Oscilloscope clock...

[orange_glow_fan]

I wonder....

Will we ever see the next generation of the Forbes Oscilloscope Clock?

  Hope springs eternal......

[David Forbes]

Funny you should ask that. I've been working on the package design of the new
scope clock this week.

The problem is that the original design from 2001 used expensive bent acrylic
cases, which I would like to replace with laser-cut acrylic or wood, now that I
have access to a nice laser cutter. But the package design has to change
substantially to accommodate the limitations of laser-cut sheets. Also, I want
to replace the two pushbuttons with a rotary function knob, which doesn't fit
the original square face design.

I have converted the circuit to use an Arduino, and even built a prototype thast
looks like a little oscilloscope, with the circuit board behind the front panel.
But the simple laser-cut box was too chunky for my taste. I want it to look
beautiful, and it wasn't there.
http://www.cathodecorner.com/scda/scda-plex-obl.jpg

So I'm redoing the box to have rounded corners on the cover, using lattice
living hinges, and putting the PC board back on the bottom where it belongs. My
latest design looks like a tiny TV set from 1968. It even has the little central
protrusion in the rear for the CRT neck and socket.

I'll post CAD models when I get them done. It's still in the paper sketch stage.

--
David Forbes, Tucson, AZ

[GastonP]

Hi David
     It is not a piece of art as your previous design is, yes, but it is beautiful in a different way. Extremely industrial.
What in my opinion subtracts from the beauty of the previous one is the front board instead of a horizontal one. It blocks vision and also makes the rest of the box feel too empty. Even with SMD components instead of PTH ones, a horizontal one with the CRT "hovering" over it would (again IMO) look a lot nicer.

Gaston

On Thursday, July 6, 2017 at 7:33:09 PM UTC-3, nixiebunny wrote:

Funny you should ask that. I've been working on the package design of the new
scope clock this week.

<snip>

But the simple laser-cut box was too chunky for my taste. I want it to look
beautiful, and it wasn't there.
http://www.cathodecorner.com/scda/scda-plex-obl.jpg

</snip>

[gregebert]

Easy fix: Use black solder-mask, instead of green.

My big clock (pictured on my icon) is a 14-inch diameter PCB with over 1000 components visible. The black solder-mask (actually more of a very dark green) mutes the PCB's color;  IC packages, SMT resistors, and many electrolytics are also black. Anything you dont want to be visible from the front, usually connectors, get mounted on the back-side.

[David Forbes]

Greg,

I agree with Gaston, the balance of my latest scope clock is wrong. All
the complexity and interest is at the front panel, so the big, mostly
empty box looks wrong.

Better to have the PC board fill the bottom, to distribute the
complexity along the depth of the CRT.

It's interesting to me how many times I have tried to design this
package, and how few attempts have actually worked well (only my 2001
design). It's a very tricky design task. Especially for someone who's
mostly an engineer, not an industrial designer.

--
David Forbes, Tucson AZ

[Joe Croft]

Just my two cents Dave (since everyone else is pitching theirs in). The rounded corners and moving the pcb to the bottom sounds like a great idea. To keep the 60's tv/oscilloscope look, hand wired knobs on the front would look real spiff if they were well dressed and colorful!

-joe

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[Nicholas Stock]

David, the simple solution as I see it, would be to leave the front plate clear acrylic and use an opaque (Old oscilloscope grey?) acrylic or metal for the rest of the box. I like the view of the 'gubbins' at the front personally...

Just my 2 pennies..

Pharma Nick.

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