Spin Doctor type gauss meters?

[J M Fahey]

Agree, I have done the same many times.
Spending 1 hour rough cutting, filing and, worst of all, not getting a perfect result is a downer if it has to be made for each and every case, but spending, say, 2 hours for a perfect template is worth it, since afterwards each case will take minutes and be well finished.

The router flute cuts along the edge, and any small error or roughness is way more tolerable than the "across the grain" irregular hand sanding, so that alone makes it worth routing.

And you donīt *really* need a template to cut a rectangular window with sides parallel to case faces!!!!

Mount the router under a table where only bit is visible, say 10mm above the surface, then do a little measuring and Math and bolt/nail/clamp 4 straight pieces of wood to serve as a "fence" around the case, so it can only move along those edges in a straight line, and so a rectangular window is the only geometrical shape which can be cut.

Hope this is clear enough, if *neccesary* I can draw it but hope we can avoid it

[David King]

I'd think a small laser would do a fine job of the holes and display cutout. The problem with milling these is that the odd shape needs to be fixtured to the milling table and that's going to be a challenge. A laser doesn't push your part around, you just need to place it accurately so very minimal fixturing is needed. I'd call around to laser places locally and see what they'd charge you, I doubt it would be more than a euro or two per shell if you did them in batches.

Routing might work but most plastics melt at such low temperatures you could easily end up with just a big ugly blob of molten plastic stuck to the bit and a deformed mess of your enclosure. If you try this get a single flute bit designed for plastic and attach a strong vacuum cleaner under the table to pull the chips away and cool the part as quickly as possible. Spraying the part with isopropyl alcohol can also lubricate the cut and help keep things cooler via evaporation. Exhaust the vacuum outdoors so you don't inadvertently create a flame thrower in your shop. Be sure to run the router at the slowest speed until you know what will happen. Move the part as quickly as possible past the cutter to minimize heat build up. As soon as the plastic melts and sticks to the cutter things will go downhill very rapidly.

[MarkusBass]

Good idea with laser. Let me check it. Thanks.

Mark

[the great waldo]

I was also thinking about such a template but to make it I need a CNC machine too. Or I have to pay someone to do it. I would use 2 mm bit to get 1 mm radius in the corners. I don't expect high production quantities. Just few friends asked me to manufacture something like this .

Hi Mark
You could try selling them as a kit. My elepro meter was delivered as parts. I'd probably have one of yours as a spare is always useful and i'm in Europe as well.
Cheers

Andrew

[vintagemgear]

Good idea with laser. Let me check it. Thanks.

Mark

Markus,

Can I contact you in some way to order such a meter? Thanks!

[MarkusBass]

Can I contact you in some way to order such a meter? Thanks!

Yes, you can always send me a private message. But I don't know your location and the meter is not yet completed.
The cutout for the OLED display is done with a laser (thanks David). It's not bad but I think that milling would be more accurate. Now I'm working on the sticker for the meter.

Mark

[vintagemgear]

Yes, you can always send me a private message. But I don't know your location and the meter is not yet completed.
The cutout for the OLED display is done with a laser (thanks David). It's not bad but I think that milling would be more accurate. Now I'm working on the sticker for the meter.

Mark

[ATTACH=CONFIG]51583[/ATTACH]

It seems I'm not allowed to view your profile in order to send you a DM? I registered yesterday, not sure why I can't do that.
Can you write me one?

Thanks

[MarkusBass]

If I click on user name left to the post, there is a popup menu with "Private Message" option. But not in your case. It looks like starting members cannot send/receive private messages. At least you can update your location in your profile .

Mark

[vintagemgear]

Mark,

Please send me an email to *************, thank you!

[SirPrimalform]

Yes, you can always send me a private message. But I don't know your location and the meter is not yet completed.
The cutout for the OLED display is done with a laser (thanks David). It's not bad but I think that milling would be more accurate. Now I'm working on the sticker for the meter.

Mark

[ATTACH=CONFIG]51583[/ATTACH]

Ahh, this is exactly what I need. Is there a waiting list I can sign up to for when it is completed? Hopefully by then I'll have the option of sending you a PM...

[MarkusBass]

No, there is no a waiting list. At the moment I have two prototypes and I can sell just one of them. Then, if there is an interest, I'll make some more meters.
But please remember that I'm located in Europe and if you are e.g. from the States or Australia it will be difficult to these countries. I mean very expensive. What is your location? You can update it in your profile.

Mark

[SirPrimalform]

I'm in the UK, but rather bizarrely the forum won't let me view or edit my own profile.

I've no idea if this is a deliberate restriction or a weird bug.

SirPrimalform, you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

Your user account may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation.

[MarkusBass]

There is some policy that you need at least 5 posts to perform some actions. But why would they restrict user from editing his own profile (like adding user location) this is hard to understand. In my opinion this is a bug in the forum software.

Mark

[big_teee]

I'm in the UK, but rather bizarrely the forum won't let me view or edit my own profile.

I've no idea if this is a deliberate restriction or a weird bug.

I agree, you need more posts, for more privileges.
T

[SirPrimalform]

Oh well, if it's only 5 posts needed it won't be long!