Housing your TM3030 module
The PCB has been designed to fit into a standard 1u high 19” rack or half rack unit. Your
local parts distributor should have these. However, good rack units can be quite expensive and
will contribute heavily to the final cost of your completed TM3030. Expect to pay around
40GBP or so.
Your choice of case will also be affected by what else you want in your enclosure. It is
possible, in theory at least, to fit two TM3030 units side by side in a 1U rack case. This does
depend on the rack case you have chosen, but most should have the front panel space to allow
this. If you are choosing to use an internal mains supply, make sure you give yourself enough
room for the transformer and associated wiring.
In the UK Bryant Broadcast, Holt Broadcast Services, Electrospeed and RS Electronics Ltd
do have a range of rack units that may be suitable.
The Bryant and Holt Broadcast ones are both superbly made, but they do not allow you to use
a standard 3mm thick Schaeffer front panel in place of the blank one supplied with the case.
Their cases utilise the front panel as part of the enclosure. Simply swapping the Bryant/Holt
panel with one obtained from Schaeffer or Front Panel Express will not work. Both Bryant
and Holt do custom metal work, so it may be possible to try their services. This is one area I
would like to try in the near future. Another option is to send the plain Bryant or Holt front
panel to Schaeffer for engraving. Contact Schaeffer or Front Panel Express for details of this
service but don't expect it to be cheap.
A Schaeffer FPD file can be found on the TM3030's project webpage which can be
downloaded and edited. If printed out at 100% size and in 'wire mode' with reference points,
you can then use it as a template for drilling your own front panel holes.
My current favourite method of labelling a front panel on one of these empty rack cases is to
use a thin (1.5mm) engraved black anodised aluminium 'overlay' panel from Schaeffer. This is
held onto the main case's front panel by two 3mm screws at either end of the overlay and the
components simply stick out from holes. The pot nuts are secured to the front panel of the
rack case so the pot holes in the overlay need to be sufficiently large enough not to snag on
the pot nuts and washers. I use 14mm diameter holes in the overlay which are nicely covered
up by the control knobs. The LED holes need to be 3.2mm and the switch hole 7mm.
The other choice is to fit the TM3030 into a half rack. My first issue 1 TM3030 prototype was
built into a half rack width two tone metal case from RS Components Ltd. They no longer sell
this particular case but others are available in a similar size and style.
It is possible to mount the TM3030 behind a 5U high modular panel when mounted vertically.
However, the TM3030 is just too wide to fit between standard MOTM and Dotcom mounting
rails. When fitting into a wooden case the rails can be cut back to let the board fit.
A desktop version can be made, and many people over the years have done this to their
TM3030. However, try to keep your wiring tidy and don't make the wires too long as they can
be prone to pick up stray electrical signals.
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