TOS Communicator Cell Phone! Available SOON!

[SgtFang]

Once Upon a Time...

There were great plans to make fully functional cell phones in the likeness of TOS Communicators, but alas it was not meant to be- The artist's partner ripped him off and the whole project was scrapped, never to be revived...

Well, Sarge WANTS a communicator cell phone dammit!

Let's figure out what it would take to do this once and for all! While I'm not that big of a techno guy, I can't see why some smaller model cell phone couldn't be gutted and the parts fitted into a specially modified comm body.

First we'd need to find a suitable, mass produced phone to be the guts donor, then we'd need a suitable comm body to reengineer the interior of, so that the phone guts would fit snugly.

The body should be as accurate as possible while still leaving access to the cell phone funtions- maybe a flip up face plate like in the old IPI comms? (that one flipped open to reveal a calculator)

Hell, while we're at it, lets do ST3 comms too! B)

Let the research begin!

-Sarge

 

[SgtFang]

Here's some shots of the old IPI communicator with clock and calculator-

and the all important keypad/ screen arrangement-

-Sarge

 

[phase pistol]

The infamous "SD Studios" prototype solved the problem by putting the keypad on the BACK of the communicator as I recall. :unsure

 

[TOKI]

I personally think it woul be easier to rig a Bluetooth Communicator. Less stuff to pack into the shell, and with the size of cell phones these days having one tucked away in a pocket whie using the Comm would be just as fun. And probably a lot more affordable.

That said, I'm anything but an electronics expert. Just my thoughts.

Arthur

 

[SgtFang]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(phase pistol @ Feb 6 2007, 10:23 PM) [snapback]1413526[/snapback]</div>

The infamous "SD Studios" prototype solved the problem by putting the keypad on the BACK of the communicator as I recall. :unsure
[/b]

I know, but where's the fun in that? Where are you going to put your velcro? :lol


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TOKI @ Feb 6 2007, 10:24 PM) [snapback]1413527[/snapback]</div>

I personally think it woul be easier to rig a Bluetooth Communicator. Less stuff to pack into the shell, and with the size of cell phones these days having one tucked away in a pocket whie using the Comm would be just as fun. And probably a lot more affordable.

That said, I'm anything but an electronics expert. Just my thoughts.

Arthur
[/b]

Ok, now bear in mind that I'm like the Geico caveman when it comes to this stuff, I see the word "bluetooth" everywhere these days, but I have no idea what it is- how does it work? Is it wireless? Using the comm as sort of a "microphone" for a hidden phone in the pocket does sound intriguing...

-Sarge

 

[kalkamel]

I suggest the Motorola RAZR as the guts donor... its thin so it wouldn't take up too much space in the comm body.

 

[King of Pirates]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kalkamel @ Feb 7 2007, 03:39 AM) [snapback]1413536[/snapback]</div>

I suggest the Motorola RAZR as the guts donor... its thin so it wouldn't take up too much space in the comm body.

[/b]

Okay now here's the thing. You would need a wireing manual for it, since its not wires and easaly removeable pieces in there, its about two PCB's, the battery, and the screen.

 

[Mechinyun]

I would dig this.

 

[TOKI]

"Ok, now bear in mind that I'm like the Geico caveman when it comes to this stuff, I see the word "bluetooth" everywhere these days, but I have no idea what it is- how does it work? Is it wireless? Using the comm as sort of a "microphone" for a hidden phone in the pocket does sound intriguing... "

Bluetooth headsets are the very small wireless headsets you see people wearing, never bigger than the size of a matchbox. If you could rig a speaker instead of the earpiece you only have one or two buttons to deal with, All other controls are still handled by the phone itself.

This means no keypad or display. The controls could be handled by the two buttons on the Comm's control panel. There would still be room for the "chirp" electronics without the need to program the phone for that.

And best of all, when you really don't want to "geek out", leave the Comm at home and just use your phone.

Now who can do this for me, 'cause like I said above, I'm pretty much an idiot when it comes to this.

Arthur

 

[stormtrooperguy]

the bluetooth idea sounds solid...

gut a bluetooth headset. put it's brains in the communicator. then anyone who has a bluetooth enabled cell phone can use the communicator, and as far as the world is concerned you're talking through the communicator, so you get the cool/geek factor.

 

[The Wook]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mechinyun @ Feb 7 2007, 04:17 AM) [snapback]1413560[/snapback]</div>

I would dig this.
[/b]

Yep, me too. You guys get it to look right and perform properly, I'm all over it. (I can't contribute to the project, as electronics are greek to me. :$)

I agree Sarge, t's high time we had one.

The Wook

 

[DarthBish]

Personally I'm stunned that a major communications manufacturer like Nokia or Motorola hasn't already done this.

I think it'll sell like hotcakes

 

[SD Studios]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SgtFang @ Feb 7 2007, 01:47 AM) [snapback]1413496[/snapback]</div>

Once Upon a Time...

There were great plans to make fully functional cell phones in the likeness of TOS Communicators, but alas it was not meant to be- The artist's partner ripped him off and the whole project was scrapped, never to be revived... [/b]

Yup, that would be ME.

My partner told everyone that we had a "business disagreement".

Yes. He wanted to embezzle money and I disagreed... :unsure

He also stuck me with an SBA loan that he never paid a dime on, and an $11,000 copier (made maybe one or two payments, and it defaulted to me to buy it out). Plus a bunch or other wonderful bills I was left to pay as everything was in my company's name.

He also (ironically) opened at least two cell phone accounts in my personal name long after I left. (as well as depositing millions of dollars of investment capital for our publically-traded company in his girlfriends bank account). He also bounced 300 checks in the same year.

Of course, we reported him to everyone we could find:

FBI: "Yes, he violated Federal laws, but we are backed up two years, and besides...he didn't kill anybody".

DA: "This is WAY too big for us to handle".

SEC: "This will take years to unravel what he did".

Private financial investigation company: "This will take years to figure out what happened and you have to pay for us to investigate."

Bank: "We made 900 dollars on him this year in uncollected funds fees...we love him".

I kid you not.

Good times. Good times.

Anyway...

We made ONE working mockup using an externally wired analog phone. It was featured in NYC at a Paramount press conference called: "Ten hottest Star Trek items for 1998" (IIRC)

(Back when anyone actually cared)

I still have the original prototype in near-mint condition.

I STILL think this is a completely viable project. Could it be ressurected?

Never say never...

 

[jhusel]

I still think the best way would be to make the TOS Comm into a slide phone. The bottom half would slide down revealing the keypad so you could dial. Make the 2 buttons dial/answer and hang up. Would be easier if it the 2 buttons hovered over the Dial/answer and Hang up buttons on the bottom slide half. Does that make sense.

Jhusel

 

[Capt MarVell]

The bluetooth method is what's going to be easiest, short of having a phone manufactured that way. This is what I had planned on doing, but wound up buying a phone without bluetooth (financial decision), so I didn't do it. Here are several links to projects with bluetooth headsets embedded in them, this is all the research I did when I was planning my Comm phone:

http://www.diyhappy.com/retro-handsets-for-your-cellphone/
http://www.grooveking.com/blog/2006/03/gro...-old-brick.html
http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2006/...hell_heads.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/ERZ1OXZ5SJEP287QC3/
http://kamalot.blogspot.com/2005/09/nes-bl...th-handset.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/EML7X71XN4EP2874BL/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/haxorthematri...57594238217348/

Use voice dial and you'll never have to whip out the phone. I would imagine that the button(s) on the headset could be wired to the buttons on the comm. I know on the IPI Comm the buttons are functional for the voice recorder, and it has two separate speakers on the back, one for the chirp circuit and one for the VR. Whether or not there are two separate circuit boards inside, I don't know, I've never cracked mine open yet.

BTW, isn't this what they did in "Trials and Tribbleations" - put commbadges into TOS Comm shells? It's almost screen accurate doing it this way...

Jim

 

[SgtFang]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(QMX Steve @ Feb 7 2007, 10:13 AM) [snapback]1413746[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SgtFang @ Feb 7 2007, 01:47 AM) [snapback]1413496[/snapback]

Once Upon a Time...

There were great plans to make fully functional cell phones in the likeness of TOS Communicators, but alas it was not meant to be- The artist's partner ripped him off and the whole project was scrapped, never to be revived... [/b]

Yup, that would be ME.

My partner told everyone that we had a "business disagreement".

Yes. He wanted to embezzle money and I disagreed... :unsure

He also stuck me with an SBA loan that he never paid a dime on, and an $11,000 copier (made maybe one or two payments, and it defaulted to me to buy it out). Plus a bunch or other wonderful bills I was left to pay as everything was in my company's name.

He also (ironically) opened at least two cell phone accounts in my personal name long after I left. (as well as depositing millions of dollars of investment capital for our publically-traded company in his girlfriends bank account). He also bounced 300 checks in the same year.

Of course, we reported him to everyone we could find:

FBI: "Yes, he violated Federal laws, but we are backed up two years, and besides...he didn't kill anybody".

DA: "This is WAY too big for us to handle".

SEC: "This will take years to unravel what he did".

Private financial investigation company: "This will take years to figure out what happened and you have to pay for us to investigate."

Bank: "We made 900 dollars on him this year in uncollected funds fees...we love him".

I kid you not.

Good times. Good times.

Anyway...

We made ONE working mockup using an externally wired analog phone. It was featured in NYC at a Paramount press conference called: "Ten hottest Star Trek items for 1998" (IIRC)

(Back when anyone actually cared)

I still have the original prototype in near-mint condition.

I STILL think this is a completely viable project. Could it be ressurected?

Never say never...
[/b][/quote]


Thanks for chiming in Steve. I wasn't sure how much info you wanted public, so I stayed halfway vague about the past.

I still think, even with the rut other Trek props are in right now, that these would sell like crazy. Thousands of non-trek fans would recognize it, and I bet many of them would buy one just for the "Gee Whiz" factor.

Also, what do you think of this "bluetooth" idea? More practical, or would you still want to do a stand-alone phone?

-Sarge

 

[jakob2121]

Bluetooth is totally the way to go. You can carry the comm around when you feel like it, and keep the feel of the original show.

And not have to have it as y our primary phone when you're at work or anywhere you don't want to completely geek out.

 

[Capt MarVell]

Another bluetooth headset hack, with very detailed photos:
http://geektechnique.org/projectlab/738/inophone

And if your phone doesn't have built-in bluetooth, here's a possible solution (manual says to use with Jabra headset - unclear if that's absolutely necessary, or just marketing):
http://www.jabra.com/JabraCMS/NA/EN/MainMe...aA210/JabraA210 (manual & spec sheet available for download in PDF format)
http://www.cellcrew.com/jaa2bl2ad.html

Jim

 

[Darth Lars]

I have seen there are bluetooth "headsets" out there where the bluetooth unit and mic is in a small box you clip onto your collar and the speaker is separate.
My point is that I think there may be a model available which you don't have to open the box, cut or solder anything at all. The control buttons are on the top side of the clip-box, close to eachother. Just make the communicator's buttons press down onto these.

I don't know much about bluetooth headsets or the TOS communicator. I just thought I could mention this thing I have seen.

 

[DrMcoy]

jhusel, I'm with you -- if this is ever manufactured, the bottom shell would slide out at the midplate for access to buttons and display. Once you made the call, you would slide buttons back into unit and talk. An external button would be used to turn unit off OR flipping the grid closed would end the call.

You coudl also set it so when you received calls, you simply fliped grid to accept the call.

been waiitng for one of these for a looooong time.