MOTM

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
http://www.vectorelect.com/Product/Subracks/CCK13-Series.htm
 
Newark -- Vector cardcage without backplane and plugins
http://www.newark.com/NewarkWebCommerce/newark/en_US/endecaSearch/search
Page2.jsp?x=0
<http://www.newark.com/NewarkWebCommerce/newark/en_US/endecaSearch/searc
hPage2.jsp?x=0&Ntt=categorynumber78006&Nty=1&showImages=true&N=4&y=0&Ntk
=gensearch>
&Ntt=categorynumber78006&Nty=1&showImages=true&N=4&y=0&Ntk=gensearch

-----Original Message-----
From: John Blacet [mailto:blacet@...] 
Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2005 2:49 PM
To: motm@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [motm] Reconfigurable Modular


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 Blacet



Blacet Research

http://www.blacet.com

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