Vulcan-74 - A 6502 Powered Retro MegaProject

[barnacle]

I'm pleased to see you've got wheels on it now, Brad

The first car I built was 2x1 and I think 3x2 for the main chassis legs.

Neil

[Oneironaut]

What a great looking machine. Some serious talent shown there!

Interesting that your first build was about the journey and your second was about the result.
For me, this build is about the journey, and is probably going to take me as long as it did with your first racer!

I guess in a way, my Synth is not just an instrument but also a hot rod.
Those massive dual 600 square inch hand wired boards behind glass will be a sight to behold, much like a hand painted candy apple metal flake paint job on a show car.
I will rev up that engine by shredding out on the 88 keys while 12 other channels scream out with a combination of 80's 8 bit retro style and 70's analog thickness.

It is my hand built hot rod!
And when someone looks at me with that stunned look and proclaims... "I wish I could build something like that".
I will reply... "Then go home and get started, I built it without any tools but a soldering iron and junk from a hardware store"!

That for me is the journey and the reward.
If I had a garage, I probably would be building a hot rod too!

Cheers!
Radical Brad

BigDumbDinosaur wrote:

Oneironaut wrote:

Thanks!

I made a vow (in 1998 when I started AZ / ChopZone) never to own any metal working tools besides an angle grinder, hand drill and basic AC buzzbox.
All 43 vehicles on my site were made using only those tools, so anyone can do what I do.
I live for doing the most complex things I can using the most basic tools possible... not sure why, but I really enjoy it!

My main concern has always been the time required to get something done.  I built most of my first race car’s chassis with a buzz box, and basic tools to cut and fit steel.  However, it was a very time-consuming process to get things right—about three years from when I started to when the car made its first run.

So when I decided to build the next car—which was expected to go a *lot* faster than the first one, I thought about the problems of building a frame that was square, straight and strong.  I also thought about the importance of having a roll cage that could withstand a high-speed crash.  A tertiary thought was about how much time would be involved with all the cutting, fitting and welding, especially when my job had me constantly on the road.

All considered, I decided being proud of being able to build a race car using basic tools wasn’t nearly as important as being able to build a car that would perform, be survivable in a crash, and not require a huge amount of time to complete.  Those factors led to me acquiring better tools, especially the MIG welder.  The build took about two years, start to finish, despite being significantly more complicated than its predecessor.  I credit a lot of that to having better tools at my disposal, as well as some experience gained from the first build.

racecar01.jpg

[Oneironaut]

Thanks!
That skeleton will be sitting next to my workstation all winter to keep motivation high!

barnacle wrote:

I'm pleased to see you've got wheels on it now, Brad

The first car I built was 2x1 and I think 3x2 for the main chassis legs.

Neil

[BigDumbDinosaur]

As big as this instrument will be once completed, maybe you should fit it with some motors to assist you in moving it around. 

[barnacle]

Getting dangerously close to having to meet exhaust emissions regs...

Neil

[Oneironaut]

I considered "portability" in the design this time. Since I may want to move it to a larger part of the house and setup some huge speakers, I have floor-safe pneumatic casters going on the stand. The stand will also detach and side handles will slide out for when I want to transport the unit. I still want to bring it to some kind of retro show one day, perhaps World of Commodore.

Did a bit more of the plate tonight, and still happy with how light the frame actually is.

BigDumbDinosaur wrote:

As big as this instrument will be once completed, maybe you should fit it with some motors to assist you in moving it around. 

[Oneironaut]

For a device with over 1000 digital logic ICs, it will be as green as it gets..... all CMOS logic, including the dozen 6502 CPUs in the unit.
If this was all TTL, then it would need a dedicated 50 amp circuit!

barnacle wrote:

Getting dangerously close to having to meet exhaust emissions regs...

Neil

[BigDumbDinosaur]

Oneironaut wrote:

If this was all TTL, then it would need a dedicated 50 amp circuit!

Reminds me of the first computer I worked on, which was during the days before microprocessors were invented.  Picture a full-height, 19 inch equipment rack that was wall-to-wall TTL logic (74S—I don’t think 74LS was available at the time), all wire-wrapped, with the sockets mounted on Bakelite panels. I can’t recall the exact IC count, but I’m sure it was over a thousand of the little devils.  The contraption consumed electricity at a rate that would bring tears to a millionaire’s eyes.  Power came from a ferroresonant UPS the size of an office desk...with external batteries. 

[GARTHWILSON]

That still beats tubes, LOL.

[barnacle]

Of which: Usagi Electric finally got his Bendix 15 to boot! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P48899B1WA

Neil

[Oneironaut]

The original design actually had a tube amp, but I decided that a 1970's fender twin I gutter for parts was not era appropriate and it would have really upped the weight and size of this beast.
Went for a 100 watt transistor amp into some 6.5 inch mid range speakers instead.

GARTHWILSON wrote:

That still beats tubes, LOL.

[Oneironaut]

Had a few more hours outside in the back 40 and managed to get the side plates installed.
These were the most difficult parts of the build due to the compound angles and fold in the center.
I am only using the 3D model as a reference, so I made a template from paper and cut it until it fit.
From there, I traced the template and hacked out the sheet with a grinder cutting disc.
The fold was made by running the cutting disc partway through the back along the fold line and then bending the plates.

Here is what I have now...

Since I am updating the 3D model AFTER I build something (strange, right?), here it is now...

Next will be the speaker grill inserts and then the brackets to hold the 12" CRT display.
If the weather holds off I might even get the legs done as well so it can roll around my indoor hacking lab this winter.
Final welding cleanup and body fill work will happen next year.

Later!
Radical Brad

[BigDumbDinosaur]

Oneironaut wrote:

Had a few more hours outside in the back 40...

Thought occurred to me that when you get the facade done, you should paint a picture of Captain Nemo’s organ, meaning the one installed in the submarine Nautilus, on it. 

[barnacle]

And a chimney

Neil

[BigDumbDinosaur]

barnacle wrote:

And a chimney

Are you implying that when Brad fires up this contraption for the first time it’s going to go up in smoke?