Creative.chaos.de/Enclosure for WRAP
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Preface / Comments
- All information contained in this site / pages may only be used for noncommercial purposes.
- The use for commercial purposes, namedly the sale of enclosures that are based on the files downloadable here is only allowed on a permission-only basis. Please direct your enquiries to stefan.krister (at) creative.chaos.de.
- I do not take any responsibility for the data, measurements and prices contained in these documents. If you use any of the files available here to order a plate, please ensure the accurancy of the data. Nevertheless, all data was compiled with the utmost diligence. As soon as I have received the first plates, I will add a remark to the links.
Prologue
With this, I want do document the creation of a new enclosure for my WRAP-Board.
The manufacturer's casing has some major drawbacks that I do not want to discuss here. As soon as you modify your WRAP, you'll have to start tinkering with the enclosure. Depending on your craftsmanship skills and your machinery, the results are pretty or rather peculiar.
Therefore, I wished for a custom made enclosure for my WRAP (Please, pimp my WRAP!).
I enquired Google for case manufacurers and had some hits. Unfortunately, the ready-made casings are either too big or too small.
There are, however, manufacturers for custom-made enclosures, like 19 Zoll or KM Gehäusetech, their ALU-Compact pretty much nails my needs. But, you have to program their CNC mould cutters, if you cannot do that yourself, it costs around 50€. Depending on the number of units you need, this can be a forbidding expenditiure...
Task: do-it-yourself drawing and programming of a CNC moulding cutter
But it is simpler than anticipated: There is a programm called Front Panel Designer by Schaeffer AG. This CAD-program also manages the programming of the CNC mould cutter and calculates the price for the panels right away.
My casing has finally been delivered; there are more pictures here.
The topic of this section is the creation of the files. As you can see on the pictures, the casing delivered is surely only adequate for my personal WRAP. I have one USB-connector on the front and one on the back panel and only one WLAN-antenna. The labeling probably is pretty peculiar, too.
So you have to delete from my drawing-files what you do not need and add what you want to. This way, everyone gets their custom WRAP enclosure. Drawback: No discounts.
Parts of the Enclosure
- side section (left/right)
- Schaeffer builds two side sections, numbered 1 (height: 42mm) and 2 (height: 56mm).
- Apart from the height, they are different in the number of grooves to house the board.
- I chose the side section No. 1 for my WRAP.
- covers (top/bottom)
- The side section has grooves for 1,5mm covers.
- If you choose thicker covers, you have to mould your sides accordingly. Please refer to the enclosure documentation by Schaeffer for details.
- The panel designer has no option to choose a 1,5mm cover. Schaeffer told me that you should choose a 2mm cover and note in the remarks-Field (Bemerkungen) that you use 1,5mm panels. It worked well in my order.
- side section (front/back)
- I already added the holes and cut-outs necessary. Additionally, I added holes for the WLAN antenna and cut-outs for the USB-connectors. These fit my parts (pigtails, USB-connectors from a slot cover made by Pollin - Best.Nr. 720 757).
- You can easily change the labelling of the panels if you don't like my ideas.
- assembly kit
- I chose the assembly kit 1A, because it has countersunk flat head tapping screws, these seat solidly into the panel.
Side Section 1
The side section 1 has five grooves to house the board. I chose the second groove from the bottom for my WRAP-board. Because of some electronic parts, the board would not fit lower.
The countersunk flat head tapping screw from the assembly kit work their own kinda thread into the side section - you only have to take care to go into that very thread at consecutive assemblies.
However, it should be possible to cut metric threads. If you do, you'd have to change the counter sinks, because metric counter sunk screws have a different angle (90°, whereas tapping screws have 80°).
Please choose the appropriate metric thread/screws from a table book. I do not own that kind of literature, so I can't be of any help here.
- length: 152,4mm - exactly as long as the board is.
Covers
The covers are the easiest parts. You'll only have to change something if you want to habe panels thicker than 1,5mm. There is a bug (or a missing feature) in the panel designer with 1,5mm material, so you'd have to choose 2mm panels and add a remark (Bemerkungen) that you want 1,5mm. Schaeffer will change that accordingly.
- width: 152,4mm
- heigth: 155,4mm - 14,2mm = 141,2mm
Front panel
The front panel needs
- 4 holes 2,9mm with counter sinking DIN74-C for the countersunk flat head tapping screws
- 3 cutouts 3mm x 1,5mm for the LEDs
- 1 hole 1,5mm for the pushbutton
- labelling
- personal cutouts / holes for specific tasks
- width 152,4mm + 3mm = 155,4mm
- height 42mm
- thickness 2mm
- Y-coordinate (base line) of the cutouts, (low zero):
14,3mm (height of the groove) + 1,6mm (thickness of the board) + 0,6mm (half-height of the LEDs) ------- =16,5mm
- X-coordinate of the 1. LED, zero is left:
1,4mm (thickness of the panel) +12,5mm (distance between the left of the board and the middle of the LED) ------- =13,9mm
Back Panel
For the back panel, you need
- 4 holes 2,9mm with counter sinking DIN74-C for the countersunk flat head tapping screws
- 1 Sub-D 9pol cutout with mounting holes
- 3 cutouts for the ethernet-connectors 17,6mm x 14mm
- hole for the power connector 7mm
- custom cutouts / holes (WLAN, USB etc.)
- WLAN hole: The pigtail has to be mounted with shim (10,1mm diameter) and nut, the labelling had to be farther away from the hole.
- USB: Since my USB-connectors are 12mm high (due to the plastic cover), I had to cut some plastic (2mm) so that the top cover could be closed. You can see that on this picture pretty well.
- Labelling / symbols (The symbols I used were taken from the marko package "PcLogos" by Thorsten Mühlke.
- width 155,4mm
- height 42mm
- thickness 2mm
- Y-coordinate (base line) for the cutouts (zero low):
14,3mm (height of the groove) + 1,6mm (thickness of board) + 7,0mm (half-height of Ethernet connector) ------- =22,9mm
- X-coordinate of RS232-connector (zero left):
1,4mm (thickness of side section) +25,5mm (distance between middle of the RS232-connector and left side of board) ------- =26,9mm
Prices
The prices have changed since July 1st 2006 - you can calculate them by yourself in the panel designer.
Issues
- add a Fritz!Card USB into the case, kinda like (but better) this
- If you have that, take measures and add the appropriate cutout. I can see from the pictures that the board has three holes - please take measure of them as well, add holes to the top panel and you're done! Mount that with spacers.
- LC-Display for the WRAP
- There was an enquiry in the newsgroup to have a LC-Display for the WRAP as well. The specifics for the enclosure will remain here.
Downloads and Links
- The panel designer by Schaeffer AG
- Documentation by Gehäusebau der Schaeffer AG. Details for the side sections, screws and panels: Gehäuse.pdf
- The WRAP-Docs with measured drawing on page 22 by PC Engines
- The makro package "PcLogos" by Thorsten Mühlke
- The project file for the panel designer: WRAP-im-Seitenprofil-1.fpp
- The front panel: Front-fuer-Seitenprofil-1.fpd
- The measurements of this file fit.
- The back panel: Rueck-fuer-Seitenprofil-1.fpd
- The measurements for these cutouts fit: serial console, Ethernet, power
- The measurements of the WLAN-hole and USB cutouts fit my parts. Please check! I had to clip the plastic of my USB connectors to be able to close the lid.
- The top/bottom cover(s): Deckelplatte-fuer-Seitenprofil-1.fpd
- The measurements of this file fit.
- Please note: A panel this size and thickness is not allowed in the panel designer; I had to choose a 2mm panel and add a remark in the Bemerkung-field that a 1,5mm panel shall be used.
