MIDIbox of the Week (Live Controller made by Rigo) backlit button UPDATE

[Rigo]

/Edit TK: moved to MIDIbox of the Week section

Rigo:

It uses one AIN+CORE+ps/2 keyboard pcb for keystrokes( which eventually is going to get replaced by a DIN)

I use it for LIVE and tracktion.

the toggle switch is for going up and down the scenes in LIVE.

the front panel is a "blank" ionized aluminum rack panel (5 or 6 units wide, don't remember) witch was machined old style with a regular milling machine (no cnc), the back panel is regular cold roll stell 16 ga. bended with a regular hand operated press brake, the sides are red oak + satin minwax.

[stryd_one]

Looks like 6U high to me. Nice job on the milling! What's the plan for the legend, screen print?

[tos]

Like the joysticks, small, hard to move them unintentionally.

The faders are (IMHO)to high from the FPannel.

Nice casing, really nice & clean.

[DrBunsen]

the photo's not loading for me (Firefox/ubuntu), anyone else?

[TK.]

I can see the pictures with Firefox 1.5.0.3 under Linux

However, I will upload them to the MIDIbox server soon

Best Regards, Thorsten.

[Rigo]

Like the joysticks, small, hard to move them unintentionally.

The faders are (IMHO)to high from the FPannel.

Nice casing, really nice & clean.

I think so too,

am still loking for a way to cut those down.

any suggestion?

[tos]

dont touch them. They r lovely.

Or you can saw them down, cut out one piece and then make a hole in a handle and put a

screw+glue to hold it together. I hope you get this.

[Rigo]

Looks like 6U high to me. Nice job on the milling! What's the plan for the legend, screen print?

silk screen in deed , I just need to find out how hot the  oven gets, I don't want the aluminum finish to get "burn" (blue)

[Sasha]

silk screen in deed , I just need to find out how hot the  oven gets, I don't want the aluminum finish to get "burn" (blue)

I used to work in silkscreen industry, and i know for sure, you don`t need any oven. You must use PVC paint for panel ...you don`t have to "cook" it or fry it ;)

I like your handmade panel, I used to drill holes and file down the fader places once for mixer... never again :) Wood is apsolutly great evry time. Gives those retro look. One thing I dont like at all is buttons. Those buttons are worst buttons I`ve ever tried, and they are wery popular. Probably because they are easy to mount. But, I am slave of easthetics so easiness is not good argument for using them in my aplications.

I have question regarding your faders and screws you use. I also find those 100mm faders but I get alot of jitter with it. I thought it is because of lenght, cose they are acting like antenas and they pick alot of junk waves. Maybe I am wrong. And about fader screws... where did you get them. I cannot find screws with those fine thred.

[stryd_one]

I'm really interested in both of these topics. I was fortunate enough to obtain a number of rackmount blanking panels, the HP ones with that nice dark grey power coating, and I was thinking that they could make nice face panels if I only knew how to mill and screen them... I've milled timber before but never metal, and I've screenprinted before, but again, never on metal or powder coating, so I'm clueless....

If you guys feel like sharing any advice or links etc, it'd be really appreciated :)

[Rigo]

First of all I will like to thank you all ,for you comments and feed back, thank you very much. :) ;D

I used to work in silkscreen industry, and i know for sure, you don`t need any oven. You must use PVC paint for panel ...you don`t have to "cook" it or fry it ;)

I like your handmade panel, I used to drill holes and file down the fader places once for mixer... never again :) Wood is apsolutly great evry time. Gives those retro look. One thing I dont like at all is buttons. Those buttons are worst buttons I`ve ever tried, and they are wery popular. Probably because they are easy to mount. But, I am slave of easthetics so easiness is not good argument for using them in my aplications.

I have question regarding your faders and screws you use. I also find those 100mm faders but I get alot of jitter with it. I thought it is because of lenght, cose they are acting like antenas and they pick alot of junk waves. Maybe I am wrong. And about fader screws... where did you get them. I cannot find screws with those fine thred.

1 Am glad you are telling me that no "oven" is going to get involved in the silkscreen process. :)

2 the fader slots were not done  by filing,  those were milled with a 3mm carbide cutter.

3 I think the same for the buttons heheheheh the reasons a) cost arround two or three for a dollar so it compensates for the faders expense b) extreamly easy to mount and very small foot print, I would like to change them but I just can't find a momentary (on) nice looking pushbutton switch that can fit in a 1/4 in. hole. heve you seen any that may fit.

4 am using panasonic 100mm as faders and as far as  jitter goes I haven't seen any jitter once or ever, but well I just tried it in the studio not in a live gig.

5 for the screews, i bougt them in a store 3 block away from work, they only sell nuts and bolts, I bought there the screws, the allen key, and the threadner ( I guess thats the name of it, in spanish its called a "machuelo") because my faders did not had the thred in the holes. a few turns with the thredner and it was ready. If you need some screws I can buy them for you, tell me what exactly you need then I ask for a quote, I msg you back and if you want and trust me, just send me the money, I get them and send them using fedex or as a regular letter, the screews are ver very light so weight is not an issue.if I dont find them here in El Paso, Texas I can always cross the border and get them in Juarez, Mexico

once again thank you for all your comments

[Rigo]

I'm really interested in both of these topics. I was fortunate enough to obtain a number of rackmount blanking panels, the HP ones with that nice dark grey power coating, and I was thinking that they could make nice face panels if I only knew how to mill and screen them... I've milled timber before but never metal, and I've screenprinted before, but again, never on metal or powder coating, so I'm clueless....

If you guys feel like sharing any advice or links etc, it'd be really appreciated :)

For the milling mine was done using a bridgeford milling machine, using the mount holes the blank pannel was screwed to a sacrifice pice of wood (particle board) clamped down to the milling table, I was tryng to get the box done only with one piece of metal 16 ga. cold rolled steel but it is too hard, and once you are cutting it since it is too thin it starts to vibrate (besides cost, that is why ommercial mixers front pannels are cut by stamping), but with aluminum it is just as a knife cutting butter, if you still want to give it a shot, arm yourself with 3 or more cutters and if you are doning slots bore the path first with as many holes as possible and then try to cut the slot in one slow but constant pass.

one think I would like to add is that I didn't milled my self, I would like to thank my brother's fader in law Chito, for doing the me that favor :) and also my wife and my brother for their support.

I drew it in autocad and passed the drawing to Chito, if you are doing the same think how the piece is going to get milled to make it as easy as possible (no akward mesurements, angles, I know this scrifies "style" but  is easier to miill think of $$$$)

once againg thank you all.

[stryd_one]

Thank you Rigo :)

[Sasha]

Rigo, thanks for your offer for screws. First I must see do I have jitter still on my 100mm faders. I didn`t tried to ground faders metal shell. That will do. If get it work properly, I`ll contact you regarding those nice screws. About nice round buttons... I have ever seen nice looking round buttons in my life. I advise you to make yuor round holes squares, you can find plenty of good, and not expensive square buttons. I get samples from http://www.knitter-switch.com/ they have good pallete of buttons, caps, illuminated or not. As they have some collet or how you call it, can be inserted on not so perfect hole, cose it hides all edges. Thinh about it...

...and Stryd, as far as I know screenprinting povder coated metal is same as any other metal if you are using PVC colours. Clean the surface and shoot... :) If you want to make sure everything going to be OK aply thin layer of PVC colour on some part of powdercoatet sheet you don`t need and test it how it`s reacting. Shouldn`t be any problems. I`m not surer for PVC cleaning solution. It could be little more agresive than PVC colour.

I must share my opinnion regarding finishing panels.... I think makes no sense of mixing good looking,  expensive parts with some cheap, ugly parts. Final result is bad. My friend Rogic (find his midibox on the forum) made really great aluminum panel made on CNC machine which he payd farely much, but for finish he glued selfadhesive sheat of plasticated paper... final result... looking great from far but, come closer :-\

If I pay big bux for good faders, I`ll also pay big bux for knobs, buttons... If I pay big bux for CNC milled panel, I`ll surely pay for nice looking quality screen print. I am almost finish my midibox, and for panel i use lasercut acrylic base and special textured panel on top of it (looks and feels like powdercoated aluminum), also laser cut/engraved. It is producing in meny colours! You can combine different colours for different sections!!! Result - beautifull, rugged scratch/UV/acid resistant surface nice to touch with engraveing, which means it cannot be scratched down like paint. I love it!

Clue... If you don`t have money for metal CNC cuted panel use laser cutter and cuttable materials, preferably 3mm acrylic (plexiglas) for base and other resistant sheets for laser cutters!!

Ill post images of my box in a few days, and also brand of mentioned engraving material which I strongly recomend. It is some french company, dont remember the name.

[bill]

AIN+CORE+ps/2 keyboard pcb for keystrokes( which eventually is going to get replaced by a DIN)

Hello, sound nice, please could you give us more details about that point ?

How did you connect the keyb.pcb to mbhp, and what does it do ?

Then are the joysticks playstations ones ?

I tried to get some (from psone), but they have a spring that center them to the origin, and they look impossible to change :/

Greetz !!

[Sasha]

I tried to get some (from psone), but they have a spring that center them to the origin, and they look impossible to change :/

Greetz !!

Bill, you are wrong. Stryd made post about ps joisticks. He said centralisation spring can be disabled. I tried and it is true. Not dificult at all. Try it yourself.

[stryd_one]

I think I posted in someone else's thread saying I was going to get some, but I can't take credit for the find ;)

That said, a number of people have used them and they do come recommended....and seeing them in that case....very nice.

[Sasha]

oh, I think you already done it. I get a bunch of these from flie market. Buying new PS joypad is cheapest than buying 2 solo yoisticks from maker! I see those joisticks somewhere on the forum. Guy asked something... about joisticks not knowing it is same from PS.

[Rigo]

I bought the joystics in the link belloe for $8 dlls each.

http://www.phidgetsusa.com/cat/viewsubcategory.asp?category=5000&subcategory=5220

there are more in here for $+/-4dlls

http://www.alltronics.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=22P010

and a few more here

http://www.analoguehaven.com/doepfer/spareparts/joystick/

http://www.bent-tronics.com/categoryNavigationDocument.hg?categoryId=2

[Rigo]

Hello, sound nice, please could you give us more details about that point ?

How did you connect the keyb.pcb to mbhp, and what does it do ?

Then are the joysticks playstations ones ?

I tried to get some (from psone), but they have a spring that center them to the origin, and they look impossible to change :/

Greetz !!

Hi there

well the ps/2 keyboard is not the play station 2 keyboard, if that is what you ment, it is a regular pc keyboard conected to the laptop using the keyboard (ps/2) port

[tonka_mx]

hey vato!

machuelo = thread taper. :o

carnal me acabo de registrar  ;D

[ranger930]

hi,

i can't see any pictures !

greetz rannger930

[MEEF]

i cant either

[Rigo]

>:( something happened with the photo links  ??? ???, I have to check what happened, meanwhile I am currently working in a very very cheap alternative for backlit bottons for my box based on the method led inside-plexyglass-glued to botton same as a few guys have done it. I will post some pics for the work in progress.

[Rigo]

ok the photos are up again,