I've been exploring chasis options for an external crossover. My best idea so far is to go over to mouser.com, and buy a hammond aluminum enclosure, and drill some holes in it. Its gonna be time consuming to make your own, although probably not to hard if you can find some tools or a good shop.
No offense, but those Hammond's looked crappy to me, like cast-away junk for the diyer. I looked at pics of them and thought why doesn't someone make a real chassis that looks nice?
To make my chassis, I bought a used Schroff enclosure, or bought broken/nonworking items on ebay for cheap. Or else you can try a junk shop and come up with something better than Hammond. My Chipamp is a broken Kyocera CD player (bought for $20 on ebay) with a new front panel from www.frontpanelexpress.com.
You are on the right track. The chassis is usually the most difficult and most expensive part of the project, right up there with the heatsinks and xformers.
To make my chassis, I bought a used Schroff enclosure, or bought broken/nonworking items on ebay for cheap. Or else you can try a junk shop and come up with something better than Hammond. My Chipamp is a broken Kyocera CD player (bought for $20 on ebay) with a new front panel from www.frontpanelexpress.com.
You are on the right track. The chassis is usually the most difficult and most expensive part of the project, right up there with the heatsinks and xformers.
I wouldn't know about that - I am a veggie!
For a single channel GC, you can add a small heatsink at the rear and it will work fine. That's how my original GC's are set up and they run cool.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
But soon it will be possible to purchase aluminium pods through (but not from) DD. And it should be possible to run two channels of GC bolted to either side of a metal bar that is positioned inside the tube, with the tube acting as heatsink.
For class-T amps and DACs, there is no heat problem.
DIY Amp Chassis and costings:theChris said:
http://www.vikash.info/audio/gainclone02/chassis.asp
http://www.vikash.info/audio/tatca/
A very useful thread if you decide to have a stab at a DIY chassis:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=38200&highlight=
And Peter Daniel is the king of making innovative DIY chassis. Have a search for his stuff if you're ever short of inspiration...
http://magsy.net/headfi/gainclone
Or these, Mapower 5.25 drive enclosures. You have to make some sacrifices but they look quite good imo!
Or these, Mapower 5.25 drive enclosures. You have to make some sacrifices but they look quite good imo!
Check your local scrap yard! You can often find things there that can be used. I found a cell telephone antenna diversity amplifier in a very nice aluminum case and bought it for $1 per lb. I think I paid about $20. They had at least 20 of them stacked on a pallet- I wish I had bought all they had...
The side walls are 1/4" thick aluminum. The bottom plate (well, I use it for the bottom) is 1/8" thick, and the top side is a 3/8" plate covered with fins.
Here's a before photo...
I_F
The side walls are 1/4" thick aluminum. The bottom plate (well, I use it for the bottom) is 1/8" thick, and the top side is a 3/8" plate covered with fins.
Here's a before photo...
I_F
Attachments
Here's an "after" photo.
Yeah, I know. I not particularly talented in the finishing dept...
I used some of the holes that were already in the box, filled some with bondo, and drilled a few of my own. It now contains an LM3886 amplifier that runs about 30W per channel.
I_F
Yeah, I know. I not particularly talented in the finishing dept...
I used some of the holes that were already in the box, filled some with bondo, and drilled a few of my own. It now contains an LM3886 amplifier that runs about 30W per channel.
I_F
Attachments
You could try this
http://gaincloning.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/page7.html
Pictures of completed case...
http://gaincloning.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/page8.html
It works well, is big enough for a point to point integrated, and the cheapsink is easy to construct using plumbing parts (or use second hand CPU heatsinks )
Have fun
Owen
http://gaincloning.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/page7.html
Pictures of completed case...
http://gaincloning.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/page8.html
It works well, is big enough for a point to point integrated, and the cheapsink is easy to construct using plumbing parts (or use second hand CPU heatsinks
)Have fun
Owen
For UK constructors - I've just come across this eBay seller:
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Crazy-Parts
Suppliers of all sorts of metals, plastics etc., and they can fold chassis if required.
I must stress that I haven't used them yet (but soon will!) but they have a 100% feedback rating.
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Crazy-Parts
Suppliers of all sorts of metals, plastics etc., and they can fold chassis if required.
I must stress that I haven't used them yet (but soon will!) but they have a 100% feedback rating.
Just have to manufature a front panel of sorts.
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