Recessed Switches for panel PCB

[TwentyTrees]

Hello friend,

May I know What's this product? I'm very curious because it need so many PCBs.

Linda

Hi Linda,

It's a Neumann V472-2 dual line amp, racked up to work as a line amp, a mic preamp, or a 16-channel summing mixer. The various PCBs are functional blocks such as input conditioning, summing, power, switching etc.

Best,
Andy

 

[MidnightArrakis]

Hi Linda,

It's a Neumann V472-2 dual line amp, racked up to work as a line amp, a mic preamp, or a 16-channel summing mixer. The various PCBs are functional blocks such as input conditioning, summing, power, switching etc.

Best,
Andy

[racked up to work as a line amp, a mic preamp, or a 16-channel summing mixer] -- Please don't take this the wrong way, as I fully realize that you had to do what you did based upon what it was that you had to work with, OK??? I have also done what you have done as shown in your photos, so I know first-hand what it takes to create the rack-mount chassis that you are showing. It's a real "PITA" (Pain-In-The-Ass) to put all of that together and wire it all up. I FRIGGIN' KNOW THAT!!! MAN!!!

However.....after creating such "monsters" over a period of time myself and as I became more and more involved with designing actual pieces of commercial, industrial, laboratory, medical, military, telecommunications and video electronic equipment.....I began to look at general equipment designs differently and started to come up with ways to eliminate as much wiring and hand-soldering as could be possible. Luckily, since my background with designing electronic equipment was always a combination of performing BOTH the mechanical designs of various chassis/enclosures/housings > AND < all of the internal PCB-designs that went into my mechanical designs.....I started to come up with ways of using PCB-mounted components and PCB's in general to eliminate as much of the wiring within a piece of equipment as I could dream up!!! Of course, I would always need an entire completed schematic and then analyze it within my mind to come up with ideas and/or ways to design the internal structure of a new piece of electronic equipment with hardly any internal wiring.

NOTE: Doing this usually involved me having to leave the corporate office of whatever company I was working for at the time and sneak out to my car. Once I was inside my car, I would turn-on the A/C, put on some Pink Floyd, light-up a "doobie" and relax my mind!!! Once my brain started to relax, I would start to get "visions" of the inside of a chassis, what types of components (i.e., various types of connectors, switches, LED's, fasteners, etc.) and my mind would play "chess" with everything floating around inside in all manner of indescribable variations until I came up with a scenario where everything just seemed to "fall together". Then.....I would go back into the office, fire up my CAD-software and begin to create designs based upon my "visions". Actually, in all truth.....that's how I came up with the "novel and unique mechanical design of an electronic enclosure" that resulted in me being granted a U.S. Patent!!! NO KIDDING!!!

Looking at your photo down below.....I would have tried to specify all PCB-mounted switches which would work together on a PCB and then would have placed all of the resistors onto that same PCB. On the opposite side of the PCB, I would have placed either some MOLEX or SAMTEC connectors onto it and then would have created a small cable-assembly to jump from the PCB to the other PCB's within the chassis. Of course, if this project of yours was just a "one-off", then I can fully understand -- WHY -- you did what you did. But, if you had ever planned on creating even "a few" of these things, then a complete "deep-down" type of "re-thinking" of how this *could* be designed would save you many, many hours of assembly time in the future. And, I am only guessing that since it appears as though a lot of custom-designed PCB's are inside this chassis, that that could have been a great opportunity to have designed this piece of equipment with a more -- cohesive -- end result. I AM -- NOT -- FINDING FAULT HERE, OK??? This is just my own personal observation and thoughts.



As an example:

There's a "PCB PEM-standoff" that could be
used here.

However.....and I feel as though that this is a "BIG" part of knowing -- how -- to design the insides of a piece of electronic equipment.....is being -- knowledgeable -- about *WHO MAKES WHAT* when it comes to electro-mechanical hardware items. So, since I grew-up before the Internet even existed, I made it a personal point to obtain as many catalogs, datasheets, databooks and other materials on everything from "Adhesives" to "Zipper-tubing" (i.e., A-to-Z) on electro-mechanical components and hardware and I read > EVERY < catalog thoroughly, while remembering "WHO MAKES WHAT"!!! Over the years as I have sat in countless engineering meetings during the discussions of all manner of new product designs, the engineers in these meetings have always been surprised at me when I spontaneously spout off that something "could" be designed this way using "THIS, THIS and THIS" or.....it could be designed that way using "THAT, THAT and THAT"!!! The engineers stare at me and ask, "Just how do you know all of this"??? Well.....see the photo down below:

>> My personal "Technical Library" (3-tons or 6,000-pounds or 2,700-kg in weight)


Oh, well.....just my 2-cents (or, 2-schilling's') worth!!!

/

 

[TwentyTrees]

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience, lots of great insights here. As you rightly identify, these pieces are one-offs - I build what is interesting to me, based on what would be useful in my studio - but the wiring was indeed an absolute pain! For any kind of commercial activity, I agree that eliminating off-board wiring would be a priority.

 

[kingcredie]

Hi Linda,

It's a Neumann V472-2 dual line amp, racked up to work as a line amp, a mic preamp, or a 16-channel summing mixer. The various PCBs are functional blocks such as input conditioning, summing, power, switching etc.

Best,
Andy

Hi Andy,
You are warm hearted. Thanks for your reply.
Because I am a PCB and PCBA sales, I am very interested and excited in the products that need many PCBs. ^_^
Linda

 

[MidnightArrakis]

I'm trying to find a toggle switch I could use for a panel pcb that'll also have some pots in it but I want the switch to have that recessed look, like in the picture, and I think all the ones I could find still in production would protrude too much and just have the threaded part coming through. Anyone know where I could find some that would look like in the picture with pots mounted as well.

Were you ever able to get what you needed all figured out??? Here is an example of what "TwentyTrees" was trying to show you, only this may be perhaps a bit more clear for you to understand:


The panel seen on the far-right is your standard rack-mount front-panel. The little
round light-gray "doohickies" that you see are "Flush-mount PEM Standoffs". These
are press-fit inserted into the rack-panel and, in this case, are threaded for a #6-32
machine screw, which you can see over to the far-left. In between the PEM standoff
and the machine screws is your equipment "sub-panel". Obviously (I think), your
equipment sub-panel would have mounting holes that align and match-up with the
PEM-hardware and then you mount your project chassis to the rack front-panel by
using the machine screws.

Your on-screen avatar information doesn't show which country you are in, but the
PEM-hardware is available in both Imperial (English) and metric dimensions. I use
-- LOTS -- of PEM-hardware in all of my chassis designs. They're quick, easy and
they make designing equipment a whole bunch more easier to do as well!!!



NOTE: This is the front-panel "Front-View" and you can "see" the PEM-hardware and
how they are "flush" with the front-panel surface. However, "in real life".....the
sheet-metal shop fabricator can easily cover-up the PEM-hardware, assuming that you
either paint or powder-coat the front-panel:

So.....whaddya think???

/

 

[AshtrayWasp]

I actually started working for an audio company recently and have been learning a lot! They do use the PEM standoffs that you showed but I never knew their name, thank you so much for all the information and pictures! Now I just need to learn cad

 

[Gold]

It’s been my experience that PEM nuts need a punched hole to mount without coming out. They will not work in a drilled hole. They are not round enough. Unless you are punching the sheet metal they won’t work. As far as I can tell you really need the proper and expensive tooling to use these.