Plastic Enclosures (Rant)

[DirtyLude]

Why are these things so bloody expensive? Is this the biggest ripoff, or what?

Seriously, a plastic box should cost 85 cents, but they cost $6++. That's more than all the components I'm putting in it. If you want a clear one, that doubles the price. I'm not spending $12.00 on a plastic box the size of 3 packs of cards. I'd rather put my project in a margarine container.

 

[Klaus]

Good rant!!
Are you feeling better now :wink:

 

[pike]

I feel for you mate!! no serious i do they are a rip off!!

this explains why 85% of my projects are sitting here " in the nude".

 

[chemelec]

That is why I make my own plastic boxes.

Buy a Sheet of .08" ABS Plastic and get some "MEK" (Methyl Ethyl Keytone) A 4 ft. by 8 ft. sheet isn't Cheap, But it Makes a LOT of Boxes.
ABS is Available in Many Thicknesses and Colors, but the .08 is a good thickness for small boxes. As to Colors, White and Black are the Most Common. Other Colors will Be Considerably MORE Expensive.

Cut the ABS into Appropriate Sizes to make the box you want, by just Scoring it with a Razor Knife, Than Break it. Simular to Cutting Glass.
The MEK is a Solvent and actually Melts the ABS Together.
Use a File to clean up the glued edges.

With a bit of Practice, they can look pretty good.

Take care.......Gary

 

[DirtyLude]

Good rant!!
Are you feeling better now :wink:

Not really. Anyone know of any alternatives?

This really started, because I now have something that I would like to distribute about 10 to 20 units of. I'm not interested in making money on it, but I don't want it to be expensive, either. I'm just a hobbyist, and I've never felt the need to have an enclosure before, so I never really cared. Now, trying to find something decent, is not all that easy, and I'd rather not mail order a bunch, and find out they don't fit what I'm doing.

If I didn't care about the look, I'd just buy a pane of plexiglass, and cut and glue it together into a box.

Ah, well. I'll deal.

 

[DirtyLude]

That is why I make my own plastic boxes.

You're reply beat me by about 30 seconds.

Opaque plastic might be the answer. How gnarly are the edges? The box is going to go in a car, and be fairly visible. I'm not certain how "pretty" I want it to be, yet.

 

[FoxyRick]

I often buy old/unworking equipment on ebay, at ham radio fests or at car boot sales just for the housings - much cheaper than a comparable new box if you are looking for something nice. Modifications to the front and rear panels usually aren't too difficult from some thin aluminium or ABS.

FoxyRick.

 

[Johnson777717]

Does plastic (PVC I'm assuming?) stick to plaster where a mold release would need to be used?

 

[chemelec]

Here are a Couple of ABS Boxes I made. The one on the left is Really OLD and turning a bit yellow. that decal is Just Paper. The one on the right is about 7 years old. The Decal on it was Reverse Printed on Clear Acetate and glued on. Make it look pretty good.

Take care.......Gary

 

[ardnat]

websites

check out
radioshack.com or digikey.com

 

[evandude]

web-tronics (circuit specialists) has decent prices on project boxes.

**broken link removed**

check out the PB series toward the bottom.

the ones I use most are the 3"x2"x1" boxes, which cost $3 or more at radio shack, etc... but they're only $1.35 there.

 

[panic mode]

Why are these things so bloody expensive? Is this the biggest ripoff, or what? Seriously, a plastic box should cost 85 cents, but they cost $6++.

I absolutely agree. There are bunch of electronics stores in the
neighbourhood (couple of them are next to each other on a corner
of Matheson and Dixie Rd.) and they all charge arm and leg for
lousy soap box sized plastic boxes. I've bought few in different
sizes (it still hurts) but i'm trying to reuse any type of box or
container of any shape and size (like old CD drives etc.).

I'd rather put my project in a margarine container.

LOL, i had similar idea...

 

[evandude]

I'd rather put my project in a margarine container.

next time I go grocery shopping I think i will definitely look for random products that come in good containers... maybe pick up some spraypaint sometime so my project doesn't say "I can't believe it's not butter" on it :lol:

 

[panic mode]

i've read an article about building fishtank into old monitor.
for this they used sheets of plexiglas which can be cut and
bent when heated up. what intrigued me is that they didn't
use glue to connect pieces together. they resorted to solvent
which was applied with a syringe. hmmm, i'll have to try it out
one day even though plexiglas i've seen is quite thick
(about 5mm or so...).

 

[evandude]

well usually you do use solvent glues with plastics... it tends to make for a much more solid bond, since the plastic temporarily dissolves and then fuses together, rather than just having some glue stuck to it.

usually when you see things made out of acrylic/polycarbonate (plexiglass) they are assembled with a solvent. that leaves the bonds clear and nearly invisible, rather than having a big smear of glue.

that hobby plastic model cement you can buy where they sell model cars is a solvent... for real strength there's even plastic epoxy, sometimes called "plastic welder"
it comes in a twin tube like regular epoxy, and I believe it is a combination of plastic solvent and regular epoxy. it has very very strong fumes (better open a window, it's nasty) but it makes for really strong bonds with plastics. I found some at my local craft store many years ago.