not Tek not TM515

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I'm thinking a case for China gadgets, I'm also still sadly without my first TM515.

China gadgets clearly don't need a backplane but if future world changes it's not bad to have one.
That TM500 series style would be fine but is it out dated?
At least pin spacing clearly is.

To keep it simple rows or columns shouldn't be more than 2.
L-shaped pins with only 2 aside feels less than optimal, like is expensive overall connection.
There should also be easily and less costly available protoboards.

Normal ISA-connector would be fine but how are those protoboards?
Passive backplane is also available somewhere but is it already too old?
At least powering it up would be easy but I don't like that 90 decrees orientation.

Maybe I'm just too far from today's PCB making.

Anyway, for now I'm looking Eurocard stuff or something DIY with pin headers, I just don't really like pin headers.
Empty TM506 was available but far away and with 9x item price shippment.

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One good choice for casing seems to be Subracks but cheap accessories sellers seems to be totally vanished.
Maybe it's just me and my ebay.

Few used Simatic backplanes were available but otherwise and around this continent the ebay seems to be pretty dead, Amazon is unknown.

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For now cheap China edge connector selection seems to be favoring old .156 spaced ones.
Couple years forward and situation can be totally different.

But if old TM500/5000 Series plug-in interface is enough then why not.
Just buy as many connectors as you think you can use, now and ever.

Double row header connectors are also available and most likely remain so.
Their long time problem is connectivity.
But you can always do a yearly maintenance day and scrape the surfaces.

Back in the day when computers had many sockets their connections were real problems.
Even more when every chip were socketed and qualities were not great.
That is definitely a thing you don't want.

Another problem with headers is power, they are really not for that.
And if you want to keep some pin naming standard of something that has a single power pin, pick another connector type.
You can of course combine bigger connectors to the construction but that is not going to help with bad connectivity of a header.

Ready made fingerboards seems to be a bit out dated and so expensive.
On top of this page is a solution, I've heard.
Maybe few new skills are needed but so, people can learn.

Generally my prediction is that the situation will geatly ease up in the future.
3d-printing will do all plastic guides and holders, if they are not already.
And aluminium plate milling and printing has been a regular thing for years.
Bar profiles are easier, you just need few and cutting in the work shop is trivial.
Problem with bars can be that supplier has only full ones, that's 6m here.
Nuts and bolts here are scaled hardware store stuff, they also have small screws, so Rittal is not needed.
Only thing still missing, or at least for me, is a concentrate of online shops of those.