New 10th Doctor Sonic Screwdriver Universal Remote
- Thread starter Darran
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- doctor who
AnubisGuard
Master Member
Three-press-plus-hold is the combo for the TV-B-Gone feature, which does seem to continue operating for a few moments after you release the button.
I'm glad I'm not the only one whose sonic has this. A bit disappointing, honestly, and probably the one thing about the sonic I would want changed if I had the power.
Speaking of, I decided to repaint the crackle. Was a bit of an ordeal as Testor's acrylic really seems to like to stick to the lacquer coating on the handle. I had to take 400 grit sandpaper to the whole thing to get it all off the surface. Recoated with Krylon satin clearcoat afterwards, and it turned out fine. Apologies for webcam pics, but it's all I've got at the moment:
Thanks to the sanding, it knocked back the "wrinkly" look the stock handle had in some photos; the reflections are now nice and smooth.
antigravity
Well-Known Member
I both agree and disagree. I think this is a phenomenal device, but to me the end cap is a glaring weak point. Really, I perceive it as little more than a disposable pen cap. It feels thin-walled, and (mine at least) has a lot of flash. My cap also has a very loose fit. Not that it's in danger of falling off, but it rotates (well really, spins) freely around its axis. In regards to the color, I'm trying to give it a pass. However it's definitely a very plasticy grey, and not what I expected. All other aspects of this piece seem so deliberate, that I have to assume there was a reason they didn't go with the gloss black that I've come to associate with this component. I think I will notice the color less over time, but the fit is something I really want to fix.
If I had to pick one word to describe the end cap, it would simply be "unfinished." Its loose fit and raw plastic appearance really takes something away from the total piece. Much of that effect comes from the fact that it's a part you can't help but touch when you hold the device. That said, I could (and did) gush about the project as a whole. It's only because the rest of the build quality is so excellent that the weakness of this one component nags at me so much.
AnubisGuard
Master Member
Richard has mentioned that the spin is intentional – it's to help with the rotational gestures. You clasp the cap between your pinkie and palm and it serves as an axle to spin the sonic.
antigravity
Well-Known Member
Yes, I'd read that earlier in this thread. I can see the advantage of being able to turn the cap, but mine at least has a free wheeling spin with a rattle that makes the piece seem a little unstable.
My first attempt at a fix was to heat the cap and bend the prongs inward a bit to better grip the aluminum. It helps significantly, but I'm going to see whether I can get it even a bit more snug in coming days.
Doctor Octoroc
Sr Member
I took mine out to the bar tonight and turned off all the TV's after last call. People were in literal awe. It was awesome.
After using it for a solid night, the battery held up great and the functions preformed smoothly, but I found myself 'short-clicking' it by accident which would switch it into practice mode and I would have to extend it and hold it to my ear so I could hear when it had cycled back into FX mode. One thing I would have loved is a dedicated command to take it from a basic prop mode (where it only buzzes/lights up) into the regular cycle of other modes - maybe a 4 or 5-click command that starts it in practice mode and functions as the remote. One thing in particular that bugs me when playing around with it as a prop (and again, nitpicking here a bit) is the fact that it doesn't start buzzing/lighting up until after a moment of pressing the button due to the shorter single click switching modes, and requiring a longer press to activate the prop noise/light. I know it's not SUPPOSED to be a prop, but it would be perfect in operation to be in a prop mode like I mentioned above by default (always on standby so as not to drain the battery, awaiting that single click for prop effects that always just buzzes and lights up) until a 5-click command (or whatever works best between all other commands) that takes it to it's normal functionality as it is now. Come to think of it, the device could maintain the 2-click motion sounds and 3-click TV-B-Gone in prop mode and not even need an FX mode in the regular cycle, then have a 4-click command to take it into 3 remote cycles (practice, control, and quiet control).
Otherwise, I have nothing else to say other than I LOVE THIS THING SO MUCH. I already convinced one friend to get it for himself!
After using it for a solid night, the battery held up great and the functions preformed smoothly, but I found myself 'short-clicking' it by accident which would switch it into practice mode and I would have to extend it and hold it to my ear so I could hear when it had cycled back into FX mode. One thing I would have loved is a dedicated command to take it from a basic prop mode (where it only buzzes/lights up) into the regular cycle of other modes - maybe a 4 or 5-click command that starts it in practice mode and functions as the remote. One thing in particular that bugs me when playing around with it as a prop (and again, nitpicking here a bit) is the fact that it doesn't start buzzing/lighting up until after a moment of pressing the button due to the shorter single click switching modes, and requiring a longer press to activate the prop noise/light. I know it's not SUPPOSED to be a prop, but it would be perfect in operation to be in a prop mode like I mentioned above by default (always on standby so as not to drain the battery, awaiting that single click for prop effects that always just buzzes and lights up) until a 5-click command (or whatever works best between all other commands) that takes it to it's normal functionality as it is now. Come to think of it, the device could maintain the 2-click motion sounds and 3-click TV-B-Gone in prop mode and not even need an FX mode in the regular cycle, then have a 4-click command to take it into 3 remote cycles (practice, control, and quiet control).
Otherwise, I have nothing else to say other than I LOVE THIS THING SO MUCH. I already convinced one friend to get it for himself!
I noticed this too. It's very satisfying to add that to the sight, sound and feel of the device.
There's a good amount of flash on my end cap as well. Still, it's not a big deal to trim and repaint the outside visible areas, and fun to learn it was intentional (missed that earlier on in the thread) since the rotation movements don't feel as natural as the others on the 11th.
Chris B
New Member
Is there any chance you could take a photo of your flash you are seeing? The part line for the mould tool for the cap was chosen very carefully to minimise the noticeable partline flash, in that it follows the castellations - so it would be good to see where that is going wrong there and whether I need to query the factory on the variability of the finish of that part.
With regard to the lose fit, we are looking to address this at the moment. In the design there was a compromise between a tight fit which made the cap impossible to get off easily and an overly loose fit. I think that there is some process variation that has made the cap slightly looser in production than it was on the engineering preproduction parts that we approved. I will further look in to this. Of course there is a lot going on down there. The components only just fit in and I mean only just, as we were limited by the absolute size of the micro USB socket. As it is it is as far down inside the cap as it is possible to be without changing the shape of it. The CO toy cap is not correct either in size or geometry (as you know).
With regard to the wall thickness, that bit of the part is an exact copy of the real prop. However the real prop was made from Delrin (I believe although Richard might correct me here) turned on a lathe rather than moulded, and although it is a nominally black material it has a very grey look to it. I tried to approximate the off-black (shall we say) look with a similarly off black pantone reference for the bulk material for the cap. Again, we'll look at this and see if it can be improved for subsequent production runs and perhaps mad darker. As far as the surface finish of the cap is concerned, again, the original was not a high gloss finish. The soft sheen we specified is the closest match we could make for the part. A gloss black cap would not only have looked cheaper, I think, but have been wrong, however, we will look at it to see if it can be improved as well.
Thanks for your feedback, please do send me the photos of the flash, if you have a mo, at sonic@thewandcompany.com.
Chris B
New Member
Yes I had that problem while demonstrating it. You quickly learn a) to press the button correctly and b) if you do a short press by mistake, that 3 short presses spaced by about 1 second apart quickly get you back to FX Mode... no listening necessary.
- - - Updated - - -
Some looseness is to be expected due to process variations. It won't break free though as it is held in with little barbs, that are very hard to disengage.
MEKKANNOID
New Member
I'm still a little hazy on the internal construction, would it be possible to get a picture of the slider assembly disassembled?
Chris B
New Member
Possibly, but not right at the moment as I don't have any to hand as it is Richard that has a few of the disassembled parts.
MEKKANNOID
New Member
No problem, there's no rush. I'm just curious as to the inner workings, particularly how the slider is connected to the main body.
As a guy from Philly, (Currently in the burbs) what poor bars did you torment with your magical TV-B-Gone powers? I have to know which bars in the city were actually okay with that...for, ummm, research purposes. :lol
-Nick
If you'd prefer the cap not spin freely, I expect a narrow strip of masking tape set into the retention groove on the body should take care of that.
NakedMoleRat
Legendary Member
My review on the 10th Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver remote control.
1st impressions:
The box: Just the box alone is amazing. As Mega Mind said “It’s all about the presentation!” and well, they clearly knocked it out of the park with this. The black box/case that it comes in is just fantastic. It looks industrial and sleek at the same time. The engraved sonic on the lid lets you know just what is inside. Then you open the box and see the simple, yet elegant Galafreyan scroll in the heavy foam inserts. The charging cable sits nicely in the nook for it and the sonic looks majestic sitting its cut out.
How can I describe just how great the presentation is? I think the best way to put it is… “It looks like the kind of ‘tool box’ that a Time Lord would find by going shopping at the Galafreyan equivalent of the Black and Decker store for a new sonic screwdriver.” The Time Lord Shop Keeper calls the traveling Time Lord over and says, “We just got the Mark VI in, take a look. I think you’ll love it!” The stand is very nice as well. It looks aged and time-worn. Again the high Galefreyan script is the perfect companion to this sonic.
The sonic: Mine is splendid. No loose lenses, no major scratches. There are a couple of lite ones, no big issues. The machined aluminum is just great and de-burred much more cleanly than I was expecting. The crackle finish is just nice. Mine has a nice contrast to it; every crack seems to be filled in without any missing. I am on the fence if I want to make it darker or not. So far I am pretty satisfied with how it is. The gears line up perfectly! No gaps, no misses. The teeth sit so flush that in dim lighting, you cannot see that they are separate. The angle of the teeth is not as pronounced as they are on my MFX sonic, but they are angled and I am happy with it. (If they had been a 90 degree cut it would have bothered me to no end)
The blue line cut out is nice and clean! Sharp and clear. It is deeper than the one on my MFX sonic and the rounded edges are much more sharp as well. The clear neck has been executed really well. Before I got this I had decided to replace it with machined rod so that it would have the Perspex look to it. But looking at this, I don’t think I need to. Yes there are a couple of seam lines, but you really have to look for them to see them.
I appreciate that the head stays up when extended and does not slide back in when tilted up. Likewise, it does not fall out when tipped downwards. This is a GREAT addition to the prop!
The end cap, okay it’s grey, so what! If the prop was grey than this should be grey too. Remember all those years when we thought that the P1 on a TOS phaser was black? Then the reveal that it was really grey? Well, here we go. Now to the spinning function on the end cap. I really, really like it. In cosplay it is the PERFECT thing to use for ‘setting’ the sonic screwdriver to a different frequency. I mean the Doctor told Rose to set it to 2428D to reattach barbed wire, so how else do you set the thing? Turning the cap clockwise adjusts the sonic frequency upwards to the higher range and turning it anti-clockwise likewise adjusts it down. (I made that up! I will now live in infamy among cosplayers)
The Function: Well to be honest, I didn’t buy it use it as a remote. I bought it as another prop replica with some amazing features. The FX sounds are a bit hard to figure out. I keep trying to get the Sea Devil’s scanning sound but every time I get it, it seems to have been an accident. When I try to do again what I did to get the sound, something else fires off instead. But that will sort itself out in time. The only other remote function I did was the TV be gone feature. It works on two of my TV’s in the house. My daughter still has an analog TV in her room, and while she programmed her sonic to operate it, the TV be gone does not work on it. It cycled through the entire spectrum, gave a sound of conceit and gave up. Also the TV in our break room did not work. I tried it for about 20 seconds and it did not turn off. I did not run the entire spectrum yet, but may try again later.
And yes, it takes a second for the sound to start after you push the button, but I know that this is the remote telling itself that it is in FX mode and not control mode, so I am fine with it. I mean, heck, I bought my MFX and after shipping charges to the US from FedEx, I paid almost $500.00. It came in a white cardboard box with a bit of egg crate foam for padding. It had a piece of plexiglass that was called a ‘stand’ and the sonic has no sound. Now I am not complaining as it is a replica and it will always be special to me as it is an all metal replica and as well, my Father had a hand in my getting it and he is gone now. But this sonic, is just so much more, from the box to the sonic itself….The Wand Company has really outdone themselves.
Thank You Rich, Chris and everyone else who worked so hard on your staff to make this happen. And as I said before, thank you David Tennant who allowed his personal sonic to be used so that we could all have a replica of the one he personally owns. He must really respect and appreciate his fans, as much as we do him!
1st impressions:
The box: Just the box alone is amazing. As Mega Mind said “It’s all about the presentation!” and well, they clearly knocked it out of the park with this. The black box/case that it comes in is just fantastic. It looks industrial and sleek at the same time. The engraved sonic on the lid lets you know just what is inside. Then you open the box and see the simple, yet elegant Galafreyan scroll in the heavy foam inserts. The charging cable sits nicely in the nook for it and the sonic looks majestic sitting its cut out.
How can I describe just how great the presentation is? I think the best way to put it is… “It looks like the kind of ‘tool box’ that a Time Lord would find by going shopping at the Galafreyan equivalent of the Black and Decker store for a new sonic screwdriver.” The Time Lord Shop Keeper calls the traveling Time Lord over and says, “We just got the Mark VI in, take a look. I think you’ll love it!” The stand is very nice as well. It looks aged and time-worn. Again the high Galefreyan script is the perfect companion to this sonic.
The sonic: Mine is splendid. No loose lenses, no major scratches. There are a couple of lite ones, no big issues. The machined aluminum is just great and de-burred much more cleanly than I was expecting. The crackle finish is just nice. Mine has a nice contrast to it; every crack seems to be filled in without any missing. I am on the fence if I want to make it darker or not. So far I am pretty satisfied with how it is. The gears line up perfectly! No gaps, no misses. The teeth sit so flush that in dim lighting, you cannot see that they are separate. The angle of the teeth is not as pronounced as they are on my MFX sonic, but they are angled and I am happy with it. (If they had been a 90 degree cut it would have bothered me to no end)
The blue line cut out is nice and clean! Sharp and clear. It is deeper than the one on my MFX sonic and the rounded edges are much more sharp as well. The clear neck has been executed really well. Before I got this I had decided to replace it with machined rod so that it would have the Perspex look to it. But looking at this, I don’t think I need to. Yes there are a couple of seam lines, but you really have to look for them to see them.
I appreciate that the head stays up when extended and does not slide back in when tilted up. Likewise, it does not fall out when tipped downwards. This is a GREAT addition to the prop!
The end cap, okay it’s grey, so what! If the prop was grey than this should be grey too. Remember all those years when we thought that the P1 on a TOS phaser was black? Then the reveal that it was really grey? Well, here we go. Now to the spinning function on the end cap. I really, really like it. In cosplay it is the PERFECT thing to use for ‘setting’ the sonic screwdriver to a different frequency. I mean the Doctor told Rose to set it to 2428D to reattach barbed wire, so how else do you set the thing? Turning the cap clockwise adjusts the sonic frequency upwards to the higher range and turning it anti-clockwise likewise adjusts it down. (I made that up! I will now live in infamy among cosplayers)
The Function: Well to be honest, I didn’t buy it use it as a remote. I bought it as another prop replica with some amazing features. The FX sounds are a bit hard to figure out. I keep trying to get the Sea Devil’s scanning sound but every time I get it, it seems to have been an accident. When I try to do again what I did to get the sound, something else fires off instead. But that will sort itself out in time. The only other remote function I did was the TV be gone feature. It works on two of my TV’s in the house. My daughter still has an analog TV in her room, and while she programmed her sonic to operate it, the TV be gone does not work on it. It cycled through the entire spectrum, gave a sound of conceit and gave up. Also the TV in our break room did not work. I tried it for about 20 seconds and it did not turn off. I did not run the entire spectrum yet, but may try again later.
And yes, it takes a second for the sound to start after you push the button, but I know that this is the remote telling itself that it is in FX mode and not control mode, so I am fine with it. I mean, heck, I bought my MFX and after shipping charges to the US from FedEx, I paid almost $500.00. It came in a white cardboard box with a bit of egg crate foam for padding. It had a piece of plexiglass that was called a ‘stand’ and the sonic has no sound. Now I am not complaining as it is a replica and it will always be special to me as it is an all metal replica and as well, my Father had a hand in my getting it and he is gone now. But this sonic, is just so much more, from the box to the sonic itself….The Wand Company has really outdone themselves.
Thank You Rich, Chris and everyone else who worked so hard on your staff to make this happen. And as I said before, thank you David Tennant who allowed his personal sonic to be used so that we could all have a replica of the one he personally owns. He must really respect and appreciate his fans, as much as we do him!
Last edited:
Chris B
New Member
NakedMoleRat
Legendary Member
Just a quick note...the TV be gone works perfectly on the TV at Burger King! :angel
And I forgot to say Congradulations to Rich for the new Time Lady in the family! If you are still looking for a name, I vote Romana!
And I forgot to say Congradulations to Rich for the new Time Lady in the family! If you are still looking for a name, I vote Romana!
kristen jones
Master Member
Technically, Romanadevoratrelundar.
Or Fred
Or Fred
Doctor Octoroc
Sr Member
I wouldn't say they were okay with it, per se, haha...but I waited until the World Series was over so as not to incur the wrath of any Boston fans. If you've ever been to Media, it was at Joclyn's. They do karaoke there twice a week and I became ecstatic with the realization that if I don't like someone who's singing, I can turn off the monitor on them and no one will be the wiser...mwahahaha!
NakedMoleRat
Legendary Member
Technically, Romanadevoratrelundar.
Or Fred
Will you marry me? :lol
