My new amp chassis design!

Since we have experts here in the lurking, I thought I would post some renderings of my new amp chassis design, for my forthcoming 18 watt combo (let me know if you want more shots):


Loaded:


Loaded from front:


Rear Unloaded:


Front Unloaded:



This is the product of being bedridden with the flu. Glad I didn't get the shot after all!

 

There should be plenty of room - they are at 1" centers. It was a tough decision for me, I could have put them sideways, but it made it harder to work on and make sensible silk screening. Here's a closer shot:



The silk screening being messed up is an artifact of the rendering program of course. It's terrible about fonts.

As for the rivets, these are airframe-grade. They aren't going to budge, ever. This particular chassis will go in a 1x12 or 2x12 unit, with plenty of space off each end of the chassis.

The reason I wanted to fasten the bent sides is the problems I have been having with the open sided 18 watt chassis units that most builders are using now. Even though they are historically correct, they are lousy in many ways by today's standard.

Of course, once you go down the path of fixing one thing, you can't stop until you've done it all. Well, if you're going to have something made, you might as well, right?

 

Thanks - it is comforting to get some affirmation from somebody in the biz!

I sent them off to production yesterday. I should have the first parts assembled, plated, silkscreened, etched, and plated by the end of Februrary, to start wiring up.

We shall see just "how good" the solid models really are... it sure did help in generating mechanical drawings for the factory.

 

And without further adieu:



And all lined up for action:

 

Well, I got really sick of having to drill all the keying holes for the pots, and using the lock washers on the back of the power switches, etc.

This baby has everything keyed, from power switched, to pots, to fuses. Even the lamp is keyed (in case you didn't study those little amber pilot lights are actually keyed devices).

Makes it much more apt to pass UL inspection.

Thanks for the compliments!



Somebody from TGP is already getting one of these in his 1x12 18 watt Tremolo build.

 

If you have the proper work packages generated, take them here:

http://www.uniprecision.com/

But they could even do the solid modeling for you. They work in Solidworks, but do ProEngineer also. The models above are solidworks.

Go here for their modeling work: http://www.uniprecision.com/design.htm

They will require that you do a "flat" drawing, showing the actual piece to punch unfolded. Then you supply all the fold information - I always specify which tool to use for each bend, but you don't have to.

Really good sheet metal manufacturers can sort that out for you.

The hardest part is the wait time for shipping, and clearing customs. My advices is booking on a shipping container, and use a domestic agent to handle your customs. Develop the relationship early.

At the end of the day it's really hard to beat mainland China for sheetmetal. Unlike days gone by, I think they are very trustworthy, and quite confidential about their customer relationships. China has come a long way!

Good luck.

 

1. .080 5052HD Al, with yellow chromate finish.

2. I produced these for use in a Soultone "Londoner 18" amplifier. I was sick as hell, and really sick of the units I used before this. I had an extra lot of time, and had just gotten a laptop fast enough to run Solidworks realtime. The delerium was helpful - I kept tossing and turning, in a cold sweat, thinking about every little detail. At one point, I think I dreamed I was sheet metal.

3. LOL. No, I am just somebody that is trying to make the best possible amplifiers that I can. If I had gates money, they would be gold plated! And free too!

I did meet Leo Fender once though, in the early 80's. He showed me the "Flotar." I think about him often, and how he changed the world. We were lucky to have him, and we owe him an awful lot. His legacy lives on, in every amp that followed in his steps (virtually all of them)! It's hard to make amps, and not think about him alot.

As for sales, let's not get onto spam turf. Go to one of my ads: http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?s=&threadid=70513&perpage=15&pagenumber=1