enclosure guide
we now offer two kinds of enclosures for this project:
- stand-alone enclosure - made from a front and back panel, plus screws and standoffs
- eurorack enclosure - made from just a front panel, plus screws and standoffs to mount in a eurorack case
you can support these projects by getting enclosure kits directly through underscores.shop - standalone and eurorack - if ordered with an assembled unit we will also assemble the enclosure for you also
diy part sourcing
panel fabrication
included in this repo are the cad files needed to create your own panels. they are designed in kicads pcbnew - so open the .kicad_pcb file to edit them directly.
you can also use the exported gerber files (here they are combined in .zip) to get panels fabricated in fr4 at a pcb house like the ones we sell. (these usually have a minimum order of 5 or 10)
another option for diy fabrication is using a lasercutter to cut the panels in wood or acrylic. this is what i do when prototyping panels so you should find some exports in svg or dxf that are laser ready. note that the edgecut layer is for cutting out and the silkscreen layer is for the panel markings. you may need to edit these files or export directly from pcbnew to suit the cutter you are using
it would also be possible to import these panel files into a sketch in 3d cad program like freecad to create a 3d enclosure for 3d printing... however this is not something i have files prepared for
3d printing
i use some custom modelled switch and pot caps for my enclosure kits. you can print these yourself or upload them to a 3d printing fabrication service.
enclosure kit BOM
things like screws and standoffs can be sourced from lots of places. i will link my source as an example although these links often expire. you could even 3d print your own standoffs from the id/od and length (inner diameter 3.2mm, outer diameter 5mm)
standalone enclosure
| item | source |
|---|---|
| Front panel | rupture_v0_2_default_panel_mk_i.zip |
| Back panel | back_panel.zip |
| Rubber feet x4 | aliexpress |
| Pot cap x4 | 3d printed from stl file |
| Switch cap x9 | 3d printed from stl file |
| M3-25mm screw x4 | aliexpress |
| M3 nut x4 | aliexpress |
| m3-12mm standoff x4 (front) | aliexpress |
| m3-5mm standoff x4 (back) | aliexpress |
eurorack enclosure
| item | source |
|---|---|
| Eurorack front panel | rupture_v0_2_eurorack_panel_mk_i.zip |
| Eurorack 16pin power converter | eurorack_to_usb_passive_mk_i.zip gerber |
| Vertical barrel jack | tayda |
| Pot cap x4 | 3d printed from stl file |
| Switch cap x9 | 3d printed from stl file |
| M3-25mm screw x4 | aliexpress |
| M3 nut x4 | aliexpress |
| m3-12mm standoff x4 (front) | aliexpress |
| m3-8mm screw x4 | aliexpress |
eurorack power jack placement
many underscores circuits take 5v from a horizontal mounted dc barrel jack which is good for standalone circuits powered from the side. however for eurorack mounted circuits it can be easier to plug in power from behind. in this case we can use a vertical dc socket instead. for these sockets the longer pin is GND which goes closest to the edge of pcb.
enclosure assembling
these enclosures are assemlbed by creating a stack of front-panel -> circuit -> back-panel using the screws and standoffs. where the front standoffs go between front panel and pcb and back standoff go between back panel and pcb. the m3 hex holds it together from the bottom.
i find it easiest to hold circuit on its side and work around one screw at a time:
- first place the front standoff between front panel and pcb
- then put the screw through holding them together
- next place back standoff on screw followed by back panel and hex
- then repeat for other 3 corners
tweezers can be helpful to pick and place the standoffs and also to tighten the m3 hexs