Oct 18, 2015 | By Alec
Those classic 1950s Philco Predicta TVs seem to be making a big comeback in games and movies, but as they are notoriously difficult to find maker Jesse Demers has just shared designs for a small 3D printed version.
While we are not exactly great at explains trends, it definitely seems that the classic 1950s Philco Predicta TV, that used to be in every home in America, is making a comeback in current pop culture. From movies, tv shows and even in video games such as Fallout, the strangely shaped Philco Predicta can be seen all over the place. However, finding one in real life is remarkably more difficult, so fortunately one maker has decided to go for a 3D printed alternative. Maker Jesse Demers, also known on the web as piratetv, has recently shared some designs for a fantastic 3D printable 1950s style Philco Predicta tv replica, but then with a seven inch LCD screen instead.
As Jesse explains, he decided to build this cool TV because he was seeing it all over the place. ‘I always wanted a Philco Predicta TV, but could never find one. You see them in movies old TV shows and even video games like fallout,’ he says. Fortunately, he has been 3D printing for a couple of years and has worked on some interesting projects in his time, so he decided to recreate one from scratch with the help of some simple web images.
And the results are fantastic. A mixture of some 3D printed parts and some pine/mahogany pieces of would, this Retro LCD Television is a functioning machine and a great addition to any (gamer’s) desktop. ‘Inside is an LCD TV with 1 hdmi input, in the base is an HDMI switcher, a chromecast, an audio amplifier, an hdmi to stereo audio converter, a USB car adapter 5v for the chromecast,a hdmi switch and audio converter,’ he says. ‘The rest runs on a 12v power supply from an old at&t cable box.’
As he explains, he also found it remarkably simple to build. ‘I used the components from a proscan pled1526a HDTV I got on sale for $65,’ he says. ‘I measured the LCD panel and made a copy of it in the computer so that I could fit the cabinet to the LCD and main board. once I had the look I wanted, I had to cut the digital model into 12 pieces so that I could fit them on my 3d printer which has a volume of around 200mm wide x200mm deep x 200mm high.’
If you would like to build this TV yourself, you can find all the 3D printable STL files on Thingiverse here, and the assembly tutorial on Instructables here. Jesse 3D printed several parts at a time on his Velleman K8200 3D printer, but that obviously depends on the size of your own printbed. ‘Once I had a few pieces printed, (5 to 15 hours print time), I butted them together and used a soldering iron to melt the edges of the pieces together. in the end it will all be one solid piece, and won't require any glue or screws,’ he says of assembly. He only need a few additional scres and bolts to attach the screen.
As for installing all the electronics, you’ll need some common sense and follow Jesse’s tutorial. For a perfect look, be sure to drill a couple of holes in the back for the cables to pass through. The only complex part are the copper tubes for the arms, which you need to bend by hand to ensure a good fit.
The finished result is controlled by 7 keys, to ensure it has a proper TV feel. ‘I printed a jig to add knobs that will turn 1/32 of a turn and also push in. The top one is turn for channels, push for menu. The bottom is turn for volumes, push for power. There is a source button for the TV and another for the HDMI switcher on the right side where horiz, and vert hold should be,’ Jesse explains. He also built three separate remote controllers, that all fit into a fitting case with a retro look. ‘There is a tv remote from proscan, an hdmi 4 input switcher and a bluetooth remote for the nexus player, which is the smart section of the TV,’ he says.
While you will thus need a bit of engineering experience to pull this one off, the result is definitely worth it. Can you imagine having such a cool retro looking TV in your gaming room already?
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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