Star Trek TOS Tablet/Logbook/PADD (it never had an official name)

[Starbase101]

Might anybody know which type of vintage indicator lamp covers were used on the TOS clipboard/tablet? There's a red one, a white one, and an amber one. Even just a brand would be helpful in tracking down a set. Thanks!

 

[JFB64]

Look on Ebay under Dialco beehive dash light lenses. You do not want ones with ribs or a bezel.

 

[Starbase101]

Look on Ebay under Dialco beehive dash light lenses. You do not want ones with ribs or a bezel.

Thanks! That was helpful and I got a set ordered. It seems there is also a small black pushbutton switch on the left as well. Anybody know what that is? (No, this isn't a pop quiz - just trying to identify/acquire the vintage parts for building another prop.)

 

[Starbase101]

There's definitely a bezel around the black pushbutton switch, looks silver in this pic from "Amok Time" but I would think a chrome bezel around a black switch on a black panel would look weird. It almost even looks like maybe the mounting nut for a panel switch. Black bezel maybe?

So maybe something like this:

or (but the post is too short):

But it seems to me something like this might look more "natural":

Thoughts?

 

[Michael Bergeron]

The button looks taller and more rounded, like the buttons on the captain's chair but black. Looks like a slightly smaller version though. As for the bezel, looks metal to me but in that pic it's really hard to tell. Could be black.

 

[Starbase101]

I agree, a taller height - I'm still searching. Clear pics are hard to find. Below are two from "The Deadly Years" which indicate a gray/silver bezel around the switch, and also seemingly around the lights too. Other screenshots like "Amok Time" show no bezel around the lights. I'm sure they had multiple logbook props and each was probably slightly different (same as other props).

 

[Starbase101]

Maybe it's a black rubber button cover that's giving it a rounded shape?

 

[JW Foust]

I think I had this on mine at one point, but swapped it out for a thinner push switch.

Nevermind, it's a ebay link. I'll pm it to you.

 

[Captain Dunsel]

Still photography from the series does not suggest a bezel being around either the momentary push-switch, or the beehive indicator lights.

I went with a vintage on/off momentary switch with no bezel for both my logbook and micro-card reader builds:

Also, in reference to the Dellco beehive lenses, be on the lookout for the “tall” version, which are far harder to find...

...vs. the much easier to find, and shorter, standard versions.

The screen-used ones appear to be particularly tall, to my eye.

 

[Starbase101]

Thanks, those are some great pics! The amber lens is looking slightly more cone shaped than round dome? How did you get that textured black on your build? Rust-oleum Hammered Black?

 

[JFB64]

I have the exact switch at home and can tell you what it is after work.

 

[Captain Dunsel]

Thanks, those are some great pics! The amber lens is looking slightly more cone shaped then round dome? How did you get that textured black on your build? Rust-oleum Hammered Black?

The texturized detail on my builds is actually a thin vinyl type of covering I picked up from a member over at The Fleet Workshop. I think it’s very accurate to the lightly texturized cover seen on the screen-used pieces.

The methodology for cutting and attaching the texturized vinyl onto the wooden bodies of the builds, is best described in a video Adam published on a Blade Runner pistol case build:

 

[Starbase101]

Still photography from the series does not suggest a bezel being around either the momentary push-switch, or the beehive indicator lights.

The still photographs you posted do show a small flange at the base of each light (unless that's just a visible glue line). How do these look?

 

[Starbase101]

The texturized detail on my builds is actually a thin vinyl type of covering I picked up from a member over at The Fleet Workshop. I think it’s very accurate to the lightly texturized cover seen on the screen-used pieces.

The methodology for cutting and attaching the texturized vinyl onto the wooden bodies of the builds, is best described in a video Adam published on a Blade Runner pistol case build:

Thanks. Adam doesn't say what the textured paper product is, only that it's a textured paper product, and the video's links don't load the correct page from his site. Do you have a name of what this textured vinyl/paper is called?

 

[Captain Dunsel]

The still photographs you posted do show a small flange at the base of each light (unless that's just a visible glue line). How do these look?

View attachment 1378337

I honestly think that either the “tall” or standard beehive lenses will do. As with a lot of things, you will find a mix of different sizes, when viewing different examples from the series.

I’m of the opinion that any perceived flange is either errant glue, or a visual artifact creating the appearance of a flange.

 

[Apollo]

I agree, a taller height - I'm still searching. Clear pics are hard to find. Below are two from "The Deadly Years" which indicate a gray/silver bezel around the switch, and also seemingly around the lights too. Other screenshots like "Amok Time" show no bezel around the lights. I'm sure they had multiple logbook props and each was probably slightly different (same as other props).

View attachment 1378275
View attachment 1378276

You can really tell how bald Shatner was in this episode.

I asked George Takei one night at dinner in the 70’s just how bald he was and he told me remember Fred Mertz from the Lucy show?!

 

[Starbase101]

There seems to be different styles of lenses on the props depending on which one you're looking at. In some pics they appear to have slightly tapered sides like a Dialco LH88 ("gumdrop" shaped), and in other pics they look more like a traditional dome with vertical sides. It's reasonable to think they maybe used similar but not exact lenses on the different props, believing viewers would not notice any difference (and TV set resolution would not show major differences). I do think taller lenses would work better if protruding from the inside through mounting holes (as they would be on a real-world device), while the shorter lenses look like they'd probably work fine if glued to the outside surface. If following the Bridge console buttons approach, it would seem these were attached to the outside.

I'm looking at the different Skivertex patterns of textured paper, and although they add an interesting surface to the prop I'm not really seeing such a texture in screenshots (unless it's just not coming through due to resolution). The way light reflects off the flat surfaces, it seems to be more like painted wood than something textured like the communicator shells. Are there clear pics of screen-used logbook props which show a particular texture? I would think a paper skin might not be as resilient as a good paint finish.

 

[JFB64]

Sorry I don't have a picture but try searching for a Do it push switch on E Bay. I wrapped my log book and card reader in Tolex which is primarily used to cover guitar amplifies. It comes in a variety of textures and colors. It isn't screen accurate but looks very good. Anyone who has ever seen them loves the look too.

 

[Starbase101]

Sorry I don't have a picture but try searching for a Do it push switch on E Bay. I wrapped my log book and card reader in Tolex which is primarily used to cover guitar amplifies. It comes in a variety of textures and colors. It isn't screen accurate but looks very good. Anyone who has ever seen them loves the look too.

Thanks, I've been looking at switches so I'll take a gander at that one and see how it looks. I agree, the "skinned" props look nice, but I think the original surface wasn't textured. I'm still undecided whether to wrap it or go canon with paint.

 

[JFB64]

Both props were not painted originally but wrapped in something similar to Tolex. The texture was very subtle and similar to leather or naugahyde.