Yes, of course it's cheaper to just buy a case, IF your project fits into a standard one. OTOH, it may even be cheaper to get a case custom made than to buy all of those tools, but in reality you don't need all of them. I have a situation where a standard case does not work and I'm debating what to do about it. I suppose I'll get a quote from Par-Metal, but the case I need for this project doesn't have to be really pretty. Even custom panel punching from Par-Metal is not cheap. There's a setup fee of $85 for each panel, for example.
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dirkwright,
That is why I threw in the caveat that if you need something special that would be good case for doing it yourself. If it is just something that will fit in a standard case then the effort is probably not worth your time. Now if you wanted something that wasn't traditional, say something that was rounded or unusual you are probably on your won. I really appreciate someone who goes outside the norm, that is what drives me in design, something that hasn't been done before. I prefer to call myself an industrial designer than an engineer, it gives me more room to be different. Dirkwright, go for it and swing for the bleachers, that is when we are proudest to show our work and do our own thing..
Steven
That is why I threw in the caveat that if you need something special that would be good case for doing it yourself. If it is just something that will fit in a standard case then the effort is probably not worth your time. Now if you wanted something that wasn't traditional, say something that was rounded or unusual you are probably on your won. I really appreciate someone who goes outside the norm, that is what drives me in design, something that hasn't been done before. I prefer to call myself an industrial designer than an engineer, it gives me more room to be different. Dirkwright, go for it and swing for the bleachers, that is when we are proudest to show our work and do our own thing..
Steven
Well, thanks for the encouragement but this particular project is just a simple industrial thing for the Texas Instruments PCM4222EVM evaluation board. It's an ADC that comes all ready to go, except for a box and a power supply. The problem is that they don't provide any panel layouts. Maybe they don't expect it to be put in a box. Others have dismounted the XLR and RCA connectors and put it in a standard box. I'd rather not do that. So, maybe I make a crude box myself.
dirkwright,
There aren't any small electrical enclosures that you could punch holes in and fit that small board? There seem to be many smaller enclosures that aren't intended for audio that could possibly fit your needs. Doesn't look like you need to worry about heat with that board, just a plain simple electronic box. They have some of those at Fry's for electronic projects.
There aren't any small electrical enclosures that you could punch holes in and fit that small board? There seem to be many smaller enclosures that aren't intended for audio that could possibly fit your needs. Doesn't look like you need to worry about heat with that board, just a plain simple electronic box. They have some of those at Fry's for electronic projects.
That is great news. It seems a bit toward the expensive side but looks like my best option. The appearance is nice and I like that one can get the base with multiple mounting holes and the heat sinks with multiple tapped holes. I bought a Hammond RM3U0808VBK for use to hold power transformers in a DAC upgrade project and thought that it might work for a pair of solid state mono blocks but I'd have to cut windows into the sides for heat sink contact. The Hammond box is only made of 6 pieces of powder coated aluminum that the buyer has to assemble. Why the heck does it cost so much when Hammond transformers and chokes which require much more work and art to produce sell for less? I wonder about Hammond's vision for such a basic product as a chassis. A nice versatile attractive chassis at a reasonable price would inspire people to build more DIY projects. People building more projects means that Hammond would sell more transformers and chokes and other companies would sell more capacitors and connectors etc. I've built with Hammond chassis and transformers several times. I've turned the ugly Hammond transformers and chokes into gems by taking the end bells off and having them powder coated and then clear coated and putting them back with brass bolts. You can barely notice the knock-outs on the end bells that they keep for conduit connections.
I think that the appearance of a chassis product inspires people to commit to a DIY project. I think that anything that reduces the drilling, tapping and hole punching for the end user is good for the whole process.
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