Michael P Clark Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 Hello everyone, I've looked through the site and have found some very good info in regards to the setups used by many of you. I've looked at the Meon and PSC offerings and think the pricing is very high for what I need. From what I have gathered so far, I am looking for a 13.8v/10a regulated power supply, to float over a fully charged "xxmAhr" battery, and then out to some sort of 4-pin distro box and distribution method to get it to all the parts. My question is what are the favorite Power Supply's in use? Favorite batteries? And in regards to distribution boxes, what is necessary for this? Is it straight copper to copper for wiring, or do I need fuses, diodes, etc, for protection? I have looked at the Hotbox, but don't need that many outputs, and I hope to build it cheaper. Are there any fuses needed between the parts? I plan on having 4-pin breakaway's at each point for flexibility. Jeff, do you build your setup for other mixer's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 My question is what are the favorite Power Supply's in use? Favorite batteries? And in regards to distribution boxes, what is necessary for this? Is it straight copper to copper for wiring, or do I need fuses, diodes, etc, for protection? Jeff, do you build your setup for other mixer's? I am not an expert on all the various methods and devices out there, but I can speak for the reliability, stability and function of the sort of power supplies I have been building for my use. The way I have done it is the absolute easiest, simplest and least expensive way to go. Because of the simplicity, it does not have all the possible bells and whistles, or even possibly flexibility, that the other more complex (and expensive) products have. In fact, it doesn't have ANY bells and whistles --- just good reliable low cost DC power. I will explain in detail, such as there is, if you would like to build your own, and I can also give you the sources for the regulated power supplies I have used and the batteries I have used. One caveat I will mention because it is an area where I have had no experience: if the cart supply is to be used to power AC equipment, with an inverter setup, I am not sure that my design is the right way to go. I can only speak for its reliability and stability powering DC only equipment --- everything on my cart accepts DC directly. Any potential voltage requirement/capacity, amperage, ground loops and so forth, that could be introduced when powering AC equipment, these are things I know nothing about. As far as distributing this DC to the various devices on the cart, I have kept this ultra-simple as well. I use regular stranded 2 conductor unshielded cable between 14 and 16 gauge usually (depending on size restriction of the channels/path I run these) to little boxes with standard 4-pin XLR-F panel mount connectors. These boxes are just housing for connectors --- usually no switches, no fuses, no diodes, etc. I do try and make all of these "home runs" meaning that each connector is wired straight to the supply (home) and not looped through the other connectors (which is convenient and saves on wire but there seems to be some advantage to making them home runs). That's all there is to it. I could build one for you if you like but I would have to specify the cost very carefully --- just to protect both of us if I were to build one. See image below --- one of the last ones I built (not a very good picture, sorry) - Jeff Wexler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael P Clark Posted February 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 Thanks Jeff for the offer build. I would love to get a lead on the components you use. I am able to build my own, so no need to put you out, just thought I would ask. There seems to be a lot of available options, and I am also looking for some "our"-world experience to eliminate most options in regards to power supplies, and batteries of choice. It doesn't seem like your design is much different than from others who do use laptops on their carts. Anybody else have any input on using inverters with a DC source? I do plan on running a Macbook, so a DC/AC inverter will be necessary. I am aware of the Mini being DC capable. Those using the Mini, what type of DC is it looking for and what's it's draw? I found this at apple for laptops, and a 4-pin should be able to replace the cigarette adapter. http://store.apple.com/us/product/TH995LL/A?mco=ADC8D375 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHolmes Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 Michael, the system I use, which is DC only, is a GUEST charger into a 2 block batteries and out a homemade 1 in 8 out distro box. The guest chargers seem to be the quietest and the batteries are AGM 33amh. Sorry I can't help with your inverter issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 Michael, the system I use, which is DC only, is a GUEST charger into a 2 block batteries and out a homemade 1 in 8 out distro box. The guest chargers seem to be the quietest and the batteries are AGM 33amh. Sorry I can't help with your inverter issues. You have been lucky using the GUEST charger, or any charger for that matter, while you are operating audio equipment. I only needed to get burned once to learn my lesson. I had a GUEST charger hooked up to a battery that was powering a mixing panel. At some point during shooting the charger did throw off a rather nasty noise that was faithfully recorded (but fortunately did not ruin the recording). That is the last time I would ever have any sort of off the shelf battery charger hooked up to the battery that is powering the gear. On another issue, it seems ridiculous to me the ideas to power laptops that involve AC. All of the laptops, PC or Mac, and even some of the "desktops" like the Mac Mini, are powered by DC. Why take a battery on your cart (DC) and power an inverter (AC) to plug in a laptop power supply (AC) to power the computer (DC). The only stumbling block now, thanks to Apple's Mag-Safe connector, is that it is not such an easy task to adapt cigarette lighter adaptor schemes (12 volts DC) to power Mac laptops. It can be done and it has been discussed here and elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 Why not just add a cigarette lighter port and then use the 12v apple magsafe cable? Only drawback is that the apple specs say it will not charge the battery. I think the problem is that there are no Mag-Safe connector equipped car (cigarette lighter) adapters available. I have not checked recently but this was the case for quite a long time after Apple first used that connector. The old style (not Mag-Safe) connector that was in use for years and years on Mac laptops, had a whole lot of companies producing car adapters, airline adapters, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stacysound Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 I tried the Guest chargers and didn't like it. When they cycle between trickle and full charge, there's a 1.5+V jump. Bothered me seeing the constant voltage change on the volt meter. Also just seemed plastic.... I do the Astron switching supply. They're great. Get one that's rated for your needs. Tie a 12V Gel cel to it and you have 12v power if AC gets kicked. Works great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bperlman Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 One thing I'd add to this discussion is that regardless of which distro and/or charging system you use, it's important to have some sort of protection from the AC coming to your cart. I use a Monster conditioner with surge protection and seperate outs for analog and digital devices. Don't know exactly what magic is going on inside the box but for $200 I enjoy clean power and peace of mind. There was the time when some homeless guy pulled a cable from the generator sending 220v to the set.... I survived with only one blown fuse, but many departments were no so lucky. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 this website sells magsafe car chargers and I am seeing good reviews online for them http://mikegyver.com/ This seems to be the best way to go. I am glad someone has actually come up with this. I did not check the cost. Direct link to product page: http://mikegyver.com/IdeasnProducts/airline-car/index.html - Jeff Wexler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael P Clark Posted February 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 Jeff, From the battery, you have a straight line going to your panel mounted 4-pin. Do you split that with home runs to your other gear, or do you split off the battery to separate 4-pin panel mounts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 Links to some of the parts to my cart power supply. Notes: the links to the regulated DC power supplies may not be for the specific model/capacity you want to use DC panel meters: I have used all of these, at various times, and they each have their own merits and liabilities (and they have significantly different pricing) There is no link to the circuit breakers I use (can't find the part number off hand) but they are 10 am breakers with the sort of push-pull "switch" like you see on Steadi-Cam rigs. I use these instead of fuses and they also serve as switches. I fuse the following: AC connection, DC output from the regulated DC power supply to the battery, output of the battery to its distribution to the cart. No link to source for batteries: generally I have used any high quality sealed lead acid gel cells, some AGM batteries, etc. Most common size for me has been 20 ah (so I use several if I need to up the run time on pure DC). 2-wire panel meters < http://www.murata-ps.com/cgi-bin/cd4power.storefront/49907af7093088da271d0c9f894206ef/Catalog/1070 > < http://www.marteltesttools.com/products.php?cat=113&action=detail&id=69 > regulated DC power supplies < http://www.trcelectronics.com/Meanwell/rs-100-12.shtml > < http://www.mpja.com/prodinfo.asp?number=16020+PS > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Waelder Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 I always follow these discussions of cart power with some interest, wondering if someone has a magic bullet I should be using. Invariably I find that my present solution meets my needs at least as well as anything being used by others. More than ten years ago i ponied up a chunk of money for a PSC Power Station to handle my cart needs. Yes, this is more expensive than wiring your own but Ron has really done an exemplary job of making it all work seamlessly and reliably. There are four outputs each capable of supplying either 6 volts, 12 volts or 18 volts. Each output is protected by a circuit breaker. And the built in charger can be used while working and keeps the battery topped off. For details: http://www.professionalsound.com/products/pwr.htm Circumstances have evolved over those ten years. Just as a 100 MB hard drive that used to be bottomless is now regarded as shuttle storage, a 33 amp/hour battery with four outputs is no longer sufficient to handle all the needs of a full service cart. But, the workarounds are pretty simple. For those with really demanding application, Ron now makes the PowerMax Ultra. (And, of course, Glen Trew makes a competing product.) I handled the challenge of making the Power Station work by deciding that I didn't need to power absolutely EVERYTHING from the battery. Since AC power is almost always available, I use it to power my IFB transmitters, my video monitor, cart lights, and other doodads. If I must work off battery, I have the necessary connectors and power distribution (I use Forrest Brakeman's distribution box: http://fosquared.com/index.html) so that I can power these items from the battery. But most of the time, I use the battery just for the Cooper mixer, the Venue and other receivers, and the two recorders. This keeps the drain on the system reasonable so I am not pulling out more than the charger can pump in. I made a small modification that enhances the utility of the system. My Power Station has a 4-pin input and a switch that permits connecting and using an external battery. I believe this is a standard mod in Ron's shop. In circumstances, say, a western, where I might operate outdoors for an extended period, I can connect any 12-volt battery and run from external power. This permits using one battery in the morning and then bringing it back to basecamp for charge at lunch. Again, the system is not unduly taxed. Since there is almost always AC power on hand, I find that I typically need to make a changeover to battery no more than once a week. I just re-patch a few cables - five minutes at most - and I'm good to go. And, I'm always immune to kickouts because the Power Station handles the essentials. I might loose Video Village but not the audio. Working abroad, I can use the Power Station in 240 volts with just a plug adapter. The system seamlessly adjusts to incoming power. Yes, it's more expensive than building it all yourself but it's not a crazy amount of money and the utility is outstanding. And by relying on AC power for the non-essentials I find that I am not lugging 50 or 75 pounds of battery just to have capacity I need only once in a great while. David Waelder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah Timan Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Hello Michael, As far as batteries go, I tend to use the regular lead-acid Panasonic batteries from Digi-Key. I know a lot has been written up about about the benefits of other battery types like AGM, but these regular lead acid batteries have always served me reliably. Before I used those I had the West Marine gel cells which were also very reliable (one lasted over five years of heavy use!), but I eventually got a bad one fresh from the store and gave up on that brand. As far as protection goes, I have found it prudent to put simple AGC fuses in between the main DC line and the distro to equipment. It is true that if reliably built, cabled, and run, the chances of putting a damaging short in between the distro and gear is pretty minimal. However, I have also managed to blow internal, non-field-changeable internal fuses in equipment over the years (mostly during truck or other transport where a wire got clipped or somesuch), and the hassles were extraordinary. Having that fuse as close to the gear as I can practically get it ensures that such things, while rare, only result in having to change a simple $2 AGC fuse rather than send a piece of gear back to the manufacturer to change an internal fuse (or worse). The main point is that most of our power supplies are sending 10-15 amps of juice up to the distro to power everything, and most of our individual pieces of gear can't take that if something should go awry. The fuses have saved my butt on several occasions. For things like Littlelites and other gear that uses more flimsy cable than the sturdier version you'll probably manufacture for your own stuff, it can be a downright godsend (and I often wire these cables with inline fuse holders very close to the device, rather than at the patchbay as I do with things that are going to be run with sturdier cable). It's not so much about avoiding losing your worklight as it is about avoiding sending nasty ripples through the system because your worklight cable got severed unintentionally. As far as power supplies go, I used the Astrons for years. However, I've gone through about ten of them at this point. The catch-22 in this case (no pun intended) is that you don't really want to buy a $150 Pelican case to house a $40 power supply. The problem is that unless you house the power supply in a really well-padded case, all the abuse they take bouncing and jouncing on the truck and cart (or from bad lines run from the electric department) is usually enough to screw up the whole thing. Over the years, I've experienced all sorts of hassles from various Astrons -- melted banana plug receptacles, blown boards inside, irregular voltage, rattling internal fans, so on and so forth. At the low price point it seemed prudent for a while to simply just replace a bad one, but when it kept happening and I kept having to buy replacements it stopped seeming like a brilliant financial plan (never mind the hassle of having to order them several times every couple of years). I switched to the (more expensive) IOTA brand of power supply a couple of years ago and the problems went away (knock on wood). As far as computers go, I gotta tell ya -- when I designed my current cart I spent a lot of money buying a $600 LCD computer monitor and having all sorts of fancy mounts and brackets built for it so I could eventually put a Mac Mini on my cart. I spent a lot of time in a holding pattern on buying the computer, due to eventual research on what a hassle it was to build a reliable DC-DC power source for it, and what appeared to be a lot of apathy from Apple for the product in general for a while there. During that holding pattern, I was using either my old Powerbook G4 (rest in peace, old friend, and you shall one day forgive the third who dropped you and caused your screen to tear off) or one of my newer MacBooks. What I came to realize during that period was that it's a hell of a lot easier to simply use your laptop with its built-in battery that runs the computer for three hours than it is to design some intricate, complex system requiring an overall heavier system, the need for a noisy, power-inefficient inverter or a really complicated DC-DC powering system requiring one to build leads with persnickety things like "iSense" along with hot and cold, and various other obstacles, all to work on a system that was going to cost more money, make the cart heavier, require a lot of labor, and result in a reduced display, than it would be if I simply stuck the laptop on a tray on my cart, ran a lead to AC, and was done with it. As such, my stopgap solution became a semi-permanent one. The fact of the matter is that if you're really duking it out in the brush with no AC power for extended periods of time, you're probably not recording on a computer-based system with a FireWire interface anyway. For the rest of us who seldom operate without AC for more than a few shots at a time (if that), the internal battery of Mac laptops seems to hold up just fine (generally about three hours, which is more than I need, and I have an $80 spare laptop battery if worst comes to worst [i've never needed it]). Hope that helps! Hello everyone, I've looked through the site and have found some very good info in regards to the setups used by many of you. I've looked at the Meon and PSC offerings and think the pricing is very high for what I need. From what I have gathered so far, I am looking for a 13.8v/10a regulated power supply, to float over a fully charged "xxmAhr" battery, and then out to some sort of 4-pin distro box and distribution method to get it to all the parts. My question is what are the favorite Power Supply's in use? Favorite batteries? And in regards to distribution boxes, what is necessary for this? Is it straight copper to copper for wiring, or do I need fuses, diodes, etc, for protection? I have looked at the Hotbox, but don't need that many outputs, and I hope to build it cheaper. Are there any fuses needed between the parts? I plan on having 4-pin breakaway's at each point for flexibility. Jeff, do you build your setup for other mixer's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael P Clark Posted February 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Thanks for the links Jeff. Those power supplies are pretty inexpensive compared to what I have seen. Although I can see that they are meant for mounting in a box, and probably not well suited exposed to the elements like most others I have seen. These have proven to be pretty reliable? Thanks Noah for your reply, your info is always helpful, and well laid out. I have always been told that all DC or all AC on the cart is the best way to avoid problems. Mixing power schemes can cause headaches. So my attempt is to try and get everything on DC, and the laptop is the one problem. But I will take your advice and not make the problem an expensive one. Never really thought of the fact that the laptop is battery operated(doh!), and technically DC already. Thanks Dave for your help also. I think I am going to try and build a system myself though. Cost efficiency and cart need is the main motivator here. The FoSquared splitter however, is something that could be very useful. I was intending on using a BDS box to feed the 744t/TRX900/Rx and anything extra needed on the fly. The lectro outs make this attractive, and other 4-pin outs. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Waelder Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 The FoSquared splitter however, is something that could be very useful. Yes, it's a well made product and very useful. It's the kind of thing any of us might make for half the cost but not nearly as elegantly as Forrest accomplishes the task. You should also be aware that PSC makes a competing distribution box. It's a bit more expensive but incorporates filter networks to handle system noise arising from intermodulation of the DC-DC converters in your gear. This is a nice feature - and also incorporated in the Power Station and the Power Max Ultra - but it does raise the price significantly. The thinking behind my advice comes from adherence to several design goals. In general, I try not to duplicate a task that someone else - someone with more skill and engineering knowledge than I possess - has already accomplished. But things are slow all over and if you think you can save some bucks by putting your downtime to good use, have at it. The other part of the design philosophy was that a power supply does not usually need to be completely autonomous for extensive periods of time. Building something that can run absolutely everything on your cart through a long day without external power inevitably yields a very heavy device. Very heavy power supplies require a heavier cart to reliably move them about, bigger wheels to roll the heavy cart over cables, etc. The excess weight tends to ripple throughout the system. By deciding that not every component needs to work off batteries or that complete battery autonomy does not need to extend beyond an hour or two, you keep the whole system much more light and mobile. If you decide to go with a bit less battery capacity, you do need to give some thought to how you might cope with an assignment that might require considerable work in the rough, away from the greens. But it's usually possible to make some provision for connecting an external battery of greater capacity. Chinhda and I have noticed the tendency for power demands to push what started as a rolling trolly for a potentially hand-held recorder into a contraption so heavy it can't be loaded into the truck if the lift gate is broken. It's given us some trouble as we've had to change over wheels on some carts to better handle the load. A return to the simpler days of yesteryear is behind Chinhda's plan to build a minimal cart as an alternate (or a companion) to the full featured cart. (And it gives him a chance to play with titanium.) Let us know how it all develops. David Waelder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundtrane Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 <And it gives him a chance to play with titanium.> and more expensive and more out of reach, Dave! -vin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Waelder Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 <And it gives him a chance to play with titanium.> and more expensive and more out of reach, Dave! It's true, he doesn't build for everyone. But, as he explained it to me, the use of titanium for a few key components should have minimal impact on the cost. Titanium requires no special finish; it's just polished to a natural luster. Aluminum must be anodized or the metal rubs off on your hands as you work with it. Anodizing has become one of our biggest expenses. He thinks that he can save almost (but not quite) enough in anodizing costs to cover the extra cost of the specialty metal. ! David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 I built a number of PSUs and DC-DC convertors and battery systems over the years, and finally ended up w/a PSC "Cart Power". This has worked out very well for my cart (which does usually include a computer-based recording system) which normally runs on AC but needs to be able to survive an AC kickout (at least once per job), stay "up" during a move or grab a few hours off the grid. I too looked at the whole invertor and megabattery thing, and concluded that my jobs just didn't demand it and that I didn't want to carry that stuff around. (Suffice to say I'm driving an analog mixer....) The Cart Power is a very nice PSU, with silent switchover to a battery if AC fails. Small, no fan, all XLR 4 pin connectors. On battery the laptop runs on its own battery (about 1.5 hrs recording), and everything else runs off the CartPower. I have external/off-cart chargers for the 33AH AGM batteries I packaged myself, and can swap them out easily. I had the LIND setup to power my old Powerbook off a 2nd 33AH battery if I needed to, but I never have and haven't done the homework for doing an external battery thing with my MacBook (magsafe etc). I think the Cart Power might be around $300. Possibly the best $300 I've spent on this cart. Philip Perkins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ve7kjr Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Hi Michael, nice to hear you want to build your own, I have built two 12 volt power distribution systems for sound carts over the years and have been very happy with both. I started off with a hammond aluminum boxwww.hammondmfg.com/dwg21.htm I used a circuit breaker panel that had been build for the marine industry but would meet my needs just fine.http://bluesea.com/category/7/27/products/8271 The panel would give me 8 seperate outputs, also this panel is available with either glass fuses or push button circuit breakers. The contura switches are embedded with "on" leds in each switch. A template comes with or can be downloaded from the site to take the guess work out of the cut you will have to do in the box.BlueSea systems offer a varity of different panels, both vertical and horizontal design with outputs from 3 position to 8 position. The panels are well built and made to take a beating, (think of a boat on rough water and the pounding it will take)The cumulative rating for panel is 45 amperes (way more than any sound cart will ever see).The most difficult part of the build was designing a template for the 4 pin female chassis connectors that were to go on the side of the box and I would be mounting 8. A number of hours were spent designing the paper template that matched the side of the box exactly and where the center point of each connector would be. Once this was all worked out,I taped the template to the reference points I had on the box and used a spring loaded center punch to mark the center of where each connector would be.Now that the box was marked, a series of larger pilot holes were drilled to allow the knockout punch tool to fit in the holes. This tool does a great job! Once all 8 holes were punched out, it was a matter of putting all 8 connectors in the box, looking at the alignment and making very slight adjustments to mark where the mounting holes would be drilled. I can't stress enought the measure twice cut once rule, if you are off just a little bit in your math, the box will look like S*** and you might want to buy another box and start over again. Once all metal cutting/punching/drilling was done,it was time to put a finish on the box. A scotch brite pad was used to scrub the box followed by a cleaning in lacquer tinner to remove any grease/oil or other contaminate that might be on the surface. The box was sprayed with a self etching primer and baked in an oven fo 30 min: at about 200degs. Next a very thick coat of crinkle paint was applied and the box put back in the oven at about 400degs for about an hour. Crinkle paint need lots of even heat for best effect. I don't suggest doing spraying/cleaning or baking in your home oven as the fumes are nasty. A better and safer way to go would be to bring the box once all the cutting is done to a powder coater and have them do the finish for you.Once the box has had time to dry and harden, assembly can begin, the panel should be mounted first,the chassis connectors should have their leads sodered on before they are mounted on the box as once they are mounted there is not enought room to get a sodering iron in there, give yourself extra length on the wires as you can trim it at the connection to the switch/ground bus just befor you crimp/soder those connectors on. The first box I built had the volt meter mounted on the box, the second box had the volt meter located in an easer to see location. Both boxes had a bright green led just to remind you that power was getting to the box, or not,the master switch is an "NKK" double pole double throw wired ON-OFF-ON. Both leads comming from the gell cell have fuses in line and I used 14 gauge wire. All wiring in the box was 16 gauge except the wire going to the embeded leds in the switches. I hope this will be of some use to you, give you more ideas etc. I'm not saying this is the best power distribution box ever, but it has never failed/ blown up/ let me down or run short of a dedicated 12 volt circuit.It took three days to build and was a lot of fun, total cost for everything was around $250.00 The pictures are of the second box I build without volt meter on the panel. The pictures are also before the box was installed in the sound cart so more wiring/ cosmetic work was done once the box was in place.The white nipples (sorry can't think of a better word to describe them right now) above the contura switches are the circuit breakers (push to reset)also there is room on the panel right above the breakers to put a label to identify that circuit (mixer/radio rack/recorder etc). Phil (VE7KJR) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 I have to say, Phil, I was wondering why you would go to such effort to write such a detailed description of your work on this distro box --- then I saw the picture! What a work of art. To have ever done even one project with that level of discipline and precision, you are to be commended. I like the part where you mention "measure twice, cut once" or you'll want to use another box and start all over --- that's me, all over. I can't even count the number of parts of building projects I have had to abandon and start over (no matter whether I have measured twice or not --- my practice now is that I buy TWO of everything, knowing I will probably blow it somewhere along the line. Thank you for posting. - Jeff Wexler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 That is the prettiest power distro box I've ever seen--nice piece of industrial design. The switches are really cool. I hope this is prominently displayed on your cart. Philip Perkins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundtrane Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 <the knockout punch tool> I'd like to know more about this tool. Great job on that box! -vin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt McGowin Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Really Nice Design! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ve7kjr Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Thank you all for your very kind words on my power panel. I have always enjoyed designing/modifying or building equipment to suit my needs. First, a lot thought has to go into what is needed for the job it is intended to do. Second, it has to be fail safe and never let me down. Third, I have to have the right tools to do the job. ( nothing will make me crazy faster than trying to do a job with the wrong tool) There is no way in hell I could have all those connectors lined up and spaced out evenly without first making the template, finding the exact center point of each connector then transfering that information to the box. Without the knockPunch I would not be able to maintain the alignment that I had designed. "Vin" wanted to know about this tool. Below is a picture with all the parts explained. The punch has been around for a long time and is used for cutting precise holes in metal. Once a series of pilot holes are drilled(starting small and working your way up till the draw stud fits in the hole) the punch is attached, hand tightened, next a wrench is used to tighten the nut which draws the punch threw the metal into the die making a very clean precise cut.The tool comes with different size punches and dies that fit on the same draw stud. The best ones are made in Germany but cost a bit more. I woun't say where the cheep ones are made so as to not offend anyone on this board. Hope that helps you Vin and anyone else that is interested in buying one. Phil (VE7KJR) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundtrane Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Phil, many thanks. It's Greenlee, if i can make out what is written on the punch in the picture. -vin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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