600XL Badge

[flashjazzcat]

My 600XL is virtually mint apart from the badge. It's strangely discoloured as if it's actually corroded around the edges. No amount of careful scraping or sanding is going to fix it. I was thinking of:

 

a) Making a new one somehow using a strip of Aluminum

b) Begging someone with a wrecked 600XL for a replacement

 

Assuming plan a) is pursued, how might one print black lettering on aluminium?

 

 

 

[Havok69]

What about cutting a template out of cardboard or something and spray painting the logo on?

[Rybags]

How about a copper coloured one. Get a small homebrew circuit board, then use the same technique for removing unwanted copper for the tracks.

Although the badges will end up a bit thick, but you could probably sand them down a bit.

[yorgle]

My 600XL is virtually mint apart from the badge. It's strangely discoloured as if it's actually corroded around the edges. No amount of careful scraping or sanding is going to fix it. I was thinking of:

 

a) Making a new one somehow using a strip of Aluminum

b) Begging someone with a wrecked 600XL for a replacement

 

Assuming plan a) is pursued, how might one print black lettering on aluminium?

 

I've got a dead 600xl here with a good badge. PM me your address and I'll mail it to you.

[lbaeza]

Hi

 

I'm looking at the Best Electronics catalog, and on page 91, under the 800XL section, is this item:

 

800XL Label for Top Case
CO24577............$2.00

 

I think you should email Bradley Koda about this item, maybe it's the label you need.

 

Regards

[flashjazzcat]

Thanks for the helpful responses. I wasn't expecting so many suggestions.

 

What about cutting a template out of cardboard or something and spray painting the logo on?

I was thinking along those lines but it would be very difficult to get spot-on. I even considered running a sheet of aluminium through the laser printer.

 

How about a copper coloured one. Get a small homebrew circuit board, then use the same technique for removing unwanted copper for the tracks.

Although the badges will end up a bit thick, but you could probably sand them down a bit.

Interesting alternative approach. My friend is currently constructing PCBs for me so I might try this out one day.

 

I've got a dead 600xl here with a good badge. PM me your address and I'll mail it to you.

PM'd! I'm in the UK, by the way...

 

I'm looking at the Best Electronics catalog, and on page 91, under the 800XL section, is this item:

 

800XL Label for Top Case
CO24577............$2.00

 

I think you should email Bradley Koda about this item, maybe it's the label you need.

I'll surely ask Bradley when I next put an order in (sadly I've just done two orders). I've bought a lot of 130XE labels... maybe it's time to switch to XL badges. I did ask for a 1050 badge a while ago for someone else and Bradley actually prised one (very skillfully) from a dead drive for me.

[Havok69]

How about a copper coloured one. Get a small homebrew circuit board, then use the same technique for removing unwanted copper for the tracks.

Although the badges will end up a bit thick, but you could probably sand them down a bit.

 

That's a great idea - might have to try that out some day just to see if it looks cool enough and maybe do an alternative themed 800XL, perhaps painting the case to match...

[flashjazzcat]

Been reading about the "Toner Transfer" method of PCB manufacture (using a mirror image of PCB printed onto photo paper with a laser printer and fused onto copper plated board using a domestic iron) and am wondering if the same technique would work with sheet aluminium. Acetone is required to remove the toner from the copper tracks when manufacturing a PCB, so the print must be at least passably durable. I understand that the aluminium in coke tins is plasticised however, so I may look for an alternative sheet metal source tomorrow and give it a try... It would certainly open up the possibility of custom-badged XL-style SIO2SD conversions when I start rolling those out.

Edited June 22, 2010 by flashjazzcat

[tjlazer]

I need one too! Anyone have a spare?

[flashjazzcat]

I need one too! Anyone have a spare?

If the toner transfer method ever works I'll make you one.

[Rybags]

Another thought I had was try one of those printable sheets you can get to iron onto T-Shirts.

[Tezz]

If they still make them, you could maybe try the old Lettraset transfers and then seal it all with a spray of clear coat.

[flashjazzcat]

Have been looking for Lettraset for a long time on and off for another purpose. The trouble is you don't get a good choice of font.

[sloopy]

or maybe etch away the atari and fuji itself, and sand away part of the thickness of the PCB, and then put an LED behind it so they are lit up by it?

 

i would try this but my PCB's are all double sided...

 

 

sloopy.

[Rybags]

Clear/frosted with the name etched and LED backed would look pretty cool.

[+Larry]

Have you looked at the Brother TZ-series of label printers? Mine does 1/4" - 1" wide laminated labels. The label material comes in a wide variety of colors including black type on silver/aluminum background. Mine hooks to my PC and has Win software. Very nice. Very Handy. Very Professional.

 

Another possibility -- look for a style of paper that can be printed to with your Win/Mac printer. After making a label, then cover the paper with clear packing tape. This gives great versatility and makes very nice labels. I use this method to make cartridge labels. With either method you would need to have some type of backing to make the thickness correct, but that's easily accomplished.

 

Whatever you choose to do, please post a pic. and tell us.

 

-Larry

[+bob1200xl]

I think those badges are anodized aluminum, which you can have made at any number of shops. You can get colors, graphics, thin, thick,,, but it all costs money. A quick peek shows something like $1 each in quantities of 500. You ought to be able to reproduce the Atari badge perfectly, this way.

 

Inasmuch as laser printers use a high-voltage charge to transfer the toner, aluminum or any other conductor would not be good for your printer. Inkjets, on the other hand, would work if you had one that printed on a flat surface, like a CD.

 

Bob

 

 

 

 

My 600XL is virtually mint apart from the badge. It's strangely discoloured as if it's actually corroded around the edges. No amount of careful scraping or sanding is going to fix it. I was thinking of:

 

a) Making a new one somehow using a strip of Aluminum

b) Begging someone with a wrecked 600XL for a replacement

 

Assuming plan a) is pursued, how might one print black lettering on aluminium?

[Rybags]

Another idea - Lightscribe DVD burner, then cutout the plastic.

[+wood_jl]

Can you just print it (black lettering) on a clear vinyl "sticker" and then cut it out to exactly fit over the stock metal badge?

 

I'm assuming you can get a custom sticker printed.

[flashjazzcat]

More good ideas: thanks all. There was never any intention of feeding aluminium sheet through the laser printer, by the way! I had a setback today in that the laser printer won't accept photo paper (presumably it's too think), so I'll have to get hold of some thinner sheets. A friend of mine has already "ironed" the laser printed PCB transparencies I've made onto copper plate (in the absence of photo paper print) and it didn't look too bad at all. My immediate aim is to transfer a mirror image of something like "ATARI SIO2SD" in the appropriate font onto a sheet of aluminium via toner carried on photographic paper.

 

Of the other suggestions, professional printing is preferable but cost prohibitive. However, there are many online vendors who offer custom mouse-mats and vinyl stickers cheaply and this was going to my preferred solution for custom XE style labels. The lightscribe idea is brilliant if looking for a unique style, and backlit/etched designs also sound cool.

[candle]

Kontakt Chemie produces substance called Positiv-20 - it main purpose is for photoeching of circuit boards, but one can make any front-panel lettering with it

just change curing process after image is developed on surface

you need to process as it would be for standard etch, develop it with caustic soda (it reacts violatly with aluminium, so you really need to watch out and not to make solution too strong - tea spoon of caustic soda per one liter of water should be enough)

when your image will develop on aluminium, you need to put this badge in the oven, heat it up to 250 celcius degrees and let it cure in that temperature for an hour or so

it will become scratch-resistant and almost black

 

what you'll have to have is a source of UV light, and positive image of what you're trying to develop on targed badge printed on foil (either ink-jet printable or laser)

best results are with imagesetters, so if you have any print-shop around, ask them for prepress and CTF services (Computer To Film) - they will accept PDF files as an input

price for CTF service varies around my place from 3-6 queens, so it shouldn't ruin your home budget

[+Guitarman]

When I worked in an engraving shop, we had the large sheets of aluminum stock that we would cut out and engrave for awards and plaques. There was a liquid that you could rub over the engraved area and it would turn it black to make it stand out more. This may also be an option to have a cool engraved badge. The engraving machine uses the installed fonts from the computer so you could use the Atari font that's out there.

[+Larry]

Another variant using the Brother TZ labeler -- Cut the appropriate piece of aluminum and use the clear TZ tape with black lettering. An inexpensive source of the aluminum is aluminum foil which comes in many thicknesses depending on the use. Have you looked in hobby/craft shops? I can usually find lots of "alternative use" ideas browsing at a Michaels, etc. here in the U.S.

-Larry

[sloopy]

could go full ghetto fabulous, and do a whole rice burner thing and use brass, a piece of flat brass stock that could be cut to replace all the brushed aluminum on the face of an XL would probly be less the $10US. then with a good polish it would look almost like gold... (lowering and 24" wheels would be at your descretion. ;')

 

sloopy.

[Irgendwer]

Ok, time to tell you my way to build such badges:

 

you need

 

- double side adhesive tape (like "Tesa 56661") (called DSAT below)

- aluminium adhesive tape (like "Tesa 56223") (called AAT below)

- transparency foil for presentations (like "Avery 3562" (for laser printers) - they exist for ink jets too) (called TF below)

 

stack/laminate all togehter:

 

---- TF with label printed mirrored to the down side! ---- (so the toner is protected from scratches!)

---- AAT with adhesive side pointing up ! ----

---- DAST ----

---- CASE ----

 

Result looks like this (mouse on the right side):

 

 

Have fun

Irgendwer