From batzman@apanix.apana.org.au Wed Dec 21 09:32:43 1994
Date: Wed, 21 Dec 1994 23:09:34 +1030 (CST)
From: Batz Goodfortune <batzman@apanix.apana.org.au>
To: Tom Moravansky <tmoravan@netcom.com>
Cc: Tomy Hudson <thudson@globalvision.net>,
    analog <analogue@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Subject: Re: Cheaper solutions

Y-Ellow All.
	OK so I'm a new face on this list. I've been lurking about a week.
If I'd had known you people were around I would have joind ages ago. 

OK a little Back ground. I've Built an entire Digital/Analogue studio from
scratch. Most of the equipment I've designed and built myself. Including
Noise reduction, Noise Gates, Mixers, Midi Matrixes, the whole shabang.
Along with some pretty weird processor units. 

To do this I've had to work out cheap economical yet reasonable looking
front pannels etc. Ok so this is how I go about it. 

I use a realy nasty DOS bassed drawring package. It's not even a real
drawring package let alone a CAD package. Actually I think it's a realy
anchient DTP package. Uses printer dot commands et all. The thing is that
it's fast and I've been able to build up libraries of front pannels dial
markings with it. (I also use this for schematics but that's another
story) 

Ok So I design what I think is a good looking front pannel on it at a 1 to
1 ratio. My printer prints at 180dpi max but that's OK. I print out this
paper pattern and glue it to a bit of thin aluminium. That gives me a
drilling template. I drill the holes but often I need V-large holes,
square holes and slots for slide pots etc. For large holes I use a tapered
reamer. For squares I use either a Chissle (Yea a Chissle) like a punch or
a cheap and nasty nibbling tool. It's not too hard from there to file the
edges reasonably clean. Even so it's not al that important as long as
there's no bits of aluminium that will break off and get into the circuitry. 

One all the front pannel components are confirmed to fit I re-print the
paper pattern complete with dial markings. At this point I can do a number
of things. For example. I could colour it in with a textacolour or other
felt tip marker/highlighter. Or I could go the whole hog and get it
photographically reversed so that it's White on Black. This looks cool but
adds to the cost. (only do this if your gear is gonna turn up at parties)
The finished product is then taken and what is called "HEAT PRESSED" this
is kind of like laminating but it results in a stippled flat finish. IE:
It's not shiny or reflective. However it gives the paper a Plastic
coating. Finally I cut the finished product to shape and glue it down to
the aluminium. 

This now looks about as professional as you can get. 
However if you are putting pot nuts and washers on the front pannel it is
advisable that you cut the paper around the size of the washer. Upon
tightening the nut it will tend to tear the paper generally ruin the
finish. 

If you want to put tiny knobs on the front pannel I suggest you make a sub
pannel. You can use a copy of the original paper template for this and
bolt the pots and stuff to the sub pannel. It realy looks cool because you
cant see any of the fixtures. Only the shaft poking through. Works realy
well with C&K switches etc. 

Another trick is to use 3mm counter sink bolts. (or 4-6BA bolts) Make some
counter sink holes in the aluminium and Araldite the bolts in place such
that the heads are flush with the front pannel. Sub-pannels with all the
components mounted can be intern mounted to the screws with spacers. You
can then glue the front pannel markings over this an no-one can see any
screws or fasteners what so ever on your front pannel. 

The Big key here is Standardization. If you decide on using all the same
size screws and bolts or a range of them then you can buy them in bulk.
Doesn't matter if it takes you 10 years to use them all up. You can
happily build custom front pannels of any shape or size (including 19"
racks) and know that basically they will all go together the same way.

They are quick to make. You can make more than one because you have the
design as file(s) on your computer. And they look very respectable. 
Often I'll mount low-movement momentry switches and LEDs behind the pannel
itself. All you see is a flat pannel with dial markings which light up if
you touch them. Instead of a sub-pannel it can be a circuit board with all
the LEDs, Switches and pots mounted to it. This bolts to the front pannel
in the same way as described above.  
   
These days I never make Kits. I go straight from the circuit to finished
product. I take whatever part of a circuit I like, Re-design the bits I
don't like. Then build it and install it. That's assuming I've started
from someone else's circuit at all. 

You don't wanna Know how I make custom one off boards. Ever tried to wire
a 60pin CMOS SMD by hand? There's an art to it. :-)

Well I hope this has been of some help. If not just Flame me.

 _____________________________  __________________________________
|    _ __        _            ||      Batz J Goodfortune          |
|   | "_ \      | |           ||            of the                |
|   | |_)/  __ _| |_ ____     ||     ALL ELECTRIC KITCHEN         |
|   |  _ \ / _` | __|___ |    ||     Heavy Silicone Music         |
|   | |_) | (_| | |_  / /     ||                                  |
|   |_,__/ \__,_|\__|/ /      ||     Direct from Tumbolia         |
|                   / ,__     ||                                  |
|                  |_____|    ||   Adelaide South Australia       |
| batzman@apanix.apana.org,au ||     voice +618 356 4081          |
|_____________________________||__________________________________|

DISCLAIMER: I'z Callz 'em as I'z Seez 'em


