gotascii Posted November 30, 2006 Report Share Posted November 30, 2006 My sid is finished and done, except the case its in (an old clear baseball card case) is totally ghetto. I'd like to make a really nice case like a lot of the ones on the sid site. Does anyone have/know of any resources that explain how to make decent cases. Tips/tutorials things of that nature. I need to know what tools are required/preferred, where to get case supplies, common ideas for things to use as cases, etc. Right now my sid only has an lcd (I have a custom reaktor patch I use to edit sounds) but I would love to add the control surface and I'd like it to look good in the end heh. Any ideas/help would be appriciated! I'll be going through forum posts looking for tips in the meantime.Thanks!J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcer10 Posted December 1, 2006 Report Share Posted December 1, 2006 Hiya,What country do you live in? You can get some nice cases at a lot of electronics shops. Depends on what you like. I have just made one in a white plastic rack enclosure and it fits nice. If your going to make your panel yourself I could offer a few tips from my recent experience, but if you want a really pro looking one you should get our your wallet and go to front panel express. There are SID case designs for FPE ready to go. I have several variations for more simple ones I have designed too if you would like them. All the best,John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotascii Posted December 1, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2006 I live in the US...Washington DC to be precise :) Thanks for the reply...I've played with FPE before but I'm more interested in building a case myself. I have a few other projects that will eventually need their own cases and I figure with xmas coming up this is a good time to ask for any tools I might not have. I'm going to search digikey/mouser/etc for cases and see if they have anything. I was wondering if anyone knew part numbers for things like cases or also materials such as what perfboard to use to mount the buttons in. It seems like it will take a lot of board and there are so many options I'm not sure what everyone else uses. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotascii Posted December 1, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2006 So I found this: http://www.diystompboxes.com/wiki/index.php?title=AllAboutEnclosuresWhich has tons of good tips/links on making cases. Geared towards effect stomp boxes but applicable nonetheless. A drill press seems like an essential tool. The unibit seems pretty sweet too. I'm gearing up to make something like: http://www.kontrol-dj.com/html_eng/index.html without the big jog dials. I was wondering, if I go with a metal enclosure, how could I make the grooves for the faders? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcer10 Posted December 2, 2006 Report Share Posted December 2, 2006 Some tools you will need/want:A nibbler tool (check at your local electronics shop), see that the depth of the panel does not exceed the opening at the tip of the nibbler.Deburring toolHand drill with various drill bits esp 3mm (lefs) 7mm (encoder shafts) 5mm (some buttons) Router drill bit (drill at tip, file at base)Hand files (various sizes and shapes)A hacksaw blade (not in the hacksaw - use thick gloves when cutting with it, its good roughly cutting out the screen)FPE software (to make your own design, print to PDF using bullzip or your fav PDF creator, flip horizontal in photoshop, print, merge sheets of paper, glue to back of panel and drill into)Centre punch toolSquare ruler MarkerA dead screen of the same size as the ones you want to use (to drill mounting holes without killing the screen)A hot glue gunI have just (almost) finished a 2 RU case you can see in this post:http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php?topic=8033.0As the photos show, its all panel mount, not a single circut in sight of the panel. The downside is, a lot of wires!! It does save money and time on the PCB's for the buttons etc. Im not saying its the best way, but it works!All the best,John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c0nsumer Posted December 2, 2006 Report Share Posted December 2, 2006 As a suggestion, download the Mouser, Jameco, and Digikey catalogs. Look at their enclosure sections, then if you find something remotely interesting, go get the detailed specs from each manufacturer's website.I personally have been finding enclosures from Hammond Mfg and Pac Tec to be nice lately. From those sites I can usually find whatever I'm looking for. Then just use Front Panel Express to get a panel laid out as you need, and you'll be all set.You are also about to find out that a really nice enclosure often costs near the same amount as the rest of the synth. :\-Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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