[COMPLETED] Laser Cut Prototyping mini-GB

[Acanthophis]

In what format do you need the designs?

[matt3o]

DWG or DXF use MM as unit (!!!)

[Acanthophis]

Haha, no need to tell me.
Who in his right mind would use the imperial system?

Is there a certain deadline or time frame?

[matt3o]

I'd like to finalize all designs by this week.

[Muirium]

Sounds sensible to me. Aiming for a date with the laser next week?

[matt3o]

Sounds sensible to me. Aiming for a date with the laser next week?

Sept. 2 for the quote. Payment due by Sept 3.

Since everyone has a different design once the order is placed I don't want to start adding/replacing/removing keyboards. If this doesn't work at first try I'll close the GB and I'll laser cut just my board (and maybe the one of close friends). Sorry for the harsh but this is taking a lot of time and I get nothing back (well okay, karma that is).

[Muirium]

Indeed. Thanks for your extended patience with us! Let's get this together and done.

[matt3o]

Latest version of the stepped HHfox. Included in the zip the DWG and the PDF files. If you print it you should have a 1:1 representation of the keyboard. As a reference the width should be 291mm.

The only part that needs revision is the usb hole.

[matt3o]

Just as a reminder, in few hours I'll post the final file that will be sent to the laser cutter. Please review it and confirm your order.

NB: I have some troubles with Zifle's file, can you send it in DWG format? What software did you use?

[Muirium]

Loving this stepped profile and hidden screws design, Matt! Impressive work.

muirium.png (41.7 KiB) Viewed 4275 times

muirium.pdf

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All steel. Left column is the 1.5 mm layers, 3 mm for the rest. The plate is, inevitably, mirror steel!

For those wondering: the case is deeper at the back, by using a "mezzanine": a cunning middle layer (in the diagram it's the second box down on the left) which adapts from the full area upper box (containing the switches beneath the plate) and the half size lower box (containing the controller). That way I can play experiments in Bluetooth later. I'm guessing I might need an acrylic layer for that though with this Faraday cage of a case!

The one thing I've spotted is there's no mountings for the feet. I'd like one in each corner: the back two at the back of the true bottom plate, and the front two on the front corners of the mezzanine. In an earlier design I had them centred beneath the corner keys. Hopefully this still works.

The Bluetooth dream still has me thinking about a "window" in the back (a few centimetre slot at the midline of the lower box's back, perhaps just in the structurally less critical 3mm layers) but I don't know if it's really a good idea. How hard would it be to plug with a block of acrylic, say? And can I have it grey or white?

Anyway, thanks big time Matt. I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else has planned out.

[matt3o]

I'd take a white or even transparent acrylic for the bottom.

Regarding feet, are you sure you can't simply do with sticky rubber feet?

edit: also, probably it is better to make alu sides, so you can work them somehow if needed

[Zifle]

Just as a reminder, in few hours I'll post the final file that will be sent to the laser cutter. Please review it and confirm your order.

NB: I have some troubles with Zifle's file, can you send it in DWG format? What software did you use?

I've used Librecad, which doesn't have the option to export to dwg. What's the issue? I'll try to install Draftsight, and take it from there.

[Muirium]

I'd take a white or even transparent acrylic for the bottom.

Regarding feet, are you sure you can't simply do with sticky rubber feet?

edit: also, probably it is better to make alu sides, so you can work them somehow if needed

Sticky feet seem a bad match. Besides, they'd work just as fine even with unused screw holes. Drilling steel is not my idea of easy.

An acrylic bottom is a good backup plan. Especially white or transparent, which sound pretty sweet. But I'd prefer to try metal first.

[Zifle]

Here, dwg's attached, I hope they work properly

[matt3o]

Sticky feet seem a bad match. Besides, they'd work just as fine even with unused screw holes. Drilling steel is not my idea of easy.

As you wish.

An acrylic bottom is a good backup plan. Especially white or transparent, which sound pretty sweet. But I'd prefer to try metal first.

maybe alu is light enough to let waves pass. you may also try with an alu step closure.

Here, dwg's attached, I hope they work properly

same issue, I don't know why but when I copy your plate and paste it gets mangled somehow. What software are you using?

[Muirium]

Sticky feet seem a bad match. Besides, they'd work just as fine even with unused screw holes. Drilling steel is not my idea of easy.

As you wish.

Cheers!

An acrylic bottom is a good backup plan. Especially white or transparent, which sound pretty sweet. But I'd prefer to try metal first.

maybe alu is light enough to let waves pass. you may also try with an alu step closure.

Perhaps. What's the mix looking like this time around: are people doing both steel and aluminium?

[Zifle]

same issue, I don't know why but when I copy your plate and paste it gets mangled somehow. What software are you using?

I installed Draftsight to save as dwg, but I didn't do anything else to the drawing, so that's probably the problem. It's only the case that's an issue? I'll try drawing it up again real quick in draftsight.

EDIT: Attached redrawing, is this better? If not, I'd suspect it's a problem with the fillets (although now I've drawn them manually) <_<

[matt3o]

This is what it is happening when I paste it. Never happened before.

mangled.png (2.55 KiB) Viewed 4238 times

it seems only the screw holes are wrong, but who knows what else is happening

[Zifle]

Here, that should take care of that too. It looks to me, that the switch holes are in the intended places, along with the stab holes, so they apparently haven't been hit with any weird export bug. I had made the screw holes as a block, so it makes good sense to me, that they're spread apart, away from their intended positions, the way they are.

Regardless, unless you've spotted any other errors, I believe that should be it (hopefully). Only the switch holes haven't been redrawn in draftsight at this point.

[matt3o]

everything seems fine now, each element in your layout seems a group, I hope there are no issues with the laser cutting.

edit: I simply exploded each element, everything seems fine.

I'm now waiting for mtl's new design (hurry up pal!)

[Zifle]

I don't hope so, I've had issues with Librecad previously, where fillets would completely screw up the case, etc. After this, I'm certainly going to avoid it, getting used to Draftsight will probably be more efficient too.

But yea, now that it appears to work, I can't see anything that would go wrong, so I'll cross my fingers.

[Muirium]

Zifle: I'd up a big screen shot of what your design should look like, as a sanity check, just in case. File export bugs are a nightmare for getting work done. I have to step around them all too often, too.

[matt3o]

We still miss mtl's design but please start reviewing the (semi)final layout.

I updated the first post with the list of participants. You'll also find the DWG that will be submitted to the laser cutter. Please download it, review it and let me know if you spot any problem.

Please confirm once you reviewed your layout!

We are a bit late on our schedule, I'll probably ask for the quote next Tuesday. You'll have to pay right after.

Here below a PNG preview

final.png (27.32 KiB) Viewed 4190 times

[Zifle]

Zifle: I'd up a big screen shot of what your design should look like, as a sanity check, just in case. File export bugs are a nightmare for getting work done. I have to step around them all too often, too.

That's a good idea, can't believe I hadn't thought of that!

We still miss mtl's design but please start reviewing the (semi)final layout.

I updated the first post with the list of participants. You'll also find the DWG that will be submitted to the laser cutter. Please download it, review it and let me know if you spot any problem.

Please confirm once you reviewed your layout!

We are a bit late on our schedule, I'll probably ask for the quote next Tuesday. You'll have to pay right after.

Here below a PNG preview

Mine looks good to, from what I can tell. Does the grouping of layers indicate their thickness? Because I intended my backplate to be 3mm, like the rest of the case, with only the switchplate being 1.5mm, so I can thread the screw holes.

High-res images of my layers:

[matt3o]

yes, grouping is by thickness.

the base is steel, right? 1.5mm is still threadable I think if you do it right. consider that 3mm stainless steel is pretty hard to thread.

edit: unless you use an alu 3mm base of course

[Muirium]

These keyboard designs are looking good already. Organising them by layer thickness helps keep things clear too. But what about material: aluminium vs. steel?

[matt3o]

as of now: all plates are aluminum. all sides are aluminum. all bases are steel (and belong to us).

exception: Muirium's plate is steel.

PS: I've added the feet holes for your keyboard Muir.

[Muirium]

Exception: my plate is mirror steel!

Excellent. Feet holes are centred 1u from the corners, as in the old design I hope.

I'm still pondering a slot in one of the 3mm layers for a Bluetooth window but I don't want to weaken the structural design.

[matt3o]

Exception: my plate is mirror steel!

indeed

Excellent. Feet holes are centred 1u from the corners, as in the old design I hope.

indeed

I'm still pondering a slot in one of the 3mm layers for a Bluetooth window but I don't want to weaken the structural design.

white acrylic goes terribly well with steel. just make the bottom step layer acrylic and make your bluetooth happy!

[Muirium]

There's a thought. What's a rough guess for much those bottom side layers (between the mezzanine and the base) will cost? I might have them made anyway, as a backup, with acrylic as my experiment.