Chassis Discussion

Thank you! I will install this switch and I do not need the hole to be precise so I think I should be ok.

16mm diameter body vs. 18mm diameter switch face does not leave much margin for error with hand tools. By regular drill you mean hand drill, right? On thinner aluminum I usually reach for my stepped bit to make perfect enlarged holes for casework. Haven't tried that yet on a really thick front panel - the bit steps are not too wide. If all I had was a hand drill and a stepped bit and some little drill bits and files, I would probably drill from the front with the stepped bit to get the desired exact diameter and then hog out the hole so the switch body could pass through. Tape the front to protect the finished surface from spinning metal and get a helper for better visual alignment. If this is a bad idea someone will point that out.

BK
 
the bigger sizes are a very heavy load on the drill.
Don't use a trigger speed adjuster. That will overheat the motor.

Use a drill that has a gearbox and use the lowest speed you can find.

Use the tapered drill, or stepped drill, at the lower speeds, otherwise you will overheat the cutting edge and it will go blunt very quickly.
 
Thanks Jason and Jim. I'll definately purchase the deluxe 4U when available. Its high time for me to step up from ACA and various Bottlehead amp projects to build a real SS amp with a linear power supply. I can't wait! And of course, the plan is to dress up the top and the front of the chassis real nicely with some nice wood.
 
Switches things on and off again
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Is there a cheap way of getting these in Australia?

I would love to get my hands on a pair of the 4U/5U Deluxe for a balanced build (I am currently trying to decide between the F4 and Aleph J) but the cheapest shipping to Australia is more than $400!

Unfortunately not, USPS Priority is the cheapest shipping method and yes it's $200 per chassis. I don't think there is a cheaper way other than finding someone who will let you stick 2x15kg in their checked in luggage on a flight back from the US :)