Has anyone built a replica DSKY from the Apollo Guidance Computer? >>

[FrancoisR]

This is a 1 to 1 copy withing +/-.005"

Hi everyone,

I think that I have figured out how the DSKY controlled the displays and scanned the keyboard. Based on various bits and pieces, it became clear that they used latching relays. The trick was to figure out how 5 latching relays could control 7 digit segments...

I have ordered a few latching relays from DigiKey and will prototype a single digit when I receive it.

Does anyone have any ideas on how we can recreate the 250V 800Hz EL displays?

@lmgill: Would you be willing to share the dimensions that you took of the real DSKY?
@tonydavid: Your replica is amazing! Where did you find the keys? They look very realistic.

 

[MattWhitehead]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the site - I joined because I'm going to start working on this exact type of project. A faithful (as possible) late block-II AGC DSKY, powered by an as yet undecided controller (probably arduino). I'm more interested in getting the physicality of the assembly correct, and therefore I'll be contracting with my local university engineering department to get the components milled out of aluminum.

Fran Blanche has started a project to reconstruct a DSKY as well - and for those of you who know her, you know this will be an invaluable resource. She actually got to tear down a late block-II AGC DSKY!!

Check out part 1 of her project. I'm so pumped to see where this goes and how I can test and refine my knowledge and skills in building my own. Good to meet you all!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjcfepTdvZI

 

[coffeemonster]

HI all,

is there any update? Can you provide the 3d printer sources? I'd love to build one myself (maybe with a raspberry pi inside).

Best

Frank

 

[Sam Ammons]

Well,

After a few years of off and on building, my DSKY project has finally finished. I wanted to post some pics for the people checking back and wondering if the thread is dead, it isnt.

Responding to the coffee monster about an update and with a Raspberry Pi inside, I have done just that. My DSKY is a 1:1 replica and I have managed to squeeze a Pi3 inside and got the code from open source and made my own DSKY. It has been such a hit that it is now my new job, making space stuff for people.

I got the dimensions from a few places but of excellent use was the paper educraft kit sold on ebay. I was able to get the dimensions from that and check them against museums on the east coast of the US. There is the Kennedy space center which has a couple, the Smithsonian Air and Space museum, the Annex at Dulles Airport in DC and the Neil Armstrong Museum in Ohio. I was able to get plenty of pictures and up close to many of the items but the educraft kit was by far the most handy way of constructing a 3d part out of 2d printed paper. In the process I mastered Autocad Inventor, Photoshop, and Cadsoft Eagle. I designed the lamp board, keyboard, and everything from commonly sourced materials. In the course of this venture I went through many design changes as I found better ways of doing things. The big kicker to finish the project along was to abandon the original microcontroller and go with the Raspberry Pi 3, model B. It was not available when I started the project but the DSKY software has been ported over and is open source so a HUGE amount of software work was done by NASA and the programmers that write the VirtualAGC software. That really did the job and tied my build into a sensation. I have lots and lots of orders. I posted my pics in response to this thread so you may see the pics while searching on DSKY but look for posts in 2017 as the old 3d printed parts were scrapped for mor realistic accurate parts.

I am going to try and post a pic here but I dont see an "Attach" button so if you cant find them I am at ihatespam@mcsinternet.net and I may be able to help you on your quest.

Sam

 

[BrianM]

Sorry if this is a silly question but aren't the NASA blueprints get-able?

 

[Sam Ammons]

You would think , maybe. NASA didn't make it and as far as I know doesn't release blueprints. M.I.T. made the DSKY and I think the AGC but Raytheon had a contract and built a bunch of them on the NASA contract. I think they built 156 of them. There are many of them locked up un Raytheon, maybe as an investment and the rest of them are in museums, a few in private hands. Most are pretty beat up it seems since any pictures you find have signs of a lot of wear. The trip to the moon and back was less than 2 weeks so I am thinking most of the pics you see were test or "Qual" units to see if a design would Qualify for installation in a spacecraft. A Qual unit would be shaken, baked, banged on, really abused, to see when they would fail. After Qualification Testing, the good one would be installed and the Qual unit would be set aside for later.

If the blueprints were available, many people would have made these by now. It would have saved me a huge amount of work digitizing what I had to work with.

Sam

 

[greatoldone]

Hi all,

I know I’m extremely late to the party, and this is my first post - but the MIT blueprints are available and have already been digitised and 3d modeled by Riley Rainey - and published on his GitHub repo:

GitHub - rrainey/agc-mechanical-cad: Apollo Guidance Computer - Mechanical CAD models from the original NASA/MIT drawings

Apollo Guidance Computer - Mechanical CAD models from the original NASA/MIT drawings - rrainey/agc-mechanical-cad

github.com

Many people have used this as a starting point for their own DSKY builds, myself included. I’m nearing completion on the 3D printed parts after modifying them to give me mounts for next ion 4.3” display, an rpi3b+, a pi pico and a keyboard made up of cherry mx key switches.

I have some more wiring to do, but I here’s some preliminary pics:

The pi is running virtual AGC, and the video and pics are it showing the current ‘mission time’ after setting it with the correct verb / noun combo.

I’ll post other pics once I have it completed. I’m also going to be putting all of my STL and STEP files on Printables once I’ve confirmed everything fits. I mean it should do. Fusion says it will, but…

Cheers

Jason.

 

[mrwax]

That looks so, so good, great job!

 

[feek61]

Love it!!!! Looking forward to your next update!!!

 

[greatoldone]

The printing is complete.

I need to now finish the keyboard and then install and wire all the neopixels that sit behind the indicator lights. Oh and do the serial number / data plate for the back. I also have some rub n buff coming so I can change the colour of the aero connector to a more realistic gold / brass colour.

I’ll do a full write up of hardware etc after I get it all done.

 

[greatoldone]

Does anyone have any ideas on how we can recreate the 250V 800Hz EL displays?

GitHub - benkrasnow/DSKY_EL_replica: Schematic, PCB layout, mechanical CAD, and firmware to create a replica of the DSKY with electroluminescent display

Schematic, PCB layout, mechanical CAD, and firmware to create a replica of the DSKY with electroluminescent display - benkrasnow/DSKY_EL_replica

github.com

A bit involved for my tastes… but looks amazing.

 

[greatoldone]

Most of the physical parts are done and all fit, just working out the bugs in the code now.

All of the STLs can be found here:

Apollo DSKY (AGC Display / Keyboard) by GreatOldOne | Download free STL model | Printables.com

A DSKY replica based on the MIT blueprints digitized by Riley Rainey | Download free 3D printable STL models

www.printables.com