11 Slot DIY API 500 series rack

[sahib]

[quote author="mitsos"]
Audiox said he had almost complete mechanical drawings.. I have a very good contact for custom metal work in Chicago. I would prefer to do it there, or at least to get a quote from an American firm. It's a much better deal in dollars.....[/quote]

I can't disagree with that. Particularly now two Dollars to a Pound it will probably be much cheaper to do it in US.

However, the shipping to UK and Europe will probably bring the final cost to a much higher level. Therefore if there is sufficient interest (at least) in UK I would happily deal with it.

 

[TomWaterman]

Personally sick of importing and getting hammered by HMGov so if it can be done affordably in the uk, I'm in for two racks!

-T

 

[mitsos]

[quote author="TomWaterman"]Personally sick of importing and getting hammered by HMGov so if it can be done affordably in the uk, I'm in for two racks!
-T[/quote]
I hear ya, but I seriously don't think it will be that much for an empty metal rack (PCB will come from elsewhere, right?) and declared value is anything we want since there is no publicized value.

[quote author="mcoz"]However, the shipping to UK and Europe will probably bring the final cost to a much higher level. [/quote]
I don't think so. I checked both USPS (20 Lb package) and Royal Mail (9 Kg package). This can't possibly weigh this much with no PSU, no XLRs, just an empty metal case, can it?

Shipping from the USA (to UK or France) would be about $80 US, or 45 GBP. Going the other way, from UK to USA would cost minimum 80 GPB! UK to France was about 42 GBP, or 3 GBP cheaper than the US.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, I'm just cheap.

Anyway, this is all moot if we don't come up with drawings, so is someone here capable of this, or do we all want to pitch in and pay a professional and really get this show on the road?

 

[mitsos]

[quote author="RogerFoote"][quote author="mitsos"]And declared value is anything we want since there is no publicized value. [/quote]

Wrong...

It is up to the person making and shipping these to accurately assign the actual amount of money exchanged as a declared value.

To falsify that is perjury under US (and I assume international) law.

It isn't worth jail time guys, even if it is "the other guy" who gets it in the end...
DIY=GSETDIFY?[/quote]
You are technically correct, and maybe I shouldn't have said it that way. But it's common practice all over the place. Especially with smaller businesses. The only people going to jail are in the case of large companies doing this in huge amounts. For example, there was a scandal involving Cisco in Brasil (last year?). They set up a bunch of companies to "sell" Cisco products to some Cisco "distributor"in Miami who sold it to Cisco "distributors" in Brasil for pennies on the dollar, and in the end it was found out that the companies were not separate, and all the documentation was falsified to avoid Brasilian import tariffs. I don't know details, but in this case it involved millions of dollars and people went to jail. But it it not economically feasible for any government to control smaller businesses, nor is it in their best interest, or the economy's, to make it difficult/bureaucratic/expensive to export. The economy would stop. And the US needs all the help it can get at this point.

Realistically, the worst that will happen is they will ask you to prove the value (with receipts, etc) when the package arrives. When you show the receipts, you will pay customs on the value you paid. No one goes to jail.

In any case, I think this will prove to be moot. I don't think this 500 case will cost all that much to justify trying to avoid taxes.

 

[sahib]

[quote author="mitsos"]

Shipping from the USA (to UK or France) would be about $80 US, or 45 GBP. Going the other way, from UK to USA would cost minimum 80 GPB! UK to France was about 42 GBP, or 3 GBP cheaper than the US.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, I'm just cheap.

Anyway, this is all moot if we don't come up with drawings, so is someone here capable of this, or do we all want to pitch in and pay a professional and really get this show on the road?[/quote]


With all due respect you are not cheap for me, for UK with £45 shipping cost. And particularly if somebody is interested in multiple boxes.

Yes you can declare lower value and hope to slip through the custom duties but it does not turn out that way most of the time. For small packages etc. you will be lucky most of the time but if a 10Kg box arrives at the customs they will not consider it as a gift.

However, I am not being argumentative either and nor do I wish to sound like cutting somebody elses business here. All I stated is if there is sufficient demand from UK, I would happily do it. Not for US but for UK. Perhaps I should have been clearer on this. My apologies.

By the way, I earn my living from product design and I import/export regularly.

Cemal

 

[RedNoise]

Hi guys!
I tried in another thread to get informations about this 500 , but , lack of time , lack of knowledge and..."My" project stagnate!
Maybe first thing is to have a precise mesurement (sizes).
Then everyone cd see in his country what kind of price he could have.
Finally we cd alltogether decide of the best (economic) solution...

So , who have plans or real box for sale ?(In order to take mesures)??
:green:

 

[okgb]

Well if we can pull this off it won't be a big price
to pay tax on .

But yeah don't want to put anyone on the spot ,
so without it being a business or commercial venture
let plow on and see what we can do !

 

[mitsos]

[quote author="sahib"]
Not for US but for UK. Perhaps I should have been clearer on this. My apologies.

By the way, I earn my living from product design and I import/export regularly.
Cemal[/quote]
No need to apologize man. No offense intended either, sorry to be argumentative. I was just pointing out that Royal Mail is relatively more expensive than USPS, even to the EU... Anyway, none of this will matter unless we can keep momentum going long enough to get this planned and executed...

Are you willing to design the metalwork? I know it kind of makes us pansies getting shit handed to us, but it would take way too much trial and error for those of us without the proper experience.

In case you feel up to it, someone else could probably give you more details. But here is what I know about the rack: 3U, 19" of course, and the modules are 5.25" H x 1.5" W.

From PeterP's pic in first thread below:
Front opening is 4.7" H
Depth should be 6"(?) but peterP says is 5.95" to inside of connector in first thread below.
PCB seems to be .3 inches from right side (or left side) of face plate? Check the first link below, can't really tell what that says.

Got this from this thread:
http://www.groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=29311&highlight=lunchbox

Gary made one out of a card case: (some good info)
http://www.groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=25604&highlight=lunchbox


Normal EDAC connector (according to lunchboxhero.com) is Digikey part # EDC306150-ND, BUT this is not the longer one Colin is suggesting we use. We need enough room behind the PCB for the XLRs, which, since this is being designed from the ground up could be PCB mounted (Neutrik NC3FAV and NC3MAV??) ??

Hope this helps. Let's keep this thread alive!

 

[sahib]

I posted on the first link and Volker is hopefully going to e-mail me the pdf of the drawing for the rack. If it has everything I need then I am on for the prototype.

However, I'll make it clear again that I will not copy API design in terms of their outlook but I will use the internal dimensions to comply with their standard and resolve the design in my own way.

 

[okgb]

That seems reasonable
Although it is doing a basic job that it'd be hard for them not to look alike
apart from graphics .
Can we get strength without it being steel ?
Would it be a workable idea to have someone in Europe and another
person in N.A. finding manufacturers ?

btw if there is anything to be done in Canada let me know
[ cold testing ? ]

 

[RedNoise]

I wd certainly ask a manufacturer here in EU ....

 

[sahib]

Many thanks to Volker for the card/front panel asembly drawing. Obviously it is prepared from 500 series specifications that API supplied. Ideally it would be better if I could check these dimensions against a 500 series card/front panel assembly. Otherwise designing the case is a piece of cake.

I will brainstorm for a couple of nights to see how I am going to approach the overall design. At this stage I'll sketch few options and get a ballpark figure from the metal fabricator that I am using at the moment. Based on the final cost of the sketch I'll finalise a design for manufacture.

We can get the required strenght without using steel, such as aluminium. But this will increase the cost. Same goes for a flat pack design. The more operations there are the more it will cost. At the moment I am already thinking of comparing the cost of plastic guide rails against the cost of using slightly thicker aluminum plate for the top and bottom covers with slots cut onto them for guiding the boards in. But it is all a matter of cost at the end. We'll see.

If Colin is still on for the back plane pcb for the connector assembly I can communicate with him since he is in UK. However, I already have a 3A variable triple PSU based on LT1085-LT1033 which will provide loads of headroom for the overall power consumption.

Cemal

 

[okgb]

the idea to avoid steel was more a shipping consideration ,
but balencing this with overall cost is important
thanks for your energy so far

 

[Slenderchap]

If you fit PCB guide rails then some modules may not fit.... eg the valve ones which have a full chassis cover....

The API lunchbox doesn't have them...

Colin
www.audiomaintenance.com

 

[okgb]

or if the rails slide and can be adjustable

i guess between the front panel mounting screws and the edgepin
connectors this will line the modules up and hold them in .

 

[mitsos]

[quote author="sahib"]Ideally it would be better if I could check these dimensions against a 500 series card/front panel assembly.
Cemal[/quote]
Peter Purpose makes a 500 series EQ for sale, and he is in the UK. Maybe he could help?

[quote author="okgb"]the idea to avoid steel was more a shipping consideration[/quote]
Maybe you can manufacture in your country or at least continent? There may be someone quite close to you. So maybe the weight won't be such a problem?

 

[sahib]

I have a couple of DBX and Aphex racks here and I automatically assumed there would be on API 500 too. Would I be correct in saying that the pcb is inserted free hand without any sort of guiding?

I will PM Peter Purpose.

 

[mitsos]

[quote author="sahib"]I have a couple of DBX and Aphex racks here and I automatically assumed there would be on API 500 too. Would I be correct in saying that the pcb is inserted free hand without any sort of guiding?[/quote]
I don't have one but I think so. Take a look at Purple's:
http://www.purpleaudio.com/Product/SWEETTEN.html

Brent Averill's is even easier to see. It has holes where the guides would be:
http://www.brentaverill.com/mm/products/big/rack_6m_mount1.jpg

 

[Denyle Guitars]

Definitely no card guides as the cards vary so much. Besides, there are no specs for it in the VPR docs. Optional guides are cool though.

If you're going with a pcb backplane, don't forget to make pins 6 link-able.

 

[[silent:arts]]

a big feature would be card guides - since nobody else have it.
but it would make inserting cards much easier and safer.
if the cards vary so much you will have problems with them anyway.