Equipment Case Sources and Modifications

[engrguy42]

Okay, so I decided to take an old-er 600 watt ATX power supply and bench-ify it.

But I decided to do it a little different...I'm adding a plastic junction box that has almost identical H & W dimensions as the power supply. I'll just screw the box onto the PS, and the junction box has a removable front panel that just screws in. So the PS wires coming out of the PS case just go into the junction box and I'll attach a meter. selector switch for the meter, on/off, power LED, and lugs on the front panel.

Now a couple questions...

1. Is the only source for cases like this the Amazon/Home Depot electrical junction box market, or am I missing something? Yeah, I know Radio Shack died long ago but is there any remaining source for this kind of DIY stuff?

2. The largest pain has always been cutting square holes in cases like this. I hate it. So does everyone use a Dremel for this, or is there some other magic tool that does it better?

Oh, and a suggestion for anyone cutting holes in stuff like this....

1/16 inch is NOT 1/8 inch. I'm serious. The 1/16 marks on a ruler are the small ones, and the 1/8 is a LONGER distance than 1/16 inch.

So don't, for example, think your rocker switch is 7/8 inch wide when it's only 7/16 inches wide. 

Measure 12 times, then run it by somebody to double check, then cut once. 

Thanks.

[ChristofferB]

There are a lot of electronics vendors that sells enclosures, try Ebay too.

I try avoiding square holes if possible, but if not, drilling 4 holes and then hack sawing out the square can be done nicely enough if you're patient. There is also a tool called a nibbler that takes our little square bites.

[coromonadalix]

With an hacked atx psu  I would put some loads on the outputs,  some models need loading on the output to be efficient and stable, since they regulate with a load ...

Done that to an beautiful dell atx psu, and loaded all my outputs into 330 ohms 5watt  resistors, stable   and the fan inside  is automatically controlled

Drilled holes and used a square filer to adjust the square holes ... and used banana jacks with standard spacing on most psu's, meters ...  you have some dual banana holders adapters etc ...

[james_s]

There are loads of companies that make enclosures. I've used boxes from Pac-Tec, Hammond and another company whose name escapes me. If you search online for "instrument enclosures" you'll find all sorts of hits. Dozens of styles in all different sizes ranging from key fobs to large benchtop cabinets.

[engrguy42]

Has nobody used a Dremel or equivalent for square holes? If not I strongly recommend it, rather than drilling round holes and hack sawing and nibbling. Much much easier. And you can get a Dremel-type device for only around $25-50.

My only problem with a Dremel is it can make some gnarly edges that don't have that super-straight, machined quality look and probably need a bit of sanding. Though the Dremel comes with a sanding accessory.

I was just hoping there's some new device out there that makes cleaner cuts. 

[todd_fuller]

I’ve used Hammond boxes and they are good. Bud also makes good boxes.

For making holes, an oscillating multi tool works pretty good. Dremel, Fein, and Bosch all make capable versions.

[engrguy42]

I’ve used Hammond boxes and they are good. Bud also makes good boxes.

For making holes, an oscillating multi tool works pretty good. Dremel, Fein, and Bosch all make capable versions.

I thought those oscillating multi-tools were mainly for cutting stuff, like, flush with a floor. How do they cut square holes in a sheet of plastic? Or are you referring to the typical Dremel rotary tool with the round discs that can do square cuts?

[Skashkash]

+1 for a nibbler hand tool to cut square holes and lines.  Should definitely have one in the tool box if doing enclosures.  (that and a Dremel with a bunch of cut off wheels)

  But a nibbler is slow, and your hand will ache afterwards on any big cuts.

[engrguy42]

+1 for a nibbler hand tool to cut square holes and lines.  Should definitely have one in the tool box if doing enclosures.  (that and a Dremel with a bunch of cut off wheels)

  But a nibbler is slow, and your hand will ache afterwards on any big cuts.

What benefit does a nibbler have over a Dremel, especially for metal or heavy plastic enclosures?

[Skashkash]

+1 for a nibbler hand tool to cut square holes and lines.  Should definitely have one in the tool box if doing enclosures.  (that and a Dremel with a bunch of cut off wheels)

  But a nibbler is slow, and your hand will ache afterwards on any big cuts.

What benefit does a nibbler have over a Dremel, especially for metal or heavy plastic enclosures?

 Square corners, less chance of a slip causing damage to surface, less dust, noise, and risk of body damage. When cutting plastic, sometimes melting is an issue with a dremel.

  But it's just another tool. I use both a nibbler tool and a Dremel (and others). Which one I reach for depends on the particulars of the job. Nibbler seems to work better for cutting thinner materials. On thicker materials, nibbler just wont work.

Speaking of useful hand tools for help in enclosure fabrication / modification. 
 I also have a box of Greenlee punches in a bunch of shapes and sizes (including square and D shapes. But these get expensive.
 A #5 JR Roper Whitney hand punch gets a lot of use.

   


 

[james_s]

What benefit does a nibbler have over a Dremel, especially for metal or heavy plastic enclosures?

Nice clean, straight cuts that with just a little filing look like a professionally stamped holes. The results of a Dremel tend to look like shit, as if the hole was gnawed by a rodent. It's also far too easy to slip and gouge something or have the bit oscillate and make a mess. Also not sure how you'd get square corners with a rotary tool.

I tape a printed template to the panel, drill a series of round holes around the edges to take out the bulk of the material, then follow up with a nibbler and do a finishing pass with a file.

[engrguy42]

What benefit does a nibbler have over a Dremel, especially for metal or heavy plastic enclosures?

Nice clean, straight cuts that with just a little filing look like a professionally stamped holes. The results of a Dremel tend to look like shit, as if the hole was gnawed by a rodent. It's also far too easy to slip and gouge something or have the bit oscillate and make a mess. Also not sure how you'd get square corners with a rotary tool.

I tape a printed template to the panel, drill a series of round holes around the edges to take out the bulk of the material, then follow up with a nibbler and do a finishing pass with a file.

Yeah, no question you'll need a file to finish no matter what you do. Just seems to me that a Dremel gets you 80% there a whole lot quicker. Maybe I have a mistaken view of a nibbler, and not sure how that would work with a reasonably thick junction box plastic or metal. But hey, whatever works.

I just wish there was a small, handheld device that drilled a small hole, then dropped in a tiny saber saw blade device to make a straight cut. Or better yet, even something like a tiny drill press on a small table. Drill the hold, slide the blade in, and make a straight cut using a guide.

Maybe there's something out there.... 

[David Hess]

The largest pain has always been cutting square holes in cases like this. I hate it. So does everyone use a Dremel for this, or is there some other magic tool that does it better?

A small jig saw with a fine blade works well but you have to take precautions not to scratch the surface.  A coping saw works well if you want a manual tool; feed the coping saw blade through a hole and reattach it.

[engrguy42]

The largest pain has always been cutting square holes in cases like this. I hate it. So does everyone use a Dremel for this, or is there some other magic tool that does it better?

A small jig saw with a fine blade works well but you have to take precautions not to scratch the surface.  A coping saw works well if you want a manual tool; feed the coping saw blade through a hole and reattach it.

Yeah, I was thinking of using my jigsaw but I guess I assumed there weren't blades available that are small/narrow enough. Like a coping saw...

Maybe a combo mini drill press table with a coping saw attachment.....

Now you're talkin'....   

HEY I THINK YOU'VE GOT SOMETHING !!!

How about a micro band saw table thingy !!!! 

[todd_fuller]

Woodworkers would refer to that as a scroll saw.

[engrguy42]

Woodworkers would refer to that as a scroll saw.

Oh yeah. I just had a flashback to high school wood shop class 

Looks like you can get one on Amazon for in the $100-150 range.

Hmmm.....

Though I suppose you can only cut holes in something that is relatively flat. But looks like it would work nice if cutting out a flat front panel to install switches and meters. And you can use a guide to make them straight since it's on a table.

Coolness...

[engrguy42]

Oooooo....

Dremel Moto Saw. Only $90. Handheld/portable, or clamp it to a table. Nice

[james_s]

Yeah, no question you'll need a file to finish no matter what you do. Just seems to me that a Dremel gets you 80% there a whole lot quicker. Maybe I have a mistaken view of a nibbler, and not sure how that would work with a reasonably thick junction box plastic or metal. But hey, whatever works.

A nibbler is limited in the thickness it can do to about 1/16", however in practice I have found this to rarely be an issue. If I do need to cut something thick then I skip to other methods, like drilling out as much as I can and then finish up with a file.

[engrguy42]

I'm right on the edge of deciding to drop $90 on this Dremel Moto Saw thing, but I'm wondering if anyone who does a lot of case modifications can think of any negatives.

Seems almost ideal to me...you drill a tiny starting hole, feed the tiny saw thru, and maybe set up a simple guide (it comes with one) to make sure you have a perfectly straight cut. And to me the best thing is since the saw blade is so tiny it should work with any size square cutout you need to make. For example, I need a tiny square cutout for a 1/2 inch rocker switch, which might be tough with a Dremel or nibbler or just drilling holes. Especially with some thick plastic junction boxes. And heck if you need a big square cutout for a panel meter or something you can do it in seconds.

And if you look at the video you can do an accurate and clean cutout in seconds.

Am I missing something?

[rdl]

I have a Proxxon MF-70 mini mill. It can do lots of stuff but was expensive. Cutting this hole for an LCD is the very first thing I did with it. It's not perfect, kinda sloppy actually, but I honestly had no idea what I was doing at the time. The rounded corners are due to the size of the mill, for perfectly square you'd have to use files for that part.


(click for bigger)

[engrguy42]

Damn...looks perfect to me...

Nice.