The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

Ed Nisley's Blog: Shop notes, electronics, firmware, machinery, 3D printing, laser cuttery, and curiosities. Contents: 100% human thinking, 0% AI slop.

The New Hotness

  • Homage Tek Circuit Computer: Yellow Variation

    An on-sale pack of yellow Astrobrights card stock tempted me:

    Homage Tek CC - Yellow Astrobrights paper
    Homage Tek CC – Yellow Astrobrights paper

    The somewhat wrecked cursor comes from my collection of discards, because I haven’t yet figured out how to mill the outline and engrave the hairline on raw stock.

    The paper isn’t quite the same color as my Genuine Pickett Model 110-ES circular slide rule:

    Homage Tek CC vs Pickett 110ES colors
    Homage Tek CC vs Pickett 110ES colors

    Nor, of course, are the ticks and legends nearly as fine as you get with real engraving, but it’s probably Close Enough™ for anybody other than a Real Collector™.

    The Pilot V5RT ink bleeds less on Astrobrights card stock than on the previous, somewhat coarser, card stock:

    Tek CC - Yellow Astrobrights paper - bare
    Tek CC – Yellow Astrobrights paper – bare

    An automagic color adjustment bleaches the yellow and makes the black ink much more visible.

    Laminating the paper crisps the contrast a bit, although it’s more obvious in person:

    Tek CC - Yellow Astrobrights paper - laminated
    Tek CC – Yellow Astrobrights paper – laminated

    You can see tiny air bubbles over the darkest part of the ticks and letters.