Michael P Clark Posted February 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Phil, Fantastic looking distro box. Well laid out. May I ask what is on the bottom of the box? Is that part of the fuse assembly? And where is your DC input? Can I also ask why an "ON-OFF-ON" switch was used, instead of an "ON-OFF"? Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins 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 That is a Greenlee. (Not cheap!) Make sure you have the "collar" side of the punch on the inside of the box or it will scar up the surface of your project. Some boxes take some muscle power to punch through, and you have to figure out how to hold the work so that powering the punch along doesn't end up distorting the project box (esp if it is thin metal). Philip Perkins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael P Clark Posted February 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 May I ask what is on the bottom of the box? Is that part of the fuse assembly? Wait, After further analysis, I think that is a common ground plate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundtrane Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Phil, yes, i figured that, rs components have them and sell them online in india. Now, to figure out if there is a punch that exists for an IEC power receptacle. My cart power (PSC) has an in-built power cord, which i want to change to an IEC socket so i can do away with the power cord (which i have never used so far - 200 plus days of shoot). I also want to make my own small box for audio distro on my cart, and the Greenlee punch will make it happen. I rather like the DIY approach than buying something readily available which is not quite the right thing in terms of size or layout, and it is quite difficult to find a decent fabricator out here to entrust a job to... -vin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPSharman Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Very snazzy, Phil... I own the PSC Powermax Ultra - new acquisition at the end of last year - and love it. I also own the Mikegyver Magsafe car adapter, but haven't had the chance to hook it up yet. I'll try to do that this week and report to you all on its performance. It seems too complicated to replace the connector with a 4-pin male, so I need to make a 4-pin male to cigarette female cable. I have the parts, just not the motivation! Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Waelder Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Phil, That is an exceptionally elegant build job. If I were tackling the same project, cognizant of my limited skills, I would acquire a patch panel already drilled for XLR connectors like this one: http://www.speakerrepair.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=genem&Product_Code=32-131 I would cut the patch panel (or have it cut) to the requisite size and cut a rectangular hole in my project box and mount the patch panel to the box. Much simpler than precisely measuring, drilling, and punching all the individual holes. If one has the necessary skill and tools, your approach is unquestionably nicer. David Waelder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Blankenship Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 ...Much simpler than precisely measuring, drilling, and punching all the individual holes. I totally (but respectfully) disagree. Having done a lot of this kind of thing, I would find trimming the patch panel to size, dressing the edges so they look nice, cutting the hole in the box to fit, dressing the edges of the hole, dressing up any damage that cutting the hole did to the surface of the box, drilling mounting holes in both the panel and the box, etc. to require MUCH more work than drilling eight pilot holes and punching them out with a die, then subsequently drilling sixteen small screw holes. You can punch the XLR holes first, put the XLRs into the holes and use them to mark where to drill the screw holes. Using that method, you only need to first map out the location of the main holes. Measuring for the connectors is really not that much pain, you just want to double check everything as Phil cautioned. But, that's true about any construction job, including mounting a pre-existing panel into the side of a box. NOTE that you need a different size die for the male and female XLR connectors. JB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 I totally (but respectfully) disagree. Having done a lot of this kind of thing, I would find trimming the patch panel to size, dressing the edges so they look nice, cutting the hole in the box to fit, dressing the edges of the hole, dressing up any damage that cutting the hole did to the surface of the box, drilling mounting holes in both the panel and the box, etc. to require MUCH more work than drilling eight pilot holes and punching them out with a die, then subsequently drilling sixteen small screw holes. You can punch the XLR holes first, put the XLRs into the holes and use them to mark where to drill the screw holes. Using that method, you only need to first map out the location of the main holes. Measuring for the connectors is really not that much pain, you just want to double check everything as Phil cautioned. But, that's true about any construction job, including mounting a pre-existing panel into the side of a box. NOTE that you need a different size die for the male and female XLR connectors. JB I found that the Greenlee punch that works for Switchcraft male chassis-XLRs works for both sexes of Neutrik chassis XLRs. Philip Perkins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ve7kjr Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 Phil, Fantastic looking distro box. Well laid out. May I ask what is on the bottom of the box? Is that part of the fuse assembly? And where is your DC input? Can I also ask why an "ON-OFF-ON" switch was used, instead of an "ON-OFF"? Thanks again Hi Michael, yes that is the negative rail (or ground)you see on the bottom of the box, the yellow wire is the negative feed to the embeded leds in each switch. The imput dc feed came in from the left side of the box near the on-off-on switch (looking at the box from the back) Not shown in the photo, is a smaller hole with a rubber grommit in it. Always use a grommit anytime you are feeding wires through metal or you will have a fireworks show sometime later on down the road ! Rubber will tend to break down over time so it is a good idea to do a general inspection once a year on your electrical .The negitive feed to the rail should be connected in the middle so that the voltage is as even as possible across the entire system. "The on-off-on switch"First let me say all switches are not created equally. I chose NKK because of their quailty and reputation. The double pole/ double throw allows for redunded mechanical connection within the switch itself. Wiring the switch "ON-OFF-ON" is just another level of redundancy. Hope this helps you out.Phil (VE7KJR) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izen Ears Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 All this talk about fuses and Phil's beautiful creation made me think - should/could I have some sort of fuse to add onto the Powermax Ultra, something switchable that protects those internal fuses? Now I run the Powermax Ultra through a Zero Surge, and I almost always are plugged into AC power. I have one 33 amp hour batt and it only gives me 4 - 5 hours, so I'm pretty dependent on that AC thing not frying any fuses that are hard to reach. (Pre-Zero Surge, I twice had those internal 30-amp auto fuses blow and had to pull it off the cart and open it up to replace them, major hassle.) Dan Izen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Blankenship Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 I found that the Greenlee punch that works for Switchcraft male chassis-XLRs works for both sexes of Neutrik chassis XLRs. I'm not sure if that's true. You may have it backwards -- if memory serves, you may be thinking of the Switchcraft Female being the same size as the Neutrik M & F. I believe the Switchcraft male is smaller. But, then I may be backwards, it wouldn't be the first time. It's been a while since I punched panels. IIRC, I have both sizes of punches -- now, if I can only remember where they are. Point made: If anyone's planning to do their own panels, be aware that sizes can vary between brands & gender of connectors, so it really depends upon which M & F chassis-mount XLRs you choose. Some Males fit into a smaller hole (even though IIRC, they'll still fit into the larger holes but with extra opening around the barrel). Anyone planning to punch their own panels should confirm design of connectors they're going to use prior to purchasing the punch. I believe the Neutrik M & F both fit what's called a "D" size hole. I don't recall what the measurement is but, no doubt, a bit of net searching would tell you. JB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted February 12, 2009 Report Share Posted February 12, 2009 The Neutrik chassis connectors I've had used a hole that was made by the male-Switchcraft Greenlee. (A big advantage for Neutrik.) Phil p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikewest Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Hi David So as you use mainly AC power do you use a UPS to prevent unexpected cuts? Cheers mike www.mikewestgatesoud.co.nz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Waelder Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Hi David So as you use mainly AC power do you use a UPS to prevent unexpected cuts? Hi Mike, Did you mean to address me? Scanning back a dozen or so posts in this thread I don't see another David but, in fact, I use a PSC Power Station for most of my cart power needs. So virtually all of my primary components - mixer, recorders, wireless - get power from a battery system. With a kick-out I might lose the transmitter to Video Village (unless I specifically patched that into the battery) but not audio or recording operations. Sorry if I misunderstood and you meant to address someone else. David Waelder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikewest Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 Sorry Dave, I was questioning a post that relied on line power. Cheers mike www.mikewestgatesound.co.nz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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