VT-100 Terminal Paperweight

My original motivation for this project was to build a paperweight that I could give to new members of the Fig team.

I took the designs of the VT-100 terminal and converted them to a CAD model in Fusion360. I have experience modelling directly in CAD, but this was the first time I took existing designs and recreated a digital reference from them. I used the dimensions from the VT-100 technical manual (opens in a new tab).

I 3D printed the model to get a sense for the physical dimensions.

I had a few issues with bed adhesion along the way... 2nd time was the charm.

Having seen what the 3D model looked like when 3D printed in plastic, I wanted to create the final product in a more aesthetically pleasing material. I considered electroplating the 3D print, but in the end I went with casting since I had access to a CNC-machine capable of reliably cutting a mold.

Finding a good parting line for the mold proved more challenging than anticipated due to the draft angles of the model.

I milled both molds out of chipboard, which should be sufficient for a metals with a low melting point.

In order to register each half of the mold, I milled a groove for a popsicle stick that ensures the molds are positioned correctly.

I melted down an ingot of Pewter alloy (R97 from RotoMetals) and created a batch of miniature VT-100 terminals to give to the team.

Next steps:

I'd like to add a programable microcontroller and (potentially) an LED display.