Scratch Build – Complete Cygnus X1.

That looks nice in blue like that! Awesome as usual oldnewby,
there is a good glue for plexi, but i forgot the name, so i'll let cheapskate ans that one for you
(Him being the plexi master and all...)

 

Dead on!!

Two-component glue is a very strong an reliable glue. I've used it with plexi before, and it really does its job nice.

 

Looking great mate, may I suggest white LEDs though? White is much more elegant, it's all in the details but you already know that .

 

Great work as usual, just a shame you went for blue LED's.
Plain white LED's would have looks so much classy-er, so much more professional.

 

Another vote for white, but then I reserve judgment until I see the finished product

Also, those flexible, cut-to-length strips sound great in practice, but I helped a friend use them in an automotive application and they tend to fail pretty quickly (fail as in a group being intermittent). We think the weak point of the design is in the little bridges between each group, so be careful how much you flex and reflex.

Awesome fabrication as usual - you see a lower quality part in small scale, all I see is precision

 

Those contacts are a cool find. I will store the memory of those for future use. Imagine using them for a lighted panel that is mounted magnetically!
Clear epoxy is the only thing I can think of that would bond plastic to metal. You might want to add some holes to the rail so the epoxy has something to hold on to.
-And NO flame polishing!! The channel will probably disperse light better frosted.
The light coming out from the vents is awesome, BTW.

 

oldnewby, your work inspires me.

I've thoroughly enjoyed following your progress and witnessing the fine craftsmanship and amazing level of detail you put into your work.

The passion for what you do shines through and I thank you for sharing your work.

 

Thanks BC.

Thanks mate, that's what I'll use.

Thanks guys, nothings set in stone, so if I don't like the blue when it's finished, I'll
just swap em.

Thanks, yes the LED's have adhesive backing and will be mounted flat with no flexing,
so I hope no problems appear.

Thanks, I took your advice and roughed up the plex to help even out the light.

Thanks for the kind words Charles.

This is the top rail with the contacts mounted. Some holes were drilled to pass the
wires to the channel in the bottom of the plex.



And here's the contact assembly for the lower rail. A piece of angle was cut from some
20mm plex and holes drilled and channels made to guide the wires between the two
standoffs. The epoxy was piled up good and thick.



And this is the finished assembly. The magnets don't line up perfectly, but there is
enough contact for a good electrical connection and enough strength to hold the
top in the closed position.



Then the carrier for the LED's was made from 1mm alu. This is a good press fit and
only a small screwdriver is needed to remove it.



The LED strip was fixed using the adhesive backing.



And the plex was roughed up to help scatter the light (as per cheaps's recommendation).



So only a small stand to hold the top up when open, needs to be made and then onto the last big job. The front panel.

 

looks sick.
question. do you get any voltage loss through the magnet connectors?

 

I would like to know this too. It would be a decent way to provide a fan mounted on a removable side panel power!

edit: your work is absolutely stunning oldnewby, and the attention to details is too!

 

I wouldn't worry about the voltage loss, especially not in such application. I've seen magnets (being recommend, atleast) to be used as battery adapters for flashlights. AAA-cell + a couple of magnets = AA-cell, etc.

Looking good, but I can't help wondering if it will ever get finished... Next you'll build an aluminum frame over the wood, and then vice versa

 

Thanks. The application for these magnets is as a connector for electrical circuits
including as battery terminals.

PC on, contacts broken.



PC on, contacts made.

Aluminium frame over the wood, you say?.....Hmmm.......I'm getting some images
forming in my mind........Yes, that could have.......It would look cool if.........may take
another, lets say, three, four months.....Hmm multiple layers on the outside, and I
could put wheels on cause I can barely lift it now......See you around Feb 2010.

 

Below is a pic of the (rough) design for the front panel. It's already been changed
somewhat but all the important elements are here. The frame is made from wood
and the louvres are made from aluminium. The panel will lift up and sit parallel with
the front of the case to gain access to the slot loader. The lower part has been left
open, and I could say that was to gain easy access to the controls, but that would
be a lie. The truth is I really like the look of the switch panel in combination
with the pads and their support beams, so I want this to be on show all the time.



The frame was cut from a piece of 20mm Jarrah.



But this is not thick enough so extra material was added to the inside.



As I moved along various elements were changed.



The centre column was to sit on top of the main part of the frame.



But I couldn't get the curve I wanted this way, and it just stuck out too far. So
I chiseled it down below the frame and put a nice curve into it.



And it's starting to look OK.



There's still many hours to be spent on this part before the opening mechanism
needs to be made. I started out with a fairly complex system, went to a very
complex system, and ended up with a very simple system. But I'll show you that
another time.

 

Dude , what can i say - You never cease to amaze
that front looks mint , only down side ......................... what to look at when you have finished

 

Yeah, I think everyone's simultaneously dreading and awaiting the finale

 

NICE!

 

This.

 

Wow that looks sexy, the pic quoted my maRiio reminds me of the rear of my LEXA lol.

 

OK? *delete**delete* correction: ...look insanely sexy. Poor choice of words!



This made my day. Thanks oldnewby!