While the target application is for electronics, there's a basic
machining question I'd like to see how people would solve. I do have
a solution, but more on that later.
In electronics, there's a need to build a box, variously sized, to
contain the project. There's various commercial options, almost all
of which are either ugly or expensive.
1) buy a plastic box with a metal or plastic lid. These are generally
in small sizes, and are not always the most attractive. Good looking
ones come in limited sizes and can often cost upwards of 10 dollars
each (all of this is in USD, btw). (think Radio Shack boxes)
2) buy a metal chassis and make something with it. If you can find
them any more, and they are rather expensive, highly rectangular, and
not always easy to use. There are more custom metal enclosures, but
they are often very rectangular, and very expensive
3)scavenge an old chassis or rack and make something from it.
4) without a metal break (but perhaps with a shear), make panels and
join them together. The manner of this joining is the main problem,
since it seems to require 3D angle assemblies to join a top and two
sides, and then repeat for the bottom and sides.
5) to make a sloped front box, often quite useful for test equipment,
you need sloped brackets, all of which are unique (think that the
bracket contains top and bottom corners and visualize the design).
NOTE: for a box made of panels, the advantages of this construction
technique are that the panels are flat, can be machined flat, and can
be individually modified without having to clamp a complicated
structure to a mill. If desired, the panels may be made of different
materials as needed.
My design would be a transistor curve tracer, a sloped front box with
a completely solid plastic sloped front and top. The display would be
behind the sloped (and smoked) plastic front, the power switch on the
back (perhaps), the transistor connections would be on the sloped
front, and the keypad for controls would be a through the plastic
(touch sensor, backlit). Sides, back, and bottom would be metal. When
it's done, I'll post photos.
So the question is: given the advantages of a sloped front box
(and/or a rectangular box if desired), or a combo rectangular box to
which is added a sloped front, how would you make one? Specifically,
I'd consider the method of joining the sides and the top/bottom.
There's the machining content. I think I've got a decent handle on
the electronics, which will be made mostly from some of my "off the
shelf" stock designs.
How would you solve the box problem? How would you package it
instead, if you wanted to package it differently? It's a benchtop
device, currently fitting in perhaps an 8" by 11" space, designed to
sit flat on a bench with the display at a convenient angle.
If you want the electronics specs, ask, but my concern at the moment
is to see how other people would build this, or a similar box. I'd
discuss the electronics design, but off list, please.
Harvey
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Posted by: Harvey White <madyn@dragonworks.info>
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