Author Topic: What should I do with THIS PANEL!? (Read 3861 times)

BillyJack · « **on:** November 08, 2003, 02:44:16 pm »

I think some of you guys may vaguely recognize this panel from a little movie called Star Wars... (ep4 ANH)

It's an old Grass Valley Group 1600-7K control panel for television video switching... but the insides of this thing are monstrous. I think I can find the manual for it (complete with wiring diagrams and stuff.) I want to wire this sucker up to a Keywiz and play a lot. It's got momentary switches, toggle switches (standard metal on/off), push on/push off switches, and of course, the lever that you use to fire the Death Star's Super Laser. I think the levers (this one has 2 of them) have 2 pots a piece on them...

Anyway, what would you guys do with this thing if you had it? (TRASHING IT IS NOT AN OPTION).

I have attached two pics, one of which is a frame from the movie and another i found on the net. I do not have pix (yet) of my panel.

BillyJack

BillyJack · « **Reply #1 on:** November 08, 2003, 02:45:40 pm »

BillyJack · « **Reply #2 on:** November 08, 2003, 02:46:32 pm »

Smack · « **Reply #3 on:** November 08, 2003, 05:46:32 pm »

I'd put it in my game room and wire up all kinds of crazy crap to the switches...

One button turns on the tunes, one turns on the TV, or cab...

On turns on funky lights, use one of the controls as a dimmer or something, on does motor driven stuff...

Crap like that!

Smack

slicer_d · « **Reply #4 on:** November 08, 2003, 06:19:47 pm »

Wire them all up so they make cool different star wars sounds and voice clips. I have no idea how you would do that but it would be cool. I would also have it turn on differnet stuff like Smack said.

Frostillicus · « **Reply #5 on:** November 08, 2003, 07:02:31 pm »

Dude what you have there is the makings of a seriously cool piece of pop art. Place that bad boy in a room against the correct wall, maybe add some fake CRTs, some 60s chairs - maybe play some footage of logans run. small lights. i'm jealous.

There's been a small promo ad for VH1 playing with the 80s strikes back series where they have this whitish room with a control desk (think 2001 space odyssey), and a small vintage computer joystick closeup. I had that model of stick but can't remember the name. The whole thing reminds of that panel you have. Really cool.

eightbit · « **Reply #6 on:** November 08, 2003, 07:51:57 pm »

If you wired the pushbuttons to a encoder you could pretty easily configure a computer to do things beased on keypress by assigning macros to each letter.

BillyJack · « **Reply #7 on:** November 08, 2003, 08:00:30 pm »

I'm wondering what to do with those levers! What do people usually do with Pots in an arcade type setup? I know they use them for Star Wars yokes, but is there any other use? I know if it were possible to use it with Puzzle Bobble I'd be a champ. But I don't know if mame is programmed that way...

TheGatesofBill · « **Reply #8 on:** November 08, 2003, 08:36:03 pm »

Pots in an arcade? Pedals.

shmokes · « **Reply #9 on:** November 08, 2003, 11:04:01 pm »

Throttle control for flight simulators and Crimson Skies

Smack · « **Reply #10 on:** November 09, 2003, 01:23:50 am »

Lunar Lander!!!!!

cj1 · « **Reply #11 on:** November 09, 2003, 01:43:41 am »

Quote from: BillyJack on November 08, 2003, 02:44:16 pm

Anyway, what would you guys do with this thing if you had it?

BillyJack

ummm... destroy Alderaan... duh!

muahahahahah

NIVO · « **Reply #12 on:** November 09, 2003, 12:05:38 pm »

looks to me like the panel the operators were using in the finring of the deathstar scene "You may fire when ready" build that up like it man!!!

Howard_Casto · « **Reply #13 on:** November 09, 2003, 04:03:49 pm »

I don't think it's suited for anything "useful" if that's what you meant. It'd be good for display or possibly rigging some sounds up to but other than that it's just a huge waste of space. It's not well suited for playing mame at all. I think everyone finds this to be obvious, but as you keep asking questions like "what else would these controls be good for in mame" I thought I would point that out.

Anyway, answering your question... from a design point that thing is so "loud" that you would have to dedicate an entire room to it for it to look nice. By an entire room I mean everything from the walls to the appliances to the nick-nacks would have to be theemed carefully to match. I'm guessing you live alone?

If you think you can just put it in your den or bedroom and expect it to look cool all on it's own think again. Unless it's properly integrated into the room people will say "what's big ugly piece of crap?" instead of the wanted "wow that's frikkin cool!!"

BillyJack · « **Reply #14 on:** November 09, 2003, 04:57:30 pm »

Nope, live with my fiancee, sorry Howard. I was just figuring on making it "computer compatible" with a keyboard encoder. I thought maybe some of the controls might have fun uses in some games. It's only about 4.5 feet long anyway. I think you're just jealous that you don't have one.

BillyJack

eightbit · « **Reply #15 on:** November 09, 2003, 05:28:28 pm »

I think its pretty sweet and would look good in any room.

Jakobud · « **Reply #16 on:** November 09, 2003, 05:44:15 pm »

what to do with it??

Well geez hook it up to your freakin deathstar of course!!! duh

Minwah · « **Reply #17 on:** November 09, 2003, 06:13:32 pm »

Just try to wire some power to it so the buttons light up - that alone would be cool enough

BillyJack · « **Reply #18 on:** November 09, 2003, 06:16:27 pm »

Yeah, I ran 6v through the wires on the switches that are all soldered (like our ground loops) and when you push the buttons, they light up. I need a multimeter to find out what the other pins on the switches do (there are 5 or 6 of them...)

BillyJack


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