks for that pic macropod80(y)Well, seeing the "Test Bench" one test plate is devoid of plugs (the one they use to make a XRay of the unit). The others are similar in shape and plugs. Alas, I don't have "2001, The Lost Science"...many things left to buy and not enough time/money:(
 
Trawling around other builds I've just noticed in this shot you can see the AE-35's removed cover sitting on the benchtop over to the right:
View attachment 1380587 I've wondered how it attaches, as there are no obvious empty screw-holes or fixing points.
Saw this pic years ago and made the same comment...I think that the top has some kind of small "metal bumps" on each sides and snaps into place with the unit. I don't know if that makes sense:unsure:;)
 
Well, that is a good lesson for me...
Don't give up on something just because one thing is causing frustration.

After failing to process the top face image in a discernible way I got frustrated and put everything in a box and walked away from it. I only checked this on a whim today due to lack of work coming up to Christmas.
Thank you to Joberg for checking in after 6 months and kickstarting some fresh progress. I owe you one!

From the NKG's image I believe that it is possible to identify the following from the top and bottom text blocks respectively.
Underscores representing unknown characters.

AE _O_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
AE 35 MOD C
CONTROL UNIT


CO_ CHECK OUT
MOD LA 3_ _
O_ _A_ _ _ _A _ _


In the top text block the word may end "MENT"

Regarding the rear connectors and the connectors on the test bed, I do not think they would successfully mate as both those on the unit and the bed are Male type and as a result the pins would collide.
In addition the image displaying the back connectors does more clearly display that the device itself has two parallel rails on the bottom which I had not noticed before.
Thanks, but I'll have to transform my unit; the side are too wide (back to the drawing board). Then I'll tackle the holes and the fonts. As for the other types of lettering/signs I'm going to take a lot of artistic freedom re-creating those;)
 
Saw this pic years ago and made the same comment...I think that the top has some kind of small "metal bumps" on each sides and snaps into place with the unit. I don't know if that makes sense:unsure:;)
It sort of does - I have a very vague hunch...
There's a simple possibility:
these two dots on each side may just be screws,
cover screws.jpg

cover mounting.jpg
and these two aluminium strips, along each side of the bottom, are for those screws to tap into,
and there could just be tapped holes here:
screwholes.jpg

Which would make life easy and I'd certainly start with that (because those two strips are easy to just unscrew and replace when a better idea presents itself).
But there does seem to be something else there, which reminds me of spring-steel clips I've seen when trawling through aviation engineering stuff - sheet-metal fixings, captive-nut type things.. But I don't see the need when there are two nice big chunks of aluminium to screw into directly.
Maybe as you say these are just springy clips for the top to snap over, though the folded sheet-metal top will already be naturally very springy and so need some more secure fixing..
Looking forward to seeing you guys work it out when you build it!
 
NKG could you possibly use the same image processor on the capture you posted on the 17th of December (Post number 14)
The text on the top block seems clearer and looks like instead of ending "MENT" the long word at the top may end "ONT"

It's hard to say. It does look more like a C or an O than an E, though.

Screenshot 2020-12-27 at 00.24.40.png
 
It sort of does - I have a very vague hunch...
There's a simple possibility:
these two dots on each side may just be screws,View attachment 1382669
View attachment 1382670and these two aluminium strips, along each side of the bottom, are for those screws to tap into,
and there could just be tapped holes here:View attachment 1382671
Which would make life easy and I'd certainly start with that (because those two strips are easy to just unscrew and replace when a better idea presents itself).
But there does seem to be something else there, which reminds me of spring-steel clips I've seen when trawling through aviation engineering stuff - sheet-metal fixings, captive-nut type things.. But I don't see the need when there are two nice big chunks of aluminium to screw into directly.
Maybe as you say these are just springy clips for the top to snap over, though the folded sheet-metal top will already be naturally very springy and so need some more secure fixing..
Looking forward to seeing you guys work it out when you build it!
Mate, you're bating a hundred:D Never paid attention to those holes at the side. Pretty thick that aluminium base:eek: I'll have to re-think my whole unit! Yes, you got it right (I didn't know how to explain it) about those spring-steel clips. Obviously not the case here.
 
Mate, you're bating a hundred:D Never paid attention to those holes at the side. Pretty thick that aluminium base:eek: I'll have to re-think my whole unit! Yes, you got it right (I didn't know how to explain it) about those spring-steel clips. Obviously not the case here.
I see now why it's so thick. I'd assumed the case bottom was a U-shaped folded sheet like the top (folded front and rear instead of left and right). But it's actually three pieces screwed together: the three little screws along the very bottom edge of both ends are tapped into each end of that thick aluminium plate that forms the floor, with the gyro unit in turn screwed fore and aft between the two end plates.
And check out the detail in this brilliant pic I just found:
14670028318_08341a9e83_o.jpgNot only can you see the three screws at the bottom (as seen on back-end shots), but all the screws are clearly Philips head, not slotted. (I suppose back in 1966 that was ultra-modern!) Well-rounded bends, not folds, to the case top and the satin-looking finish is good old-fashioned black crackle/wrinkle paint. (Always wanted to try that on something. Comes in a spray-can now.)
And of course he's unscrewing at the side to take the top off - so that settles that.
Found the pic on this fabulous site: 2001archive’s albums | Flickr
 
Excellent research macropod80(y) Well, I used Philips screws for mine also:D and that pic with the electric power drill is fantastic + some of the holes/signs are more visible on top of unit also. Back to the drawing board;)
 

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