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Has anyone ever dealt with apple rescue of denver?

VERAULT

VERAULT

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Jan 30, 2012
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Location
Connecticut, USA
So I bought a large pallet of rough apple II systems from someone who contacted this forum. Im the the process of restoration and of course I am going to need parts. Some are really hard to source. Logic board standoffs for the apple IIe and keyboard switch stem adapters for instance. I stumbled on http://www.applerescueofdenver.com/...-apple-ii/apple-iie-keyswitch-keyboard-parts/

and saw he has a decent selection of parts, but some are out of stock. I have tried reaching out the the proprietor but I get no responses to my inquiries. Has anyone dealt with this site/bussiness owner?

Does anyone else have a source for little odds and ends to apple II parts that could be helpful?

Thanks,
Mick
 
My solution to non-standard, hard to find and expensive or unobtanium parts is to 3D print them.

Those switch adapters look like something that could easily be 3D printed by the dozen, you may need a finer nozzle though.

The switches themselves could be harder to find. They're probably out of production, but there might be a suitable substitute available since they're just two leg tactile switches.
 
And as electric cars are becoming more easily atainable, so will 3d printers. I dont have one yet and probably wont for a while. So if someone else takes up the flag and runs with it I'd buy it from them. Until then I am out of luck.
 
You can get a decent 3D printer for around $200-300 these days. I bought a Tevo Tarantula a couple years ago, and while it was a huge pain to setup and has print issues, it still makes usable parts.

There are much better printers available now that are far easier to work with, I'd recommend a Creality Ender 3, which is $229 on Amazon.

I'd offer to print you some samples, but I don't have the part to take dimensions from.
 
GiGaBiTe said:
My solution to non-standard, hard to find and expensive or unobtanium parts is to 3D print them.

Those switch adapters look like something that could easily be 3D printed by the dozen, you may need a finer nozzle though.

The switches themselves could be harder to find. They're probably out of production, but there might be a suitable substitute available since they're just two leg tactile switches.
Click to expand...

I can 3d print things (at least until June 30) if people are willing to spot me the filament and send me the design.
 
GiGaBiTe said:
My solution to non-standard, hard to find and expensive or unobtanium parts is to 3D print them.

Those switch adapters look like something that could easily be 3D printed by the dozen, you may need a finer nozzle though.

The switches themselves could be harder to find. They're probably out of production, but there might be a suitable substitute available since they're just two leg tactile switches.
Click to expand...

I did once 3d print an apple 2e keyboard stem but I wasn't happy with the feel of the key. They aren't as smooth as a real key and you can kinda feel it when you press that one key down, so i ended up just getting a couple replacement switches at the time. I have 3d printed some other parts, including some standoffs for the front of my ps/1 case that were broken. Basically made the standoffs that the screws go into, then glued those to the case.
 
ngtwolf said:
I did once 3d print an apple 2e keyboard stem but I wasn't happy with the feel of the key. They aren't as smooth as a real key and you can kinda feel it when you press that one key down
Click to expand...

This can be a problem due to the layered nature of printed parts leaving ridges or ripples. Some printers do a better job than others at minimizing the ridges between layers though, especially if you use a finer nozzle diameter.

Another solution is there are 3D printer part smoothing chambers. You basically put the part inside the chamber and it atomizes acetone into a fog inside the chamber which melts the surface of the part to smooth it. The results can be pretty good depending on the filament type used and how long you leave it in the chamber.
 
GiGaBiTe said:
You can get a decent 3D printer for around $200-300 these days. I bought a Tevo Tarantula a couple years ago, and while it was a huge pain to setup and has print issues, it still makes usable parts.

There are much better printers available now that are far easier to work with, I'd recommend a Creality Ender 3, which is $229 on Amazon.

I'd offer to print you some samples, but I don't have the part to take dimensions from.
Click to expand...

We've got a Dremel 3D45 which is a lot more; is there any difference or did we get taken for a ride?
 
lyonadmiral said:
We've got a Dremel 3D45 which is a lot more; is there any difference or did we get taken for a ride?
Click to expand...

You did not get taken for a ride. The cheap 3D printers lack a lot of features like heated beds, auto leveling, and require you to be a handyman/hacker (they seem to get the best performance from those willing to upgrade and actually alter their physical designs to make them more stable, etc.) They are pretty good though. With Dremel you get better software compatibility, a warranty, etc. and a good out of the box experience.

However, I did hear that Dremel requires its own brand of filament. That could be a negative for some if it is true.
 
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