Spotted in a local electronics shop: LMB “Glamor Cabinets” — hack your ‘tronix andlook good doing it.
I have no idea how old these things are, but I’m willing to bet they date to a time when “glamor” meant feathered hair and big sunglasses in a non-ironic way. While I don’t think that these particular cabinets are all that “glamorous”, I love the idea of marketing an enclosure as stylish and chic. It’s easy think of enclosures in mundane, final-step pragmatic terms, instead of objets d’art which work with the piece to create a user experience.
Even though all of us (in the post iPod world) understand instinctively that form and function can work well together, sometimes we forget that in our haste to get our projects out there. If you’re guilty of this (I know I am), it might be fun to try an experiment on your next project: force yourself to design from the outside and the inside simultaneously. You might find you enjoy it! 🙂
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Those are sweet! So many people show ratsnests on breadboards but a project is not “done” until it’s nicely encased in a box you can knock around with confidence 🙂 I’d love to see more write-ups about how people get things mounted and finalized with durable standoffs, crimp connectors, and of course drilling, nibbling and filing.
I’d just like to mention a bit of advice that derives from many years experience with DIY electronics: choose the enclosure before you design the PCB. It’s so frustrating to see a really neat housing and then find that the the PCB you’ve designed, built, and tested is 2mm too big for it!
Those are sweet! So many people show ratsnests on breadboards but a project is not “done” until it’s nicely encased in a box you can knock around with confidence 🙂 I’d love to see more write-ups about how people get things mounted and finalized with durable standoffs, crimp connectors, and of course drilling, nibbling and filing.
I’d just like to mention a bit of advice that derives from many years experience with DIY electronics: choose the enclosure before you design the PCB. It’s so frustrating to see a really neat housing and then find that the the PCB you’ve designed, built, and tested is 2mm too big for it!