I'll keep this short, because there have been so many build logs of this pre-amplifier. I actually have had it hanging around on a plankie for about a year now, stealing a listen here and there, basically feeling guilty that it wasn't in the kind of enclosure it deserved. So I finally stole the time and put in my best effort to give this magnificent pre-amplifier a home.
Apologies for posting this in one shot, I am terrible at documenting builds as I go, I get really caught up and forget to do it.
The Plankie.
The enclosure back, that's a vinyl sticker. I normally heat the metal to improve adhesion. In this case it was so cold I did the full job on a heater. For vinyl stickers I use 100% CMYK black on white with a kiss cut (pre-cut) the sticker cost more than the Alu face, but it does actually come out pure black and pretty tough. It can withstand light scratches, and friction. I forgot to take a pic of the completed back, the plugs cover all the alu bits and it look really neat.
The enclosure basics. Yes that is an air vent re-purposed. The face was designed in two layers in Autodesk 360. I have become a MASSIVE fan of this software. The workflow is awesome for laser cutting and 3D printing.
That's the interior. Lots of 3D printed parts to mount boards and cable. The enclosure is not high, so I had to custom print the PCB stands. The output caps are CDE 940C from RS-Comp, I have tempted to try them for a while. The messy white wires at the back are the signal ground, I left it floating. It's not as clean as I would have liked, I kind of ran out of space and I wanted to prioritize ventilation.
I moved the buttons from the LiteK remote board to the side of the unit. My family are terrible with hiding remotes, so it's an emergency back up.
I hand cut the wooden inserts and veneered them with Zebrano, treated with Danish Oil. The veneer is front the timber place in Malbaro Extension, their range of veneers is seriously impressive. Perspex insert is 3mm Bronze Perspex.
Final assembled unit.
To do list
- Change the LED's from blue to red
- Dim the LED's - Man they are bright.
- Maybe design and print a new lid, depends on whether my OCD lets me off the brushed / bead blasted contrast.
Apologies for posting this in one shot, I am terrible at documenting builds as I go, I get really caught up and forget to do it.
The Plankie.
The enclosure back, that's a vinyl sticker. I normally heat the metal to improve adhesion. In this case it was so cold I did the full job on a heater. For vinyl stickers I use 100% CMYK black on white with a kiss cut (pre-cut) the sticker cost more than the Alu face, but it does actually come out pure black and pretty tough. It can withstand light scratches, and friction. I forgot to take a pic of the completed back, the plugs cover all the alu bits and it look really neat.
The enclosure basics. Yes that is an air vent re-purposed. The face was designed in two layers in Autodesk 360. I have become a MASSIVE fan of this software. The workflow is awesome for laser cutting and 3D printing.
That's the interior. Lots of 3D printed parts to mount boards and cable. The enclosure is not high, so I had to custom print the PCB stands. The output caps are CDE 940C from RS-Comp, I have tempted to try them for a while. The messy white wires at the back are the signal ground, I left it floating. It's not as clean as I would have liked, I kind of ran out of space and I wanted to prioritize ventilation.
I moved the buttons from the LiteK remote board to the side of the unit. My family are terrible with hiding remotes, so it's an emergency back up.
I hand cut the wooden inserts and veneered them with Zebrano, treated with Danish Oil. The veneer is front the timber place in Malbaro Extension, their range of veneers is seriously impressive. Perspex insert is 3mm Bronze Perspex.
Final assembled unit.
To do list
- Change the LED's from blue to red
- Dim the LED's - Man they are bright.
- Maybe design and print a new lid, depends on whether my OCD lets me off the brushed / bead blasted contrast.
