Thank you for the suggestion Radu.? We agree completely and it is on the "to do" list once we get reasonably close to completing a first pass inventory.? In the meantime, I'm happy to go snap a picture for anyone needing it.

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Regards,

Tom

As many may remember, Walter Shawlee II passed away September of 2023.? Since that time, his wife Susan, and children, have been busying themselves with the task of liquidating much of the electronic goodness that Sphere Research had accumulated.? Susan intends to continue to make their collection of slide rules, nixie tubes and various other items available.? Additionally, she is continuing in her effort to find homes for the remaining equipment.? Please do visit Sphere’s site and help.

Sphere’s inventory of Tektronix and HP parts has found a new home with us.? We have the beginnings of a website (), with the intention of continuing to make these parts available to the Tek and HP enthusiast community.

A bit about us:

1)? The goal of the website is to continue to make Sphere’s inventory available to the people like us that enjoy collecting, repairing and making use of these amazing examples of engineering and manufacturing.

2)? A secondary goal is to “pay back” our retirement account of the funds used to buy the parts.? It is truly secondary, and may never happen, but who knows?

3)? We are retired, have three children, farm 20 acres of grass hay, tend to cows, sheep, horses and chickens, and have FAR too many hobbies and other responsibilities to have taken on another, but here we are….?

4)? Our website is an amateur work in progress.? Please read the home page posts for information on the site and on our progress.? Tek items will be posted first, followed by HP and then “other” semiconductors and who knows what else. ?There is much awaiting inventorying, so if you don’t see the part you are interested in, please contact us directly (tom@...) and we will let you know if we have it.? Also, items showing zero inventory are just awaiting an accurate count, so please inquire if you need something showing zero inventory.? Look for announcements on the homepage as we complete the inventorying and pricing of each group of parts.? Please be patient as we get the website, inventory and pricing figured out.? Feedback is, as they say, a gift, so please share any constructive advice or suggestions for the site that you may have.? The suggestion "You should have your head examined" has already been given!? :)

We can’t ever hope to duplicate the knowledge that Walter possessed, but will do our best to provide you with the right parts for your project.? We look forward to getting to know our new customers, and will work hard to earn your trust.?

Thank you,

Tom and Darla Norman

When discussing P-Touch labels, bear in mind that M-type machines are a thermal ink process and TZ-type machines use a thermal transfer process that is self-laminating.?

M-type is substantially more prone to fading than TZ.?

On May 18, 2025, at 02:25, Mark Moulding <mark@...> wrote:

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That's actually , and I think they're great - I use them quite a bit.? They have their own specialty CAD package to design a front panel, which is extremely easy to use.? As you add features (engraved lettering, corner radiusing, round or square holes, stand-offs, etc.), you can click a button at any time to find out how much the panel will cost.? For what you get, the prices are pretty reasonable,considering that what you get are extremely first class panels.? They do the paint back-fill oepration, plus you can have the panel powder-coated.? I've attached a picture of a half-sized HP 2100 computer I've been building - I think it turned out pretty well...

~~

Mark

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