New 10th Doctor Sonic Screwdriver Universal Remote

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

This should be a separate thread. "What bars have you Sonic-ed?" lol. I did the exact same thing at my buddies bar. The bouncer was really confused.
 
This should be a separate thread. "What bars have you Sonic-ed?" lol. I did the exact same thing at my buddies bar. The bouncer was really confused.

I really want to reek havoc on every Best Buy, Circuit City, Target, and department store electronics section. So many TV's to sonic, so little time!
 
While the prospect of being The Doctor around town is exciting, I'm just as interested in the interesting possibilities of other things to program the screwdriver for. I have a little remote controlled R2D2 which I'm fairly sure functions on an IR remote, so I'm looking forward to controlling tat with the sonic screwdriver!

Stumbled across this on a BBC website, just thought the Wand Company guys might like to see it (though they probably have already) Picture 1.png
 
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My sonic was delivered less than 10 minutes ago and I am just blown away. The thing is immaculate, not a ding or a scratch anywhere in sight. I can't stop playing with it. The weight is perfect. It feels "right" in my hand, and even though the action is a little stiff. I'd rather have it be stiff and loosen up over time than start off too loose. It also help it feel precise.

And as for the people complaining the end cap is grey...it looks dead on to the right color to my eye, and is nowhere near as light as people in this thread are making it out to be. It matches what my mental image of machined delrin's color is. So I don't get the issue there.

The most nitpicky thing I could even try to say is that the gap for the slider doesn't go down far enough in comparison to the screen used prop...BUT I actually prefer it not cutting through both bumps on the handle, so in this case, I prefer the look of the less screen accurate option.

I'll probably do a video tonight, but until then, I'm going to go and turn off every TV in a 3 mile radius of me. :lol (Apparently the code for my Sharp TV is very close to the front of the list, it turns off in under 2 seconds)

I seriously want to thank Richard and Chris for their tireless efforts not just in making this THE sonic to have (As it's a perfect balance of accuracy, price, and all of that with an extraordinary eye to detail) but also for taking their time to deal directly with us, the fans. This product, this launch, and this thread should serve as a model for all other licensees for everything! You guys are top notch, and I know I said it before, but if I'm ever in the UK, I'm buying you guys drinks!

-Nick
 
So glad the batteries are rechargeable! I had completely drained mine by the end of the day yesterday. I had it at work (And again today) We had a training session with the staff and a speaker come in. The TV was on, and me from across the room.......took about 12 seconds to turn off. (By the way, it turns my TV's back on in the same time as well).

Everyone was staring at me. One of the directors asked, "How did you do that?" I shrugged and said, "I used my sonic screwdriver!" and tossed back in my pocket as an after thought. That alone was worth the price of this wonderful thing!

I had not even THOUGHT of Best Buy.......Hehehehehehehehehehehehehe..............
 
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!

That's deliciously evil. Sounds like something the Master would do...if he got bored. :lol

I really want to reek havoc on every Best Buy, Circuit City, Target, and department store electronics section. So many TV's to sonic, so little time!

Just imagine how great it would be seeing different brands sequentially kick off as the sonic got to their code. It would look like magic.

...I might have to take a trip to try this out soon. If I do, I'll try to get some covert video.

-Nick
 
The most nitpicky thing I could even try to say is that the gap for the slider doesn't go down far enough in comparison to the screen used prop...BUT I actually prefer it not cutting through both bumps on the handle, so in this case, I prefer the look of the less screen accurate option.

And it can be justified for reasons other than aesthetics - this is far from an outlandish idealization as the first Tenth Doctor sonic body (made by Mark Cordory) had a similar shorter slot that only went to the groove between the bumps :)

Seen here: http://www.therpf.com/f9/9-10-sonic-screwdrivers-new-me-info-137253/
 
And it can be justified for reasons other than aesthetics - this is far from an outlandish idealization as the first Tenth Doctor sonic body (made by Mark Cordory) had a similar shorter slot that only went to the groove between the bumps :)

Seen here: http://www.therpf.com/f9/9-10-sonic-screwdrivers-new-me-info-137253/

Even better! Then I have exactly zero complaints, nitpicky or otherwise. Thanks for that.

I'm currently debating whether to do a slightly darker wash on the handle, but it's so nice and pristine right now that my brain is having a hard time justifying it. Maybe once I crap it up a big with my fumblings. :lol

-Nick
 
Even better! Then I have exactly zero complaints, nitpicky or otherwise. Thanks for that.

I'm currently debating whether to do a slightly darker wash on the handle, but it's so nice and pristine right now that my brain is having a hard time justifying it. Maybe once I crap it up a big with my fumblings. :lol

-Nick

Dooooooooo eeeeeeet! It looks so much nicer with a dark wash.
 
My thinking was, instead of using acrylics, would be to tape off the metal pieces, then take a damp rag, mist it with a grey or dark brown or black (Whatever your taste is) spray paint. Then use the rage to rub the paint into all of the nooks and crannies in the crackle pattern. Then, once you have a fairly even coverage, take a second rag, dampen it with mineral spirits/white spirits and wipe off the paint from the top sections.

This would help prevent some of the stippling that occurs when using a brush or a standard rattle can of spray paint and could help make it more even.

After that, you'd probably want to clear coat it so you don't rub off the paint too quickly.

That's my thinking, though I'd love to hear other ideas.

-Nick
 
The most nitpicky thing I could even try to say is that the gap for the slider doesn't go down far enough in comparison to the screen used prop...BUT I actually prefer it not cutting through both bumps on the handle, so in this case, I prefer the look of the less screen accurate option.

Well... there is also a good functional reason for the shorter slider slot length... the space required for the electronics and battery. Have a look at it and consider how little space there is the cram in all the electronics and battery in. The IR transmitter combined with the LED and the sound require what is know as a fairly 'hard' battery, i.e. one that is able to deliver quite a punch when needed, and that in turn determines both the type and to some degree (if you want a device that has a usable charge time) the size of the battery (as big as possible). But then also we needed space for the speaker and a whole bunch of other chips and driving electronics. The problems are further compounded by the fact that the available internal volume is a tube, which constricts the allowable height of the components along the long side edge of the PCB and made it a huge challenge to layout the PCB itself. Now I know that cell phones are tiny these days and that there is exotic technology and even more exotic PCB manufacturing processes that would allow even further miniaturisation, but really, that tech is not available to us for the price and volume we are trying to hit with this product. Anyway, all of that gear forced us to have the button actuator right at the front of the PCB and yet we wanted the maximum space for the longest possible clear tube, so that it would extend as closely as possible to the extended length of the original prop. All in all it was those considerations that determined the length of the slot (clearly the slider pad has to go all the way to the end of the slot when the Sonic is retracted) and thus the fact that it couldn't go back to the second ridge.

I must say that Richard and I love your (I mean all y'all) attention to detail, including the odd gripe here, it's all great to hear, as it helps us realise what is and isn't important in a project like this, especially as we embark on our next project. ;-)
 
Mine arrived yesterday and I love it. The teeth on mine fit together very well, no complaints about that. I darkened up the crackle on mine as well, came out quite well. To darken mine first I gave the plastic body a coat of Tamiya X-19 Smoke and left it to dry. Afterwards I sanded the body with 1500 grit wet/dry sand paper. Last step was giving the body a clear coat to protect it. It's not quite as brown as in the pictures. I also managed to find the test mode, to access it you just keep the button held down when turning it on and don't release it until the test mode activates.
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