Star Trek PADDs: What is the thickness of layers on screen used pieces?

[SurferGeek]

I'm looking for someone that has a few early TNG, screen used PADDs to provide some measurements of thickness of the upper, lower and middle layers.

I seem to recall reading a tutorial from someone that took measurements off of a screen used PADD from TNG where the dimensions were different from what is now considered typical. Stereotypical being 1/8" or .125" thick styrene, ABS or plexi.

I have a few drawings by Trek Illustrator Rick Sternbach which show the original thickness to be 1/4" for top and bottom layer with a 1/8" center layer but there's also a drawing that shows the thicknesses as 1/8" for top and bottom with a 1/16" center piece. Now I know that props sometimes change between drawings and production which is why I'm looking for measurements from actual screen used pieces.

What stood out in the tutorial but is difficult (not impossible) to see in screen caps is that the thickness of the top and bottom layers is thicker than the center layer... something that "modern" recreations have neglected.

I know that construction methods varied from early TNG to the Voyager series and I have no doubt that they somewhat standardized the construction but throughout the different shows and seasons they varied.

One of the Season 1 "hero" versions on TNG had a metal construction that was close to 1" thick with another 1/2" or so sticking out the back for the light box. The construction seems overkill and I surmise that this was actually two box or container lids that were used although I've not seen anything remotely similar. :confused I wonder if this wasn't a prototype that set the standard for shape of PADDs.

In one of the latter DS9 seasons a episode called for a huge number of PADDs and so many were simply made from 1/4", single layer pressboard (or MDF) with printed detailings adhered to the front and back.

Caps from Extreme Measures... the set probably had over 100 visible.

By the way... there were some very rare instances of some VERY large PADDs in TNG that weren't seen elsewhere that I know of. They also had some edge detailing that was on original drawings for the PADDs but didn't make it into the standard PADD.

 

[Cmdr.Kerner]

Hi SurferGeek,

according to my (and KertRatz) researches the middle layer is 1/8" and the top and bottom ones are 1/4" thick.

By the end of last year I finished a bunch of PADDs for KertRatz and he has got the best sources for this.

BTW: I'll be in Florida from Oct. 17 to Nov. 7 this year and I would like to take some of my props with me. I'm staying with two Klingons in Altamonte Springs,if you are interested in a meeting just send me a PM.

Greetings from Germany

Dietrich

 

[trekker670]

Was the 1/4" only applicable on the TNG PADDs?

 

[darthgordon]

I was under the impression that they varied from PADD to PADD.

 

[Kevin/Collector]

There are some PADD's that are working, found items (don't know the episodes) but the found item is no longer made - the 'Cabin' light panel. These were relatively large and take batteries.
They would be painted and transparent graphics were placed over the light panel and voila.
Just purchased one of the old 'Cabin' panels on eBay and am awaiting its delivery.

 

[SurferGeek]

Was the 1/4" only applicable on the TNG PADDs?

It seems from screen caps that early seasons of TNG had the thicker PADDs. As props get reused they show up in latter seasons as well as into DS9 and even into a few Voyagers.

I was under the impression that they varied from PADD to PADD.

Yes and no... as above, early seasons of TNG were pretty standard in design, just the height/width of the PADDs changed. They also used clear (or colored translucent) plexi for some PADDs.

There are some PADD's that are working, found items (don't know the episodes) but the found item is no longer made - the 'Cabin' light panel. These were relatively large and take batteries.
They would be painted and transparent graphics were placed over the light panel and voila.
Just purchased one of the old 'Cabin' panels on eBay and am awaiting its delivery.

These were in the latter TNG movies and then into Enterprise. The Cabin light boxes were originally $89 and now when they show up on Ebay then tend to go for upwards of $100, sometimes you can get a good deal.

 

[darthgordon]

Well... the official sizes according to the TNG Tech Manual are:

10x15x1 cm

I believe those dimensions are accurate for the early TNG PADDs.

 

[Kevin/Collector]

These were in the latter TNG movies and then into Enterprise. The Cabin light boxes were originally $89 and now when they show up on Ebay then tend to go for upwards of $100, sometimes you can get a good deal.

Thanks, now I know where to look for screen-caps.

 

[Cmdr.Kerner]

Was the 1/4" only applicable on the TNG PADDs?

Hi Trekker670,

the 1/4" for the two layers were only used for the 6" x 4" PADDs and the engineering PADDs (11" x 8") from Geordie. The layers for the 9" x 6" PADDs from TNG and DS9 were all 1/8" thick.

Keep on trekking

Dietrich

 

[Vaderman]

Some of the padds were made with 1/4" plex others 1.8" plexiglas (painted.) The middle layer was always 1/8" as I recall and the outer was mostly 1/4."
Say, where is Rick anyway? He should be on this board.


Some were 1/8" and unpainted made from translucent fourescent colors like birght green and orange with striping tape or a painted pattern on them (that was really before they were called PADDs.)
Geordie's PADD was even thicker as it had working lights and a button.

 

[SurferGeek]

Some were 1/8" and unpainted made from translucent fourescent colors like birght green and orange with striping tape or a painted pattern on them (that was really before they were called PADDs.)

I've got some caps showing those... some appear to have flow charts and others appear to be electronics schematics. I don't recall seeing any of the colored plexi versions being used in later seasons. There were a few clear versions seen though, one even can be seen in Voyager.

 

[SurferGeek]

Here's some pictures of the colored plexi versions. All are from early TNG seasons.

Here's one of the clear plexi versions that made it into Voyager:

There were a couple examples of single layer plexi "PADDs" that showed up in latter TNG seasons.

 

[Vaderman]

Cool! Yeah, the large one piece colored plex pieces had lines all over them that were not in any particular order, I mean there wasn't even a top or bottom to them!
This was so that, years later, you wouldn't look at them and think wow, how dated - they never did and never will make any sense, which fits for something hundreds of years in the future!
That was all Mike Okuda dressing them in the Art Department.
Rod.com has now or will have soon some great replicas of many of the standard PADDs used throughout ST:TNG abd ST:VOY.

 

[SurferGeek]

Cool! Yeah, the large one piece colored plex pieces had lines all over them that were not in any particular order, I mean there wasn't even a top or bottom to them!
This was so that, years later, you wouldn't look at them and think wow, how dated - they never did and never will make any sense, which fits for something hundreds of years in the future!
That was all Mike Okuda dressing them in the Art Department.
Rod.com has now or will have soon some great replicas of many of the standard PADDs used throughout ST:TNG abd ST:VOY.

Kind of figured that when you see a few of the recognizable schematic symbols but with changes like filled in transistor symbols and such. Star Treky "gobbldegook". :lol

Rod.com currently has several PADDs but only in finished form and only solid resin castings. They look nice but I like seeing recreations of recognizable screen used pieces. The versions on Rod.com are idealized versions.