ilmenator Posted November 20, 2012 Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 So I finally got round to finish my MB-6582. Channel 3 is still silent, but I guess I will be able to fix that - didn't have the time to look into that yet. The case is a Formulor/Ponoko case, with flat top LEDs (I do not intend to ever separate the upper PCB from the front...) and a plexi window for which i milled the grooves manually. Happy here! :frantics: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkeye Posted November 20, 2012 Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 (edited) Cool thing! Looking great! The flat-top LEDs are a little bit tricky during the assembly stage, aren´t they? :-) Many greets, Peter Edited November 20, 2012 by Hawkeye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilmenator Posted November 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 Well if you plan ahead it's actually quite easy. I stuffed the LEDs loosely and then mounted the PCB to the frontpanel. Only after that i pushed the LEDs into place one by one and soldered them. One leg first, then make sure all of them sit flush, and then the second leg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antix Posted November 20, 2012 Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 Great work! I really like it. Best regards Antonio P.S. Is it a bad idea a tutorial for PONOKO case design in Tips and Tricks section? In example I am very scared to use it as I really dont know how to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilmenator Posted November 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 It's actually a good idea, I think a lot of people could benefit. The Ponoko frontpanels can easily compete with aluminum ones, especially as they are usually not so large and stability/bending is not a big problem. However, it's not necessary to create a tutorial, there is a lot of information around already: 1. If you just go to the Ponoko website you can find a number of good hints. 2. Over at the Mutable Instruments forum you will find a very nice and useful tutorial from schrab(ikus). 3. For the notches of the case, go over to rahulbotics and enter the dimensions of the case. The notches will be created automatically and you get a PDF which you can then use as a basis for your design. Just do it - start with something easy before you go for an expensive panel. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00dawg Posted November 20, 2012 Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 Wow that turned out really awesome!! Nice job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Labelwhore Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 Very nice work indeed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkay Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 (edited) Great job :) Me likey! Edited November 21, 2012 by Arkay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristal= Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 This looks cool. Like the older brother of the sammichSID. How much did you pay, ilmenator? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosch Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 looks awesome! somehow at first glance the ponoko style is automatically translated into sammich format and makes it look small, but i know it isn't small at all. a second look makes it clear :) great job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilmenator Posted November 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 How much did you pay, ilmenator? Well that's a bit hard to say, because I had a larger panel to cut for which I had to choose Ponoko's P3 size. Then I simply placed the MB-6582 parts on the leftover space. This way, there was no material costs for it. The total panel was around 134,- Euros, with most real estate and complexity dedicated to the other elements. I think Ponoko's P2 size should account for a complete case, and the cutting and engraving is probably around 50,- Euros or so. I could try to separate the two designs and get a price quote for the MB-6582 alone if there is interest. If you left out the large "MB-6582" engraving in the front and chose straight ventilation slots instead of the honeycomb structure in the side panels it would become even cheaper. The funny thing is that I actually detected a flaw in Ponoko's pricing algorithm, reported that, and got a discount. In order to make the panel as cheap as possible, it is currently required to follow a strategy in which you "draw" those cuts that are close to each other in a proper sequence. I.e. for example starting at the top left, and then going right and down and left again, filling the panel in a single "macro-motion". The worst thing you can do is to "draw" all the mounting holes first, then the LED holes, then the tact switch holes, then the encoder holes. The problem is that Ponoko's pricing algorithm will determine the laser's motion according to the EPS file structure, and that in turn is defined by the order in which you added the cuts originally. They told me that they would be re-working their algorithm, but that it might take a bit of time before the changes were actually implemented. somehow at first glance the ponoko style is automatically translated into sammich format and makes it look small, but i know it isn't small at all. a second look makes it clear :) Yes, and you are also quite surprised when you hold it in your hand for the first time - this thing is heavy and does not feel like cheap plastic at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Altitude Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 (edited) Nice.. I'd love to see a nudie pic with top (or bottom) and side off. I've been bouncing around the idea of doing a metal case for mine via FPE and this gives me motivation to do so.. If you want a ponoko tutorial, schrab already did it: http://mutable-instruments.net/forum/discussion/1520/getting-started-with-case-design#Item_31 Edited November 21, 2012 by Altitude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilmenator Posted November 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 Nice.. I'd love to see a nudie pic with top (or bottom) and side off. Top off? Not going to happen, I am using flat top LEDs. Plus, all you are going to see is Wilba's standard boards, available in Tim's shop. Apart from a Traco power regulator there are no surprises on the inside. If you want a ponoko tutorial, schrab already did it: http://mutable-instruments.net/forum/discussion/1520/getting-started-with-case-design#Item_31 Yes, that's where my second link in one of my postings above is pointing to :D . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Altitude Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 (edited) understood :), figured as much with those flat tops.. How did you do the interconnects between the boards? That's really what I'm interested in. I was considering doing the SIL type connections like in the Shruthi Edited November 21, 2012 by Altitude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristal= Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 (edited) @ilmenator: I'd be interested, if it doesn't take much time. I'd go for the complete case with the honeycomb structure but without the engraving. Edited November 21, 2012 by kristal= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilmenator Posted November 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 How did you do the interconnects between the boards? That's really what I'm interested in. I was considering doing the SIL type connections like in the Shruthi From the top of my head I seem to remember that the base PCB is slightly less deep than the control board, so stacking is a no-no because then the MIDI connectors and audio jacks on the base board would not reach the back wall of the enclosure. And if I am not mistaken, then the mounting holes don't match. I went for regular (but slightly more sturdy) flat cables soldered on both ends directly to the boards. That was a lot of work I can tell you... @ilmenator: I'd be interested, if it doesn't take much time. I'd go for the complete case with the honeycomb structure but without the engraving. I hope to find the time to check this out tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristal= Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 I hope to find the time to check this out tonight. Cool, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Altitude Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 From the top of my head I seem to remember that the base PCB is slightly less deep than the control board, so stacking is a no-no .. Good to know. Didn't even think of that. I guess the 0.1" spaced ribbon would be better here than on the Pactec case. I replaced that stuff with wire leads on mine since It was breaking from opening and closing the case (and yes, that was a ton of work too). Are there dimensions for the boards available somewhere or did you just use the hole spacing from the pactec spec sheet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shimoda Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 I used schrab(icus)'s tutorial over at Mutable to design a case for my pioneer run Anushri before the official case files were made available. While I'd loved to have those to work from so I would have fixed a few small errors, I'm damn proud of the fact that I designed a case from pcb files up that does work (albeit with some slight modifications) and looks great with custom labeling/vents/etc. Had no idea about the drawing pricing. It would seem to be a bit laborious to attempt to plan out the cuts. Unless of course one drew the entire eps file, then went back and recreated using the specs of the finished design starting at the top left. As it is I plan on doing a couple more drawings, hopefully this week for a couple more panels/boxes to use the $50 make voucher I got during their last special. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digineural Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 That is slick. Good job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilmenator Posted November 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 Are there dimensions for the boards available somewhere or did you just use the hole spacing from the pactec spec sheet? The =mb&s[]=6582&s[]=wilba]Wiki has a number of PDF files in the "Final PCB Designs" section. My PDF reader allows me to take measurements inside a PDF, but I actually just imported the files into my design tool and deleted all but the mounting holes. I did this for both the control board and the base board, the former is mounted to the front panel, the latter to the base panel. It would seem to be a bit laborious to attempt to plan out the cuts. Unless of course one drew the entire eps file, then went back and recreated using the specs of the finished design starting at the top left. It's actually simpler to trick their algorithm (well, I should not say 'trick' but 'optimize for', because what they do is calculate the actual time the laser needs for moving across the panel, including the moves between cuts, and that is what you reduce when optimizing the file - no harm done to them): once you have completed everything (in whatever order), you copy smaller regions or blocks of cuts to a new sheet and assemble the whole thing again. In my tool, the coordinates of a block copied are kept with the block itself, so when I insert that block into a new sheet it automatically sits in the right place. Optimizing for a complete case like this is then a matter of a couple of minutes or so. Probably time well spent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Altitude Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 Man, the more I think about this, the more I realize that this is pretty much done. The x0xb0x case I designed will be the exactly the same size as whats needed here, all I need to do is cut and paste the holes on the 6582 front panel and rear panel . How tall were your sides? (i.e. how thick is the case) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilmenator Posted November 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 I checked the dimensions of the base board vs. the control board and the base board is actually deeper than the control board, so my statement above is not correct. However, I still don't think that stacking the boards using headers would be a good idea. My case is 50mm high, but the overall height could probably be reduced to around 40mm looking at how much space there is currently between base board and control board. This would also allow to place all elements on a single P2 size template. With the 50mm case height, not all panels fit into the P2 size limit. At Formulor.de, the top and bottom panel together with the front and back panel costs around 60 Euros plus around 16 for the P2 size panel itself in matte black 3mm acrylic. I think this is for an unoptimized file, I don't have the time to check this right now. Each honeycomb side on a single P1 size matte black 3mm panel is currently 6,93 Euros (including the panel itself). So, assuming that some more optimization can be done, and reducing the height of the case so that everything fits on a P2 size template, you should get away with a complete case for around 75-80 Euros maximum, including all the fancy engraving (the large "MB-6582" engraving in the front is only 0,42 Euros). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAncientOne Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 Really nice work - and it's certainly made me think about using Pokono myself. I have to do the same thing with paths for my local plasma cutting service, and they give me a better price since they don't have to re-work my CAD drawings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 So I'm a bit confused. Did you make the case just fit to the MB-6582 boards from SmashTVs shop? Is the CS being held in a similar way to how the sammichSID is setup? I've been gathering information to finally build my own MB-6582 so sorry if these are dumb questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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