where to buy Chassis - project enclosures

[eclectic2k]

Hi all,

I couldn't find any real good leads on this. (maybe coulda put this in the parts forum, not sure...) I really would like something a little nicer than the plain Hammond boxes. Par-Metal seem nice, but thought there might be some better (prettier) alternatives. I did some searching and have found a little bit... (could be I'm search challenged as well - I welcome all pointers)

here's what I know:

--- ATI Research Company Limited
--- www.atiresearch-anodized.com
--- Out Of business - so says an email from Arthon in reply to price request. Despite that the website is still up. They had some very nice cases.

DIYEnclosures. - seems great, though maybe a little limited for now. Waiting to hear more on this as he's out of stock of most things. Maybe keep an eye on partsconnexion.com? Haven't seen a posting from him in a while...

Hammond- plain metal box
par-metal - better, still more of an industrial product aimed at test equipment.

also, it seems frontpanelexpress.com is popular for customizing aluminum panels with holes & graphics.

-----------
In particular I'm looking for something in a "normal" audio rack equipment size for a classD amp. No huge heatsinks, but some good venting. Basically a nominal preamp/integrated size chassis. (DIY-enclosures maybe my best bet right now)

Anyone have good sources for this stuff? (besides old amps on eBay

Thanks!
-Chris

 

[audiosteve]

Another good source. Very nice stuff:

http://www.lansing-enclosures.com/

 

[eclectic2k]

Thanks audiosteve,

they seem to have some nice cases. That's the kind of stuff I'm looking for.
that reminds me, for small projects, extruded enclosures are nice. Hammond has a few extrusions and web searches turn up more sources.

still seems hard to find nice 2U rack size enclosures.

Sometimes I think it would be nice to have something a bit retro like the Amplifier Research style (RF amps) - we have a few of these at my work, I always think they look kinda cool
http://www.arww-rfmicro.com/images/products/5S1G411.jpg

Thanks!

 

[farl]

Try this....
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230260570941&ssPageName=ADME:X:AAQ:US:1123

 

[Mooly]

Don't know if these are available on your side of the pond, but they look fantastic. www.modushop.biz
Not cheap though

 

[dnsey]

There are some interesting enclosures sometimes available from second-hand test gear dealers in the form of faulty items sold off cheap. Similarly, your local hospital might sell off unwanted equipment to the highest bidder. In both cases, you'll also get some interesting and high quality components.
Alternatively, you could always make your own boxes

 

[eclectic2k]

Thanks for the pointers!

Farl, I hadn't had too much luck searching eBay, but that link was a great starting point. It's all in knowing how to narrow the search it seems.

Modushop has some nice stuff & the prices really aren't that bad. Problem is, shipping charges double or triple the price. So that's not so good for me
I'm really surprised there isn't more "this side of the pond"

dnsey, I was thinking about the second hand test gear. both local and ebay. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out, but its a bit of a crapshoot. -- Make my own boxes... yeah Part of me wants to, the other part of me realizes that:
(a) I'm a bit less than a superior craftsman/fabricator (or I need better tools)
(b) I don't have the time at the moment...

it really looks more and more like I'll just go for par-metal. They sound to be quite good if a little plain, and not too expensive.

FWIW, here is a list I stumbled across on another forum. Some of these are very nice. I may have to check them out, if not now, then for smaller extruded cases and such later on. (slightly modified):

http://www.par-metal.com/
http://www.hammondmfg.com/1455ptblb.htm
http://www.lmbheeger.com/index.asp
http://www.lansing-enclosures.com/index.html
http://www.diyenclosures.com/
http://www.protocase.com/
http://www.contextengineering.com/
http://www.hexateq-av.com/standard_enclosures.html
http://www.tekoenclosures.com/enclosures/19.htm
http://www.thlaudio.com/casebpwrE.htm

Thanks again, and keep the pointers coming if you know of anyplace!

 

[fredlock]

You might want to check this site too,

http://www.thlaudio.com/indexE.htm

The disadvantage is, it's coming from Asia which will take long and will cost more money on the shipping and handling. They have a lot of selections though and they're also selling electronic parts.

 

[kevinkr]

The old Sescom chassis boxes aren't bad and are very reasonably priced. Available now directly from the manufacturer:

http://www.wolgrammfg.com/products/default.htm

Very easy to deal with, browse their site, make your list, call - you'll have them in a few days. Very happy customer with no affiliation.

 

[xaudiox]

more:

http://www.vt4c.com/shop/program/main.php?cat_id=1032&group_id=2
http://diyclub.biz/catalog/index.php?cPath=1_249_154_138

 

[eclectic2k]

Thanks...

Thanks to everyone for all of the replies.

There are some nice chassis available out there. Many of those coming from HK are specific to some designed purpose not quite right for my current needs... though I'll certainly be keeping an eye on them for future projects ;-)

ATI research was likely my first choice, but out of business. DIYenclosures was it seems my second choice, but effectively out of business until he gets his business sorted...

For now I've gone ahead and ordered a par-metal 20 series chassis. With 3/16" front + some holes & other bits, it came to ~ $120 + shipping. Not bad at all, and it seems for now to be the most "local" solution I could find (USA)

So, Thanks for the info! Feel free to keep it coming if you know of someplace good. There will always be the next project!

-Chris