Need TG limiter front panel file with stud welding

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weiss

weiss

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Joined
Jun 16, 2014
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Location
Germany
I am building the fripholm zener limiter but i want to make a 2U front panel in the classic "tg1 limiter" style.
The only thing i can't figure out myself are the standoffs behind the front panel so that the switches etc. don't mount on the frontpanel itself but on the layer behind it.
Maybe someone already has what i need (or sth similar and could help me adapting it)? Trying to avoid diyracked.
i have a picture to make it clear what i would like.
 

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Hey Ansgar,

Yeah, I’ve been doing the same for all of my projects recently - I really like how it looks. Takes a bit more measurement and planning to make sure standoffs and mounting holes are in the right place, and that controls “poke through” the front panel enough, but totally worth it.

To walk you through how I do it, I use Inkscape to design panels, with various elements on different layers - including standoffs on the front panel and corresponding holes on the internal panel. I then export drill holes and engraving to various formats to work with Front Panel Designer as usual, but I have to measure and place standoffs manually based on placement in Inkscape (correcting for the fact that Inkscape measures to bottom left of an element, FPD to the centre by default). Holes are the same (or similar) on both front and internal panels; I copy the standoff locations to the internal panel in FPD then put holes in their place instead.

Frank has done me maybe 5 or 6 front+internal panels using this method, and it’s worked well. I probably use too many standoffs - 10 or more usually, to make sure controls don’t wobble as the internal panel gives. It does make the front panel super rigid though, and much stronger.

Hope that helps!

A
 
It is possible to do this without standoffs.  I have made a few boxes where I have a full width internal panel.  You make this with identical holes to your front panel but so it fits inside the case behind the main panel.  I use long  M4 machine screws to bolt the front panel on the case.  Use some M4 nuts on the inside of the the case.  The M4 nuts will stand the interior panel away enough so that the space is there for pot/switch securing nuts.  This is cheaper than getting stand offs added to your front panel & in my experience more reliable. 

I have had a few 1176 panels made with stand offs for the switch assemblies which have broken off without much force.  Maybe a production fault but ....
 
TwentyTrees said:
Hey Ansgar,

Yeah, I’ve been doing the same for all of my projects recently - I really like how it looks. Takes a bit more measurement and planning to make sure standoffs and mounting holes are in the right place, and that controls “poke through” the front panel enough, but totally worth it.

To walk you through how I do it, I use Inkscape to design panels, with various elements on different layers - including standoffs on the front panel and corresponding holes on the internal panel. I then export drill holes and engraving to various formats to work with Front Panel Designer as usual, but I have to measure and place standoffs manually based on placement in Inkscape (correcting for the fact that Inkscape measures to bottom left of an element, FPD to the centre by default). Holes are the same (or similar) on both front and internal panels; I copy the standoff locations to the internal panel in FPD then put holes in their place instead.

Frank has done me maybe 5 or 6 front+internal panels using this method, and it’s worked well. I probably use too many standoffs - 10 or more usually, to make sure controls don’t wobble as the internal panel gives. It does make the front panel super rigid though, and much stronger.

Hope that helps!

A
Click to expand...

Thank you for the explanation! Makes a lot of sense (apart from the fact that i really hate to work with inkscape  ::)).
I'm still trying to figure out the easiest way to do this.

Rob Flinn said:
It is possible to do this without standoffs.  I have made a few boxes where I have a full width internal panel.  You make this with identical holes to your front panel but so it fits inside the case behind the main panel.  I use long  M4 machine screws to bolt the front panel on the case.  Use some M4 nuts on the inside of the the case.  The M4 nuts will stand the interior panel away enough so that the space is there for pot/switch securing nuts.  This is cheaper than getting stand offs added to your front panel & in my experience more reliable. 

I have had a few 1176 panels made with stand offs for the switch assemblies which have broken off without much force.  Maybe a production fault but ....
Click to expand...

very interesting method, so you actually use two frontpanels on top of each other with nuts in between?
i just think this could be more expensive because of the extra amount of metal used for the internal panel.
 
weiss said:
very interesting method, so you actually use two frontpanels on top of each other with nuts in between?
i just think this could be more expensive because of the extra amount of metal used for the internal panel.
Click to expand...

I use a front panel as normal & then another panel that is really on the inside of the box mounted behind the front panel.    I got the idea when I had ruined a front panel that a friend had made me.  I got them to make another, and hacked the rack ears off the original panel & used it bhined the new panel.  Since then there have been a few projects like Igors 33609that have boxes done like that, but I have also seen it quite a few 500 series projects recently.    It's not as expensive as you would think, because the inner panel can be just raw metal, with holes in the right place.
 
Rob - interesting, I can see that bolting through the front panel would make for a stronger joint than standoffs. I’ve sheared off a couple of standoffs in my time by over-tightening a spacer or nut, and beefing up their collective strength is the main reason I use quite a few on my panels - which obviously costs.

As with everything, it’s a game of trade-offs I suppose - bolts are certainly cheaper and stronger, standoffs give you (to my mind) a cleaner-looking panel with space for legends and design etc.

A third option I’ve seen for Frank’s NRG cases is to bolt the internal panel to the sides of the case, rather than the front. Cheaper than standoffs and a cleaner panel than front bolts, but not as strong as either unless you do something additional to mechanically couple the two panels.
 
The only thing that can be a bit tricky about bolting another panel behind is it can be quite difficult to fit the retaining nuts on the back of the secondary panel.  However, if like me you spent a lot of time playing with Meccano when you were a child it's not a big problem.
 
I've done the same method as Rob and it came from having really long shafts for a Neve build.  I used a thin aluminum and just as Rob said carefully marked my drill points.
One of the cool parts is you can drill down that inner panel and have the knobs seamless on the front panel.
 

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