Possible new case option, without needing Heidenreich group buys

[julianf]

EDIT -

I have asked people to confirm their interest in this project.  The following members have confirmed (with their email address) - 

 

 

If your name is not above, and you want it to be, please pm me with your details.

I have to order in the rails for these.  I will not over order, so, please, if you want a unit, make sure your name is above!

 

 

 

Because i make panels for people’s Heidenreich cases, I’m aware of the trouble and expense of getting hold of the chassis units.

A lot of us also lost money with Marco’s issues.  Basically, its never been an ideal situation.

 

Below are some photos of something i have been working on to get around the issues above.

 

[jaytee]

That looks fantastic. I am not usually a fan of exposed screws on wooden parts, but I actually really love those chunky end-nuts you put on there.

Estimated price?

[julianf]

Thank you.

 

The chasiss will be cheaper than the existing Heidenreich unit, but, whilst there will be no minimum order quantity from me, it will also depend as to how much general interest there is.  

 

For example, one supplier charged me GBP 25 delivery - but i think that if i had purchased double, the delivery would not have risen.

If people are keen, i will also look at different wood options.  The ends in the photo were just some wood i had about here, but maybe a hardwood might be nice too.

 

 

re: the nuts - 

 

When i got them in the post, i rushed to fit them… but was then disappointed!   But, the more i see them now, the more they grow on me.  I think that they would be bad with metal, but with the light colored wood, i think they (probably!) work.

 

 

[jarvis]

That looks great, definitely interested in one!

How do the panel and extrusions interlock? It seems to be friction fit and all held together by the side panels. Or are there blind screws where the panel and extrusions overlap?

[julianf]

The inner faces of the wooden ends are CNC profiled.  No edges of any of the panels are visible - they either fit into grooves milled into the wood, or into the extrusion.

The only way to remove the panel would be to remove the bolts.  The only part of the whole design that relies on friction is where the bolts work against the thread, and even they are nyloc, so they will never loosen by chance.

 

 

[slo]

Nice job, maybe the nuts could be recessed a bit with the thickness of those end cheeks it looks like they could take a little routing. But I have to question the viability of this project with no wilba front panels PCB’s available, (I don’t know if or when Tim is going to restock) and   just around the corner, you might be left behind.

[jaytee]

Yeah the V4+ is leaving me in a quandary. On the one hand, it looks awesome and will probably represent the new “standard” SEQ build. On the other hand, if the Wilba CS PCBs every come back into stock, I’ll be pretty hard-pressed to opt out of a build that is documented and ready-to-go, as opposed to the SEQv4+, which is still being planned and is not guaranteed to ever see the light of day (no offense to those working on it, I have faith in you! I’ve just also seen a fair number of ambitious MIDIbox projects proposed and get tons of attention before ultimately being dropped for being too ambitious).

But don’t recess the nuts! Go big or go home!

[julianf]

re: changing builds (v4+ or user customisations, etc) - 

 

After finishing up the case in the photos above, i realised that, once id got the build straight in my head, done the CAD, and run a few prototypes, i could adapt the case without so much bother.

 

I’m currently building myself a Klee sequencer, so i thought i would use the design for that also.  It took me less than a day to rework the CAD and cut new parts, to end up with this - 

 

 

 

In case its not clear, that is a 4u panel on the top.  I forget, without looking at the files, if i altered the angle on the top or not, which would affect if the rear panel was the same height or not…

 

…but my point is that the design is flexible, for example, if someone wants custom I/O on the rear panel, different wood on the ends, different anodising, or infill on the top, etc.   Or, if they want a 4u panel for one project instead of a 3u panel for another!

[latigid_on]

I think the cases look fantastic and it’s a good “full solution” rather than the half measures of 19" or desktop panels as has been the case for almost 10 years. They should be a lot sturdier than Heidenreich’s.

As mentioned elsewhere, the back panel is outdated. I’m currently working on a PCB set that could help for modern implementations, even if people wanted to use the Wilba version over the V4+. When this is ready I’d be happy to share the dimensions in case people want to go this route.

As far as “seeing the light of day” I think the risk is more on people like Julian and me, as the activity levels of the MIDIbox community seems to dwindle over time. Of course, maybe there are a lot of “silent” members or it just requires projects to come out of the shadows first. That said, I’m designing something that I would like to use, which is motivation enough!

 

[julianf]

I completed both the buchla style klee case and the midi box case, and posted them both on the internet together in the evening.

By morning, the midibox case had received 11 views, and, i think, one comment.

The klee case was on a facebook group, so i have no idea as to the views, but it had 40+ likes, and a whole load of comments.

 

 

Things just are not busy here.  I do not think there are that many lurkers either, or the forum “view” counters would go up faster.

 

I dont know if this is desired or not.  There have been times in the past where there has been poor feeling toward me here, i assume, because i am seen by some (one?) as parasitic, but i think the days are gone where a project can sustain in any real numbers at all whilst still being convoluted in its implementation.

 

Take the euro stuff on muffwiggler - people sell pcbs, with a front panel, with a “click to purchase” mouser shopping cart.  All the end user needs to do is get out their credit card to acquire all the parts in one go.  The whole purchasing segment probably takes them less than 10 mins.

 

And then the seqv4 - go on a group buy waiting list for the  Heidenreich case.  Buy panels from me, or FPD.  Wait for Tim to have the pcbs in.  Shop for components all over.  And that is before even turning on the soldering iron.

 

Its fine to think that the builder should have to sustain that - that its all part of the DIY experience.  But, i think, the reality is that they simply wont - at least not in any significant numbers.

 

 

I’ve done my bit - there is now a case option, all be it with a dated back panel (but, again, the case is modular, so that could be changed at any time) but, still, if someone wanted to build it from scratch, they would encounter other bottle-necks.

 

 

It was sad to see a for-sale post the other day from someone who had built a device here, and was basically selling it as (rightly or wrongly) he felt the support so lacking.  Busy projects with greater numbers of posts are great for support.

 

 

[Smithy]

Excellent work Julian!

Quick question. Is JB-Weld still required for mounting the pcbs to these panels?

As much as Wilba was a great desginer, I’ve always hated his choice to use a form of glue just so theres less screws visible.

I am keen to build a JB-weld free SEQ and hopefully there are others out there keen to do the same so theres enough interest for a jb weld free variant.

[julianf]

Personally, i have no aversion to stainless steel allen cap heads, so, for a long time now, i have just cut the panels with through holes.

 

…so, yes, the screw heads will be visible, but i think that is a small price to pay for a stable build.

 

I do not have a mbseq photo to hand, but here is a x0xb0x with allen cap bolts - 

 

 

I have no issue with them.

 

The bolts on the sides of the mbseq case above are stainless steel, so, choosing some similar stainless bolts will just tie all the sections together visually also.

 

 

[Altitude]

let me know if you need a hole layout for the new core, I have a proven panel. 

You need to drop the legacy core..

[Smithy]

5 minutes ago, Altitude said:

let me know if you need a hole layout for the new core, I have a proven panel. 

You need to drop the legacy core..

That would be perfect man! Im reluctant to fiddle with fpd files in case i f*ck it up!

[julianf]

1 hour ago, Altitude said:

let me know if you need a hole layout for the new core, I have a proven panel. 

You need to drop the legacy core..

Yeah, that would be cool.  Can you attach it here for discussion?

[sineSurfer]

Hi Julian, cool cases!
btw. just recess the socket cap screws into the wood, it looks great and holds everything just the same. I took the idea from the sides of a  KorgMS200, buth they used phillips screws, not as cool.

[Altitude]

Ok, sorry for the delay.  Here’s my backpanel with the holes for the current core, midi IO, line driver and IIC module.  I removed the 3.5mm jack from the discovery board.

 

[seqV4 2015 TP final 9Oct15.fpd](< base_url >/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=13303)

[julianf]

Thread revival - 

Now that the CS boards are available again, im wondering if i should be making some of these cases?

 

Anyone interested?

[jaytee]

Now that PCBs are available, I definitely plan to build a SEQv4 once I have the money to start collecting parts. No idea when that will be. So yes, very interested in a case, but unsure when I would want to buy a case.

Can you give us a ballpark as to the cost of one of these cases? I know you said cheaper than the Heidenreich and that it depends on how many people order, but I don’t know how much the Heidenreich cost. Are we talking $30/case? $300?

[julianf]

I think that i charged GBP 140 for the test unit in the photos  with  the panels.  Production units would probably be more like GBP 170 ish, again, with the panels.  (maybe a little cheaper if i could make / sell even a handful together - but my intention is to get away from rigid group buy restrictions!)

 

I think the last run of the Heidenreich cases ran to GBP 110 or 120 each without panels, so i would like to think the inclusive price above would be attractive.

 

The case is (not exactly) a loss leader for me.  I would rather just sell the panels, but, id hope, the availability of a cheaper case (that does not require awkward group buys) will enable more builders to complete the device (and, hence, generate more panel sales!)

 

There are a couple of ways that i have considered to reduce the cost further, but they require volume, and i would rather provide this option now, rather than make promises for the future.