Pandora skin

[frefol]

I got the first test of a full skin for my Pandora.  I had them do it out of a color that was very different from the silver so I could see how it all fit.  This vinyl is way thinner than the silver carbon fiber vinyl I used first so I had to cut out the keyboard section.  I will try to make the lines inside the keyboard bigger so I can leave them on.

I am going to try to make an Atari 2600 themed picture to have printed for my real Pandora.  I really liked the one Asmo did.  We'll see how it goes.

 

[Fzero]

Nice, would like to see the Atari one, that was one of my favs from the Asmo images too

 

[comradekingu]

cowabunga dude

 

[KillRoXx]

I want it

~K.B.

 

[Hồng Thất Công]

Good stuff.

I've been thinking of dipping the whole case in a paint bath....

 

[comradekingu]

If you file off the excess inside the key holes afterwards that might be a good idea. Rub it up with very fine sandpaper first.

 

[Neelix]

Interesting...   I'd like to see the outcome with one of Asmo's designs,  preferably one that blends well with the silver paint.

Can't say I like the solid contrasting colour by itself though...   I hate to say it but it looks tacky.

- Neelix

 

[frefol]

The only reason I had them use the green was so it was easier to see where the template needed to be adjusted.  As you can see in the photo, that is just an empty shell (plus a signed non-booting board) I used for fitting the skin.  Hopefully the Atari skin will be here in the next couple of days.  They are kind of busy at the dealership right now so I'm waiting for a time when they can print mine.

 

[frefol]

OK so I got the Atari 2600 skin done.  There are a few things that could be changed.  The holes for the keyboard keys are still not quite right but they're close enough for me.  On the graphics, I should have made the border around the screen and number keys a little thicker and maybe a bid more red and the wood grain came out way too light.  You can't see much of the actual grain on the skin.  I may do up a new piece for the wood and add some icons to label the ports.  If I do that I will also make some new pieces to label the leds.



After I put the skin on, I was thinking how I could make the game buttons red like in Asmo's picture.  I figured that if I just painted them, the paint would wear off so I decided to paint the letters instead.  It works pretty well.



I've seen some clear cast epoxy I wanted to try so I think I will try to make a mold of the buttons and then make some red colored epoxy buttons.  Or I might leave them slightly clear and hook up some leds inside to make them glow.  I don't know how that epoxy stuff works so I will just have to try it out.

 

[comradekingu]

It accentuates very nicely where the power/sd/screw holes and stylus are, the back top lid cover i think isnt as good as the rest, which is pretty much spot on.

Maybe keep the outside minus the front free of alterations, and then when you open it, there is the atari

 

[Fzero]

Yeah, I'm not so sure about the top lid bit either, I guess though the slight curve of Pandora makes that tricky to wrap on well. The corner cuts probably done for that reason, right?

I love the inside though, a lot, that is really really nice! Great touch.

I also love the front panel around the SD slots. This is very nice looking when open and in play for sure

 

[frefol]

Yeah if the top was not a printed picture, I could just stretch the vinyl and it would fit perfectly.  I tried a few other layouts but because the top is rounded in 3 directions, I could not make it fit very good.  Although because the roundness of the led section makes it so that couldn't be wrapped either, there is enough silver sections that I think the 2 tone works pretty good.

 

[ekianjo]

Top lid does not work well indeed but the keyboard part is awesome

 

[comradekingu]

Using heat while applying is a trick to get decals to wrap around, could try that. Use a heat gun or hair dryer, not to the point where the pandora melts obviously.

 

[frefol]

With a solid color like on mine stretching it would work very well.  The problem comes if there are graphics on the top piece.  Stretching something with graphics will just distort the image so I tried to figure out how to do it without stretching.  I was thinking about just covering the flat surface and leave the sides exposed but I think that would not work very good on a black skin.

Here are a few of the ways I was trying to do the corner.  None of them really woked out that well.

 

[frefol]

Just in case anyone wants to make their own skin, here are the files I used.  I don't really have any experience doing these so I was just kind of making it up as I went along.  Anyone is free to make any improvements if you can see how to do it better.

If you want to make a skin, I can have it printed and I can ship it to you.  The printing and cutting will only cost around $15.00 to $20.00 USD, unless there is a lot of skins to print.  They told me if there is enough for the whole sheet of vinyl, it could drop the cost to as little as $5.00.  Shipping shouldn't cost very much.


Pandora_skin.zip

 

[Majin Wamu]

This is really awesome! I am now thinking of doing the same to mind now. I have my own material so I might do it at home. This was a pretty neat idea it has inspired me to get crafty with my Pandora. All I did was cover the top of the Pandora with my own sticker but covering the entire thing the way you did is pretty nifty. Now time for me to go to the drawing board

Here is the design I used, just a simple sticker for the cover:

 

[frefol]

I just wish I could have printed it in a way so that I could stretch the vinyl all the way around the corners without screwing up the picture instead of having the corners cutout.  I have had many different skins on my electronics and they all have to end up a bit like that so I don't mind too much.

 

[rygD]

This is really awesome! I am now thinking of doing the same to mind now. I have my own material so I might do it at home. This was a pretty neat idea it has inspired me to get crafty with my Pandora. All I did was cover the top of the Pandora with my own sticker but covering the entire thing the way you did is pretty nifty. Now time for me to go to the drawing board

Here is the design I used, just a simple sticker for the cover:

Do you mind posting pictures of the actual Pandora with sticker?

 

[Majin Wamu]

Do you mind posting pictures of the actual Pandora with sticker?

I just applied it to the top. It isn't very interesting. If I create an awesome layout and properly apply it with enough patience I will definitely post it. The sticker also also been on the pandora for quite some time, so now it is starting to fade and is filled with so much junk haha. If I do reprint it I will definitely post some pictures.