Test fixture/enclosure

[drewl]

DOH!
I don't know why I didn't think of this before, but I bet alot of you have.

Using an old box or fixture for new builds so you can wire it all up and tweak it just right while painting or finishing up the pretty box the fx will live in.

I have lots of things I could use for boxes at work, so I took an anodized RF amp module cover about the size of a Big Muff, drilled holes for the inputs, four pots and two stomp switches so I could wire up something I'm building while I'm painting it's enclosure and laying out the labels etc.

Now I just have to stick it in the new pretty box, and I can use this test box for my next crazy idea!

[shadowmaster]

I think it's one of those happy accidents that occured to me. I was quite new at drilling and without the proper tools (too much eagerness), as expected did not turn out quite right. The holes for the pots are not aligned to each other and the holes for the input and output jack was not drilled at a proper location (e.g. the terminals of the jacks touches the back of the pot when I tested to mount them all to the enclosure.)

Fortunately I did not throw that enclosure and kept it. After sometime with few successful builds, I was able to  remember that failed enclosure wanting to re-sue it. I took it out and tried to patch the holes with epoxy and re-drilled that thing all over again. I was not happy with how the patching turned-out due to filling-in too much epoxy thus creating a small bulges in the surface of the enclosure and also inside which I was too lazy to sand (lessened it half-way though). So while waiting for a new enclosure, I continued doing my off-board wiring for my build at that time using the said enclosure ensuring that the wires connecting the components outside of the PCB will not be too long nor too short. That struck me to use it as guide for my off-boad wiring for future builds and hell I can even use it if all wirings are finished (with the exception of the surface mount power jack) while waiting for a new enclosure to be purchased, painted and labeled.

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

This has been discusses before & some very attractive pics included.
It definitely increases success, because it saves having the pot wires getting tangled & breaking.