Message You are looking at something called a Card Cage. Vector makes them but they are _very_ pricey .
Without the backplane (this means you provide your own edge connectors and mechanical support -- they provide the sheet-metal for mounting _their_ plugins, a 19" wide by 3U tall unit is $227
These are frequently available on the surplus market though. When I was starting out in synthesys (building Electronotes circuits), I was able to get a bunch of them from a computer mainframe manufacturer that went belly up and they worked out well. (The company made peripherals for DEC equipment. I was living in Boston at the time)
Vector
Newark -- Vector cardcage without backplane and plugins
Not to burst a bubble, but guide rails are often found in schemes like this. I suspect that without them, the boards would have enough potential 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 been thinking
> about all this myself. The reason is I'm trying to plan out my system 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 a cabinet-mounted
> modular
> gives. But I'm a ways off from there!
>
> I would love to be able to easily pull modules out of the cabinet and
> re-arrange
> them within minutes. If I want a classic "boston-style" layout (as Cynthia
> recently posted somewhere), then I can place them in a cabinet that
> way. If
> I
> want to experiment with some wild envelope modulations, I can arrange a
> bunch
> of VCOs, LFOs, etc. around/near some EGs. If I want to emulate a classic
> mono/poly keyboard's architecture, then I can plug them in that way. 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 years ago. 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 you want.
>
> This would require a pretty slick mounting system (read $$$). Instead of
> stationary screws through the face-plate's mounting holes, posts would be
> inserted that fit through the bracket's holes. Perhaps these posts would
> be a rubber material that provides the perfect amount of friction to hold
> the modules in, but also allow easy removal. There would also have to be
> some
> elegant way of being able to remove the modules without having to resort
> 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 try this. But
> there's
> a lot of details. Ahhhh, details, details. In the meantime, I'm looking
> forward
> to some real, nice, classic walnut cabinets...
>
> -Greg
-- Regards,John BlacetBlacet Researchhttp://www.blacet.com