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Old 24th Sep 2019, 4:46 am   #21
Argus25
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Default Re: Orton PIC video clock

I did the same thing with a small camera VDU, more or less, back in the early 1980's, but mine was more Blake's 7 inspired, at least at the time I thought so:

http://worldphaco.com/uploads/ORAC.pdf
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Old 26th Sep 2019, 6:36 am   #22
IanBland
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Default Re: Orton PIC video clock

@Argus25 That's really impressive, especially for the time you did it!
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Old 26th Sep 2019, 1:00 pm   #23
Argus25
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Default Re: Orton PIC video clock

Quote:
Originally Posted by IanBland View Post
@Argus25 That's really impressive, especially for the time you did it!
Thank you for that kind remark.

At the time too it did seem that quite a few people were impressed with it. Still it would not have been possible without the miniature Japanese made camera VDU, so I rode on their coat tails. At that time surface mount components had only just started to turn up in commercial electronic equipment, making that sort of miniaturization possible.

I remember hand etching the pcb with ferric chloride. I'm glad I put the date on the pcb artwork. It is easy to forget when you did something. Now I look at it I can hardly believe myself that I made it 36 years ago, and yet it still looks kind of modern. Except for the CRT of course, which has rapidly become ancient history as a display technology, sadly, because in many ways a good CRT is hard to beat.
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Old 26th Sep 2019, 4:27 pm   #24
Karen O
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Default Re: Orton PIC video clock

I am in awe of your miniature telly.
Most certainly a thing of beauty
I wouldn't know where to start with the RF/IF circuitry.
Talking of Orac: did it inspire the Oric computer?
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Old 26th Sep 2019, 6:10 pm   #25
Graham G3ZVT
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Default Re: Orton PIC video clock

Quote:
Originally Posted by Argus25 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by IanBland View Post
@Argus25 That's really impressive, especially for the time you did it!
Thank you for that kind remark.

At the time too it did seem that quite a few people were impressed with it. Still it would not have been possible without the miniature Japanese made camera VDU, so I rode on their coat tails. At that time surface mount components had only just started to turn up in commercial electronic equipment, making that sort of miniaturization possible.

I remember hand etching the pcb with ferric chloride. I'm glad I put the date on the pcb artwork. It is easy to forget when you did something. Now I look at it I can hardly believe myself that I made it 36 years ago, and yet it still looks kind of modern. Except for the CRT of course, which has rapidly become ancient history as a display technology, sadly, because in many ways a good CRT is hard to beat.
Did you consider styling it as miniature Philco Predicta,
Grease, Olivia N-J and all that?
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Old 26th Sep 2019, 7:57 pm   #26
Karen O
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Default Re: Orton PIC video clock

I once tried making a Predicta out of one of those Chinese mini tellies. It didn't work; the tube is just not in the right proportions (far too deep). A miniature mirror lid telly is a possibility though...
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Old 27th Sep 2019, 1:18 am   #27
Argus25
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Default Re: Orton PIC video clock

Quote:
Originally Posted by Karen O View Post
Talking of Orac: did it inspire the Oric computer?
Oric eh ? I had to look that up, I had not heard of Tangerine Computer systems, interesting! Maybe it was the inspiration, a little akin to IBM-#### (4 digits typically, like IBM-5155 computer) and HAL-9000. H>I, A>B, L>M, even though I think they denied it. Its the old excuse: "The subliminal messages made me do it"
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Old 27th Sep 2019, 1:26 am   #28
Argus25
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Default Re: Orton PIC video clock

Quote:
Originally Posted by rambo1152 View Post

Did you consider styling it as miniature Philco Predicta,
Grease, Olivia N-J and all that?
I think for a Predicta look ideally you do have a large faced short neck 110 degree CRT to keep the screen assembly on top of the box as shallow as possible. The CRT's in the little camera VDU's are far too long for their face size.

The Predicta was an interesting item of industrial design, but I don't think it would make them easier to service, I have never actually laid eyes on one, except for photos.
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Old 27th Sep 2019, 5:28 am   #29
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Default Re: Orton PIC video clock

I'm keeping an eye out for a triangular LCD so I can skip the Predicta and go straight to the interocitor.

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Old 27th Sep 2019, 5:44 am   #30
IanBland
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Default Re: Orton PIC video clock

I remember in the computer magazines at the time the Oric was launched it was explicitly stated that the inspiration came from Blake's 7, changed to "Oric" for obvious trademark/copyright reasons.
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