Case work?

[Fungi]

Where do I get started with case work? Obviously you get a case, drill necessary holes, and mount everything, but how do you pick cases and what kind of tools are necessary for plastic or metal?

[Spiug31]

if you aren't set on doing it yourself then front panel express may be worth a look.

http://www.frontpanelexpress.com

[bhjazz]

First off, what do you like? How about colors? Do you like wood, metal?

How about styling? Retro? Cool? Spacey?

Get an idea in your head of what your likes and dislikes are first. Browse through as many photos as you can stomach of DIY heapdhone gear. Some are amazing, some are not. Find some similar ideas then go to work changing it the way you would rather have it look.

Once you have roughted out the idea, and you can draw it too, if that helps, get back to the photos you've seen and find out what case was used and where it might be available. Lots of people ask about cases so be sure to read through the thread linearly. You are likely to find the answer. If you can't find the answer, ask around or ask the builder.

Shop online. Lots of crazy cool ideas out there, some not even sold in electronics stores. Shop locally.

As you begin to rough it out, begin matching what knobs and jacks might look good. There are hundreds of posts about knobs on these forums, so just search and search for them. They are there.

Once you have parts, decide how they could be mounted. In a straight line? Around a curve? Design it on paper before drilling.

Tools: Pencil, paper. Drill. Eyeballs (for viewing and searching). You can drill plastic as well as metal, but the drill speed needs to be slower with plastic ) or it will melt while you work. Read, read, read through the DIY forums. There is honestly so much already here.

I'll try to keep feeding ideas.

[Fungi]

Thanks, I was stuck in the "cases must be 'enclosures'" mentality, but you reminded me of the awesome creative cases, as well as the good old mint tin cmoy.

I don't have a background in tinkering so I don't know what tools to use that much, though. Will drills drill through aluminum without breaking it? Standard bit drills?

[thrice]

For drilling through aluminum a step bit is helpful as well as a tabletop drill press.

You can find step bits at a local hardware store, Unibit is typically what Lowes and Home Depot stock...they are available via online vendors as well.

Another option is panel punches. Greenlee makes some good ones. They are limited to one size per punch, so you need to get a few sizes and they are a bit pricey. But if you're going to do a lot of case work they come in handy.

[deepak]

Are there any services similar to FPE that will do engraved front panels?

[n_maher]

Are there any services similar to FPE that will do engraved front panels?

I haven't found any and when I've asked other folks about it the answer has always been that outside of FPE things get really expensive, really fast.

[thrice]

Are there any services similar to FPE that will do engraved front panels?

There is another company that operates similar to FPE. I keep losing the link and name, Justin pointed them out to me at one point. Apparently they will take FPE files as well. The guy running it used to work for FPE I think?

Something like that, I'll see what I can dig up. I've got to have a URL somewhere. However, the prices are probably similar to FPE, perhaps a little cheaper.

[luvdunhill]

Are there any services similar to FPE that will do engraved front panels?

try and find a local engraver that has a plasma cutter. People who do ceramic tile etching for custom installations usually have one, for example.

[deepak]

Good idea. Thanks guys.

[n_maher]

try and find a local engraver that has a plasma cutter. People who do ceramic tile etching for custom installations usually have one, for example.

The only issue I ever had with that approach is that a) you have to supply your own material for the panel and anodizing is your responsibility as well.

[luvdunhill]

The only issue I ever had with that approach is that a) you have to supply your own material for the panel and anodizing is your responsibility as well.

sorry, I meant to quote deepak's question