Not to burst a bubble, but guide rails are often found in schemes likethis. I suspect that without them, the boards would have enoughpotential warp to make mating up with the backpane connector uncertain.More $$$$.
Scott E. wrote:
Greg,
I have thought of this kind of arrangement as well. It has a real
functional advantage in my thinking. I believe you are correct in your
thought that it would add "$$$" to the equation.
One pitfall I can imagine in this idea is the build up of heat. The
cabinet with the front panel screw mounting allows an open back to the
module which allows heat to dissipate readily through the open back.
Such a mounting scheme might require some form of controlled venting or
air circulation that would add yet another layer of cost.
Scott E.
============================================================
Greg James wrote:
> I've got to jump in too.
>
> Even though I just got on Larry's cabinet waiting list, I've beenthinking
> about all this myself. The reason is I'm trying to plan out mysystem for
> what
> I want today vs. where I want to go in the future. Ultimately, I've
> concluded
> that I really want more flexibility than even what acabinet-mounted
> modular
> gives. But I'm a ways off from there!
>
> I would love to be able to easily pull modules out of the cabinetand
> re-arrange
> them within minutes. If I want a classic "boston-style" layout (asCynthia
> recently posted somewhere), then I can place them in a cabinetthat
> way. If
> I
> want to experiment with some wild envelope modulations, I canarrange a
> bunch
> of VCOs, LFOs, etc. around/near some EGs. If I want to emulate aclassic
> mono/poly keyboard's architecture, then I can plug them in thatway. I
> think
> you get the idea.
>
> Anyway, what I'm cooking up in my head is a pluggable cabinet,sort of
> like
> what I've seen in some old electronic lab equipment many yearsago. Each
> module has a standard backplane that plugs into a cabinet bus.Want to
> rearrange
> your modules, just pull 'em out and plug 'em back in the way youwant.
>
> This would require a pretty slick mounting system (read $$$).Instead of
> stationary screws through the face-plate's mounting holes, postswould be
> inserted that fit through the bracket's holes. Perhaps these postswould
> be a rubber material that provides the perfect amount of frictionto hold
> the modules in, but also allow easy removal. There would also haveto be
> some
> elegant way of being able to remove the modules without having toresort
> to screwdrivers - we don't want rack rash or screwdriver scars all
> over our
> faceplates!
>
> I'm just dreaming - but someday I might really sit down and trythis. But
> there's
> a lot of details. Ahhhh, details, details. In the meantime, I'mlooking
> forward
> to some real, nice, classic walnut cabinets...
>
> -Greg
-- Regards,John BlacetBlacet Researchhttp://www.blacet.com