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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=FR-CA link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>For many years I struggled to get some ‘professional looking’ front panels for my DOTCOM synth modules.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>I started to print my finished layouts on self-adhesive vinyles that were finally laminated.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>That did the job quite well.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Now I found a better and stronger way to do my front panels..<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>I create GERBER files of my layouts that I send to my PCB maker.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>These layouts are put on 5mils flexible PCB fiberglass with Black mat mask background<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>and white silkscreen letters and drawings.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Just like standard PCB but without copper and any holes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>These thin fiberglasses are then spray glueded on my 1/16” thick DOTCOM aluminum plates.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>All I have to do is then punch all the needed holes draft in the layout.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Have a look at my last module front panel:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><img width=165 height=701 id="Image_x0020_1" src="cid:image002.jpg@01D6A18B.A3E6B420"></span><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>The layout software I used is <a href="https://www.electronic-software-shop.com/lng/en/electronic-software/frontdesigner-30.html">FrontDesigner 3.0</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>It is cheap and very precise ! One of its most usefull tool is the<br>potentiometer layout indexing. The above <b>Frequency (oct)</b> has been done using it.<br>It can be used in mm or inches.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>The following is my last layout which is about to be made again from a thin 5mils PCB.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>A Moog 960 sequencer clone layout:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><img border=0 width=1273 height=683 id="Image_x0020_2" src="cid:image004.jpg@01D6A18B.A3E6B420"></span><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>On Tue, Oct 13, 2020 at 12:41 PM Gordonjcp <<a href="mailto:gordonjcp@gjcp.net">gordonjcp@gjcp.net</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0cm'><p class=MsoNormal>No, no, not whether you should use Inkscape or Excel or some CAD package, actually designing them so they look good.<br><br>There's got to be some overlap on this list with people skilled in the visual arts. How do you lay out the controls, connectors etc. on a panel so they look good, and don't look like the nightmarish "designed by engineer" crap that a lot of stuff seems to be?<br><br>I'm guessing there's some simple but non-obvious principles at work that could be explained if you could get past all the forum discussion of whether toner transfer is better than photoresist or Eagle is better than Illustrator or whatever.<br><br>-- <br>Gordonjcp<br>_______________________________________________<br>Synth-diy mailing list<br><a href="mailto:Synth-diy@synth-diy.org" target="_blank">Synth-diy@synth-diy.org</a><br><a href="http://synth-diy.org/mailman/listinfo/synth-diy" target="_blank">http://synth-diy.org/mailman/listinfo/synth-diy</a><o:p></o:p></p></blockquote></div><p class=MsoNormal><br clear=all><br>-- <o:p></o:p></p><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://www.instagram.com/colinmuirdorward/" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/colinmuirdorward/</a><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://www.instagram.com/colinmuirdorward/" target="_blank">-<br></a><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://www.instagram.com/ssdp_synthesis/" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/ssdp_synthesis/</a><o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>