[sdiy] Panel wiring questions

[Scott Bernardi]

Isn't that always the case? You get a very nice and neat looking PCB, and
then the front panel wiring looks like a rat's nest no matter how hard
you try to keep it neat.  Yours looks better than a lot of mine.
Solid wire is good for point to point wiring on the panel itself, but I
would always use standed between places that can flex in relationship to
each other (like between panel and PCB).  In my original OGEE synth built
in the early 80's, I had a "backpane" with card connectors that I plugged
PCB's into. Traces from the card connector brought the connection closer
to the front panel controls. But then I used solid core wire between then
backpane and the front panel controls. I moved cross country with OGEE in
the back of a UHaul. When I got there a bunch of the solid wires had
broken due to vibration.
I used a similar construction technique on og2 (backpane) but with
stranded wire between backpanel and font panel controls.

Roman wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I wired my quadVCO more or less like you suggested.
> I used solid wire, because I could bend it to shape and it stayed
> like that, so it's easier to maintain distances between wires and
> have more controll on overall mess. Whenever I could, I put the wires
> touching the panel, so it doesn't get messy and acts like one sided
> shield for it. All wires are soldered to connector, so PCB is easily
> removable.
> I tried to route wires so they stay at least several mm from each
> other and aren't parallel where it's possible.
> Power is run in star fashion. This is power for potentiometers,
> waveshapers mounted directly on switches and +/- attenuators. It was
> a lot of wires and at power connector it looks like shit.
> The power socket is mounted on small PCB soldered directly to the
> panel (made of 2mm 2-sided glass-epoxy), and all power/gnd wires are
> soldered to large pads (I thought they were large before I soldered
> everything to them) coming from socket leads.
> You can see it all there:
> http://www.sowa.synth.net/m_pics/vco4nopcbsd.jpg
> or quadVCO page with more pictures:
> http://www.sowa.synth.net/quadvco.html
>
> BTW, this is my relocated webpage hosted by the courtesy of Paul
> Maddox. Thanks again Paul.
>
> Roman
>
> Michael Schulze <michael.schulze at oberlin.edu>:
>
> >
> >Hello list!
> >
> >I am preparing to wire up my super spiffy Bergfotron Quad Oscillator
> board
> >to my nifty Lazertran printed panel.  I'd lik eto ask advice on
> wiring.
> >
> >Routing:  I understand that I should try to keep any pulse waveforms
> away
> >from my CV lines by appropriate wiring.  Is it enough to route the
> CV lines
> >along their own path?
> >
> >Wire:  I have read that I should use solid wire on the panel and
> stranded
> >between the panel and the board, where it needs to be flexible.
> >
> >Power connections:  I need + and - 15 at the panel AND the board of
> course.
> >I was planning on connecting + _ and Gnd to a terminal strip glued
> to the
> >back of the panel and route those lines separately to the pots and
> the
> >board, anding up with an overall star configuration...
> >
> >Am I on the right track?
> >
> >Thanks in advance - soon I hope to post pictures of my first
> successful
> >construction project :-)
> >
> >