DIY Mic Pre Kits, Lunchbox Mic Preamp Kits, Power Supply Kits

Ah, rats.

Well, even 8 with meters would be pretty snazzy...and useful.

I suppose 4 with ALL the bells and whistles would be right up there, too.

Don't let me forget that I need to order two more SC-1s soon. I've got to finish filling up the case I already have.

Scott

I hope to build a prototype of a 4 ch, 2u rack case with all the "toys" installed. Just so we can have a real working prototype and get an idea of how it will look. Would be cool to take photos of it too.

But I don't have the latest IO-module prototype PCB tested yet.... too busy with other stuff. (got bogged down working on the DC-DC converter).

I need to get some practice time on my CNC this weekend. Would like to get practice milling some MDF before I jump into aluminum front panels. I think this gives me the potential to really create one of a kind, and custom front panel cases.



When do you want to be reminded? Middle of the month? Thanks for the support!

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Since I'm sticking 8 in a 2u, rack I thought I'd throw this in. Each SC1 is a little over 20mm high, min spacing between 8 units in a 19" rack is 48mm. This leaves you less than 28mm for the secondary unit.

(This, of course, is just for the density I like. A typical rack has a 410mm wide area for controls (say rear or external on/off). If filled, this is 51.25mm per channel. My focusrite saffire is a bit under 440mm, or 55mm per channel.

See http://fivefishstudios.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=162 for my 8 channel. I'm about to fix the front and rear panels with labels so I'll have new photos in a day or two. Then waiting for the secondary pcbs to arrive. I'm not putting in trafos so there's plenty of room for me.)

Off spec, the low profile cinemag input Ruel used will just fit (at 27mm) but the output (at >41mm) definitely won't. The IO module will fit without them (about 22m), but it'll be a tight squeeze and may look funny (with odd offsets - small knobs are a plus here) but probably won't fit with the meter unless you're filling a wide unit (about 14-16mm, nearer 10mm if you replace the pot with resistors, hard wire the jumpers and flatten tall components). Of course, you can use the IO module and mount the trafos behind the cards.

If Ruel can get you some drill templates for the IO and LED units (and some top-bottom distances with the drill offsets) since all mine are approximate, the best is sticking it in CAD and seeing if you can get a decent looking frontplate. I'm using Solid Edge 2D, which is free, but easy to use and does multiple layers, which is good for this sort of design work.

James

Nice post James.

I'll get the hole template for the IO-module (same as MINI-IO module) and the VU meter module ASAP, and post it on the forum.

Hey, thanks for that link to that Solid Edge 2D cad program. I'll check it out.

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I'm trying to figure out a proper layout for a 2U Par-Metal faceplate for 4 SC-1 preamp channels including IO modules and VU meters for each one. I figure the IO module and VU meter should be next to each other since they have mounting holes that match up. If everything is mounted horizontally, the IO module could go on the bottom, the VU meter above it aligned along the left edge and the preamp itself on the top. I haven't figured out how I would anchor everything if I tried it vertically. Let me know what you think.

Do you have any suggestions for spacing? Either how far apart each of the 3 components should be from each other or how far each channel should be from one another? I'm hoping you might have roughed out an estimate at one time.

You can buy or fabricate an L-bracket. Keystone at Mouser.com have L brackets of various sizes. You can mount the L bracket to the bottom panel, and screw the PCB to the other leg for a vertical mount.

For spacing, SC-1 pres being near to each other is okay/fine. Not a problem. What you have to watch out for is the toroidal power transformer. Locate it as far away as possible in a corner... and take care that AC power wiring doesn't come near any signal carrying wires.

you can also do the toroid-rotating trick the fine the smallest amount of interaction between the transformer and preamps. Sometimes you can totally eliminate almost all ac power hum.

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After a second attempt, I think I have a pretty good layout with all 3 parts stacked top to bottom. I might go back and see how they look and fit side by side. Too bad I sacraficed a panel to do this. Oh well, I'll just have to get Front Panel Express to make a decent one for me once I get everything right. I'll have to be patient and learn how to use their panel design program.

I keep looking over the CNC machines on the Instructables site. I'm interested in making one to do the holes and a smaller one to engrave panels. Have you tried engraving with your CNC and if so, how did it turn out?

I've tried doing test engravings using a V-cut bit. But haven't tried doing letterings with them.

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