Apr 24, 2011

Cables are ready

Click to enlarge



Today I was able to prepare all of the cables for the Model-T Rack box. Stripping the shielding is tedious. I even found myself doing some online searches for an easier way. In my searches I found that some enterprising individuals have some patents related to devices that automate the striping the shield. To tidy up the cables I added heat shrink for a neater appearance.

I've always been impressed with the level of craftsmanship and pride that went into each piece of vintage Test and Audio equipment that I have disassembled. I'm trying to carry on that tradition with everything that I build.



Apr 20, 2011

Rack Mount Patch Box (Cable Organizer)

I started working on a 1U Rack Mount Patch Box (Cable Organizer) for a friend of mine. This patch panel will have color coded Jacks along with color coded cables. The cables will be color coded using different colors of heat-shrink tubing on the cable connectors.

Here are drawings of the Front (top) and Back (bottom) faceplates.


click on image to enlarge


I made the face plates out of Red Anodized aluminum sheet. I have access to a Epilog Helix laser so I used the laser to etch away the Red Anodizing leaving white anodized aluminum behind with 600 dot per inch precision. I currently have a protective tape on the front to reduce scratches.



Click on image to enlarge