i’m getting ready to make my own midi box project and document it along the way.. i have code to cnc mill the midibox_core_v3 module out on my homebrew linux controlled cnc mill. i’d like to offer the milled boards and kits on a small scale (might as well buy more than 1 cap or resistor at a time when i order) i already have the CNC code posted up on my website for anyone who wants to check it out. it’s standard gcode and it runs in EMC2 just fine. i’m just waiting on some blank pcb to start my project. i’m not looking to make myself rich with these pcb’s… i figure since i have the code and some extra blank pcb i’d share. here is the post with the g-code and a screenshot… http://ohiopctech.com/dp/?q=node/134
Well we already have smashtv and mike doing PCBs for the community… but if you’re doing them up and you’ve got spares… I dunno. It’s not my place to make a decision on this , so we should wait for TK…
In the meantime, would you mind telling us about your CNC? I’m pretty impressed and very curious
i don’t think there’s any problem with anybody selling their own pcbs, as long as it’s their own layout/artwork :). the only problem is we get them cheap from smashtv, with kits, and he’s a longtime member of the community. also people already know what to expect with the pcb quality. that isn’t a question of the quality of your work, it’s just that people tend to stick with what they know works.
with that being said, i’m doing a group buy right now for a pcb and a lot of them have been ordered. but the reason for that is because it’s a different pcb from what’s available. so maybe that’s the route to go? i simply made something i wanted for myself and decided to throw it out there to see if anybody else is interested.
lol, on the panels, i can do them but they would have to be made so i can engrave them in sections… the machine only can cut somewhere around the 3.8" x 10" range. i was thinking i could come up with my own modular case system and provide people with panels this way… if you guy can come up with a sketch or even a svg,jpg,png, bmp, gif or whatever of your panels i’ll cut them for you if you pay shipping. i have access to some awesome brushed aluminum sheet that would make sexy panels… remember i only have a 4" by 10" work envelope if you are wanting a panel… of course i could do half at a time of an 8"x10" panel or something of the sorts. hit me up with your ideas and i’ll see what i can do!
i’m glad you guys are as excited about the machine as i am ;) here is some info about the machine:
Oops..I guess I misunderstood what you meant by “engrave them in sections.” However, I will consider your services for future projects, if they are still available at that time. Thanks!
well i can do larger panels… only engraving half at a time.. then flipping it around to do the rest.
my problem with doing larger panels is the post that supports the head of the machine. larger panels would hit the post when the table moves back. (shoulda coulda built a gantry style machine)
is there any .dxf’s or plain old image files available for those panels that i could check out?
asafnetzer, shouldn’t be any problems with doing it this way… you can do half then flip it, make sure it’s square to the machine and clamp it back down… pick up a hole or line from the half you just engraved and tell the machine the hole or line’s location.. the hit go. i’ve done this many times on huge pc’s of steel on a larger cnc mill where the bar would be longer than the machine travel but requires holes the whole length of a bar. we’re talking thousanths of an inch tolerance here and i work in thousanths everyday! if someone can get me a layout of the panel i’ll do a sample and post pics of the final results.
if someone can get me a layout of the panel i’ll do a sample and post pics of the final results.
Below are links to the Front Panel Express files. However, I don’t have the ability to convert these to standard image files. One would have to purchase a filter from FPE to do the conversion. If anyone on the board has this ability, help us out!
– while i was looking at the files in Front Panel Express, i had an idea, where the red lines are could each be different sections with 1 hole in each corner mounted to some sort of thin frame with rivets or small screws. if it was done this way i could engrave almost anything on them as well as cnc the cutouts. no silkscreen step, just fill the engravings with paint.
- eagle does dxf export of the pcboards.. one may be able to pull dimensions off the components that way.
– one could also do a screenshot of the FPE window and convert the image to .dxf with inkscape. but this may not turn out very good as far as dimensions being right.
