I ordered one from mouser (~$45) and had FPE do the CNC stuff ($99)
The results:
The down side is that it is considerably thinner than the original plan calls for (1/16"/ 1.6mm) so blind holes are not an option. Orginally, I was planning on getting a lexan label made by maverick which would have windows instead of holes for the LCD and LEDS but with black hardware, I am thinking about silk screening. The label is not too expensive in quantity (~$30 @ 50pcs) though..
But here is the best part, I had hammond quote the whole enclosure with all the holes (front and back since they punch it before folding it) and with a black base (mine is blue) for ~$100 total. Their minimum order is 25 pcs and their is a flat $450 setup fee since they do not have the tooling for some of the holes (25 pcs @ 86.50 +$450 = $104 ea)
If there is enough interest, I am open to running a bulk on these. Lead time from hammond is 5 weeks
For everything that there’re doing, the price point seems more than reasonable. I’m game if you can get enough people on board.
I can also see some nice wood or aluminum end caps on this in the future…
Yeah, I did wood sides on my MB808 which is a very similar case (different size) and they look sharp. Ponoko has some walnut vernier stock that might work well for this and be really cheap to get made.
I would be interested in a case, particularly if you can arrange for silk screening as well. Do you have a photo of your entire case pieced together?
I’m still on the fence about screening vs a label. The label would cover up all the screw holes that would be visible if it were screened.
Those spacers could be glued on the inside of the panel->less screws…
Been there, done that, wont do it again. There has to be at least several standoffs screwed to the panel for it to hold reliably. For a board as long and large as this, the through hole/blind hole mounts that are on there are what is needed and the instructions add epoxied standoffs as additional support.
If I’m not mistaken I have that exact same case. I was planning on getting FPE to machine it when the other case option came up so I was planning on getting in on that instead since I like the form factor better.
My plan on the flat part on top was to put gate and CV outs, and/or maybe an audio in/out to sequence an SSM filter module.
Are you not a fan of engraving, or was it just too expensive?
At any rate I’m interested (path of least resistance!). Keep us posted and let me know if you need help running anything.
Oh, one more thing- how did you set the height of your LEDs consistently w/out a case?
If I’m not mistaken I have that exact same case. I was planning on getting FPE to machine it when the other case option came up so I was planning on getting in on that instead since I like the form factor better.
My plan on the flat part on top was to put gate and CV outs, and/or maybe an audio in/out to sequence an SSM filter module.
Are you not a fan of engraving, or was it just too expensive?
At any rate I’m interested (path of least resistance!). Keep us posted and let me know if you need help running anything.
Oh, one more thing- how did you set the height of your LEDs consistently w/out a case?
Thx,
C
I considered engraving but again, I wanted something that would hide the screw holes. I did my MB808 like this and it worked out well so I figured I would do the same here. For the LEDS, I just waited till I had the case to do it..
That’s a great idea to have Hammond do it since they can do all the machining before the panel is folded.
Another good thing is there is plenty of space for an on-board power supply (including center-tapped transformer for doing +/- supplies), 4xIIC MIDI modules, AOUT_NG, etc.
What would you have Hammond do for the rear? The design I was working on a while back included a DB-25 “expansion port” like on the MB-6582 for future expansion. When I get home I’ll see if I can dig out any of my drawings I started a while back on my plans for this case. To fit as much as possible on the rear panel I found some panel-mount USB extender cables, and I was going to use panel-mount MIDI jacks as well.
I’m sort of torn on the LEDs. I want to solder it all up and try out the SEQ with the AOUT_NG and an SSM filter module to (1) see if I can get it all working and (2) see if I like it before doing custom machining / whatever with a front panel.
Did you use standard 10mm spacers? The LEDs in your pic look a little low to me but it might just be the pic. I suppose I can probably just measure my MB-6582 LED height and shoot for the same height (plus/minus any delta for the difference in panel thickness) and then use spacers to get the LED height consistent.
Also, can you post a pic of your MB-808? Curious how it came out re: your above comments.
