Studio Mods, Hacks and Upgrades

[terly]

I'm not very handy but I used to do some very raw circuit-bending and modifying consumer electronics to make effects. This was when I was doing power electronics/noise so having dirty signals was actually a bonus. I turned a DVD player into an fx unit, sent the audio through the video input and circuit bent it, sounded totally insane. At that time I was also experimenting with sending raw voltage (from a battery, or if I was feeling extra dangerous, the wall plug) into audio processors. Was all pretty fun at the time but I'm surprised I didnt electrocute myself more. I guess you are only supposed to circuit bend battery powered stuff for that reason. I also tried building a theremin but once but my soldering skills are pretty sub par and I wasn't successful. For that reason I am hesitant to try to mod any of my gear.

[terryfalafel]

#1 - What thickness of MDF did you use? It looks very thick...

12 mm

#2 - How did you cut out the large panels? Did you do it yourself or did you get them cut by CNC machine?

I let the DIY shop guys do that for me, after I checked out the size of the MDF plates they sold and calculated the most efficient sawing scheme. However, they can only cut straight edges, so I had to saw the diagonal stuff myself.

#3 - How did you connect pieces together? Brackets? Biscuit joints?

The wooden parts are mostly done with just screws and ledgers in the corners (back sides), and a lot of glue. The aluminium strips and the racks are attached to the wooden panels with blind rivets. Those make a nice finish and it's solid as hell, really recommended for 19" rack stuff.

#4 - How did you finish edges where two pieces meet? Did you need to do a lot of sanding or finishing to get everything flush?

Because I let the guys at the DIY shop saw the panels, they are always perfectly straight, so it's only a matter of matching edges nicely. The black foil I used on top of it masks the meeting points very nicely.

And more generally...

- Was your drawing made using Sketchup?

Yes! At the time I used it, it had some quirks, but it's a nice tool for stuff like this and it allows you to brainstorm a bit about what you'd like to build eventually.

Thanks