Wilba

PCBs have arrived! This is what 210 MB-6582 PCBs looks like... a whopping 28kg worth. Somehow I think this will take multiple trips to the post office... http://www.flickr.com/photos/wilba/

I was hoping to come up with a cheap quote from a local panel manufacturer, but unfortunately I cannot. For a 70+ piece quantity, black anodized with white silkscreen, including taxes: Frontpanel AU$86.9 Rearpanel AU$52.8 You would think for a job worth this much, they would give a decent price. That's nearly AU$10,000! And six weeks lead time! I would rather get it done by Front Panel Express. I am ready to forget about alternatives and arrange a bulk order through FPE for engraved panels. If people want to go with lexan overlays or silk screen then that's fine by me, I will make all the files available to everyone. However, I think a lot of other people are happy with FPE's price and quality and the look of engraved artwork.

Yeah I know, I meant to say I wouldn't want the labels for the rearpanel connections on the top of the main panel. Looks alright on the x0xb0x, but wouldn't look nice on the MB-6582.

I wouldn't want the connections on the top of the main panel. There's no real point and there's no room. $35.50 is the bulk price for the overlays from Maverick. The problem is the number of holes. If you take out all the holes for LEDs, it goes down to about $19. Which might not be a bad look either, if you can specify translucency for where the LEDs go, but it wouldn't look as old-school without the LEDs poking through ;) I'm assuming c0nsumer's price was a combination of far less holes and far less order quantity. I'll send the DXF files to people interested in getting quotes for the panel production (although I still think $39 is a hard price to beat).

Ouch! Just used Maverick's instant quote for the job: $35.50 each for 80 pieces. So overall, not cheaper than FPE engraved panels, but a swish look. Comments anyone?

Well I was thinking it was Steve Thomas, because my memory associated the "panel guy" with the guy who did that nice TB-303 sequencer (which I posted the link to), and I have an unfinished draft email to him as well about getting panels made (a long time ago). I recall he was offering to make TK's MB-SID panels on demand for people. But back to the topic of the day: lexan overlays. I like the idea for a few reasons, it certainly is going to be more durable than silkscreen, multicolour artwork is a possiblity (if that appeals to people) and there is opportunity for some really fine detail (again, if that appeals to people). Doing the math, the FPE frontpanel price without the engraving is $59.04 for 1-4 pieces, down to $41.33 for 20-29 pieces, and assuming a similar price break to the quote, at most $39 for 70+ pieces. I'm getting a new quote for panels without engraving. I've got no idea of the cost of the overlays, but surely they would come under $10 each in a bulk order. I will make contact with Maverick and get some idea of the cost of this job. I wouldn't bother with lexan overlay on the rear. There are only two sockets you could "get wrong" (MIDI In/Out). Blank panels on the rear would be fine by me, and I assume everyone else. You guys will be constructing the PCB yourselves, so you'll know which is MIDI In, it's the one above the optocoupler! So I also assume the overall the cost should be less than an engraved panel from FPE and the best of both worlds (I cannot praise FPE's accuracy and routing enough, it's perfect!) At this point, it's probably best to go with FPE for the panels because they're a known-good supplier... not that I wouldn't love to give the job over to Doug or another proficient person with CNC routing skills. One GOOD THING: Overlays can be manufactured after the panels have been made, distributed, and used to construct the control surface. You need the panel to construct the control surface. There is no avoiding this. So we can get the panels made now, and people can start constructing while the overlays are designed and made.

Sasha, I am not against using this stuff, it's just I'm concerned about the strength. MB-6582 fits together and works because the panel is 1.5mm aluminium, which is stiff and holds the large PCB flat and parallel. I can't be sure anything else will work as well, especially the gluing of threaded spacers to the back with JB-Weld. So it's really a case of going with the material I know works, rather than risk everyone's money on a panel that doesn't work with this construction method.

Damn, I knew I saw them somewhere! That was totally accidental, Sasha, I would have credited you otherwise! Although my original panel intentionally stole some elements from d2k's panels: Note vertical line and vertical text labelling a "group".

How thick is that overlay? I assume they cut the holes it in too, doing that manually would be annoying.

This guy? http://monopole.ph.qmw.ac.uk/~thomas/synthdiy/index.htm

Search the forum, I'm sure I posted pictures before, or just look at the MB-6582.

Well, I think it's tough enough - I was able to scrape off a JB-Weld fingerprint with a piece of plastic ;D Would power-coating be tougher than anodized?

Perspex/plexiglas would be too flexible at 1.5mm (the required thickness). I also am concerned about durability... I'm keen to go with what the majority want, if people prefer expensive, durable, paint filled engraved artwork or cheaper, less durable, silk-screen.

If people were that patient, then you would be the best choice, but as people have already waited a long time to get the PCBs, they are anything but patient now! I advise waiting until we actually have PCBs in hand before ordering or making panels from the published FPD files (or DXF files) as I am slightly paranoid and won't be happy until I hold a PCB and a panel printout together and guarantee they match.

So if we go with silkscreen, I thought we might as well take advantage of it. Here's a proposal for alternate artwork: http://members.optusnet.com.au/~wilba6581/mb-6582/MB-6582_frontpanel_alternate.pdf Note the only major difference is the inverted labels for the control groups (i.e. black text on a white background). All lines and other text is identical to the original panel in FPD.

I'll take 5.

$130 is the one-off price, like what I paid Front Panel Express. It's paint-filled engraved artwork, which is where most of the cost is. I would love to find this magic shop that would charge raw material cost + $30. They certainly don't exist around here, typically there's a setup cost of $300 involved. I can/will make the DXF files available, when they're finalized (i.e. once I confirm it matches the PCB and the LCD hole is the right size etc.) If anyone has suggestions for places to get quotes from then speak up.

Technically, you don't have full control over both SIDs in a stereo pair... you can't run two Lead patches through one Core. But for the Multi engine, you can assign instruments to each SID's oscillators in the pair (6 in total). Also the Bassline engine can run a different sequence/instrument on each SID, and change sequences on both simultaneously, so it's a better way to run Bassline than on two Cores with one SID each. But if you have only two SIDs and would prefer to run two different engines (Lead, Multi, Bassline, Drum) at the same time, then using two Cores with one SID each might be more useful. If you obtained a third or fourth SID, I would then recommend they be added as stereo pairs instead of additional engines. However, you say you have an 8580 and 6581, so it would be best to not put them in a stereo pair anyway, they have different filters and a different sound.

It was too much hassle to do this previously (I'm not an Autocad expert) and as far as I know would not really reduce the cost much. Instead, I am keen to get a competitive price for silk-screened panels and use nicer artwork, which I'm preparing now.

I've published a full parts list on the wiki. I can't give estimates because: a) I live down under where everything costs a little more b) I buy things in bulk so I don't even know myself what mine cost (nor do I care)

Where have you been for the past six months? The first post in this thread tells you all you need to know. If you are lucky, I will be getting some free PCBs with the order and if I don't need to use these as replacements for current orders, then I will post here that I have a few more to sell.

I have got a quote back from Front Panel Express: MB-6582 Frontpanel $71.52 each MB-6582 Rearpanel $19.84 each That's for 70-80 pieces. This can be considered the default option for panels, and is a significant saving over the one-piece prices of $108.33 and $29.76, but hardly a great deal. I am getting a quote from a local (Australian) manufacturer of panels, with white silkscreen artwork on black anodized aluminium. I am expecting them to be more oriented towards small production runs and charge more by a fixed setup cost and cheap per-panel cost. Maybe at 70 pieces, this would bring the per-panel price down under Front Panel Express. If anyone else has a good source for panels, then contact me so I can get a quote from them.

I'm tracking the shipment now, and notice it's 28kg!

Hooray, now I get to do that Viking burial...

Turn off that #%$%$&!! #%$%$&!! #%$%$&!! #%$%$&!! profanity filter. And how cum#%$%$&!! SmashTV can share a file with me, but I can't share a file with him?