MidnightArrakis
Well-known member
[I could cut 7.5mm off of each dual pot] -- Or.....you -- could -- move the 18.5mm shafted pots back an additional 7.5mm back from the PCB-edge and accomplish the same thing.
>> Carefully take a look at the dimensions going across these two drawings. Take notice that the row centerlines are not all the same. In real-life, this creates all manners of issues and problems!!! In addition, I would also strongly suggest that you come up with consistently -- EVEN or "ROUNDED-OFF -- dimensions!!! That -- 16.949 -- dimension could just as easily be 17.00mm.
>> The -- 37.549 -- dimension seen below just as easily be 38.00 for consistency. -- In addition, the columns/rows of cutouts over on the right-side of this front-panel are also, what I consider to be, "oddball" dimensions. Since you don't have to mate anything here to a -- BACKPLANE -- as is required with anything in the "500-Series", then....."fudge" your dimensions around some so the components placement dimensions end-up being "whole numbers" (i.e., XX.00), instead of some fractional dimension that ends up being XX.28 or YY.47 or ZZ.73. You can do it!!! I KNOW YOU CAN!!!.....
>> While I do recognize that these two drawings are NOT dimensioned properly, this drawing style was the only way I had available in order to show you the various dimensional relationships that there are within your different patterned hole cutouts. Of course, since this is -- YOUR -- panel-design, should you wish to accept how things are as I have shown them, that's your call.
>> You also need to be aware of this important detail.....the rotary-pot holes, the switch holes and the LED-holes have all been slightly enlarged in order for them to offer some clearance tolerance gap-space. Your selected parts basically -- WOULD NOT HAVE FIT -- into your originally-specified cutout dimensions, so I have ever-so-slightly enlarged these hole cutouts..
Now...............even though I am extremely hesitant to mention this, since this is -- YOUR -- panel-design, I'm going to just merely throw-out a "suggestion" for you to think about OK??? It doesn't matter to me whether you accept my suggestion or not, OK???
>> I don't use "Front Panel Designer" nor am I even familiar with how it operates and "does its thing"!!! So, the various errors/issues that I am seeing here in your panel-design are ones that I don't know if they are from the program itself, or if they are a result of however it is that you are using the program. In any case, if you were to send out this FPD panel-design file and have a panel fabricated from it, you are going to have a rather difficult time with everything when it comes time for you to try and assemble all of the parts and circuit-boards that make-up this project. And.....it would have cost you a ton of money as well!!! So.....here is my suggestion.....
Send me some kind of a sketch or drawing or "something" of -- WHAT -- you would like for all of the dimensions to be as here in your panel-design and then let me create the actual sheet-metal panel-design itself using my SolidWorks Premium program. Once I have and know what the actual dimensions -- SHOULD BE -- then it is nothing for me to use the specialized sheet-metal features that I have available like "Linear Pattern" (which then has 8 sub-sections to select from). Creating all of your linear and rotary potentiometer hole cutouts and slots only takes about 4-clicks. In creating the Linear-Fader M3 countersunk holes, I only need to create a single hole-feature and then it's around 4-clicks more to create the rest of them using the "Linear Pattern" feature. It's the same thing for all of the rotary-pots, LED's and switches. Not only that, but you are also guaranteed that all of the dimensions will be accurate and precise practically down to the molecular-level!!!
Once I have created your panel-design, I can do a "Save As" as an -- STP -- file, import that into my "Front-Panel Designer" program, do another "Save As" as an -- FPD -- file and send that off to you. From there, you can import my -- FPD -- file into your program and then you can create all of your graphics and text for your finalized "Mini-Mixer" design. Would this work for you?
However.....I do get it. This is -- YOUR -- project, so you want to do it all. I get it. But, the way things are looking to me, what you have come up with so far is only "destined to fail" because.....for whatever reasons.....you haven't considered and/or have thought of all of the fine-point mechanical design details that are going to "bite you" and eventually -- KILL -- the success of your project here. That's all.....
Comment???.....
>> Here is what I have come up with so far as to what your "Mini-Mixer" could possibly look like in "real life".....
>> Do you see the little -- ORANGE -- horizontal doo-dads in your front-panel? Those items are "Anti-Rotation Tabs" that are a part of the "Rotary Potentiometers". They keep the pots from being twisted on the PCB. You will either need to: 1) Break them off from all of the pots, or 2) Include additional small slots into your front-panel sheet-metal design so they can go through the panel. I'm just pointing this item out to you, that's all.
>> This image is just so you can see a close-up of your front-panel with all of the
rotary-potentiometer hardware, including a panel-washer and a potentiometer shaft-nut:
>> I had to either "source and download" CAD-files for all of these hardware items or, I had to literally create and design them myself, because no 3D CAD-files exist for these types of mundane parts. Such is life, huh???
/
Last edited:
