Caiman - New Case?

[Carson]

I think it looks superb-upmarket without being blingy. Personally I would not go for wood on the cheeks. Dont put any more writing on-the name is enough.

Personally I think the wood sets it apart from consumer devices and gives it a touch of upmarket class.
It won't be fake wood or laminate mind you, it'll be a proper piece of smooth, stained hardwood. Exactly which hardwood though, I am not sure yet.

[tubehunter]

Hi

I like your design idea. I've just partly finished this case for another Tube/Dac project of mine using the Wolfson WM8740 chip and the DIR9001 reciever chip.
I've built many cases using different materials and joining principles.
This one uses solid Beech hardwood sides to give strengh to attache the other panels.
Top, bottom and back are 5mm clear acrylic with the front being a sandwich of 10mm clear and 3mm transparent blue.
The top slides off by running in grooves cut in each side. This gives quick access for moding etc.. and shows no join.
The build time for this type of case is very short but gives a good sturdy box.

Hope you enjoy and have success with your project.

[Carson]

Thanks for your input Duncan, and thank you even more for showing me your case and how its all held together. I like the ideal of the sliding top, though really want the top of my case to sit on top of the wood, rather that sliding in it.

Might have to get my thinking cap on for this one.

[Carson]

Minor update...

I have now finished laying out the front and rear panel designs. (Ie where all the holes need to go, recesses, etc)




You might be able to figure this out anyway, but the reason for the recesses on the rear of each panel, is to allow for components which you'd normally mount on thin panels, to mount on panel 10mm thick. This also leaves me enough space around the components to work with them when soldering wires to them, etc.

I am still not sure how I am going to put the 'Beresford' & 'Caiman' text onto the front panel. I can either:

1. Have them engraved into the panel and use the contrast of aluminium against the black panel to make them visible.
2. Get some aluminium/steel badge like things made to attach to the panel.

Finally, regarding the attachment of the front and rear panels to the wooded sides....I have had an idea.
Given that the front panel is 10mm thick, I could have some, say 8mm deep, holes drilled into the rear of the front panel (at the top and bottom on each side) and then threaded (with say M6 threads). Then in the rear panel, have some holes drilled straight through the panel in the same place. I then drill holes through the centre of the wooden sides so that 4 long M6 bolts can be passed from the rear panel, through the wooden sides and into the threaded front panel.

As long as the wooden sides are thick enough, that should provide a strong method of connecting the front, back and sides, whilst only having 4 bolts visible on the rear. For aesthetic reasons these would probably be black hex bolts.

Anyone think this is feasible? and strong enough?

[Jonboy]

The rigidity of the box relies on 4 m6 bolts that will be hard to source and probably have to be custom made, that diameter hole will be hard to drill at that length, you have enough thickness in the front facia to drill and tap as you propose, in the wooden side cheeks you could use inserts like Duncans(i presume) and an angle type bracket to fix the sides on the inside of the case, if you use a solid ali bottom plate this can be drilled and tapped to mount anything, counter-boring is another way of losing the head of the bolts mounting the base to the sides.
Duncans idea is a good way of achieving your case without to much engineering involved.

[Rare Bird]

Personally I think the wood sets it apart from consumer devices and gives it a touch of upmarket class.

O god yes you must have wood.I would well play with myself. Here given this a quick wipe down .

[Jonboy]

That looks nice Andre,

You could always form a rigid Ali box from sheet/Plate and have it tig welded, then either bond the wooden cheeks to the sides or bolt and then have a removable top either sliding likes Duncs or bolted/counter bolted down through.
How deep is your pocket or how good are your engineering skills, i did pass my CNC course but that was over 20 years ago and i havn't touched one since

[Carson]

My pocket isn't all that deep, I am a student after all....albeit in my last few months of being a student.
As for engineering skills, I'd say I'm technically capable. I haven't studied anything with respect to engineering since DT when I was 12. That is of course if A-Level electronics doesn't count.
I am however considered to be very technically minded by everyone I know, and have always had a keen interest in turning & milling metals along with CNC machines too. Just never had to time or money to buy and use such machines.

[Jonboy]

Hi James

Its giving my brain an excercise as well trying to think of ways for you to produce the desired effect with the tools and skills available, but if you can handle a verticle milling machine with a digital read out you will have no problems at all, it was over 20 years ago that i was an engineer of that type (working in a tool room) and havn't been on a mill or lathe for years, i'm in the though process of buying another lathe as i can justify it for my current line of work making obsolete parts, a mill would be the icing on the cake, any excuse to buy tools though

[Carson]

Jon, Its giving my brain a good work out too. Hiding as many of the fixings as possible yet keeping the structural rigidity is turning out to be a tricky problem to solve.

I'd love to get myself a proper lathe and milling machine. Also considered building myself a 3 axis CNC router or CNC enabling a milling machine.
(I've nearly bough a lathe a few times but then realised I dont really have anywhere to put it at the moment.)

I have managed to find some M8x220 roofing bolts which would fit front to back without an issue and wouldn't look too bad (there on the back anyway). They might need to be shortened a little, but that's a minor problem.
M8x220 Roofing Bolts
I'm still not sure though, if I could actually drill a 200mm deep hole 8mm in diameter straight enough through the wood, let alone 4 of them. Even with a pillar drill or lathe this would likely be a tough feat to accomplish.
What about drilling a 12mm hole through the wood and then pressing a 8mm ID, 12mm OD tube into the wood. Im sure a 12mm diameter hole would be far easier to drill at that depth.

The base will be 5mm aluminium plate painted black, so plenty thick & strong enough to fix the case sides to.