Electro Tech is an online community (with over 170,000 members) who enjoy talking about and building electronic circuits, projects and gadgets. To participate you need to register. Registration is free. Click here to register now.
Welcome to our site! Electro Tech is an online community (with over 170,000 members) who enjoy talking about and building electronic circuits, projects and gadgets. To participate you need to register. Registration is free. Click here to register now.
Generic information would be nice. Water proof is a must for some projects. Enclosures maybe from 2x2 inches to 8 x 13 inches. Anyone know how to work with plexiglass?
I tend to purchase most of what I need for enclosures from Radio Shack or an electronics surplus place here in town. When I do need something I can't buy (or is just too expensive) I make it from aluminum sheet. I might bend some of it by clamping between two pieces of wood. I might join it with angle brackets. Sometimes I take 1/4" square stock and drill/tap it on two sides, 90 degrees from each other so that it becomes the corner.
The clear plastics that we call plexiglas (can be any number of materials) can be tricky to work with. They can be cut on a saw and drilled but there can be a tendancy for the material to grab or catch with higher speed power equipment. There's some trial and error to it.
Amateur radio publications cover some of that stuff. You might take a look at the ARRL website or search periodicals related to amateur radio construction techniques. They aren't the only ones who do this stuff but they do publish stuff that's quite useful.
Most well all my projects will be no more than 12v. If over 12 i will use a sheet metal made enclosure. Sheet metal seems like a nice choice for many things.
Anyone know how would i go about making something look smooth/glossy. Like a ipod? Lets look at a white ipod. You see it has like a clear layer over the front is that like acrylic? If i paint a box Red for example can i put acrylic over it to give it that glossy/shiny/smooth look/feel to it?
For automobiles you can apply clearcoat over paint to add some gloss. The paint must be compatible with what you are painting (seems obvious but you should check) and of course the clearcoat must be made to work with your paint.
Last time I used this stuff the hardeners had some rather dire warnings on them - about breathing in whatever might evaporate for a time.
Note that auto paint is formulated for use on autos - and might not be suitable for other uses. Example - if you were making a child's toy I'd look carefully at your choice of materials to be sure no harm comes to the kids.
Just took a pic of my little 1w Amp using a LM386 i made this a couple weeks ago but never took any pics. As you can see i still need to make a good case. I didnt even cut the screws off this lol. I used old plexiglass and a hot knife to make it lol.
But i like either clear or color shiny lol But thanks i think black boxes would only be good for hiddden object like i will be making something similar to address modules for security system i am making. but most likely i will just use shrink tubing. But i might need a Grey case for enclosure when i make it. Also making the product istons of fun and its always custom i just dont have the right tools right now.
What i do have is some time to get them and to think and learn how to make these become sexy lol
Hi AtomSoft your corners & edges looks likes a **** man use chloroform (chemical) to fix them which I use.No need nuts & bolts, gives you high quality smooth finish.
This was just for fun lol I dont like messing with chemicals due to having a 1 1/2 year old son who i watch most the time since i work from home most the time. Also i know its crappy but heh i like it because i made it. Like there are some ugly kids in this world but the parents of the child always says there child is cute. Hence this little thingy is my child and its cute lol.
But i should be getting a new sheet of plastic today with the correct tools and parts i and going to make a nice case. It will be done like towards the end of the day. I will take some pictures. Hopefully this time it will be nice lol.
Re: drilling plastic. Bits designed for metal and wood tend to hog into acrylic plastic, thus causing it to crack. If you grind off the sharp leading edge on each lip of the drill (called dubbing off) perpendicular to the face (i.e., remove the acute angle of the cutting edge), the action will be to shave the plastic and not to hog in. Only a tiny amount needs to be ground. A flat face of 10 to 30 thousandths inch is usually adequate. Of course, the bit is for plastic only after that. BTW, it also works with brass, which also tends to hog in.
Re: cementing plastic. Chloroform works, but eventually leads to crazing of the plastic. Liquid adhesives available for the purpose have substances added to reduce crazing at the joint. Acrylic is easier to cement than polycarbonate.
I made this from 2 Maxim Sample cases. Nice neat fits perfect (dremel is good for many things) just need to add 1 more set of cables and that would be audio in.
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