Why Hammond style?

[zombiwoof]

Anyone here use the Bud cast aluminum boxes?.  I thought maybe they were extinct, as the old MXR pedals in the BUD boxes are so valued, until I found out they were still around.  Are they just too expensive compared to other options?.
Al

[EBK]

Anyone here use the Bud cast aluminum boxes?.  I thought maybe they were extinct, as the old MXR pedals in the BUD boxes are so valued, until I found out they were still around.  Are they just too expensive compared to other options?.
Al

I've used a Hammond cast zinc alloy box, which I was told by someone is similar to the Bud boxes (I don't really know anything about actual Bud boxes though).

[Govmnt_Lacky]

I've used a Hammond cast zinc alloy box, which I was told by someone is similar to the Bud boxes (I don't really know anything about actual Bud boxes though).

I have used these as well. They are quite nice. They are noticably heavier than typical Hammond boxes but they seem to drill just as easy.

[amptramp]

The nice thing about the cast boxes (regardless of the material) is there is no noticeable "clang" when you operate the footswitch.  If you are into loud music, this may not matter.  But if you have some dynamic range to your music, it matters.

[reddesert]

I looked up the Bud equivalent of a die cast aluminum 1590B on Mouser. It appears to be a Bud CU-124 and costs $7.20, which is about the same as the Hammond part. As far as I know, both of these companies have been around for a long time making a zillion types of enclosures, instrument chassis, and so on. I see them all the time in lab equipment and one-off electronics that have been around a while (I work in a science research department). It's possible the pedal market is a blip on their radar - maybe a lucrative blip, but the real money may be in the 19-inch rack business.

[anotherjim]

...but the real money may be in the 19-inch rack business.

Don't get me started on the price of those things. Also getting your search engine to find enclosures instead of racks/cabinets.
Actually, as I found out making a 2 channel F2-B clone, the 19" enclosure is one of easiest to make from scratch. You only see the front, it doesn't need to be all that strong, it can all be flat work and ali' angle from hardware stores makes the rack ears and joining corners. For a 1U, a length of angle can make the entire front panel.

[R.G.]

On why Hammond cast boxes, along with the previously mentioned ones, there is history: MXR used them early on , probably for the previously mentioned reasons. History is powerful, especially when a large section of the DIY pedal movement started out trying to reproduce the pedals of the 1960s and 1970s. We're now 20+ years into the DIY pedal craze and the newer people are no longer as tied to reproducing the originals.

[garyg]

The nice thing about the cast boxes (regardless of the material) is there is no noticeable "clang" when you operate the footswitch.  If you are into loud music, this may not matter.  But if you have some dynamic range to your music, it matters.

Have to agree here, I've just thrown a fuzz (bit of an experiment) into an old, folded sheet aluminium enclosure I had laying about and it positively rings when stomped. Feels solid though, maybe not 'world tour' levels of ruggedness but certainly ok for day to day use.

As for 1590A enclosures: I *totally* admire the skill that goes into them but just don't get them... maybe for a tap tempo or simple utility pedal. Maybe it's aesthetics for me, I don't see the appeal of cramming three or more controls into that kind of space, why make things more fiddly? And the jacks seem to overpower them, I guess you save space compared to regular pedals (though not with carefully top mounted socket pedals) but then get a fiddly, closely packed board. I guess I like things to be 'people' sized, things that fit in your hand comfortably etc. Or I'm getting old and need things simple. But again, I wholeheartedly salute the 1590a'ers out there. Maybe I'm just jealous of your skills.

[thermionix]

As for 1590A enclosures: I *totally* admire the skill that goes into them but just don't get them... maybe for a tap tempo or simple utility pedal. Maybe it's aesthetics for me, I don't see the appeal of cramming three or more controls into that kind of space, why make things more fiddly? And the jacks seem to overpower them, I guess you save space compared to regular pedals (though not with carefully top mounted socket pedals) but then get a fiddly, closely packed board. I guess I like things to be 'people' sized, things that fit in your hand comfortably etc. Or I'm getting old and need things simple. But again, I wholeheartedly salute the 1590a'ers out there. Maybe I'm just jealous of your skills.

I'm with ya 100%.  I've never used a 1590A pedal, but it sure looks like they'd be prone to tipping left or right if you stomp the switch at anything other than a perfectly perpendicular angle.  I understand the benefit is space saving, but the costs are multiple.

[chuckd666]

1590As seem like unnecessary wranglin' to me. I think if you're gonna cram, top mounted jacks in a 1590B makes more sense aesthetically and ergonomically.

[vigilante397]

With a reasonable amount of velcro I've never had problems with my 1590A pedals moving during on-stage usage, but some people may get excited and stomp a bit harder than I tend to.

...but the real money may be in the 19-inch rack business.

This though. 1590B's will always be my go-to for general building, but since I'm not currently in a band I've been focusing more on recording, and I have a lot of studio preamp-type prototype stuff I would love to get into 19" rack boxes, but I think the cheapest I've found is about $50. No thanks.

[Jay Bones]

Well as a relatively new builder (1 Dallas Arbiter clone kit and an attempt at an A/B box using Radio Shack components- ended up a noise generator, didn't have anyting grounded my guess) the Chinese fuzz kit came with a cast then machined box (Hammond copy I now know).

Pretty robust, easy to drill and mount components, nonconductive, easy to finish or leave bare (won't corrode) I'm pretty happy with it.

[thermionix]

nonconductive

?

[marcelomd]

For me, the problem with folded metal enclosures, the ones that look like two 'U's is that they limit connector placement. You either have everything mounted to the same piece of the enclosure or you'll have to use 'long' off board wiring.

[patrick398]

I just grabbed one of these Takachi TS-1 enclosures.
https://my.rs-online.com/web/p/desktop-enclosures/4116632/

Dimensions look good, price was ok so thought it was worth checking out. They have come up one or twice on the forum according to a quick search.

https://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=78270.msg706701#msg706701

I've been after a sloped enclosure for ages but they all seem to cost an absolute bomb. I'm painting a lot with hammertone at the moment and there's something about hammertone on a 1590b just doesn't look right. Hopefully this will look better.
From the photos in that thread the thickness looks ok, i'll look into reinforcing around the footswitch if needs be

[Joncaster]

I just grabbed one of these Takachi TS-1 enclosures.
https://my.rs-online.com/web/p/desktop-enclosures/4116632/

Dimensions look good, price was ok so thought it was worth checking out. They have come up one or twice on the forum according to a quick search.

https://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=78270.msg706701#msg706701

I've been after a sloped enclosure for ages but they all seem to cost an absolute bomb. I'm painting a lot with hammertone at the moment and there's something about hammertone on a 1590b just doesn't look right. Hopefully this will look better.
From the photos in that thread the thickness looks ok, i'll look into reinforcing around the footswitch if needs be

Nice!
I've been looking for sloped too. Those don't come up on my RS-online.za site, but that link works nicely.

[patrick398]

It arrived this morning (i ordered it at around 7pm last night, madness) It's pretty lightweight which was concerning at first but the actual strength seems good. I can't depress the front plate really, maybe it'll be different when concentrating force onto a switch.

Any suggestion on how to paint it? There's not much information about the material but from what i can gather it's a 1050 aluminium alloy?
It's smoother and shinier than regular hammond boxes and the bottom and side panels are black aluminium, so powder coated or anodised?