[sdiy] rack enclosures

[Hallvard Tangeraas]

On 6/3/07 07:43, ASSI wrote:
> On Montag, 5. März 2007 23:17, Hallvard Tangeraas wrote:
>   
>> The lettering on commercially sold 19" rack module synths (Yamaha,
>> Roland, Korg etc.) is done by silk-screen printing, isn't it?
>>     
>
> Either that or a screen print transfer.
>   
But isn't that the same thing as "silk-screen printing" and "screen 
printing"? From the Wikipedia article it seems to be the same thing.
In any case I've read through the article (you're right Peter Ullrich: 
the German Wikipedia article has a lot more illustrations!) and I 
believe I understand a little more what it's all about.

There are a few things however I don't understand:

1) According to this illustration:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild:Indirektschablone.jpg
.... I can use a special plastic film that I use UV-light with and a 
chemical process. I believe it's very similar to photosensitive PCBs, 
though the illustration fails to show the overlay of the actual stuff 
you want printed.
But for the paint to get through the plastic foil (stencil) the 
lettering, patterns or whatever you want transferred has to be holes in 
that stencil, right? So how to you create for example an "O"?
I'm thinking of the same principle as those "military stencils" where 
letters and numbers couldn't have any opening, and an "O" for example 
wouldn't be painted as a coloured ring, but as a coloured filled circle.
Am I missing something here?

2) Since paint has to go through some kind of fabric, wouldn't that 
create lots of tiny lines 
(http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild:Siebdruckgewebe3.jpg) in the 
letters/patterns, where the fabric is?

>> So you're saying that there should be a 19" rack front panel on both
>> ends? 
> There's no need for a second panel, but you need something to affix the 
> rear end of the box to the rear rails of the rack.  What this is very 
> much depends on the construction of the rack.  
Ah!
I can see several possibilities here.
I don't think I will use a 19" front panel on the rear end as well 
because that'll look a little strange, and putting bars underneath the 
enclosure could prove to block the module underneath it (if the bars are 
too thick), or actually bend because of the weight (if the bars are too 
thin).
I'm thinking that drilling holes on the side of the enclosure in a 
suitable location would allow me to mount sturdy brackets with screws, 
then screw those in turn on to the rear rack railing of my 19" rack 
(i.e. the big wooden with metal framing "box" which will house all my 
19" rack module synths, effects etc.

I really should draw this as it would explain things a whole lot better.
(a while later.....)
OK, this illustrates the above a lot better than words do:
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/298/deeprackmountingqi7.png


Hallvard