pre-drilled enclosures, anybody use them?

[wpkg]

Hello

I'm new here and to pedal building (though I have modified amps before)

I am building a Rat and an 808 using the PCBs from Tonepad.com. I want to use the pre drilled enclosures from pedalpartsplus. The 125B size. I wanted to know if there is enough room in a box like this, considering they seem to put the jacks right in the middle of the sides. the 1290s I got from them last week is nice and will work for a booster I am building, but just barely...

thanks very much

[asfastasdark]

1590B is going to be a bit small for something like that, for me at least. I'm using a 1590T, which is a hair smaller than 1590BB, and $8 cheaper on Mouser, and my dad drills it for me with a standard battery-powered drill. At first he thought the metal would be way too thick, but it appears aluminum is really soft for drilling.

[MikeH]

Hello

I'm new here and to pedal building (though I have modified amps before)

I am building a Rat and an 808 using the PCBs from Tonepad.com. I want to use the pre drilled enclosures from pedalpartsplus. The 125B size. I wanted to know if there is enough room in a box like this, considering they seem to put the jacks right in the middle of the sides. the 1290s I got from them last week is nice and will work for a booster I am building, but just barely...

thanks very much

125B should be plenty big enough for either a Rat or an 808.  I've put a TS into a 1290, but you have to put the pcb over the pots.  Well, it has to be a compact layout too, of course.

[kurtlives]

I can fit a battery, 3PDT, bezel, DC jack, two jacks, 4 pots and the circuit board in a 1290. I could never do this when I first started though.

What originally threw me off was I didnt realize I could put the circuit on top of the pots. I thought it needed its own little space with nothing around it.

I think a 125B would work for you.

Plan and mark twice drill once.

[wpkg]

Hello

I'm new here and to pedal building (though I have modified amps before)

I am building a Rat and an 808 using the PCBs from Tonepad.com. I want to use the pre drilled enclosures from pedalpartsplus. The 125B size. I wanted to know if there is enough room in a box like this, considering they seem to put the jacks right in the middle of the sides. the 1290s I got from them last week is nice and will work for a booster I am building, but just barely...

thanks very much

125B should be plenty big enough for either a Rat or an 808.  I've put a TS into a 1290, but you have to put the pcb over the pots.  Well, it has to be a compact layout too, of course.

thanks. how do you have the PCB mounted or is it just floating there?

[wpkg]

I can fit a battery, 3PDT, bezel, DC jack, two jacks, 4 pots and the circuit board in a 1290. I could never do this when I first started though.

What originally threw me off was I didnt realize I could put the circuit on top of the pots. I thought it needed its own little space with nothing around it.

I think a 125B would work for you.

Plan and mark twice drill once.

thing is I wanted to use the boxes that came pre-drilled right from the supplier. The holes on the side for the jacks pretty much determine my layout.

how do you drill? with a hand held or do you need a drill press?

[fixr1984]

I drill mine with a cordless drill. The aluminum is pretty thin and very soft, it
takes very little effort.

[PerroGrande]

The pre-drilled boxes eliminate expensive mistakes, so they're a perfectly good alternative.

Regarding PCB mounting -- there are a lot of threads and techniques about it.  I've used everything from free-floating to double-stick tape, to actual adhesive mounts, etc.  Just depends on the space available.  In most of my 1290 builds, I use double-stick tape and mount the board to the back of the pots.

For drilling --

I got a LOT better when I bought an inexpensive drill press.  While it doesn't eliminate *design* errors or inefficiencies on my part (which have, for some unknown reason, been prevalent lately), it does eliminate some of the problems I had with a hand drill.  That said, I know some folks on here produce some expertly drilled enclosures with a hand drill. I just don't have that kind of skill.

For what it's worth -- I like the idea of creating a template or a drilling jig -- which amounts to a cardboard model of the box, with drill points marked depending on the configuration of pots, etc.  The box allows one to check for the reasonable positioning of pots, jacks, etc.

My favorite drilling mistakes:

* Top center pot and DC power jack too close. (I like the DC adapter at the top of the box, not on the sides -- just a personal preference)
* Top center switch and DC power jack too close...
* Stomp switch and LED too close (bezel and ring of stomp switch don't look good unless there is a small space between them)
* Stomp switch too close to the end of the box.  Works, but doesn't look quite right and could tilt the box, theoretically

[cheeb]

My favorite drilling mistakes:

* Top center pot and DC power jack too close. (I like the DC adapter at the top of the box, not on the sides -- just a personal preference)
* Top center switch and DC power jack too close...
* Stomp switch and LED too close (bezel and ring of stomp switch don't look good unless there is a small space between them)
* Stomp switch too close to the end of the box.  Works, but doesn't look quite right and could tilt the box, theoretically

Don't forget:

*LED bezel too close to pot and knobs won't turn
*Hole for LED bezel is too big and LED won't stay in place
*Jacks too close to the bottom of the enclosure and shorting to enclosure when cable is inserted
*3PDT mounted to PCB and hole drilled too far away so the 3PDT sits crookedly

[drewl]

EH has some pre drilled boxes that were cheap, the only downside was the dc jack cutout was for a pc mount style.

Those drilling mistakes hit too close to home.....even though I've been lucky enough to have access to drill presses/machine shops throughout my real job career.

[MikeH]

thanks. how do you have the PCB mounted or is it just floating there?

If it's for me, I just have it floating in there- if I build it for someone else I sometimes mount it on the pots if there's room 

[neilnil]

I get almost every enclosure I need from them.
I love 1290s for their size. You can fit most projects into a 1290 but I admit it, sometimes it can be a pita.
I've finished fsh-1 and echo base projects recently and will be ordering some more 1290s for them soon too (minus battery room though.)
Here is a picture of my builds.
http://cfs10.tistory.com/upload_control/download.blog?fhandle=YmxvZzI2NTUyQGZzMTAudGlzdG9yeS5jb206L2F0dGFjaC8wLzAuSlBH
Jun

[DougH]

how do you have the PCB mounted or is it just floating there?

how do you drill? with a hand held or do you need a drill press?

This should help you get started: http://www.diystompboxes.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

[wpkg]

Thanks everyone!

Neilnil... those are pretty cool, they are all 1290s from pedal parts?

[Kerly]

I actually just got done building a rat in the effectsconnection pre-drilled 1590BB. http://www.effectsconnection.com/oscommerce/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=369
The spacing worked out alright for me, but it was my first build, so it is difficult to fit everything with all those wires everywhere! Still trying to close the back lol

[neilnil]

Thanks, wpkg!
Yes, painted ones (except one red 125 at the bottom righthand corner) are 1290s from ppp.
When going compact, wire gauge at about 24 will help a lot.
Hope to see your complete pedal soon!
Jun