DIY 19" 5U Enclosure

[NorthernLightX]

Hi! Just wanted to show off my selfmade enclosure  ;)

The material is wood, I don't know the English name but in Holland it's called triplex (means 3 layers of wood)

For the time being this is a temporary enclosure, the costs were about a tenner (in euro's)

If the electronics, especially the frontplate, are finished, I will probably have it remade in aluminium.

Links to the pics:

http://home.quicknet.nl/qn/prive/alex.span/midibox/case1.jpg

http://home.quicknet.nl/qn/prive/alex.span/midibox/case2.jpg

Watch out: pics are uncropped, and about 750kb  a piece.

If requested I'm willing to scan the blueprints and post it here.

Cheers,  Alex.

[TK.]

Great work! :)

Best Regards, Thorsten.

[fluke]

Could you post the plans please?  I was thinking of making a wooden case for the Midibox FM i will eventually get around to making and your's looks a nice design.

That sort of wood is either called Plywood (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plywood) in English or just wood with a veneer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_veneer).

[Jidis]

FWIW- You can also get rolls these days of actual veneer at home centers (or better places), which could easily cover a plywood MB-sized enclosure. That way you could use whatever substrate was easiest to edge join (even heavy particle board), or cheapest, and still get a nice natural grain. It can also conceal the edge joints, so you could go with something simple like 90 degree butt joints. If you ever try it, make sure you're using made-made composite stuff for the substrate, like ply/p.board, because if it moves at all with the climate or moisture, it could possibly pull away from, or break the veneer.

Stuff I've gotten at home centers here is pretty thin (maybe under 1/16"). It was in a 2' wide roll, but I don't remember the exact length in feet. Here in the US, they usually have Maple, Birch, Walnut, and Oak, but actual woodworking suppliers would have the more exotic stuff (maybe pricey).

It goes on with wood glue, but I think I've even used regular contact cement for plastic laminates (that saves you the clamp and time hassle).

Sorry, got a tiny pinch of "cabinetmaker" in me. ;)

Take Care (and nice box Alex)     

[moebius]

19" 5U?

Please take some pictures when it's on a standard rack - Will ya?

Moebius

[stryd_one]

If requested I'm willing to scan the blueprints and post it here.

That's very generous of you, I'd love to get the plans! Thanks in advance :)

[NorthernLightX]

Hi All,

Will post pics of the building plan and the unit in a rack soon, maybe tonight, right now I'm a little busy.

Small comment: because I had to calculate the inner measures on the fly in the store (didn't know the thickness of the material upfront, and let them saw most of the pieces, saves me work and they have equipment that roxx) I made a small error on the smallest side, so this unit in theary does not fit tightly in a rack, as it is a few mm more than 5U. Oh well, it's a temporary case anyay, so i don't care.

[Davo]

It looks to me that this is not intended for sticking random rackmount things in.  Instead, you mount the boards in the bottom and cover with the panel.  Is this right?

The shape of that thing looks perfect for not only my midibox synths, but for the ASM2 as well.  I'd make mine out of half-inch plywood with the intent of it being permanent.  http://colomar.com/Shavano/rackcase.html has info on making rack cases from plywood.  It shouldn't be too hard to adapt those designs to your wedge case.

Now, for whatever goes into this thing, I'd put all the modules on some platform so it can be lifted out and quickly remounted in a standard rackmount case.  Hmm...  Just rambling.

[NorthernLightX]

Hi Davo,

you are right, this case is not to stick rackmount things in, it's rackmountable itself (as long as the frontpanel is attached).

The plywood used is in fact 5,5mm. The bottom dimensions are perfect for MidiBox, a Core+SID combo fits exactly. For the mounting I will probably walk the exact same way I would if it would be an aluminum case, that involves drilling small holes in the bottom, and using long, thin bolts and spacers to mount everything.

Right now I'm still working on the PSU, next pics will be: the case rackmounted, the back with all the parts stuffed (8x jack, 3x MIDI, powerplug, powerswitch, fuse, powerLED), and the internals with the PSU mounted.

I'll try to scan the buildingplan today, and post it.

Cheers,  Alex.

[NorthernLightX]

Hi all,

latest pics:

http://home.quicknet.nl/qn/prive/alex.span/midibox/case3.jpg

http://home.quicknet.nl/qn/prive/alex.span/midibox/blueprint.jpg <- this is the building plan. Sorry for the not so clear numbers, if you have any questions feel free to ask. I don't have autocad or anything on my PC, if someone does and would be willing to make a file from this case that would be very much appreciated!

@moebius: sorry, have to rearrange my rack config to fit the 5U in, will post a pic as soon as I have the time to do so.

P.S.

The boards shown are not finished at all, and probably won't ever be, as there's severe oxidation on the copper leads. They're just in the pic to show how nice they fit in (and I never even took measurements for them, having some luck for a change  ;D )

[Jidis]

I'd make mine out of half-inch plywood with the intent of it being permanent.

I was thinking the other day, after looking at this, there's also usually an aluminum "L" channel stuff at those home centers (at least here in the US). It's usually in a vertical bin of long metal crap, in the metal section, like metal dowel rods, threaded rods and flat bar stock. It's cheap (IIRC), and could easily be chopped into little segments with a hacksaw.

With that, you could probably use really thin stuff for the weight (1/4" ply, or even sheet metal), and maybe even rivet through the sheet mat., with the "L" stuff on the inside, then you'd avoid all the screwing, gluing, or joinery. Should be plenty strong and quick, and should take care of anything with 90 degree corners.

This is all assuming no one's going to see the back "enclosure" section, like NorthernLightX's sounds, but I guess that depends on the look you're going for, or the type/finish of the sheet stuff. If you can manage to cut beveled edges in the sheet, you could maybe even conceal the joints. The "L" channel on the outside might look cool too (sort of rack case'ish), but I'm not sure if the rivets would squish through the ply on the inside. Maybe washers would help. FWIW, I've gotten nice durable, textured-finish beige and black sheet stuff out of the side/top panels of old computer cases and the covers of broken stereo equipment and VCR's. It's hard as !*$x# !#$% to cut, and leaves a nice dangerous edge if you can't file it or something, but big metal shears might handle it, or the "L" on the outside could cover it. As you know, it's usually in a "U" shape, so if you picked the right piece, you may even manage to get three pre-bent sides with no joinery out of it. 

Hope that might help somebody,

George

PS- NorthernLightX,

Your box thing's given me some ideas for later (maybe much later -too many plans here). Years ago, I bought actual textured plastic from a local dealer, when I used to have to carry gear around, and have been saving it, along with some aluminum "L" I had bent by a siding contractor friend, into that weird shape you see on road case edges. The plastic's pretty cool (got black & gray). It looks, or is exactly like the Anvil stuff, and is flexible (unlike regular laminate). Still don't know why they carried it, but it probably wasn't for road cases. I think I've seen it in high traffic areas like elevator walls or somewhere.

-Thanks!

BTW--> I've managed to lose a piece of the aluminum tongue and groove cover joint stuff they use (the groove half actually). I'm going to head for the rec.audio "live sound" group, or whatever it's called soon, to try and find one. It was only about six or seven inches longer than rack width (cut it for a 3-space), and it's the one for the thinest ply (maybe the 1/4"). My dealer here closed a few years ago, so I'm really just looking for a leftover piece from someone who uses it.   

[moebius]

@moebius: sorry, have to rearrange my rack config to fit the 5U in, will post a pic as soon as I have the time to do so.

Thanks - I always love to see wood (or wood like) material on DIY electronics - Such a beatiful mix.

I don't have autocad or anything on my PC, if someone does and would be willing to make a file from this case that would be very much appreciated!

Just had a quick look at Your mechanical drawing and it looked good - Are You like sure, You don't want freeware CAD suggestions or something?!

Moebius

P.S.

The boards shown are not finished at all, and probably won't ever be, as there's severe oxidation on the copper leads. They're just in the pic to show how nice they fit in (and I never even took measurements for them, having some luck for a change  ;D )

Don't give up because of the oxidation - buy "Solderlac" and spray the copper with it. If this doesn't work - I give You "the money back guarantie", I'll send You the money You spent on the "Solderlac".

[tel3]

Hey Northernlight, your wood case is really sweet! It kinda makes me want to make my case out of wood too. Are you gonna stain it or anything like that? That would make it look really good with a black painted front panel and stained wood sides! Give it that vintage synth look. Well anyway...Nice work!  ;)

-tel3

[NorthernLightX]

Thanks - I always love to see wood (or wood like) material on DIY electronics - Such a beatiful mix.

You'd be sorry to know then, that i will have the case made from aluminium as soon as I'm done fitting everything in.  :-[

The the case will be reused for another project though, I promise  ;)

(If I hadn't made the mistake of miscalculating that one inner measure, so it would really be 5U, I might have kept it for the finished product, but alas).

Just had a quick look at Your mechanical drawing and it looked good - Are You like sure, You don't want freeware CAD suggestions or something?!

Really, I can hardly find the time to finish the MidiBox (have been busy for over 3 years now), another study won't help with that  ;D

No, I can do without the autocad file, but if someone wants to reproduce this case and does make a file for himself (or herself), I'd be happy to receive a copy.

Don't give up because of the oxidation - buy "Solderlac" and spray the copper with it. If this doesn't work - I give You "the money back guarantie", I'll send You the money You spent on the "Solderlac".

I already have this stuff (Loetlack from reichelt), but it doesn't restore the original copper now does it? Oh well, those SID boards are pretty useless for me anyway (those are 6581 boards and I only have 1 6581, and a bunch of 8580's). Also there've been some mod's to the layout of the boards, so I might even cannibalize some parts I need from them and then try to sell the boards (If that's allowed anyway) to someone willing to make the mods and complete them. I want my box to look pretty at the inside too, so I'm going to order the new boards from SmashTV. I might hold on to the cores for use in (an) other project(s) perhaps, and one SID board for the 6581 (to make a small 6581 midibox). If I find the time to do so  :)

Hey Northernlight, your wood case is really sweet! It kinda makes me want to make my case out of wood too. Are you gonna stain it or anything like that? That would make it look really good with a black painted front panel and stained wood sides! Give it that vintage synth look. Well anyway...Nice work!  ;)

Thanks tel3, the wood will probably get solder stains on it yeah  ;D

No really, I'm not planning on making the wood prettier, It's not all that pretty wood in the first place, and when drilling it the wood splinters around the holes. So it won't become more than a Test case I suppose. Maybe I'll sell it too as soon as I'm done designing the frontpanel, so someone else can have fun with it.

Cheers,  Alex.

[moebius]

I already have this stuff (Loetlack from reichelt), but it doesn't restore the original copper now does it?

Ok ;D

Yes, it won't restore the copper, but even oxidated dull looking traces do carry electrons.. ;) But it should help the fact, oxidated copper is extremely difficult to solder on.

Moebius

[Jidis]

Hi again guys,

There have been several lengthy discussions in the "Homebrew PCB" Yahoo group recently about the cleaning of Copper (mainly for toner preparation). I believe one nice long one is going on now. The group consensus seemed to come to some common household mildew cleaners or something (like Tilex), but you'd have to check there for the specific brands, as there was a certain chemical ingredient that they all found to work best.

There's also been numerous threads on the whole coating and plating "protection" issue. Could also be one now, but the messages list can go back as far as you need. I stopped looking into that when I found a recommendation for spray lacquer, and I've just been using that when I needed it. They say you can solder through it, without much ill-affect on the conductivity, but it stinks to high heaven when you do (I can vouch for that one myself).

That tip on the Yahoo group came from here, and I appreciate it. There are people in there from all levels of the whole DIY PCB ladder, and much good toner info, as well as drilling, Dremels, soldering and everything else. The web interface sucks, but you learn to live with it.

If you haven't already, I recommend signing into it for anyone interested in that sort of stuff. (Just in case you don't already have enough online places to keep up with.  ;D )

George 

[moebius]

Hi

There have been several lengthy discussions in the "Homebrew PCB" Yahoo group recently about the cleaning of Copper (mainly for toner preparation).

Strange things... after lot's of head scratching I've found out this cleaning of copper in preparation for toner transfer is - Wrong way to DO IT! Few seconds with wirewool, throw the board in to the ferrochloride bath for some pre-ecthing (wash afterwards with tap water, let dry out) and the toner sticks much better than on the beautiful shiny copper surface! ;D

There's also been numerous threads on the whole coating and plating "protection" issue. Could also be one now, but the messages list can go back as far as you need. I stopped looking into that when I found a recommendation for spray lacquer, and I've just been using that when I needed it. They say you can solder through it, without much ill-affect on the conductivity, but it stinks to high heaven when you do (I can vouch for that one myself).

I've used this stuff in the past - worked fine and made soldering SOO much easier with beautiful shiny solder joints each time. This conductivity issue is something that worries me a bit.. In synth VCOs there is absolutely no need for any stray capacitance to ruin the tuning or to twist waveshapes. (Basicly, I've read a story (can't remember where to find it) about flux residue keeping the oscillator from oscillating)

Moebius