Can I use thin case enclosures? Like coloursounds old jobs.

[Bluesgeetar]

Found some thin case aluminum enclosures in a Tacoma electronics supply place shapped like the old MK2 pros.  They are not as thin as they old Coloursound thin cases withe the 3 knobbers but alot thinner than the Hammond jobs.  They are shaped just like the old Vox MK2 pros.  All sizes all shaped in that fashion with the flat area leading into a sloped front.  They were made by a company called something like FMB or something like that.  THEY EVEN HAD A LITTLE BABY ONE.  Looked liek a tiny tonebender.  Could throw a Rangemaster in that one.  It was about 2.5"X3"X2"  They had them in all sizes though.  All with that shape.  They had a huge one about 12"X17"X5" you could put alot of pedals into.  

So can I use them?
I mean does the Hammond job offer better shielding or something and better isolation cause of the thicker aluminum.  I mean old Coloursound pedals were in thin cased aluminum.  These are a little thicker than them and very sturdy.  And they look cool, a nice change from the square ugly Hammond boxes.  More ergonomic with the longer sloped front for the switch and foot relationship.

[Marcos - Munky]

No problem. I used some aluminium thin enclosures too, and did the job.

[Peter Snowberg]

You could use aluminum foil if it would keep the shape. The most important things with shielding are the coverage and the conductivity of the material. Silver is absolute best (by a slim margin), copper is realisticly best, aluminum is just great, and steel is OK but still works fine.

It takes a surprisingly small amount of non-coverage to make the whole shield just about useless. Metal boxes are great things.

-Peter

[Bluesgeetar]

Great I'm off to buy some now!!!!   Oh did I mention these were alot cheaper than the Hammonds!!!!  Cause they had some Hammonds on the shelf next to them.  When I get them I'll post the name of the manufacturer in case anyone wants to track some down.  I hope they aren't surplus discontinued stuff.

[Samuel]

I know the boxes you're talking about. They work fine and are the perfect shape, but the design is not a great one for making a heavy duty stomp box. Since the aluminum is so thin, the material has a lot of flex to it. The sloped front/top is supported by two very thin strips jutting out from each side of the box. It's probably not more than 1/8" wide. Most of the time it's fine, but if you put any significant amount of pressure on the switch (assuming you mounted it in the obvious place on the sloped front) You can cause the sides to buckle outwards, allowing the top of the enclosure to flex downwards.

Due to the shape of the thing, your circuit (depending on where you decide to mount it) isn't in any danger, but it makes for a very squishy feeling pedal. If they made them heavier I'd use them more often, cause its a cool shape...

[Gus]

When I use thin boxes.  I mount the stompswitch close to a edge of the box.  Something else you could do is place wood, plastic etc braces to help keep the box from bending

[Bluesgeetar]

Hey Samual I think we are talking about different boxes.   Or maybe the company has started making them a little more heavier.  The ones I looked at and now have and holding in my hand are pretty dang sturdy.  No buckling at all.  Anyway if it was weak I can fashion me out some wedges to put on the sides of the switch to support the shell when stomped on.  I can use my Dremel for that.  They have a new attachment now that is a tiny Skilsaw.  It's cute as hell.

[zachary vex]

the colorsound pedals, although they seem to have pretty thin metal construction,  are remarkably strong because they are structurally engineered to support a lot of pressure.  not all square-cornered boxes are going to be as strong.  i believe that they are steel too, which makes them tougher than aluminum of the same gauge.  i've always marveled at how sturdy my colorsound wah is even though it's extremely light.

[Ge_Whiz]

Just tread gently - don't jump on 'em (this should be true for all stompboxes).

"Treat effects with care. Jump on groupies."

[ExpAnonColin]

(anxiously awaiting company name to see what all the hubbub is about)

-Colin

[soundcollage]

Sorry to bump such an old thread, but did anyone find out who makes these boxes?