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GreenAntz RGB to component transcoder
PL1:
--- Quote from: Ond on July 20, 2024, 06:26:45 pm ---The printed parts should fit nicely together and screws should go in without needing a torque wrench :lol The 3D print design should be somewhere near PL1's best practice criteria?
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Great work as always, Ond! :notworthy:
- That design should print fine on any printer with no supports or raft/brim.
Looks like it would be easy to add four heat-set threaded inserts for the screws that hold the top and bottom together and/or rubber feet (screw through the center, NOT adhesive! Mouser P/N 534-723 are the best ones I've found, but you might need M4 or M5 hardware) if one were inclined to do so.
The only thing I see that you might consider beefing up is the alignment tabs. They wil be strong enough once the lid screws are inserted, but are thin enough that they might break if there is some lateral force applied during assembly. If they were taller, it would definitely be an issue.
To spitball an idea to make the case design a bit more versatile, a sneaky feature that you could add is three holes per LED for people who want to use non-translucent filament for the case. That would allow the light-pipe idea that Zebidee mentioned earlier through a hole over the LED and mount a separate logo on the other two holes. Maybe design an alternate logo that mounts over all three holes for people who don't care about the LEDs. :dunno
Scott
Ond:
Thanks Scott, I've taken your suggestions into consideration. I've added more of the alignment tabs to increase the strength along the seam. I'm open to further refining the design to include some of the other things but I'm also mindful of keeping the parts count to a minimum to make it as accessible to everyone as possible.
Zebidee kindly provided some of his original artwork that went onto the GreenAntz PCB. I've taken the most workable of that in terms of 3D printing and crafted it a bit for a single snap on logo. Some concept renders to show color combo's:
The logo printed in green with snap on posts:
An example case printed in black with the logo attached. It's a good tight snap on fit, a bit of glue on each post would make it permanent.
Adding holes for light pipes re: the Sync and power LED is no problem. I'll leave that to Zeb to ponder for a bit. One thing to keep in mind is light pipes are not very effective with low luminescence LEDS. They work just OK with reasonably bright ones.
:cheers:
PL1:
The logo looks great. Exactly how I pictured attaching it to the case. :cheers:
--- Quote from: Ond on July 22, 2024, 07:53:02 am ---I'm also mindful of keeping the parts count to a minimum to make it as accessible to everyone as possible.
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I figured that the threaded inserts and rubber feet would be optional.
If you add the chamber for the heat set inserts and someone doesn't use them, will the screws still be able to engage well enough or should anyone wanting to use inserts drill the chambers for them?
--- Quote from: Ond on July 22, 2024, 07:53:02 am ---One thing to keep in mind is light pipes are not very effective with low luminescence LEDS. They work just OK with reasonably bright ones.
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Agreed. That and keeping down the parts count is why I suggested the "light funnel" idea earlier.
Perhaps more of a slightly tapered (5-10 degrees?) "light chimney" would be acceptable or maybe add alignment divots on the inside of the case over the LEDs so someone can drill out the holes if they want.
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If someone wants to add screw terminals for an alternate power source, do you want to add wire holes or a removable panel?
If you don't want to have the holes on all cases, maybe make recessed alignment divots on the inside of the case so anyone wanting to use this feature can drill them out. Same for two screwdriver holes in the top so you can tighen/loosen the screw terminals without removing the lid.
Scott
Zebidee:
Ond, the logo inset looks fantastic! You turned that around quickly.
How about ventilation slats or holes? GreenAntz doesn't produce a lot of waste heat, but maybe worth thinking about.
--- Quote from: PL1 on July 22, 2024, 04:04:31 pm ---If someone wants to add screw terminals for an alternate power source, do you want to add wire holes or a removable panel?
If you don't want to have the holes on all cases, maybe make recessed alignment divots on the inside of the case so anyone wanting to use this feature can drill them out. Same for two screwdriver holes in the top so you can tighen/loosen the screw terminals without removing the lid.
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Thanks for your ideas Scott.
My thoughts about the "alternate power" inputs are: Maybe 1/10 people want to use them, they usually aren't much concerned about a case (because it is going into a cabinet of some kind anyway), and a single "alignment divot" on the side would allow them to drill their own anyway (one small hole is all you need for both wires). No holes needed on top for the screw terminals - anybody with a screwdriver can just remove lid of the case to secure the wires, one-time as needed.
Regarding LEDs, I use 3mm "bright" LEDs that throw light "up" more than "sideways". They run with large current limiting resistors (~50K for the power LED, 10K for the sync LED) to throttle the brightness down to something that won't make you blink or squint in a darkened room. They may be bright enough for a light pipe already, but easy for me to use lower values in future for the current limiting resistors too. Retrofitting lower LED resistors (=> brighter) is fairly easy as you can just run an extra resistor under the PCB, though I don't expect many people would do this.
Worth considering a SCART version too - this could be a breakout panel for the larger SCART input, or a modified build. Less demand overall, but people that want SCART often ask about a case as they are more likely to use GreenAntz with consoles in a lounge room style, console + controllers + TV environment.
PL1:
--- Quote from: Zebidee on July 22, 2024, 11:14:57 pm ---How about ventilation slats or holes?
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Vent slats over the LEDs ==> two birds, one stone. ;D
--- Quote from: Zebidee on July 22, 2024, 11:14:57 pm ---a single "alignment divot" on the side would allow them to drill their own anyway (one small hole is all you need for both wires). No holes needed on top for the screw terminals - anybody with a screwdriver can just remove lid of the case to secure the wires, one-time as needed.
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Sorry, but I'm gonna strongly disagree on this.
Four divots seems like the best choice -- two for the wires and two for jeweler's screwdrivers.
If you only have one hole for the wire, it has to be large enough to cover both screw terminals.
- The only argument I can make for one large hole is if there is a large enough gap between the case and the screw terminals that the wires might veer off course between entering the case and entering the screw terminal. How big is that gap, Ond?
- Two smaller (3-4mm) wire holes will look cleaner than one large (9-10mm) wire hole and the smaller holes should better serve as a guide when inserting a wire into the terminal. If so, smaller holes ==> better fit, form, and function.
- Worst case if two small holes don't work, drill them with a 5mm or 6mm bit then use an exacto knife to turn the two holes into an oval. You'd be cutting parallel to the print layers so it should be easy.
If someone wants to mount the case on a shelf or wall by adding some simple brackets or Z-shaped mounting legs, it would be much more difficult to remove the lid than to have holes for jeweler's screwdrivers.
- If they aren't using heat-set threaded inserts, every time they take the lid off there is a greater chance that the lid screws are going to strip out.
- Having the option to drill screwdriver holes makes the case much more maintenance-friendly.
- Divots are easy and drilling them is optional. I can make no argument for not including these two divots.
One other thing that would be nice to add on the outside of the case next to where the wire holes would be drilled is small inset "+" and "-" polarity markings.
Scott