Hi
I have been working on a suitable enclosure for the V2e usb-gpib adapter.
The results are attached. I am a fan of Art-Deco so the enclosure includes some simple aesthetic curves where they don't need to be.
I have used this as an opportunity to try learning FreeCAD. This was about the 3rd attempt at learning. The incentive to learn FreeCAD is to get away from free/fee paying CAD that could lock up all of my existing drawings at the whim of a marketing department. I have used many different CAD packages over many years, and FreeCAD has the worst UE/UI by far. The FreeCAD learning curve is more like a tall cliff. I can only imagine how many potential users have fallen away as they tried to do something simple. It could be that I am just a slow learner, or perhaps I have certain expectations based on my experience with other CAD packages, but doing simple things is incredibly difficult in FreeCAD. I have watched YT videos that take 15 minutes to explain how to copy/paste a drawn element to another section of the same drawing. It has taken far far far too long to draw up this enclosure.
I need to do a test print to make sure the enclosure works. The advantage of showing off the CAD on the forum is that the finish is perfect. Much better than I could achieve with an actual 3D printer. Any suggestions for improvements to the design welcomed.