the DOCTOR
Sr Member
Really quick, almost breakneck, project for me: two weeks, start to finish!
I'd preordered the Moebius HAL 9000 kit, but really wanted something more, and having seen the Master Replicas HAL 9000 Command Console, decided to make my own. I spent a few days umming an ahing about whether I could put a tablet in it, but it seemed a bit of an expense when all I really wanted was some graphics, when it occurred to me that digital picture frames are pretty much mini monitors with a memory card slot, so using a screen recording program I found online, I recoded a long section of the HAL 9000 screen saver I have on my laptop, and made it into a video by using another program that makes split screen videos, giving me a vertical format video for the screen:
Then I had to build a carcass to hold the frame and the HAL kit, luckily, MR have the dimensions for their console, so I started there, drawing it up in Illustrator, and laser cutting it out in acrylic sheet:
The lines and lettering were etched, so I could fill them in with white paint, after cutting, I solvent glued it all together and gave it a coat of primer:
The buttons, which I believe are Heidelberg switches- they're so expensive, I made my own- were etched on the back and the etch filled with white paint, I also built a light box lit with LED strip, with a USB plug- this was a useful thing, as the photo frame has a permanently live USB port:
I also used a USB hub so I could add other LED lights, and after having trouble with HAL's red LED, I wired it to the contacts for the hub's operating light:
Just for the fun of it, I replaced the kits plastic lens bezel with a turned piece of aluminium, just because I could.
After watching the videos of the MR console, I decided to add the mood lighting around the back edge of the console, their are plenty of remote control RGB LED strips on eBay, so that's what I used. This is also when I painted it, just rattlecan satin black, with white acrylic in the etched lining, masked off the textured panel on HAL and gave the rest of the console a coat of matt lacquer, then masked off everything but HAL's aluminium surround, which I airbrushed with AK Interactive polished aluminium, (this was the first time I've tried this paint, and I'm impressed!), attached the buttons, plugged in the USB LEDs, and it was done:
And completed:
I'll post a video once it's finished uploading...
I'd preordered the Moebius HAL 9000 kit, but really wanted something more, and having seen the Master Replicas HAL 9000 Command Console, decided to make my own. I spent a few days umming an ahing about whether I could put a tablet in it, but it seemed a bit of an expense when all I really wanted was some graphics, when it occurred to me that digital picture frames are pretty much mini monitors with a memory card slot, so using a screen recording program I found online, I recoded a long section of the HAL 9000 screen saver I have on my laptop, and made it into a video by using another program that makes split screen videos, giving me a vertical format video for the screen:
Then I had to build a carcass to hold the frame and the HAL kit, luckily, MR have the dimensions for their console, so I started there, drawing it up in Illustrator, and laser cutting it out in acrylic sheet:
The lines and lettering were etched, so I could fill them in with white paint, after cutting, I solvent glued it all together and gave it a coat of primer:
The buttons, which I believe are Heidelberg switches- they're so expensive, I made my own- were etched on the back and the etch filled with white paint, I also built a light box lit with LED strip, with a USB plug- this was a useful thing, as the photo frame has a permanently live USB port:
I also used a USB hub so I could add other LED lights, and after having trouble with HAL's red LED, I wired it to the contacts for the hub's operating light:
Just for the fun of it, I replaced the kits plastic lens bezel with a turned piece of aluminium, just because I could.
After watching the videos of the MR console, I decided to add the mood lighting around the back edge of the console, their are plenty of remote control RGB LED strips on eBay, so that's what I used. This is also when I painted it, just rattlecan satin black, with white acrylic in the etched lining, masked off the textured panel on HAL and gave the rest of the console a coat of matt lacquer, then masked off everything but HAL's aluminium surround, which I airbrushed with AK Interactive polished aluminium, (this was the first time I've tried this paint, and I'm impressed!), attached the buttons, plugged in the USB LEDs, and it was done:
And completed:
I'll post a video once it's finished uploading...
Last edited:
