Check out this sweet enclosure ("frickin LASERS!")

[andrew_k]

Last night I met up with fellow DIYStomper Darron to unleash his crazy laser printer thingy (that I quite clearly don't understand... Darron can answer questions on that one ) on some PCBs and a 1790NS for my neovibe.

Better pics will come when the clear coat has cured and I've fitted the already-finished circuit into the enclosure. I took this pic at about 1am and it's pretty hard to photograph the finish. Snippets of the three PCBs we did are visible to the right of the enclosure.


Larger version.

The registration is off because I was sloppy doing the artwork/template. I don't care, it still looks kick-ass 
Darron sprayed 3 coats of black, gave it a bake in the oven (which smells great, definitely recommended for cooking food. NOT) and then sent the 600dpi image from photoshop to the printer via a windows printer driver. The white/silver areas are the polished aluminum showing through where the laser cuts through the paint. The same laser printing can be used for precise masking for enclosure etching. We were going to do the traditional enclosure etch, but Darron suggested we try cutting back the paint instead and I'm glad he did! Wanting a univibe is the reason I got into diy effects and I can't wait for this to take pride of place on my pedalboard.

If anyone in Aus. is after any precise work like this, I can't recommend Darron enough, he is very professional in his workmanship and has tried just about every method of enclosure finishing. I learnt a boatload during the night and stoked with the result. 

[Zedmin_fx]

YOU SUCK lol now thats one of the coolest looking things i have seen. I wish I could do work like that !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BINGEWOOD]

Noice!

[tehfunk]

amazing.

[liddokun]

that looks amazing.

[andrew_k]

I wish I could do work like that !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Same here man! If I sold all my music gear I'd be about half way to affording the laser Darron has. It's some awesome tech.  

[ConanB]

Holy..... 

Yeah, eh, I gotta get me some of that!

Looks like I'm going to have to get some designs sorted and hit Darron up for some more info. What does it cost to get something like that done? And as for the PCBs, how where they done?

[andrew_k]

Conan: The PCBs are done the normal acid etching way, but instead of ironing on PNP blue or similar, the copper is spraypainted black and then the laser cuts back the paint to create the masking.

[ConanB]

Conan: The PCBs are done the normal acid etching way, but instead of ironing on PNP blue or similar, the copper is spraypainted black and then the laser cuts back the paint to create the masking.

Now that seems like the way I'd want to go if I could. Lot's of boards I'd like to have made instead of using vero for everything.

[joegagan]

beautiful job. cool to let the alum show through after painting-- i love it, impressive look.

we did all of the commercial nvn pedals with laser etching into black abs plastic.

on the first 50 dinosaur fuzzes, i drilled, sculpted, then prepainted the faceplates yellow with spraycans, then took to the engraver to engrave the logo (which was a corel file, which most of the laser etchers seem to use). the plates were presculpted before etching. the other oil enamel colors were added after etch.


later, i took the raw black plastic precut to size to be engraved. after laser etch, i filled the letters with paint, scraping the surrounding area with a plastic pallette knife, then after the paint dried i removed excess surroundiing paint with 600 grit sandpaper. i started calling these the 'blackface' ones



the etching cost in 2002 was approx 1 dollar per plate.

later, for the brontoboosts i incorporated the entire cutting process into the laser etch. the stompswitch holes were lasercut, along with the entire bordercut. large sheets of 3/16ths" abs plastic were loaded in and out came this:

this added to the cut time. there were two depth levels in the corel file - one cut all the way through for the border and holes, the other was the logo and splatter volcano lookin stuff. cost for these rose to  a little over 2 dollars per piece.

after the cut/etch, the edges were rounded off on a bench grinder, then the letters were paint-filled including 600 grit buff around the logo. then the oil enamel paint was applied to the rest of the plate, then installed on the pedal via the 3pdt nuts.




sorry to derail, just sharing what i did in the laser etch process.

[iaresee]

That is super sweet. Can I ask who made the laser engraver? Years ago I worked for a commerical laser company here in Ottawa that is no more. They had a lab where a guy (nickname Dr. Plastic no less) worked with doped plastics and lasers to write on plastic. He also did etching with it. I was driving by their old office the other day and found myself wondering what happened to all that wonderful laser etching stuff that was kicking around there. The company got eaten by JDS and canabalized for its stellar optics division. I bet they surplused the diode laser printers...hmm...

[andrew_k]

!!!!!  !!!!!  Joe, that looks brilliant 

Very original and impressive.

[Dragonfly]

 

[Dragonfly]

PS...i want a laser so i can etch boards too

[joegagan]

thanks! i guess there are some people that didn't see these the first time around, cool.

the 'fonts' for both pedals were my handwriting, drawn about twice the final size, sharpie scribbled off very quickly, then chosen for  best character out of about 20 examples. once scanned and imported into corel or ms paint, very little tweaking was done. i was interested in retaining as much of the flow if the original pen stroke as possible.

[soggybag]

Great work. I really like the 'Vibe.

I have been looking for someone with a laser engraver in the bay area. I have yet to find anyone. I'm surprised no one does this around.

[mdh]

I want sharks with frickin' lasers on their heads.

[raycroft]

Dang, Joe.  That is the coolest thing I have ever seen.   Respect.