[sdiy] Temporary front panel while prototyping?

[Ken Stone]

>>Does anyone have a suggestion as to how to hold front panel
>>components in place while prototyping/testing finished modules? I
>>tried using cardboard cereal boxes folded over and taped several
>>times, but it's time-consuming and messy to drill through, especially
>>when one hits a raisin or other dried fruit in the box (kidding).
>
>You're very close. Use posterboard, the kind that's about 2mm thick. I
>forget the weight but you can find it at craft stores and print shops (I'm
>talking about cardboard, not foamcore). And don't drill anything but the
>tiny holes. Get a set of hole punches (like you'd use for leather etc.) and
>simply punch the big holes.
>
>There's nothing faster than this. I print out the front panel design, spray
>it with contact adhesive, and put it on the posterboard first before
>punching. The only problem with this approach is that it's so usable it
>makes you not want to bother with the finished panel, although if you're
>using 1/4" jacks you'll get fed up pretty quick.
>
>Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
>"The Mac Doctor"

I did this, but with 1/8 thick board one time, and sprayed it silver.
Someone else who looked at it suggested I use a thicker gauge of aluminium
if I wanted to reduce the flexing. He'd totally failed to realize it was
cardboard.

Now days I make up special PCbs that are nothing more than a row of pot or
whatever mounting points, and assemble my panel components to these. When it
comes time to mount them on the panel, its simply a matter of pushing the
parts through the appropriate holes (and maybe resoldering the jack wires if
I'm using bananas).

Ken 
_______________________________________________________________________
Ken Stone   sasami at hotkey.net.au
Modular Synth PCBs for sale <http://www.blaze.net.au/~sasami/synth/>
Australian Miniature Horses & Ponies <http://www.blaze.net.au/~sasami/>