MiSTer FPGA Forum

I had the same idea and starting moving things aorund. Ended up with mockup3.
Much better i think.

I've ordered the sd card thing now, i could always shorten it i guess. The one you ordered was out of stick when i first checked, struggled to find something similar elsewhere, i think he's making that custom and 3d printing the case mount part?

Everything else looks alright though eh...

And another, i'm totally wasting my whole bank holiday Monday... (but i like it).

Final pic for now, i really must use my day off for something other than MiSTer shenanigans all day...
I like number 3 layout best (so far) and want to achieve it without any screws on the front (don't care on back).
I know screwless versions of some of the sockets exist, price would have shot up, i was tempted by some chromed dual port USB mounts.
I have a glue gun and access to a mates 3d printer so i should be okay...

venice wrote: ↑Mon May 31, 2021 4:14 pm The 3 Buttons under the Display, SD Slot vertically left beside the Display.

The SD Extender can be too long with 25cm.
My Dealer‘s recommendation for an Raspberry PI was max.14cm.

Since I bought my one he got new versions (german website)
https://www.ribu.at/MicroSD-Einbaubuchsen

I've used his contact form, i'm uk english, i can't find that he posts to UK so i've sent a begging letter. He has a silver barrel type one now, 22mm, absolutely perfect for this and my design. Struggling to find it anywhere else.

https://www.ribu.at/microsd-metall-einb ... -mit-kabel
I want this one now, and it changes everything regards layout
I do like the design of having all the usbs in line with the power, but don't like the power at the bottom, certainly not on the right.
But if i manage to get the SDcard thing as a 22mm round connector, like the others, i'll have to reconsider again

Be interesting as parts start to arrive. I hope you will have another picture for the TTYOLED page eventually...

Toying with more ideas

Last one again for now.

One thing worth noting with that case is that the metal is relatively thick and will take some cutting through. I would recommend finding some scrap metal to test your hole cutting skills on first. The front, back and bottom are a single piece of metal so you can't replace with a 3d printed panel or PCB, therefore you will need to cut the required holes (that's what made me chicken out even though I love the look of the case).

You know what, your design is pretty much what i just did, with the power and sd switched... Dropped the logo and spaced it out.

dave18 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 01, 2021 12:33 pm One thing worth noting with that case is that the metal is relatively thick and will take some cutting through. I would recommend finding some scrap metal to test your hole cutting skills on first. The front, back and bottom are a single piece of metal so you can't replace with a 3d printed panel or PCB, therefore you will need to cut the required holes (that's what made me chicken out even though I love the look of the case).

Noted. I have someone who can do accurate metal hole cutting Should be okay.
If i can get the SD card thing form the guy in Germany, i think this is going to look very tasty.

So i've gone through a few more designs while i wait for parts to arrive (which some have come from ebay already).
This is my current favourite design, i think it looks like it could be a real manufactured bit of kit.

Main reason to pop back on and post though is hopefully of interest to others who want to do their own case.

I have sourced/been assisted in finding particular parts. The USB port in particular was hard to find, it may be newly listed as i didn't find it one day then i did find it the next. These are certainly not the cheapest, but i think they will look very nice and i am going to town on this case

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002419772566.html It is silver, the image is a little blue looking, but the black surround part lights up blue when something is plugged in or active. Neat.

(I originally ordered the ones linked below, and they are still coming, but i decided the screw front mount and the dull silver was not right. I will likely have these for sale if anyone wants them. Cheap. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001031049731.html )

I also got a tip off about a nice microsd port. Unfortunately it was out of stock and it seemed i could not order it from Germany to UK. Maybe brexit getting in the way. But i emailed Anton, who runs RIBU Elekronik e.U. and he gave me a way to make it happen. This is now on the way. This part is certainly not cheap, but good luck finding something close to this elsewhere (i failed).

https://www.ribu.at/microsd-metall-einb ... abel-24-cm The smaller Red Green and Blue momentary switches have arrived. Very happy with those, i think in hindsight i should have gone bigger, but they are okay and i am not getting more of these. 4 for the price of 2 on ebay.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203207597907 ... 3555629541

So now i'm waiting on everything else to come from AliExpress, then i have to build it

Just had confirmation from an AliExpress email that the case is in the UK. This means its only a day or two away now and i only ordered it last Monday. Thats crazy fast. Hopefully all the other parts are not far behind and everything is in good order

Also confirmation from Anton that the MicroSD slot / extender was posted last Wednesday. Thats on a plane currently, so also not far off.

Exciting. (well, for me it is)

Case has arrived. Took just 9 days. From China to UK that is amazing. Anyway, superbly packed, not a mark on it. Really chuffed with it.
Also arrived today, the OLED screen, green version. Lots more bits to arrive, but i intend to keep posting progress (it'll be slow), as parts continue to arrive and i start drilling mounting holes and asking for help on how to wire it all up

Keen to see your pictures as you build!

Looking at some enclosures with a half plan to maybe make my own case I'm wondering how many external usb I really need/ want.

I'm tempted to get a slightly larger enclosure and just all my wireless usb dongles inside the box. Less accessible but neater looking, less work and less cost. Any reason to go for more than one really?

I'm thinking I might just do power, video, 1x usb and maybe network.

Whatever your needs are, the bonus of doing one yourself is the customisation. I've gone for a little bit of future proofing. The segregated usb3.0 port on the left is in case i want to dabble with SNAC connectors and controllers in future, but if you only use 1 bluetooth controller (as i do currently) would you really need the port on the front? Probably not. If you want to place all your bluetooth, wifi, keyboard mouse dongles etc into the usb board inside the box, will you need ports on the front? Probably not.

I want the easy access to plug/replug the wifi/bluetooth dongles and ultimately i want a wifi keyboard and mouse combo too, so thats 3 usb 2.0 ports needed. The fourth is failover.

You certainly don't need an OLED display, but hey, look how cool they are

And again, the MicroSD port is for ease, not having to delve inside. I haven't even neeed to take that card out in months, i can remotely copy files to it with WinSCP, but what if the OS is corrupted and i do need to rebuild it? Then, having it front mounted is just easier.

Besides, i reckon i've got a nice clean layout, so although to some it might seem like port overload, i'm okay with it.

I do plan to keep the posts coming, although progress will now slow down as work is horrendous at the minute and i am aiming to do this properly. This means getting the holes perfectly and expertly cut, which will take time and i do have a bit to learn when it comes to wiring some of it, certainly the OLED panel.

I got signed up to do a write-up on this project too for a magazine, so i do plan to keep a progress record with plenty of pics, and this thread is one place where i can do that.

Certainly more to come. And keep us informed on yours too if you do one. Always good to see other peoples builds (theres the "show us your mister" thread for that, good for inspiration).