I'm in the process of reproducing front panels for PDP-8/E and/or M machines, as well
as switch levers for these machines and others that use the same shape but different
colors (e.g. 8/L, 11/20).
For the front panels, I'm working with a local (Chicago) silk-screen house to create
the reproductions. At this point (still exploring final pricing), it looks like unit cost
will be about $200 for a run of 5. This will most likely be a CNC cut acrylic panel (laser
probably won't work because of the angled relief for the key switch) with silk-screen
printing front and back. The panel shape is the same for E and M but the screens are quite
different. I've also got a couple different M variations. Note that each panel
requires five or six screens, including black masking on the back and transparent red or
"frosted" masks for the indicator lights in addition to the three colors on the
front.
I'm not sure about possibly adding a transparent overlay (non-original) over the front
silk screening to protect the final product. Please let me know your interest and thoughts
about a protective overlay.
For the switch levers, "phooky" from the NYC Resistors has done a 3D rendering -
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:360853 - and printed prototype levers and mounting
frames. Note that there are three renderings at the thingverse site - original lever,
lever with improved pivot (metal pin) and bracket for attaching lever to available slide
switch. Phooky has also printed up samples of these objects. The next step is to work on
injection molding the parts. The Resistors have an injection molding setup and phooky is
planning to create a mold using CNC equipment and his 3D renderings. There are several
reasons for moving from 3D printing to injection molding for these parts. The first two,
finish and mechanical strength, are slowly being addressed by improved printers but the
third reason, color matching, is the critical difference.
The front panel project is in progress and hopefully panels will be available in a few
months.
The switch project is very much exploratory with no promises or dates at this time.
Comments please!
Jack