[NTLK] Clear developer's Newton 110 pops up on eBay | MacNN

[James Fraser]

Hello,

--- On Fri, 1/25/13, Forrest <newtonphoenix at mindspring.com> wrote:

> To echo Tony's comments....
> 
> AFAIR, another sticking point was the various metal parts
> that make up the battery contacts within the case. Even if
> you did assemble them post-printing, where would you first
> get them? This is something else that would have to be
> farmed out for manufacture.

There might be yet one more aspect that anyone who is looking (or thinking of looking) into this should consider in addition to the above.

Sonny Hung (Hello there, Sonny.  It was nice to hear from you yesterday! :)  ) examined this exact same problem in some detail years ago and one particular paragraph of his description of the requirements might have a bearing on the current quest (?) for a battery tray:

> The other issue is that this is not ABS only it's ABS with a 30% mix of
> FibreGlas which increases the stiffness of the item. It's also a MULTI > PART MOULD [emphasis mine] with at minimum two that interlock for the > cut outs which causes more difficulty. Beyond this the mould material > will cost more > depending on the actual material used which will 
> determine the life span of the mould and not to say the least we'd 
> have to figure this out first so it could accommodate the number of 
> runs.

http://marc.info/?l=newtontalk&m=117416945511063&w=4

I bring this up, not to discourage anyone who might be interested in pursuing this, but because I am a great believer in Complete Information (or, at least, as near as you can get).  If I were looking into this myself, I would want to have as much information as I could get before I started undertaking any legwork.  

(True, maybe what Sonny encountered when he was looking at moulds [as opposed to, say, 3-D printers] no longer applies to the sort of fabrication processes found in 2013, but I wanted to make sure that the information was available just in case it does.)

With that said: if someone is actively looking into this, and comes up with a company they are willing to ship their battery tray to in order to verify that the firm is fully capable of duplicating it, they are welcome to shoot me an email off-list and we'll discuss the possibility of my covering (insured) shipping for the tray both to and from the 3-D printer/rapid prototyper/whatever.  

Obviously, I cannot promise anything without having a better idea of what logistics and costs are involved in any particular case (e.g. the tray might need to be shipped to Malaysia from Missouri and has to be airdropped into a newly erected factory in the Titiwangsa Mountains.  Hey, it happens.).  However, the idea is that if someone is long on motivation for this, but short on dough, I might be able to help out a bit (yes, I am aware it is a very small bit.  Almost unnoticeable, in fact.) to get things underway.  We'll have to talk first and see what can be done.

All I ask is that you do your homework as to what all is involved -before- you shoot me an email off-list, please.  The offer will be remain open until March 31st, allowing for plenty of time for your research.  If I don't hear from anyone by then, I'll take it as read that my assistance (such as I might be able to offer) is not needed.

I'll be honest about this: on the surface, getting a battery tray fabricated that will successfully fit/work/last in the Newton does not appear to be a lightweight undertaking to me.  Seriously, take yours out of your Newton right now (I'll wait), hold it up to the light, and spend 60 seconds looking it over from the various angles: it's -not- that simple.

Of course, I'm always surprised (amazed, actually) at the breadth and depth of knowledge exhibited by the folks on this list and, for all I know, it may not actually be that difficult after all.  

Anyway, if you decide to take me up on my offer, please be sure to put "NewtonTalk Battery Tray" as the subject line so that I can differentiate it from the usual urgent dreck that other people in other places insist on sending me.


Best,

James Fraser