MOTM

At 5:21 PM -0500 3/10/05, Greg James wrote:
>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.

Instead of a pluggable backplane and the money it would cost, why not 
put velcro strips where the rails would go? Instead of bolts mounting 
modules to rails, you could put "drawer pull" handles (you know the 
kind, the squared off "U" shaped knob protecting handles) on each 
module. This would allow you to easily pull out and remount the 
modules in any way you desire. It would also have the advantages of 
an open back design so heat wouldn't be a problem. You could easily 
hook up the power connectors as well with a design like this. All the 
advantages of a reconfigurable modular without the high cost.

    Seth