I remember being almost kinda happy with the little AMT tricorder in the 70s. I had it painted and the whole bit, but it was never close to this "real thing." Nowhere close. 
"The Wand Company" classic Tricorder
- Thread starter Redfern
- Start date
I've been itchin' to provide a followup to my post about the Tricorder arriving, but I also know the staff majorly frowns upon 3 or more posts in a row by a single member. So I've been waiting for somebody yo "say" anything to provide a break. So, thanks, Zap!
Okay, when I last posted, I was charging the Tricorder. I let it run 4 hours as recommended. Unlike the earlier replicas, this one didn't provided any kind of visual indication it fully charged. The LED mounted upon the comm's stand will turn from red/orange to a green/blue. For the phaser, the LED mounted under the acrylic setting indicator changes from flashing red to flashing green. The 'Corder doesn't provide so clear a "ready" status. Or, if it supposed to, mine didn't. But after those 4 hours, I was able to power on the prop.
It prompts you to enter a "name" and a "pass code" to log into the system as one would a computer. I didn't try to see if I could bypass those prompts; I just followed the instructions. I've read comments about the freely pivoting aspect of the control "hood". At least on mine if I apply just the right amount of pressure, the hood stays in position, but admittedly, that is a narrow range, so I tend to brace it with my other hand.
Now, I thought the brass colored grille upon the hood was the speaker, but I learned that is strictly the microphone. The speaker element is mounted behind the moire disc. So, if you want to hear the "whistling" effect of the device "scanning" most clearly, it's best to open that middle panel. On the other hand the various response "beeps" sound loud enough with the panel closed.
I've only sampled the first couple of "log" entries, but that experience is something of a "trip". Wand got access to the master tapes that contain just the voice performances that are not "obscured" by incidental music or sound effects. Playing the first couple from "The Man Trap", I got something of a "Blair Witch Project" feel, like I've stumbled across an abandoned device and I'm reviewing the entries from another ship and crew. I don't know if all the clips are like that, but it would be odd to have some with the other audio channels present.
I've accessed the menu that contains the visual feeds depicted in "City on the Edge of Forever". It contains the two fates of Edith Keller, both the one revealing her death and the alternate timeline in which she survives. As I understand it, Wand recreated those "video" sequences for better clarity, also recreating the pan, zoom and freeze as done in the episode itself. Once played, the sequence just stops and does not repeat. One has to back from that screen to repeat it. The "newsreel" sequence does cycle and contains just three animated shots, crowds of people in the street, activity within Congress, and a rally of marching N@z!5. Then there are a variety of still shots like K-7, a Klingon D-7, a Romulan ship, and the damaged Constellation (the AMT kit, not the updated CGI). I have not tested the recording capabilities of the unit or any other of the real world functions other than an audio sensitivity graph.
Now, I realize there are far larger and sharper images of the replica out there, but please forgive me if I present a personal photo of mine along with the Wand Company's phaser and communicator I purchased years ago.
Okay, when I last posted, I was charging the Tricorder. I let it run 4 hours as recommended. Unlike the earlier replicas, this one didn't provided any kind of visual indication it fully charged. The LED mounted upon the comm's stand will turn from red/orange to a green/blue. For the phaser, the LED mounted under the acrylic setting indicator changes from flashing red to flashing green. The 'Corder doesn't provide so clear a "ready" status. Or, if it supposed to, mine didn't. But after those 4 hours, I was able to power on the prop.
It prompts you to enter a "name" and a "pass code" to log into the system as one would a computer. I didn't try to see if I could bypass those prompts; I just followed the instructions. I've read comments about the freely pivoting aspect of the control "hood". At least on mine if I apply just the right amount of pressure, the hood stays in position, but admittedly, that is a narrow range, so I tend to brace it with my other hand.
Now, I thought the brass colored grille upon the hood was the speaker, but I learned that is strictly the microphone. The speaker element is mounted behind the moire disc. So, if you want to hear the "whistling" effect of the device "scanning" most clearly, it's best to open that middle panel. On the other hand the various response "beeps" sound loud enough with the panel closed.
I've only sampled the first couple of "log" entries, but that experience is something of a "trip". Wand got access to the master tapes that contain just the voice performances that are not "obscured" by incidental music or sound effects. Playing the first couple from "The Man Trap", I got something of a "Blair Witch Project" feel, like I've stumbled across an abandoned device and I'm reviewing the entries from another ship and crew. I don't know if all the clips are like that, but it would be odd to have some with the other audio channels present.
I've accessed the menu that contains the visual feeds depicted in "City on the Edge of Forever". It contains the two fates of Edith Keller, both the one revealing her death and the alternate timeline in which she survives. As I understand it, Wand recreated those "video" sequences for better clarity, also recreating the pan, zoom and freeze as done in the episode itself. Once played, the sequence just stops and does not repeat. One has to back from that screen to repeat it. The "newsreel" sequence does cycle and contains just three animated shots, crowds of people in the street, activity within Congress, and a rally of marching N@z!5. Then there are a variety of still shots like K-7, a Klingon D-7, a Romulan ship, and the damaged Constellation (the AMT kit, not the updated CGI). I have not tested the recording capabilities of the unit or any other of the real world functions other than an audio sensitivity graph.
Now, I realize there are far larger and sharper images of the replica out there, but please forgive me if I present a personal photo of mine along with the Wand Company's phaser and communicator I purchased years ago.
The future we should have had…
We are losing art:
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Objects should do things…
We are losing art:
The Death Of Industrial Design And The Era Of Dull Electronics
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