[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Emcomm Box Construction - Getting Closer ***New Pics - Radios on Bottom*** (Page 1 of 8)
Posted: 9/8/2009 6:15:04 PM EDT
Archived Original Post
New Pics as of 9-8-09 
Just got the panel from my buddies CNC router. Test fit of the components in the panel seems right on target. Still need to heat and bend the panel before I mount it to the box. That's 1/4" 2-color laminated "plastic", relieved on the back side to just under 1/8" for mounting the components. Pretty happy with the way it turned out. 
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geez, wasn't there any other color box? 
ps: nice work, looks super. if you have one, could you post a close-up pic of the CNC'd lettering? i think it's a really cool effect. also, how did you mount the B.T. Jr to the back of the front panel? a "U" shaped bracket? ar-jedi |
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geez, wasn't there any other color box?
ps: nice work, looks super. if you have one, could you post a close-up pic of the CNC'd lettering? i think it's a really cool effect. also, how did you mount the B.T. Jr to the back of the front panel? a "U" shaped bracket? ar-jedi *Edit for better lighting on Close Up Lettering Pic and Pic labeling. ar-jedi, Thanks. Just a (blatant) clone of yours, with some different seasoning. 
Close-Up Pic of the CNC'd lettering 
I had the BTJ TEMPORARILY duct taped for yesterday's photo shoot of the new panel. I know none of us have ever done anything like this before, so I apologize in advance. 
BTJ Pre Bracket Fit 
So here's today's initial-fit of, yes, a "U" shaped bracket. Get out of my head, ar-jedi. 
Panel BTJ Bracket Fit #1 (Failed) 
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Great job! You set yours up very similar to mine...what are you using for an antenna? Thanks! I have a Diamond X50NA about 20' high in the attic. Attic Antenna Adventures Thread |
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It looks a lot nicer than mine. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v372/Hylander50/IMAG0002-1.jpg Lifesaver, Looks great! That's the cool part I love about this hobby....all the different solutions to the same problem, and they're ALL GOOD. |
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NICE. going sat morning to take my tech test so i will be working on one of these very soon. Good luck on your tech test! Welcome to "the sickness". yeah well. i have to be sick in the head to get up at 6:45 to be to the test site at 9. have to drive an hour there on a sat. i hate getting up early in the first place but on a sat its even worse. and thanks. |
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WOW!!!! Looks awesome. Would one of ya'll give some more details about the components of your emcomm box, maybee instructions on how to build one? This is probably my next project. Thanks, KF5COM. This is the one I took my inspiration from: Go Box instructions. Like the original poster of this page, my box is unaltered. I can lift out the threaded rod and plexiglass frame with all my components attached. It sure makes it easier to work on the back sides of things. I still have to add in my power supply (I have the same one he uses), and get a SWR meter. Mine is still a work in progress. |
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Would one of ya'll give some more details about the components of your emcomm box, maybee instructions on how to build one? from the tacked Ham 101 thread, see this post http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=10&f=22&t=604477#10323272 ar-jedi |
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John A, welcome to the board!!! BD, are those breakers next to the power switch on the left? Again, good looking work there. John A, +1 on what VRMN8R said. Welcome and thanks! VRMN8R, Yes, they are Blue Sea Systems 20A DC Breakers p/n 7212 . One each for the power supply and batteries. Thanks again. 
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Very nice , Im jealous of yall with friends with CNC machines . I know you're not talking about me. All mine was hand done. There might even be a couple of blood smudges on it to prove it. I wish I knew someone with a CNC machine. My box would look better then. |
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I'm inspired!
I have a Pelican case I'm going to put mine in. And working on another portable antenna now, something that should be cheaper, though take more space, than my last one, to cover 75, 40, and 20 meters, and with tuner, 17 and 15 meters. I don't think I'm going to mount the RBC-6 battery sets in the box with the radios however. This is the great thing about this... there is no one correct way, but we all get some great ideas from each other. |
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I trimmed back the tabs on the bracket for the B.T. Jr (nearly too far) so they clear the components on either side. This seems to hold the B.T. Jr very securely.
Panel BTJ Bracket Fit #2 (Passed) 
Thinking about how to mount the front panel now. Unlike ar-jedi's aluminum "L"- shaped panel, my plastic one may not bend without deforming when heated. So I'm considering cutting the panel at the milled line on the face instead of bending it at all. Then I may use aircraft Dzus or Camloc fasteners to mount what would be the now vertical only panel (not "L"- shaped) to the box. This would give quick-disconnect access to the batteries and power supply just by removing the front panel with the quarter-turn Dzus or Camloc fasteners. They're the gold colored anodized mounts in the photos. Panel Dzus/Camloc (Undecided) 
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(trimmed) Then I may use aircraft Dzus or Camloc fasteners to mount what would be the now vertical only panel (not "L"- shaped) to the box. This would give quick-disconnect access to the batteries and power supply just by removing the front panel with the quarter-turn Dzus or Camloc fasteners. (trimmed) Are the heads on the fasteners large enough to use a coin or key, rather than a screwdriver? If so, that would be a good feature, being able to gain access with no tools other than what's in your pocket. |
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(trimmed) Then I may use aircraft Dzus or Camloc fasteners to mount what would be the now vertical only panel (not "L"- shaped) to the box. This would give quick-disconnect access to the batteries and power supply just by removing the front panel with the quarter-turn Dzus or Camloc fasteners. (trimmed) Are the heads on the fasteners large enough to use a coin or key, rather than a screwdriver? If so, that would be a good feature, being able to gain access with no tools other than what's in your pocket. These are the Camloc versions I had in mind. The first two are Tool-Less. 
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Are the heads on the fasteners large enough to use a coin or key, rather than a screwdriver? If so, that would be a good feature, being able to gain access with no tools other than what's in your pocket.
These are the Camloc versions I had in mind. The first two are Tool-Less.
Very cool! |
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Thinking about how to mount the front panel now. Unlike ar-jedi's aluminum "L"- shaped panel, my plastic one may not bend without deforming when heated. So I'm considering cutting the panel at the milled line on the face instead of bending it at all. No going back now!
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No going back now! commitment –– it's what's for dinner. one thought... despite your best construction efforts, when you have the box fully done and fully loaded, there will be some minor deformation/twist of the enclosure when you pick it up and transport it. my advice is as follows: don't run your switch panel right up against the box sidewalls (aka, not line-to-line). leave a little buffer distance so you don't end up crinkling the panel or some such. ar-jedi |
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No going back now! commitment –– it's what's for dinner. one thought... despite your best construction efforts, when you have the box fully done and fully loaded, there will be some minor deformation/twist of the enclosure when you pick it up and transport it. my advice is as follows: don't run your switch panel right up against the box sidewalls (aka, not line-to-line). leave a little buffer distance so you don't end up crinkling the panel or some such. ar-jedi Agreed. I was just thinking the same thing because that is a tight fit as it stands now. I had planned for the panel to set back farther. 
Time for some trimming. |
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Rubber grommets? Let the panel float a bit like R/C servos? Good idea, A_Free_Man! The Camloc side mount receptacles I have already are a 1/16" floating design. Maybe the rubber grommets together with the floating receptacles will take some of the flex away from the panel itself. 
Camloc Floating Front 
Camloc Floating Back 
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that is a tight fit as it stands now. I had planned for the panel to set back farther.
Time for some trimming. Trimming made a difference. Cut about 1/4" from each side of panel. I don't need the panel this far back, so the side clearances will increase as panel depth decreases. I should be able to find a happy medium to anchor it down to the floating side mounts. 
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i can't believe that General quasi-depth gauge is positioned so close to that very nice project. please pick up a L.S.Starrett, Brown & Sharpe, or Mitutoyo catalog when you get a chance...
ar-jedi ps: i thought of one more thing... constructive thing, that is...
it's handy to have the front panel "modular" in the sense that you can completely disconnect it from the rest of the box. this eases repairs, upgrades, battery replacement, etc. –– and also increases versatility because you can actually introduce power to the box via other means. for example, if there is a deep cycle marine battery under the bench at a RACES location, you can power your box from that battery simply by using a powerpole "extension cord" and plugging in where your internal-to-the-box battery is plugged in. what i did was attach powerpoles to the DC leads coming from the battery and the AC/DC power supply. this way they can be detached for maintenance, OR you can use those connectors for other on-the-fly in-the-field needs such as the example i gave above. in addition, i used powerpoles on the radio's DC inputs as well. again, field versatility. note powerpoles in center of pic: 
note the power cabling to the front panel is completely connectorized: 
as are the power sources: 
finally, you will definitely want to make one of these, for powering your cellphone charger or similar cigarette lighter plug in accessories: 
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Are the heads on the fasteners large enough to use a coin or key, rather than a screwdriver? If so, that would be a good feature, being able to gain access with no tools other than what's in your pocket. SNIP Looks like for the Camloc slotted head fasteners I have, quarters, dimes , and pennies work fine. But nickels are too thick.
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i can't believe that General quasi-depth gauge is positioned so close to that very nice project. please pick up a L.S.Starrett, Brown & Sharpe, or Mitutoyo catalog when you get a chance...
ar-jedi I'm sorry, I was busy measuring money with my L.S. Starrett calipers.
PS: You realize these nice pics of your rig are tormenting me, don't you?
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I'm sorry, I was busy measuring money with my L.S. Starrett calipers. what, no digital? and what about accuracy down to 10 thou –– they add up you know!
it's that 4th number after the decimal point, you need it to use it to get everything just right. 
(don't change the temperature in the room though, it plays havoc with your measurements...) 
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PS: You realize these nice pics of your rig are tormenting me, don't you? again... i have to ask: this is my fault, how?
ps: your project is coming along very nicely, and it's extremely apparent that you are putting a lot of thought into it. ar-jedi |
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what, no digital? and what about accuracy down to 10 thou –– they add up you know!
it's that 4th number after the decimal point, you need it to use it to get everything just right. http://losdos.dyndns.org:8080/public/wr-throttlestop/wr-throttlestop-afterfiling_sm.jpg (don't change the temperature in the room though, it plays havoc with your measurements...)
Show Off. Nice. I'm surprised the digital tools don't have powerpoles on them, too.
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PS: You realize these nice pics of your rig are tormenting me, don't you? again... i have to ask: this is my fault, how?
ps: your project is coming along very nicely, and it's extremely apparent that you are putting a lot of thought into it. ar-jedi Thank you, Sir. 
"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." |
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Are the heads on the fasteners large enough to use a coin or key, rather than a screwdriver? If so, that would be a good feature, being able to gain access with no tools other than what's in your pocket. SNIP Looks like for the Camloc slotted head fasteners I have, quarters, dimes , and pennies work fine. But nickels are too thick.
You have to admit, it was a reasonable suggestion.
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i can't believe that General quasi-depth gauge is positioned so close to that very nice project. please pick up a L.S.Starrett, Brown & Sharpe, or Mitutoyo catalog when you get a chance...
ar-jedi (trimmed) 
Looks like one of those Stanley Pro Series depth gauges.
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i can't believe that General quasi-depth gauge is positioned so close to that very nice project. please pick up a L.S.Starrett, Brown & Sharpe, or Mitutoyo catalog when you get a chance...
ar-jedi (trimmed) http://home.comcast.net/~gregbell/Panel%20Cut%20Fit%203.jpg Looks like one of those Stanley Pro Series depth gauges. Somebody throw a flag! Unneccessary roughness - Roughing the Technician....15 yards and an automatic 1st down! It was a give-away from work! You guys don't scare me. I'm no stranger to pain....I'm married....with children.
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i can't believe that General quasi-depth gauge is positioned so close to that very nice project. please pick up a L.S.Starrett, Brown & Sharpe, or Mitutoyo catalog when you get a chance...
ar-jedi (trimmed) http://home.comcast.net/~gregbell/Panel%20Cut%20Fit%203.jpg Looks like one of those Stanley Pro Series depth gauges. Uh, no comment. 
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i can't believe that General quasi-depth gauge is positioned so close to that very nice project. please pick up a L.S.Starrett, Brown & Sharpe, or Mitutoyo catalog when you get a chance...
ar-jedi (trimmed) http://home.comcast.net/~gregbell/Panel%20Cut%20Fit%203.jpg Looks like one of those Stanley Pro Series depth gauges. Somebody throw a flag! Unneccessary roughness - Roughing the Technician....15 yards and an automatic 1st down! It was a give-away from work! You guys don't scare me. I'm no stranger to pain....I'm married....with children. First I suggest you be able to open the panel with a coin as you will probably not have the proper screwdriver when you really need it... then I get on you about the Stanley ruler. Just not cutting you any slack. I could... but I won't. Hahaha!!!! |
| Still in love with your kit...Once my call sign shows up I will work harder on planning out a box and fitting it into a Pelican 1520 case. I don't want something extremely fancy right now but something that works for me and is portable. But I am liking all your ideas and AR-Jedi's ideas as well. |