[juniperlater]

Does anyone know where I can get a project box about the same dimensions as the newest xcan?

Hopefully not too much money?

 

[Ferrari]

Not exact the dimensions of the X-can V3, but the HiFi-2000 Galaxy Maggiorato GX283 is (230x230x80)mm, about 50mm wider than X-can V3. It's the one on the left of the pic below.

 

[rds]

Those look awesome

 

[juniperlater]

Perfect thanks!

 

[juniperlater]

Holy cow! $70 shipping. Lame.

 

[mojo]

I think enclosures are currently the biggest problem for hobbyists. PCBs, when needed, at least you can get made reasonably cheaply. Enclosures, on the other hand, are both expensive to buy and expensive to get machined.

 

[synaesthetic]

Sadly it leaves most of us stuck with boring old Hammond extruded aluminum enclosures. =(

 

[TimmyMac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mojo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think enclosures are currently the biggest problem for hobbyists. PCBs, when needed, at least you can get made reasonably cheaply. Enclosures, on the other hand, are both expensive to buy and expensive to get machined.

That's why you DIY that, too.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by synaesthetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sadly it leaves most of us stuck with boring old Hammond extruded aluminum enclosures. =(

Not necessarily. Get creative.

If there's a junk store or surplus store nearby, repurpose something else. You can get stuff cheap. Sure, you have to gut it, paint it, drill holes, and so on. But you save lots of money and get an enclosure that doesn't look like every other one.

I mean, the ones in the photos above are nice. They seem well made and should hold up for years. But they look like EVERY other piece of hi-fi gear out there!

So go find some random stuff and put it together. I'm hacking on a tube amp that uses a big piece of 3/8" aluminum sheet as a base. Attached to that are a couple of big old gauges that I gutted and replaced the dial glass with aluminum. I've got an old, gutted RF line switch as a control panel and other stuff I've picked up here and there.

So go scrounge through junk stores, thrift shops, surplus, industrial warehouses, hamfests, garage sales, anywhere, and get interesting stuff. Drills, Dremels, jigsaws, paint and screws save you a ton of cash and let you be creative. Just start looking at the metal stuff and turn over in your head how you could use it. You'll find a way.

 

[TimmyMac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not necessarily. Get creative. If there's a junk store or surplus store nearby, repurpose something else. You can get stuff cheap. Sure, you have to gut it, paint it, drill holes, and so on. But you save lots of money and get an enclosure that doesn't look like every other one. I mean, the ones in the photos above are nice. They seem well made and should hold up for years. But they look like EVERY other piece of hi-fi gear out there! So go find some random stuff and put it together. I'm hacking on a tube amp that uses a big piece of 3/8" aluminum sheet as a base. Attached to that are a couple of big old gauges that I gutted and replaced the dial glass with aluminum. I've got an old, gutted RF line switch as a control panel and other stuff I've picked up here and there. So go scrounge through junk stores, thrift shops, surplus, industrial warehouses, hamfests, garage sales, anywhere, and get interesting stuff. Drills, Dremels, jigsaws, paint and screws save you a ton of cash and let you be creative. Just start looking at the metal stuff and turn over in your head how you could use it. You'll find a way.

Local welding shops are a great place to get sturdy steel plate cut to size for you - then just drill holes to mount PCBs or whatever you need. Two plates plus a frame of nice looking miter-joined wood and you're good to go.

 

[juniperlater]

Well, it isn't as nice as the aforementioned enclosures that I liked (xcan style), but I found a thirty-year-old Archer (Radioshack) aluminum enclosure at a junk shop down the street for $7. It was still in the package. I think it is going to be nice.

 

[mrarroyo]

You can use tin lunchboxes, old cigar boxes, or make one all by yourself.