I have way too many projects in progress, but let's start another one anyway! Here is my custom desk with an integrated computer. Basically, my desk will be a large computer case!
I'm sure most people may know what I'm trying to build here. It's a custom desk (top) with all the components mounted to the desk. Basically, it's a computer but without the metal box sitting next to your desk. I have looked at hundreds of cases, thinking to myself, "none of these make me smile." I happened to run across one of these custom desks while on a late night surfing session. Needless to say, they were in the thousands of dollars. Nope. I can build one! So I did some research of the prerequisites one needs to have his own. Not much actually, I'm no artist, so I needed to find a way to see it. Used Solidworks and built the custom top to help me "see" it. Check out the 3d viewer.
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Ever get tired of waiting a few weeks for a simple circuit? Well, there are ways to get a PCB sooner, like etching your own that can be used in a couple of hours. You can use perf boards, but I find it an annoying and tedious. So, let's see if we can make some PCBs.
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Getting custom artwork onto a PCB shouldn't be rocket science. I have read a few dozen tutorials from different sites, And I have found that no two sites have the same procedure. I've spent hours trying to get my PCB where the manufacturers software won't trash the silkscreen logo. I have put together a detailed tutorial to help make it smoother. One thing that can't be overcome, is how many times you will have to repeat this process. Hey, just hang in there!
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If you need to speed up prototyping, one way to get some seconds back is to create your own PCB in house. With that, we need some tools to reach our goal. One of those is an UV exposure box. This prequisit will apply to those that don't use a CNC to carve out PCBs. So, I will share my design to any one who is interested.
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As some of my readers will have gathered, I am a Star Trek fanboy, especially the TNG series This was the first Star Trek show that I watched as a child. Since then, I've been fascinated by the Enterprise D and her technology. Now that I am a grown man, I can indulge myself. About 8 or 9 years ago, I bought and built a custom model kit of the Enterprise D, the 1/1400 scale AMT. I built it with custom fiber optic lighting for the windows and LEDs for the Nacelles, Impulse Engines, and the navigation lights. Unfortunately, that model was destroyed during a move and didn't take many pics or document the build process. I will admit that this model wasn't painted or had decals since I didn't have any experience.
Since then, I have wanted to build another one, but with more detail and screen accurate. Of course I wanted to design and install custom lighting and a few more features that popped in my head. But this time, I will document the build and share it so maybe someone would use my build as motivation and create their own ideas.
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One of my other projects is Eaglemoss' Enterprise-D build up and while waiting on the next parts delivery, I needed to continue builing something, hell, anything.. I wanted to keep projects Star Trek based. I came up with something that very few people have made according to my research. A Star Trek space dock, or station, whatever you want to call it. I also wanted to incorporate it into the Enterprise-D buildup. I think this was a cool idea as the Enterprise model wouldn't be built in a day, or even a year. Over the course of the build, I could hang it underneath the Space Dock, as to say it was under construction.
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