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https://www.newark.com/bud-industries/sc-13101/enclosure-instrument-aluminium/dp/06M4821


Maybe a look in eurorack synth style enclosures might find you something else.


 

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Tubetec said:
https://www.newark.com/bud-industries/sc-13101/enclosure-instrument-aluminium/dp/06M4821


Maybe a look in eurorack synth style enclosures might find you something else.

I found that same Bud industries one at Mouser. Unfortunately the front  panels top and back are all one piece unlike the one in the pic I posted.

You are spot on with the Eurorack comment. At present I use this system and have custom sides made for my mixers. When I saw the varia instruments product I hoped someone might have one off the shelf which would do very nicely for the poor man's tube mixer for example.

Cheers

Ian
 
Kid Squid said:
Hi Ian,

Would you like to have a go in Solidworks for you ? I've got a real good metalworking company to fabricate my designs.
Best,
Steve

Hey Steve, that would be great if you could do that. What a really like about this enclosure is simple mounting of front panels - I guess they are in grooves of some kind of extrusion. This gives you the freedom to design and arrangement of controls on the panels you desire.

I have not been down to Wales since the early 80s when I was responsible for the electronics design of the Dragon 32 computer. When this virus thing is all over it would be great to make a trip down there again.

Cheers

Ian
 
Wow, Ian. The Dragon 32. One of the computers I wanted as a kid. Never got one as it was gone from the market before I saved up.  :-\
 
cyrano said:
Wow, Ian. The Dragon 32. One of the computers I wanted as a kid. Never got one as it was gone from the market before I saved up.  :-\
They were heady days. Hi speed development, my first mass produced design, chip vendors falling over themselves to get their parts designed in, Clive Sinclair bringing out the ZX Spectrum 16 K about a month before the Dragon 16 launch which led to the decision to immediately upgrade all production to 32K, being interviewed by Dragon 32 magazine. Madness but absolutely brilliant. I had computer serial number 3  which I much later donated to the computer museum at Cambridge.

The salesman I dealt with at Motorola was  Robin Thaxby who later went on to run ARM and became chairman of the IEE.

Cheers

Ian
 
I'd be glad to help out  :)

I'll have a go tonight ( I'm on nights at the Power plant..Still working, although on reduced manning for safety of plant)
Im liking the 'desktop' mixer feel as in the Varia type design.
I think the nicest way to go around it would be to go for the old Neve type frame, utilising ISEP rail with aly section panels and nice wooden highlights.
what would be your 'ruff' ;)dimensions, Ian ?

Wow. the Dragon 32. A good mate of mine had one and at the time, my family was heavily affected by the UK miners strike and i can remeber almost living at his place !!!
Fantastic story indeed  :D

You are welcome here anytime mate, fingers crossed I'll have my house finished by then...
 
Kid Squid said:
I'd be glad to help out  :)

I'll have a go tonight ( I'm on nights at the Power plant..Still working, although on reduced manning for safety of plant)
Im liking the 'desktop' mixer feel as in the Varia type design.
I think the nicest way to go around it would be to go for the old Neve type frame, utilising ISEP rail with aly section panels and nice wooden highlights.
what would be your 'ruff' ;)dimensions, Ian ?
I know ISEP rail is still available from SRS  but I am not sure if they are easily available outside the UK. So I agree use aluminium extrusions but probably the more modern Eurorack version available just about everywhere. End plates (or cheeks as we used to call them at Neve) held together with extrusions is a good and flexible build method. It works well for the rear panel and the top an middle front panels but we will need to work out how to accommodate a top panel, a bottom panel and one right at the frot (wheer the arm rest could fit.

I do not have the dimensions of the current poor man's tube mixer enclosure to hand but I will sketch out some profiles tonight and post them tomorrow.

Cheers

Ian

 
Hi Ian,

I had a little knockabout last night, nothing serious, more a test go to be honest.


I'm going for the classic "N" type idea, had a little bit of experience in this myself so would be good to carry on and develop the idea.
Regarding the ISEP from SRS, I'd prefer to do it out of this, but I can also do a layout for the GieTec type Eurorails. ( Ive got the profile already from another job - a mates HUGE custom synth enclosure.)

frame cheeks out of aluminium and details in a nice wood finish, with a padded rest bar for the front.
the idea from last night hasnt got the correct depths of ISEP from top edges, nor has it got the flat aluminium strips that 'box' the modules in,  that gives the finished height flush to module top face like in the pic


(2 sections are just held together - thats why they are on the squiff  ;D)

I could also offer the side cheeks and ISEP together in a kit, with all drilling, countersinking, semi shears etc.

Would it be possible to get the dimensions of the back plane boards ? I can model these with the connector ready.
Also, the module chassis' will be enclosed with removable lids. Nice.

Best,
Steve


 
Hi Steve,

The thing about the poor man's tube mixer is I hope people from all over the world will want to build one and ISEP is really only readily available here in the UK whereas Eurorack is available everywhere.

The basic layout you have produced looks very good. Looks like you added room for a scribble strip at the front?

I have attached a pdf of the Metcase enclosure the design is currently based on. The sloping front panel holds all the controls and meters and the rear panel all the IO connectors. The main PCB, which is about 300mm wide by 250mm deep, fits on the floor of the enclosure. Although in no way similar to your design, the front and rear panels would need to be of similar sizes and the main PCB would need to be mounted on the floor. There are some height restitutions due to the tubes. 70mm from the front of the main PCb the height would need to be at least  80mm and a similarly 110mm from the rear of the main board.

I am not quite sure what you mean when you refer to back plane boards?

Cheers

ian
 

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Hi Ian,
Hope you are well.

I have attached a pdf of the Metcase enclosure the design is currently based on. The sloping front panel holds all the controls and meters and the rear panel all the IO connectors. The main PCB, which is about 300mm wide by 250mm deep, fits on the floor of the enclosure. Although in no way similar to your design, the front and rear panels would need to be of similar sizes and the main PCB would need to be mounted on the floor. There are some height restitutions due to the tubes. 70mm from the front of the main PCb the height would need to be at least  80mm and a similarly 110mm from the rear of the main board.

I downloaded the file and had a look at the Metcase enclosure, and to be honest, I think I was barking up the wrong tree with regard to the 'Ruff' frame layout. I visioned it to be more like your Mk.3 type console.

The thing about the poor man's tube mixer is I hope people from all over the world will want to build one and ISEP is really only readily available here in the UK whereas Eurorack is available everywhere.

I totally agree, and my plan was to do metalwork drawings for both types ? dunno really, just a thought.
I have been playing about in my spare time, and roughed out a frame ( but dont take any of the module sizing for granted - they are from another job.)

I am not quite sure what you mean when you refer to back plane boards?
backplane.jpg

Sorry, I meant the backplane PCB's.

Heres a couple of pics, just mocked up with some spare time - more to fire the thoughts..




Some ruff module type cases




Thinking about it, Ive got some of the 6U rack frames here, I'll model them up and assemble a few together for a try..
Best,
Steve


 
Tose are very nice looking designs. They are on similar lines to the profile I am using currently for the Mark 3. It is easy to draw nice gentle slopes but it is imprtant to remember that there needs to be 200mm of clear depth behind the front panels to accommodate the module, the backplane PCB and the wiring.  This tends to lead to rather steeper angles in a desktop design.

The poor man's tube mixer is constructed completely differently (at least that is the intention) with a single main board containing all the active electronics and then a front panel PCB or PCBs containing most or all the controls. It would of course look much nicer if there was a separate surface for the faders, be they rotary or slider.

Cheers

Ian
 
Hi Ian,
Tose are very nice looking designs. They are on similar lines to the profile I am using currently for the Mark 3. It is easy to draw nice gentle slopes but it is imprtant to remember that there needs to be 200mm of clear depth behind the front panels to accommodate the module, the backplane PCB and the wiring.  This tends to lead to rather steeper angles in a desktop design.
It was just a knockabout really, but I agree, that the depth / front elevation angle can be tricky with a desktop design.
The poor man's tube mixer is constructed completely differently (at least that is the intention) with a single main board containing all the active electronics and then a front panel PCB or PCBs containing most or all the controls. It would of course look much nicer if there was a separate surface for the faders, be they rotary or slider.

If you get a quick 5 mins spare, do a rough sketchup of your 'ideal' poor man's layout, I'll see what I can do.

Best,
Steve

 
Kid Squid said:
Hi Ian,It was just a knockabout really, but I agree, that the depth / front elevation angle can be tricky with a desktop design.
If you get a quick 5 mins spare, do a rough sketchup of your 'ideal' poor man's layout, I'll see what I can do.

Best,
Steve

Will do. I just did not want you to waste time on the wrong thing  ;D

Cheers

Ian
 
Quote from: Kid Squid on May 01, 2020, 06:18:56 PM

    Hi Ian,It was just a knockabout really, but I agree, that the depth / front elevation angle can be tricky with a desktop design.
    If you get a quick 5 mins spare, do a rough sketchup of your 'ideal' poor man's layout, I'll see what I can do.

    Best,
    Steve


Will do. I just did not want you to waste time on the wrong thing  ;D

Cheers

Ian


Great stuff. Its not a problem at all Ian.
 
He is a first shot at a possible end cheek profile for the poor man's tube mixer (PMTM). It is a dxf file but I had to rename it .txt in order to attach it.

Cheers

Ian
 

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Ian, sorry to distract but you need to see this: https://youtu.be/1mgeeG_1qIs

This guy does interviews with folks from the computing industry, and in his videos said he couldnt find folks that worked on the dragon 32.

RMC does some excellentContent, it reminds me very much of the BBC style documentary. You really should try and reach out, I am certain he would love to hear your stories.

Dafydd
 
He is a first shot at a possible end cheek profile for the poor man's tube mixer (PMTM). It is a dxf file but I had to rename it .txt in order to attach it.

Cheers

Ian

Ian, could you email it over to me ? I can import it directly then.


Daf ! how the bloody hell are you doing old chap ? well I hope  :D
 

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