star trek 3 tricorder

Here it is printed out.
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Here it is compared to a resin cast of the ST III Tricorder
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i have one printed out my self trying to adjust it for electronics, and wanted to tell people about it if they were interested in it.
 
The 3D print seems a lot bigger, maybe someone could tell the guy and he can update his model.
Otherwise, the detail seems fairly accurate.
 
I checked this one out, it's always nice to have a free printable. I don't mean to be negative, but it's EXTREMELY inaccurate.
Back to positivity, I'm very interested in what you do with/to it. I absolutely love the TOS-movie era props (TMP-TUC).

Cheers -- James
 
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well i have the greyhill switches so faras well the sguare leds for the front i found them thanks to baja tym post for with i am gratfull but the switches snd the led don't exactly fit there real tight. steve
 
I have to agree. It's too big and inaccurate for me to put the time into it to finish it.
 
I have an original resin cast of the Trek 3 Tricorder, I could measure and 3D model a mm accurate new STL file for this particular Tricorder.
Unfortunately the internet is now awash with inaccurate props cheaply printed and offered on e-bay for $20 which devalues the work and creates a low price expectation on prop kits.
Sadly this means anyone who makes quality accurate props is then told "your price is too high" because they've seen it cheaper on ebay or etsy with the lack of insight into what it takes to research and invest time in good quality replicas.
I wish people would remember the old saying "buy cheap, buy twice".
 
the reason i posted this is that i know a lot of people like myself can not afford the resin kits and have a maker space maybe near by so theyy can at least have something half way decent
 
the reason i posted this is that i know a lot of people like myself can not afford the resin kits and have a maker space maybe near by so theyy can at least have something half way decent

Absolutely, my comment was just to clarify for those who may not know how inaccurate it is. I tried to follow it up with a positive because I'm always amazed at what people are capable of building from things that aren't screen accurate. Regardless of its inaccuracies, I'm looking forward to this build. From my perspective, much like our modern military, Starfleet would have several tricorder models in service during any given moment. So really who knows how many tricorder models Starfleet has floating around that we haven't seen... so this model could be considered just one variant of many.

--James
 
At the end of the day, it comes down to what each of us want.
Do you want a cheap, inaccurate prop or do you want a high end accurate prop.
Don't judge. Some folks just can't afford the more accurate, higher end piece but they want a representation of the piece. Nothing wrong with that. Hell, I have some inaccurate pieces in my collection that are close enough, but the piece just doesn't mean that much to me.
And honestly, at the end of the day, the majority of the people that view your collection will have no clue if it's accurate or not, much less even know what it is!
 
I didn't mean my observation to come across as judgemental.
I just think sometimes people who are getting into props during this explosion of home 3D printing may not be aware that there are still accurate kits and resin casts out there on forums like the RPF or TPZ, but because most people's go to would be ebay which is full of cheaper inaccurate kits then the newbies aren't getting the full picture and that $20 they spend on an ebay kit could be saved and go towards something more accurate that could potentially be traded or sold as their collection evolves.

I appreciate everyone has different budgets and tolerance for accuracy.
 
I agree with renaissance_man and Funky, in short do what you can do.

When I started building replicas my stuff was pure garbage, but now it’s closer to just trash. As I got better (and acquired more personal time and money) my skills improved. It took me years to get to the point where my builds were more that an approximation of what I was referencing. In fact the only time I’ve ever built screen accurate replicas is for commissions... my first accurate build was a set Voyager PADDs for a friend. But when it comes to myself, I tend to get lazy and cut corners.

I took a 22 year break from building. But now I just build what I want. My Movie-era tricorder build is a true distortion of the actual prop. It’s just a fun build and meant to get me going again. To me, it’s more important to enjoy yourself, and like it’s already been said, do what you cans do and build what you can afford.

I do however think it’s also important that we all help each other ID inaccuracies and faulty info. My motivation is to help reduce disappointment and ridicule. I’ve encountered some serious Prop Snobs in my time who were pure penises, and if your not informed about what you’re doing they can be down right cruel and demeaning.

As to 3D printing (specifically if you have a 3D printer), I recommend digging up as much reference material as possible and then designing your own screen accurate devices.

As to purchasing replicas and castings, I have a casting of the SFS tricorder and highly detailed reference material for the “real deal”, I can tell you the castings are not screen accurate either. They’re close, maybe 90% but not 100%.

I’m not sure if even contributing. I just was to see what comes of this build. [emoji41][emoji106]
 
Nicely done. I like what you have so far. I too have printed this and it is waiting to be finished. Question, where did you get the proper electronic components? I'll be watching this with great interest. Even if the model is not accurate, it is all I have found for a prop I have always wanted in my collection. Also, the price was just right for it being in accurate (even though I can't tell), free. I would love to design an accurate 3D model of my own to print, but I have zero 3D modeling skills. I'll take what I can get for the time being.
 
There’s a part number list over in my tricorder build. I’ve started buying my componants at digikey.com

There are cheaper places to buy electronics, but digikey.com always has my parts in stock and really good resources (like spec sheets and CAD files). They’ve also shown me so awesome customer service. The price isn’t much higher than the cheaper places, but that’s a mater of perspective.
 
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heer is what i have started so far any sugestion would greatly be apreaciated. steve

Hey Steve, have you figured out how you’re going to mount your inner parts and if your going to be adding sound? Also, have you chosen to make the buttons functional?

Looking good so far! — James
 
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