Aperture radio

My latest project has been to make the Aperture radio from the video game Portal for my kids to use as a cosplay prop at Otakon 2009.

The first step was to get some real clear screen cap’s of all the orthogonal views of the radio.

Then I created a true to scale 3D model of the radio. The software I use is SolidWorks:

From the model I created a set of detailed drawings from which the parts can be fabricated:

Including the cross section slices at 1" elevations.

These cross sections were printed out full scale and used as templates to cut pieces of 1" foam.

The pieces of foam were then laminated to form a core:

The core was then sanded to shape (I kept a spare core).

A layer of fiberglass was then applied to the core. A cavity was carved out for the electronics

The electronics were taken from a Polk Audio PC speaker set

The amp was wired to a mini MP3 player that will loop the music from the game. A pair of 9 volt batteries in parallel powered the amp and LEDs.

The front of the radio is a sandwich of a masonite face plate, printed transparency, acoustic fabric and a Plexiglass backing illuminated by multiple LEDs. The original idea was to use translucent cyan acrylic and or cyan LEDs, but I didn't have time to acquire these before my deadline so I used what material I had on hand.

The shell was wet sanded and painted. Some small blemishes were intentionally left behind since the radio in the game had marks from wear and tear.

The electronics and the face plate were mounted vertically in slots routed into a plywood base. The MP3 player was mounted with Velcro for easy maintenance.

The antenna, knob and mount for the potentiometer/switch were machined from scraps of plastic. The pot was also salvaged from the Polk Audio speaker. The antenna is also used as a push button to work the MP3 player mounted directly below it.

Other details included the use of custom water slide decals for the bar code on the back,

an Aperture logo stenciled on the face plate,

and an Aperture Laboratories sticker on the bottom

The unveiling at Otakon 2009 on 7/17/09 (making a note here, huge success)