How do Combadges stick to uniforms?

Discussion in 'Trek Tech' started by Ensign Ricky, May 27, 2013.

  1. Ensign Ricky

    Ensign Ricky Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    How do Combadges stick to uniforms? I never see what mechanism they use to keep them from falling off. I know behind the scenes they used magnets and Velcro. But for in-universe how do they stay on?
     
  2. Halmirdax

    Halmirdax Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Once you said it I got wondering. Perhaps they use glue to fuse them to the fabric, so its part of the tailoring. Although if you were relieved of duty you had to remove it so I'm back to square one.
    Glue or stitch a magnet to the inside of the uniform? So it is removable but involves a strong magnet so it won't fall off while wrestling with the enemy. Yet if you're fired you can take it off.
     
  3. Third Nacelle

    Third Nacelle Captain Captain

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    They attach to civilian clothing, and Geordi once stuck a combadge on a bomb, so I don't think it's something in the uniform.
     
  4. Halmirdax

    Halmirdax Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Ahh a font of knowledge. The mystery continues.
     
  5. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

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    Wait, wait I've got it. It's plot adhesive. :p
     
  6. CorporalCaptain

    CorporalCaptain Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Love? [/Ally Sheedy from WarGames]
     
  7. Draculasaurus

    Draculasaurus Commander Red Shirt

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    Something made-up like a textile adhesion field.

     
  8. Timo

    Timo Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Simply gravitics?

    I mean, they have mastered that particular art: their floors really suck and all that. Having low-level, short-range gravitational pull would be a truly universal way to attach to any arbitrary surface or object.

    Plus a technology like that existing would explain why things don't usually fall off tables when a starship undergoes combat maneuvers or is hit by enemy fire. It wouldn't be able to hold Ensign Airborne's shoes to the deck, but they would prevent his collection of glass animals from falling from the shelf at his cabin all right.

    Artificial gravity is extremely reliable in Star Trek and apparently doesn't require much power, so it would be a good way to keep commbadges attached. Hopefully, it also holds together the uniforms themselves (remember how they open where there are no visible seams or zippers?), so that we can keep on praying for a rare spatiotemporal anomaly that would unravel the fabric at an opportune moment.

    Timo Saloniemi
     
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  9. Tosk

    Tosk Admiral Admiral

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    They attach them using technology. :)
     
  10. Lee Enfield

    Lee Enfield Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    This, I guess...

    http://robotics.eecs.berkeley.edu/~ronf/Gecko/
     
  11. Angry Fanboy

    Angry Fanboy Captain Captain

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    Angry Fanboy

    Chewing gum?
     
  12. Timo

    Timo Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    In Hollywood, chewing gum always works for attaching things to bombs or bombs to things, so that angle is covered. However, in Hollywood, chewing gum is impossible to remove from clothing without getting it to stick in your hair, so that one is not...

    One issue of interest here is how one regulates the sticking and unsticking, in-universe. Does one have to squeeze a specific part of the badge to get it to loosen its grip or what? Mere pulling wouldn't appear to be enough, or else these things would constantly be shaking loose.

    What else can be manipulated in a commbadge? Tapping is supposedly for activating, even though these things seem to be on all the time anyway. Is there a way to adjust reception, choose channels, engage scrambling etc. without opening the casing and pointing a doodad-with-blinkies-on at it?

    Timo Saloniemi
     
  13. Angry Fanboy

    Angry Fanboy Captain Captain

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    Angry Fanboy

    Semi-interestingly on the subject of how a combadge is used, in the Shatner/Reeves-Stevens books they reference a few different ways to use them.

    From memory the single tap obviously opens the channel as normal, holding fingers onto the surface forces an override (presumably if contact drops out due to a bad signal), I think two taps has the combadge begin recording and three taps triggers the playback.

    I quite liked that. :lol:
     
  14. scotpens

    scotpens Professional Geek Premium Member

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    Duct tape. You can do anything with duct tape. :)
     
  15. MacLeod

    MacLeod Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Angry Fanboy

    I might be mis-remembering but doesn't a quick double-tap deactivate the combadge? (possible ref: DSN's "Past Tense")
     
  16. Mad Jack Wolfe

    Mad Jack Wolfe Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    They're riveted directly to the wearer's chest.
     
  17. Irishman

    Irishman Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Magnatomic adhesion, I expect.

    That, or staples. I prefer staples. :)
     
    Last edited: May 31, 2013
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  18. Johnny

    Johnny Commander Red Shirt

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    As long as you don't attach it too close to the nipple... :lol:

    Wasn't there an episode where someone took off their combadge and a small white square was left behind? (a prop thing I think)

    How about magnetic-micro-velcro? Good for everything but plastic and wood!
     
  19. bryce

    bryce Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Yeah, I was guessing that it was some sort of super-high-tech nano/smart-material thing build into the back of the badge.
     
  20. marksound

    marksound Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Ferengi ear wax.