[RH]

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BTW Ponoko are great to deal with when you want a custom material... I requested a specific black satin finish acrylic and they tried to get that but it wasn't available, so to show me the closest thing their supplier could offer, they sent me a video clip

The non shiny side looks murdered out. :)

What is this about MBSID V3 upgradeable?

[fussylizard]

Wilba, Can you describe the overall process on working with Ponoko?  What apps do you find easiest to use to make front panel designs, what sort of files do you send them, how does the prototyping work, etc.?  What about the engraving/painting for the graphics?  Just curious since I'm working on a CS for my MB-FM now that the LCD bulk order isn't sucking tons of time now and I might consider trying them instead of FPE.  Thx!

[Wilba]

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Wilba, Can you describe the overall process on working with Ponoko?  What apps do you find easiest to use to make front panel designs, what sort of files do you send them, how does the prototyping work, etc.?  What about the engraving/painting for the graphics?  Just curious since I'm working on a CS for my MB-FM now that the LCD bulk order isn't sucking tons of time now and I might consider trying them instead of FPE.  Thx!

The process is pretty simple... you can go on their website and download a starter pack, so I don't need to explain the details really...
My workflow is essentially:
- design what I want in Inkscape using mm units everywhere, lots of guidelines, and 0mm stroke lines, using Outline mode so you can see them
- make a "Ponoko" version of the design by replacing the 0mm stroke lines with the right setting for laser cutting (i.e. 0.003mm blue lines) and the other stroke/fill types for engraving.
- copy and paste these into the three SVG files that Ponoko provides, which have an orange border showing where the "safe area" is. Arrange to minimize waste and save as new version.
- upload this file to Ponoko and get a price.

If you want something that looks more like an FPE panel (i.e. single-stroke DIN1451 like my SEQ panel) then you can do this with a few extra steps - create the text in a CAD program using a vector font, export to SVG, then optionally do some stroke/outline magic to create a three-stroke engraving (i.e. the original vector font plus a rounded outline). This will produce a very clean, sharp-edged engraved text that can be paint filled. If you want text smaller than 2.5mm high then you can skip the outline step and just duplicate the same vector font lines (i.e. so the laser goes over it twice). That will make it go deeper but not much thicker.

I recommend Inkscape 0.47 (it's still not released as of this post, but using the devel build gets you some awesome snapping improvements which really helps with this CAD-like work).

[bhc303]

the matt black looks sweet!

[rvooh]

very nice and all
i've been looking for knobs like the one used on the sammichSID

where did you get it Wilba?
I need a lot.

I also posted in the nice knobs thread

[Wilba]

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Re`an P401

http://www.midibox.o...ic,11050.0.html

[gbraad]

just placed a pre-order for a white opaque kit. Assigned to batch #3.

Thanks Wilba!

[blue_lu]

First post!

I also just placed an order for an opaque white kit - not yet assinged, but I hop Jason gets back to me soon.

When I see the mate black though,,, hm... decision, decisions :)

[Rimfrost]

This looks like a really nice project to start with :)

[MIDIshark]

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First post!

I also just placed an order for an opaque white kit - not yet assinged, but I hop Jason gets back to me soon.

When I see the mate black though,,, hm... decision, decisions :)

Me too! :) First post and order an opaque white kit.#3batch

Can´t wait to get it, heat my iron and build the little beast!!eheh

[netpusher]

I placed an order for a white opaque kit as well, I am very excited to get started! :o

[blue_lu]

asigned to batch #4  :)

[Wilba]

Batches #1 to #4 are now all reserved.

I received 60 pre-orders in the 48 hours since the midibox.org blog entry, and the subsequent Matrixsynth and Synthtopia articles.

Things have gone quiet now, just as the magic 100 number was reached, which is a good thing actually because I don't like telling people they've missed out (for now), especially for such embarrasing reasons as I don't have enough time and spare cash to make kits faster.  :-[

[bhc303]

love your work wilba!

I have to say to all the people that make this community work, a huge shout out, YOU GUYS ROCK!

thanks!

[Wilba]

Demo shot of test panel made in matte black acrylic. Straight out of the parcel into the prototype (I haven't even cleaned and paint filled the engraving yet!) This is just the top panel, the sides are the dark grey tint, but the cut edges on the matte black are glossy like this, so what you see is what you get (if you pick matte black).



This material is awesome. It has a silky smooth feel, looks cool, and is fingerprint and scratch resistant and I mean seriously resistant. I've been scratching the scraps with a screwdriver, and it's hard to make a visible scratch... you need a craft knife to really make a dent in the surface. It makes the dark grey tint acrylic look cheap by comparison.

One thing that bothers me with the tint acrylics, they look cool if you polish them up, but it's so glossy that it shows every fingerprint, and it really doesn't feel nice. This stuff looks more like the black anodized aluminium from Front Panel Express, so much better.

I am very tempted to force everyone to get their case made from this matte black acrylic... ;)

This really is a case of what works best vs. what looks the coolest. I'd rather people be annoyed by lack of choice than annoyed their sammichSID always looks like crap because it's covered with highly visible greasy fingerprints and they're constantly polishing it. Half of the pre-orders were for black anyway, so I don't think they'll be many people annoyed, especially after they finish their own... ;)

[m00dawg]

*shrug* I'd be ok with the black. I dig translucency but I certainly see what you mean about the glossy factor. If you force us to go with the matte, I won't be complaining, and I'm sure that would make it easier on you for the bulk orders.

[bhc303]

Reminds me of mad max's car XB coupe, honey comb grill... mat black :o

It would look cool with silver paint filled engraving, would match the bushed aluminum lcd surrounding.

Looking good wilba!

[maniac]

The matte acrylics looks really good, much better then glossy :o
I’m ok with every color of panel, but if I get mate black, I’ll be more then happy.

How do you fill engraving ? Whot kind of paint are You using ?

[Sasha]

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... the sides are the dark grey tint, but the cut edges on the matte black are glossy like this

Edges can be fine sanded and they will look almost the same as sides! ;)



this is made the same way... you can`t even see the joints.

[cavey]

Darn, that matte black looks awesome. I'm up for changing from acrylic grey to matte black (forcedly or by sheer free will :P)