Banned
Joined 2002
I am also for reuse.
I only have limited amont of money. I go to place
where they demount old equipment. Price is nothing.
You can't imagine what you might find.
Some component items, have more solid, robust
construction.
The tendency to buy, use, throw away and
buy new, wasn't that dominant in those old days.
Therefor they were built to last.
I have found big IRF MOSFET TO3 transistors (well, only 8 of them)
sitting on large heatsinks for $1.
And a whole bunch of smaller stuff for $2.
Chassis there are more than you can carry home
for the price of a hamburger.
MRehorst,
we seem to be in the same non-business.
PS. Thanks for entertaining info on
MonsterCables' Director's ruthless policy,
against other small firms..DS
Quite fun reading.............
I only have limited amont of money. I go to place
where they demount old equipment. Price is nothing.
You can't imagine what you might find.
Some component items, have more solid, robust
construction.
The tendency to buy, use, throw away and
buy new, wasn't that dominant in those old days.
Therefor they were built to last.
I have found big IRF MOSFET TO3 transistors (well, only 8 of them)
sitting on large heatsinks for $1.
And a whole bunch of smaller stuff for $2.
Chassis there are more than you can carry home
for the price of a hamburger.
MRehorst,
we seem to be in the same non-business.
PS. Thanks for entertaining info on
MonsterCables' Director's ruthless policy,
against other small firms..DS
Quite fun reading.............
Banned
Joined 2002
I don't know where the chassis (chassi??? chassies???) are made, but the website belongs to a Taiwanese company. I wrote to them about prices a couple of months ago. I believe the response was that it would cost about $250, including shipping to the US for the PWAD-01. I think that's a pretty good price, considering the fact that heat sinks are included. I believe I remember the vendor also said that all cases are pre-drilled - could be good, could be bad....
by the way, I've been using 14-series cases from par-metal (3 and counting). They're attractively finished and the people there are very good about custom orders. John has indicated that he's willing and able to do custom work to customer specs. I haven't tested him on this yet, so I don't know whether he could do something as beautiful as the Pass Labs X-Series, but, I had him drill my first case and he was spot-on accurate. He also does professional slots for ventilation for $20 extra (cost actually depends on the number of slots, but that's what I've been paying). AND, he's built a few of his own amplifiers, as well.
by the way, I've been using 14-series cases from par-metal (3 and counting). They're attractively finished and the people there are very good about custom orders. John has indicated that he's willing and able to do custom work to customer specs. I haven't tested him on this yet, so I don't know whether he could do something as beautiful as the Pass Labs X-Series, but, I had him drill my first case and he was spot-on accurate. He also does professional slots for ventilation for $20 extra (cost actually depends on the number of slots, but that's what I've been paying). AND, he's built a few of his own amplifiers, as well.
I like to find objects that i can turn into chassis. I will recycle an old chassis if it fits my needs as well.
I tend towards aluminum since i can work it with wood tools. The chassis on my 5-Buck Amp is that case for an old SCSI-parallel converter for a scanner. When i'm in the 2nd hand store i keep an eye out for aluminum pans (often seen in old tube DIY articles) and other things that can be repurposed.
At Boeing surplus in Seattle i scored a length of 1/2" wall 8" square tube. My AKSA kit is going into a pr of 8" cubes made with this and some local BC wood (milled locally).
except for the AKSA kit and the rectifiers (the bridge shown was just easier to model) all the bits were surplus & in the lab.
If you poke around you will find some pretty nice examples of chassis work on this forum -- i have been particularily impressed with HPotter's work.
dave
I tend towards aluminum since i can work it with wood tools. The chassis on my 5-Buck Amp is that case for an old SCSI-parallel converter for a scanner. When i'm in the 2nd hand store i keep an eye out for aluminum pans (often seen in old tube DIY articles) and other things that can be repurposed.
At Boeing surplus in Seattle i scored a length of 1/2" wall 8" square tube. My AKSA kit is going into a pr of 8" cubes made with this and some local BC wood (milled locally).
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
except for the AKSA kit and the rectifiers (the bridge shown was just easier to model) all the bits were surplus & in the lab.
If you poke around you will find some pretty nice examples of chassis work on this forum -- i have been particularily impressed with HPotter's work.
dave
THAT'S IT
Comment:
Man has creative need, like Creation itself.
The fullfillness of forming things, makes him feel good.
To not make that would be to deny the source
of his existens.
When he looks upon his chassie,
he remembers fullfilling his purpose;
to be creative.
Let us be true to our mission.
groman
has created this -
have to be copied and spread
or else I'll get you some day.....
JoeBob said:A crappy chasis you build yourself looks better then any you could buy, or at least it seems like it to me
Comment:
Man has creative need, like Creation itself.
The fullfillness of forming things, makes him feel good.
To not make that would be to deny the source
of his existens.
When he looks upon his chassie,
he remembers fullfilling his purpose;
to be creative.
Let us be true to our mission.
groman
has created this -
have to be copied and spread
or else I'll get you some day.....
planet10 said:
That is an awesome chassis! Nice to live near an aircraft company and glom onto their surplus.
I am about to get going on a 4 channel amplifier and I'm trying to figure out the mechanical arrangement to hold the transformers and other junk without it all falling apart. I'll probably end up with a box simply because I don't have the tools to do it any other way. Maybe I can find a piece of large diameter aluminum pipe...
A while back I looked into putting together a class A amp using water to cool the output devices. I was going to weld a frame for the chassis out of rectangular tubing then circulate the coolant through the frame. The pump would be located outside the listening room and I'd use clear tubing to run the coolant (some of that flourescent green anti-freeze) to the pump and heat exchanger. I thought it might look real neato. Anyway, just another excessively ambitious project that got shelved...
Which CAD software do you use to do that drawing? I have used AutoCAD for years for exactly the same purpose- you can "build" the device without building it and make sure everything fits...
MR
MRehorst said:
Didn't do that one in a CAD package, I used Alias Sketch! a baby version of the bigger Alias packages, unfortuneatly it got shelved some 8 years ago, but i know my way around it. This model was just a quick & nasty, some of the stuff i have done where i spent weeks (instead of an hour) i am quite proud of.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Some other images (some of the theatre stuff isn't mine) and a large version of this one can be seen at the HD3D Movies site.
For CAD i use VectorWorks -- i abondoned AutoCAD early on because it is a very clumsy piece of software with a huge learning curve. And a big upside of VectorWorks is that for the price of AutoCAD you can buy VectorWorks & a Macintosh to run it on (it runs under Windows too, but you have to put up with Windows so you don't get to be as productive). PhotoShop & Illustrator also play a support role in all this work.
dave
Banned
Joined 2002
Dishwasher is no joking matter!
When I get in a piece of surplus HP, Tek, Heath or Eico equipment, I dismantle the exteriors and pop them in the dishwasher for a short cycle. The top and bottom of most HP counters, older DVM's (like the 3456) all slide back. I have known other ham radio ops who have put the entire rig (ok, a transceiver) in the dishwasher, then let it dry out for a month. I wouldn't recommend the latter step to anyone! <p> The best chasis "carcase" are from dead HP5328's -- and these abound for some reason. (HP must have built tens of thousands of HP5328's) These are quite sturdy, using a girder and frame type of construction. You can fashion side panels from light guage aluminum, and front panel from standard 19" rack panels.
When I get in a piece of surplus HP, Tek, Heath or Eico equipment, I dismantle the exteriors and pop them in the dishwasher for a short cycle. The top and bottom of most HP counters, older DVM's (like the 3456) all slide back. I have known other ham radio ops who have put the entire rig (ok, a transceiver) in the dishwasher, then let it dry out for a month. I wouldn't recommend the latter step to anyone! <p> The best chasis "carcase" are from dead HP5328's -- and these abound for some reason. (HP must have built tens of thousands of HP5328's) These are quite sturdy, using a girder and frame type of construction. You can fashion side panels from light guage aluminum, and front panel from standard 19" rack panels.
Re: Dishwasher is no joking matter!
When i was doing Pro Audio i ran into a tech, who on getting an old guitar amp for repair, pulled as many bits out as he could and then put it in the dishwasher. Not having a dishwasher i have never tried it, but certainly have some cantidates.
dave
jackinnj said:
When i was doing Pro Audio i ran into a tech, who on getting an old guitar amp for repair, pulled as many bits out as he could and then put it in the dishwasher. Not having a dishwasher i have never tried it, but certainly have some cantidates.
dave
Restoring "antique" radios is another of my too many hobbies. Some people who do that use the dishwasher to clean up chassis before they do a cabinet refinish.
I've never questioned them about whether they remove transformers first, or what sort of detergent they use (if any) but regular dishwashing detergent tends to make aluminum turn dull.
MR
I've never questioned them about whether they remove transformers first, or what sort of detergent they use (if any) but regular dishwashing detergent tends to make aluminum turn dull.
MR
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