[time-nuts] Re: Dual Supplies for Low Offset Phase Noise Analyzer

[Lux, Jim]

On 7/14/22 10:38 AM, Bob kb8tq via time-nuts wrote:
> Hi
>
> Die cast boxes are your friend when building this sort of thing. Hammond
> makes them and so do a lot of other folks. They are reasonably cheap and
> pretty easy to work with. I have accumulated a pretty good pile of them “in
> inventory” in a dusty box in a back corner of the basement :).

Except, the sides are tapered on most die cast boxes.

I like the rectangular boxes made from an extrusion, with covers. That 
way, the sides are at right angles to each other. COMPAC is one brand. 
You can get them with machined grooves, gaskets, etc. too (for a price 
<grin>)

There are a variety of sellers of extruded aluminum housings with slots 
to hold a PCB, etc. and end caps. I'm not so wild about those for 
tinkering, because I like being able to take the big lid off and peer in 
and probe.  But for a product that's being sold, they're wonderful.

I'll make a pitch here for a company that makes CNC front panels, which 
I've used as RF breadboards - As long as what you want can be machined 
out of a flat sheet of aluminum, they can make weird cutouts, they've 
got just about every connector outline known, and they can do engraved 
labels, etc.  But they can also put 4-40 tapped holes on a regular grid, 
for instance, if you're bolting down minicircuits flanged parts.

https://www.frontpanelexpress.com/

There are also companies that do cases as well as places that do quick 
turn run of the mill CNC machining (e.g. https://protolabs.com).  The 
trick then is that you need some design tools and expertise.