Whats the best place to order good cases at a good price?
Thanks!
I was just wondering that! :wink:
Smallbear has got nice boxes at a good price.
QuoteSmallbears got nice boxes at a good price.
I'll second that.
AL
Personally, I prefer either the Eddystone boxes from Small Bear, or the Hammond cases from Mouser. I've tried some of the Sovtek Hammond clones that Small Bear sells, but the aluminum seems to be of less quality...it's more "brittle" than the real Hammonds and Eddystones. When drilling through the Sovtek boxes with the 1/2" bit for the DC power jack and stomp switch, sometimes chunks come out around the hole...luckily for me the chunks always came out inside the box and didn't continue all the way to the top. I've never had that problem with the other boxes before.
The Eddystone and Hammond boxes seem to be made of much better material.
Phillip
Phillip, just a quick tip on drilling (though I have never drilled a Sovtek box) but it helps me when I drill to support the drilling by adding backing to the area being drilled.
When drilling the stomp switch in a box I place a scrap piece of 2x4 under it, supporting the drilling area seems to make very clean holes on most materials including plexiglass.
Well, see, I've drilled well over a hundred boxes (Eddystones and Hammonds) exactly the same way every time with no problems at all. It's just when I got ahold of those Sovtek boxes when I had problems with the aluminum beng brittle.
Another problem that I ran into with the Sovtek boxes is the sanding technique I use to give the top of the box that "striped" or "brushed" look that reflects light so nicely. The Sovteks won't sand nearly as good as the Hammonds and Eddystones...they seem to have very small "pits" in the aluminum that won't sand out and they didn't look so good once clear coated :shock:
Phillip
Quote from: phillipthey seem to have very small "pits" in the aluminum that won't sand out and they didn't look so good once clear coated :shock:
that is a sign of recycled aluminiun, or zinc, or whatever. At least you are doing something for the environment!
Has anyone tried these boxes (http://store.yahoo.com/webtronics/general-supplies-for-electronics-enclosures-die-cast-aluminum-enclosures.html)
audioguy~
yes i use them they are good! they are from tiawan..but the desireable size is sold out for ever.. i droped them a line, and the reply said they would not be stocking them anymore.. the boxes come with a sticker on the back that has contact imformation.. i have been considering contacting them for a bulk order, as i only have about 5 or 6 boxes left..
i suppose some people dont like the PCB grooves, but i dont mind them at all..
They are on my stock list as the "Taiwanese 125-B" box. They are still very much in production; I just have to guess that Webtronics doesn't deal with that vendor any more. Very good for all kinds of one- or two-knob pedals, small power supplies, etc.
Steve D
www.smallbearelec.com
I've used a lot of these. I can tell you the latest batch I received (late last year) is much improved over the earlier ones I got. The early ones I got all had a molding "dent" in the side and the screws were horrible soft alloy that would easily strip or cause thread-bind. The ones he has now have great screws, more like the hammond boxes and they have a much smoother surface than before. I will say that the aluminum is somewhat brittle and thinner than hammond boxes, but has not caused any problems for me.
JD
I have a couple of those cases too, and I like them for a number of reasons:
a) Although the internal ribs can be a little problematic as far as stable mounting of jacks oln the side, the ribs are very nice for stabilizing boards if they are inserted vertically, and even for divying up a circuit into several boards (e.g., a phase shifter with a "daughter board" for another 4 stages...and another 4). Indeed, they are ribbed for my pleasure! :lol:
b) The slightly greater depth/height means that you don't have to figure out ways to bend over the electrolytic caps just so you can fit a board under the pots or toggle switches.
c) Loads of room for sticking a pair of 9v batteries in there.
d) Just enough extra width and depth to make the positioning of the stompswitch and jacks less of a problem. It can be a MENSA quiz in a 1590B, but is a no-brainer here.
e) Just narrow enough that you can place a bunch of these side by side without having a pedal-board 3 feet wide.
f) Just long enough that you can rotate them sideways for installation of a pair of stompswitches that don"t require advanced guidance systems to be able to step on one switch without accidentally stepping on another.
Indeed, the only thing that prevents me from adopting them as my default box is that by the time they get here, they run me about $11-12@ Cdn, and I can get 1590BB's for around that a few blocks from home, as opposed to having to drive over to the Purolator office during the evening.
Quote from: smallbearelecThey are on my stock list as the "Taiwanese 125-B" box. They are still very much in production; I just have to guess that Webtronics doesn't deal with that vendor any more. Very good for all kinds of one- or two-knob pedals, small power supplies, etc.
This is my default enclosure. I panicked a bit when I saw that note at webtronics a while back, but Steve assured me they would remain available.
Kerry M