Potential Group Buy - Aluminium enclosures

[mr_push_pull]

any ideea if the distance between the upper and lower brackets is less than 88 mm (diameter of NCORE board)? I wouldn't want to use the plate because of the hassle of finding and fitting proper brackets. I'll want this to look as "factory made" as possible hence keeping everything that's related to manual machining at a minimum.

so 9th of March + 3 weeks lead time + up to 5 weeks for delivery from China (based on experience) means I shouldn't be expecting it at my door sooner than 20th of April.

that's very unfortunate as Orthodox Easter is on 15th of April this year and delivery times are much worse then (I once almost gave up on a part that sent from UK during that period, it arrived after one month and it normally takes less than one week).

[TheShaman]

Originally Posted by mr_push_pull

any ideea if the distance between the upper and lower brackets is less than 88 mm (diameter of NCORE board)? I wouldn't want to use the plate because of the hassle of finding and fitting proper brackets. I'll want this to look as "factory made" as possible hence keeping everything that's related to manual machining at a minimum.

112mm - 88mm = 24mm (= headroom you have removing NC400s diameter from the internal height).
I doubt the brackets are thicker than 12mm each but SR will tell us exact dimensions; they're following this thread.

Originally Posted by mr_push_pull

so 9th of March + 3 weeks lead time + up to 5 weeks for delivery from China (based on experience) means I shouldn't be expecting it at my door sooner than 20th of April.

that's very unfortunate as Orthodox Easter is on 15th of April this year and delivery times are much worse then (I once almost gave up on a part that sent from UK during that period, it arrived after one month and it normally takes less than one week).

I certainly hope we don't have to wait 5 weeks for delivery.

[mr_push_pull]

yes, I'd expect the brackets to be thinner. based on visual inspection they look to be ~10 mm thick. let's hope that the tolerances are low enough so that it fits there. side mounting seems to be natural with this case. that's hoping that the heat sink on the NCORE is easily removable.

as for postage... considering the estimated weight and the delivery price looks like it will be sent with the regular post. in my experience delivery with regular post from China/Hong Kong to Europe never takes less than 4 weeks and with the Easter I'm expecting much worse.

[qusp]

thats the press attachment I already have, its ok for rough work, but its not very sturdy or rigid and the press does not even have the possibility to come down in the middle of the crosshairs.... holes are not very repeatable etc, but it has its uses.

any way that requires the builder to puncture the walls to mount the internal floor is pretty undesirable for an enclosure like this with such clean lines, particularly when there is such an easy way to do otherwise, i dont think the folded way is the way to go, is it even any easier than drilling the holes? it would also mean on those 2 sides you would have 2 thicknesses to go through if you had a connector or something you wanted to mount on a front/rear panel. isnt it the logical way? it was the first thing i thought of and seems obvious to me.

i may still get one for the mcu as it matches pretty well another enclosure i have and maybe I could use another for an external psu, in fact i think this one was probably styled after the dac enclosure i'm using, which was initially designed for some class D amps funnily enough

[TheShaman]

Originally Posted by mr_push_pull

as for postage... considering the estimated weight and the delivery price looks like it will be sent with the regular post. in my experience delivery with regular post from China/Hong Kong to Europe never takes less than 4 weeks and with the Easter I'm expecting much worse.

Should be air mail. Hopefully SR will comment on this as well.

Originally Posted by qusp

any way that requires the builder to puncture the walls to mount the internal floor is pretty undesirable for an enclosure like this with such clean lines

The key here is not to drill a hole that comes out from the other side. The 8mm thick panels allow for that (the hole can be 3-4mm deep from the inside).
This is were a drill press or even a good hand-drill base come to the rescue since most have a "depth" setting.

Originally Posted by qusp

i may still get one for the mcu as it matches pretty well another enclosure i have and maybe I could use another for an external psu, in fact i think this one was probably styled after the dac enclosure i'm using, which was initially designed for some class D amps funnily enough

Life can be like that!

[mr_push_pull]

I already started looking for a drill stand. looks like these aren't expensive but finding a vice that can accommodate the 120x~160 mm side panels doesn't seem easy. securely clamping the panels into position is not exactly the least important issue...

[TheShaman]

Originally Posted by mr_push_pull

I already started looking for a drill stand. looks like these aren't expensive but finding a vice that can accommodate the 120x~160 mm side panels doesn't seem easy. securely clamping the panels into position is not exactly the least important issue...

You need to position the vice so that it'll be able to hold the panel sideways (only 8mm). Still, I don't think I'll even bother holding it with my vice.
With a center punch (to make sure the drill stays in place) and some cutting oil, an HSS 2.5mm drill bit pierces aluminium like butter. I should be able to place the panel on top of the vice (to bring it to the right height) and then hold the panel in place with my hand. There won't be enough torque generated to cause any trouble. I'll do a test in some scrap aluminium first, but I'm pretty certain.

[mr_push_pull]

I always use a center punch when drilling.
problem is that even if using it the hole seldom ends up exactly at the desired position. it's pretty easy to figure out why if you think about the mechanics of it.
the advantage that a drill stand combined with a vice/clamp brings is not only that the hole is perfectly perpendicular to the base and that you can adjust the depth but also that it's perfectly positioned.
maybe I seem a bit "too" perfectionist but this is a very nice case, I'd be a shame to ruin it even if only on the inside.

[TheShaman]

Originally Posted by mr_push_pull

maybe I seem a bit "too" perfectionist but this is a very nice case, I'd be a shame to ruin it even if only on the inside.

I know what you mean but practice makes perfect. I never felt it's actually that hard nor have I ever ruined a project - we have a bit of a tolerance with these stuff (~1mm off, or maybe more depending on application, goes unnoticed and doesn't affect assembly).
If you don't feel certain about it, practice on scrap aluminium until you feel confident.
And if you want to be totally perfect, find a CNC.

[mr_push_pull]

starting with a 1 mm drill bit and going up from there in small increments seems to help center the hole.
I want this to be my first "perfect" project