Finally had my Intellivoice II case made

[JohnPCAE]

Now we're cooking with gas!

 

 

[+Psycho Stormtrooper- Rog]

Wow.. very nice.

[+the1hatman]

W.A.N.T!

[JohnPCAE]

Now that I've fully assembled it, I've had to tweak the models a little. I had to lower the mounting pegs back to where they were and snip out a corner from a couple of internal supports (if you already printed it you can accomplish both with some cutters). The mounting is very tight inside. In fact I'd recommend directly soldering a cable between the two boards instead of using IDC connectors, but it can be made to fit.

 

 

Intellivoice_II.zip

[JohnPCAE]

One of the things Shapeways does is lets you set up a shop to share your ideas and make it easy for others to order them. So I've added the various Intellivoice II parts to my shop. There's no markup on them -- I don't make any money on these. But they should make it easy to get your own if you decide to go the (admittedly expensive) Shapeways route. The upside is that the quality will be second-to-none since it uses SLS printing rather than filament printing.

 

I should point out that the volume knob is subject to change since I haven't received the updated version yet in the mail. There is a possibility that it will have to be revised once I get it and do a fitment check.

 

https://www.shapeways.com/shops/hustin

[+KylJoy]

On 10/30/2022 at 6:38 PM, KylJoy said:

Attempting a 3D print of the case now. Seems to be doing OK.  I'll let folks know how it comes out.

The print came out ok on my standard FDM printer.  I will need to clean it up a bit and will likely paint it to match my Intellivision II.  Actually, I'll probably reprint with the new models.  But, the print would definitely work fine for a functional Intellivoice II.

 

Was the original color this greyish, off-white-ish color or should an INTV II be more white?

[+Psycho Stormtrooper- Rog]

Greyish-off white in color. Very light though

[+Psycho Stormtrooper- Rog]

[SiLic0ne t0aD]

Another option if you don't find a filament that's a close match - You could always spray it with some SEM Color Coat, Vinyl Coat, etc, or another specialty plastic paint/spray dye (Duplicolor Vinyl & Fabric works very well on plastic, but is really limited on colors unfortunately).

 

I'm currently redoing my Neo Geo AES>Inty Arcade Controller to match the Sears SVA (Light Buckskin - pretty close to the SVA Almond colored plastic). Not sure about a light gray Inty II colored plastic, though I'm sure they have something close. I really thought about going with that color scheme, but still need to research what color(s) of theirs would be a close match.

Edited November 11, 2022 by SiLic0ne t0aD

[JohnPCAE]

Shapeways nylon SLS prints are a bright white, so people like me could use a close paint match for the Inty II color anyway.

 

Just a heads-up. As the fit is so tight, it's causing the board to not lay flat and causes it to be a little harder than I'd like to insert a cartridge. I've widened the shell by 12mm to solve this and I'm waiting for the updated knob to arrive tomorrow before I sign off on the change (I want to first know if I need to shift the knob by a millimeter or two). So an updated set of models is coming at some point.

Edited November 12, 2022 by JohnPCAE

[IMBerzerk]

17 hours ago, SiLic0ne t0aD said:

Another option if you don't find a filament that's a close match - You could always spray it with some SEM Color Coat, Vinyl Coat, etc, or another specialty plastic paint/spray dye (Duplicolor Vinyl & Fabric works very well on plastic, but is really limited on colors unfortunately).

 

I'm currently redoing my Neo Geo AES>Inty Arcade Controller to match the Sears SVA (Light Buckskin - pretty close to the SVA Almond colored plastic). Not sure about a light gray Inty II colored plastic, though I'm sure they have something close. I really thought about going with that color scheme, but still need to research what color(s) of theirs would be a close match.

Hi. I'm only chiming in for painting advice.  Use SEM Plastic Dye do not use anything paint related like Krylon Fusion or "plastic paints".  They will not work like the Dye.  I used SEM when I restored the interior of my 99 Jeep Cherokee which is all ABS plastic.  It worked fantastic.  Make sure you buy the Prep Can as well.  That sets up the plastic to receive the dye.  

 

I tried painting an SSVA unit with Fusion and it ruined the case.  It gave it a constant sticky feeling on the controllers no matter how long I let it cure.  And left it looking very shiny gooie even with a semi flat.  Like it had too much paint.

 

The dye does not do this.  It bites deep into the plastic and leaves it looking like it should.  It covers very well with light coating and does not goo-up sharp edges with too much paint. 

 

Just some painting advice, I've done a lot of automotive work with paints, especially interiors.  I would definitely flip over the case and shoot the inside of it with SEM to test.  Make sure it does not melt the plastic either.  But you will smell the difference right away.  The SEM has more of a acetone type smell.  Wear a mask. 

 

Good luck with this project.  Looks really cool!

[JohnPCAE]

Updated BOM. Thanks to KylJoy for pointing out that C13 was missing from the list. It should be the same as C12.

 

 

Intellivoice2_BOM.txt

[First Spear]

On 11/7/2022 at 4:52 PM, JohnPCAE said:

Very cool! I wonder if there is any value in going vertical with 3D printing a container for the Nanovoice, instead of horizontal, thinking about images like these:

https://intellivisionfaq.intvprime.com/Intellivision-FAQ-079-2.0-Hardware.html#What-were-Intellivision-future-hardware-plans

[+KylJoy]

So, I had to abandon PETG until I get some bugs worked out.  I may try ABS but, with the cold weather, the house is closed up and I really do not like printing ABS in the enclosed house due to the toxicity of the fumes.  My wife likes it even less.    So, I went with PLA+.  It is too brittle for my liking but it prints well.  I used a .25 nozzle, .2 first layer, .15 other layers and it took 30 hours since I printed with the bottom up and it had to be filled inside with supports.  I printed at 100mm/sec.  Slower might look even better but I was impatient. 

 

Some pics of my latest FDM (traditional) 3D print of the case bottom with PLA+:

 

 

Here are some pics with me holding the PCBs in place:

 

 

Not TOO bad.  If I clean it up and paint it the right color it'll likely do fine.

[JohnPCAE]

12 hours ago, First Spear said:

Very cool! I wonder if there is any value in going vertical with 3D printing a container for the Nanovoice, instead of horizontal, thinking about images like these:

https://intellivisionfaq.intvprime.com/Intellivision-FAQ-079-2.0-Hardware.html#What-were-Intellivision-future-hardware-plans

If I make a case for the ACC I'll have to consider it. The ACC is rather large.

[+KylJoy]

On 11/11/2022 at 11:02 AM, Psycho Stormtrooper- Rog said:

I think they call this "greige".  Seriously.

[+KylJoy]

Here is a top I printed, too.  PLA+, .25 nozzle, .2 first layer, .15 other layers, 100mm/sec speed.  Takes about 16 hours since I printed it top down which eliminated the need for printing all of the support material:

 

I'm printing another one since the bottom I printed (above) is a bit wider.

[JohnPCAE]

Thanks for testing out the final models. Once I get my prints next week and assemble them I'll post the models here. These models are 12mm wider than the originals that I posted at first which alleviates fitment problems.

 

One tip. I used three wires to connect the potentiometer to the board instead of soldering it directly. This gives you some wiggle room to get it positioned just right and might be necessary. It takes some soldering gymnastics to get the little wires to stay put when soldering them. I used the excess from the EDAC connector leads.

Edited November 19, 2022 by JohnPCAE

[+KylJoy]

New Intellivoice II top shell test on the way!

 

[JohnPCAE]

This is what I was originally shooting for, but as we learned, it's too narrow for a two-board solution, so I had to widen it by 12mm.

 

The reason for the white blocks in the center of the image is because it's actually composed of two images that I had to Photoshop together, and a narrow vertical stripe in the center was missing (where the catalog folded). I did my best to reconstruct what it would look like. As far as I know, this is just a wooden mockup that Mattel's wood shop made and they never actually made the real thing. I added the expansion door like the one in the ECS to accommodate the expansion connector. A lot of my measurements came from measuring my ECS case.

 

What you might not realize is the complexity of the model. Nearly all of the edges are actually slightly rounded, in the same way that they are on the ECS. There are a lot of 1mm-radius curves in the model as opposed to sharp edges. I did my best to recreate the ECS's profile to a high degree. You can sort of tell that the module in the picture here is a mockup by its edges compared to the edges on the Intellvision next to it. The Intellivoice's edges are sharper as if made by a wood saw as opposed to by a milled injection mold.

 

Edited November 19, 2022 by JohnPCAE

[+KylJoy]

Well, not perfect, but pretty good.  Some filler, a little sanding, and the right color of paint and it'll be good!

 

 

 

It'll need some decals, rubber feet, and a bottom label, too.

 

 

[+KylJoy]

Dark side or light side?  Neither match that, uh, gorgeous (?) greige.

 

[Humblejack]

On 11/23/2022 at 2:33 PM, KylJoy said:

Well, not perfect, but pretty good.  Some filler, a little sanding, and the right color of paint and it'll be good!

 

A little Red Stripe!

[JohnPCAE]

It took a few iterations (thanks to the two folks who tested these for me), but these are the final versions of the case model files. These give a great fit with no issues. And a little bird tells me that labels and faceplates might become available...

 

Intellivoice_II.zip

[JohnPCAE]

These are the final Gerber files and BOM for the circuit boards:

 

IntellivoiceII_Gerber.zip

IntyCartExtend_Gerber.zip

Intellivoice2_BOM.txt

Edited December 11, 2022 by JohnPCAE