I know that quite a few of your have built yourself one of these controllers and I’m sure that one or two will want to do the case as well. These are all the parts you’ll need. If you need to make any substitutions then check dimensions in the Inkscape design to make sure that cut-outs and screw holes match up.
Item | Quantity | Source | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Power entry | 1 | ebay | IEC C14 connector. Fused and switched. e.g. ebay item number 262374293385. |
Oven outlet | 1 | ebay | IEC 3 pin chassis panel mount connector 6.35mm tabs. e.g. ebay item number 380480271832. |
Countersunk M3x15mm screws | 4 | ebay | Fixings for the power entry and oven outlet. 15mm includes head. |
Insulatated mains wire | ~50cm | anywhere | 8A current carrying capacity. |
Rotary encoder knob | 1 | maplin | order code YR65V. 22mm diameter for D-type shaft. |
Rotary encoder with push switch | 1 | ebay | e.g. item number 252283855053. |
Interconnect wire | ~50cm | anywhere | For wiring up the rotary encoder. Solid core wire is easier to route across the case. |
Heatshrink sleeve | ~10cm | ebay | Used at the rotary encoder for insulation. |
40mm fan | 1 | ebay | Gelid silent 4 is ideal. Others are fine too. Must be a 12V fan that will spin up at 6.3V. |
Fan screws | 4 | ebay | M3 x 20mm not including head height. |
Wire bag ties | a handful | anywhere | Used for securing the fan cable to the base and the thermocouple strain relief. |
Metal M3 nuts | 12 | ebay | Used for all metal M3 screws. |
Board M3 screws | 4 | ebay | M3 x 20mm not including head. |
Board brass standoffs | 4 | ebay | M3 threaded, 11mm height. |
Box silicone feet | 4 | ebay | 3M clear ‘bumpons’. Size 8mm x 4mm (WxH). Must be high enough to clear the nuts holding the board. |
Clear acrylic screws and nuts | 20 | ebay | M3 x 15mm not including head. |
There was a palpable sense of excitement in the workshop when the package from Razorlabs arrived, the likes of which I haven’t felt in a while. What would it look like? Will it all fit and had I cocked anything up?
The pieces arrive with protective adhesive film attached to both sides and I can see from the logos that Razorlab are using genuine Perspex branded acrylic which is nice. Let’s take a look at some of the features.
That’s the cut-out for the fan. Everything’s looking good and the cut-out matches the position of the fan blades.
This is what the t-slots look like. The t-shape is sized to accept an M3 hexagonal nut in such a way that it cannot rotate. Let’s take a look at how I did with the rounded corners in the t-slot that are supposed to help relieve stress when the screw is tightened.
You can just about see it in there amongst the dust that inevitably settles on something that’s about to be photographed. The rounding is subtle but it definitely means that the corner is not sharp any more.
Here’s one of the slots with nut and screw in place. I definitely made the right decision to use clear acrylic screws and nuts because they blend in well with the case.
Here’s how the finger joints look. You can also see the pattern that the laser leaves behind as it makes the cuts. Obviously there are no abrasion marks because a laser cuts by melting. It seems to leave behind a light rippling effect that leaves the surface transparent. Those rippple marks are exaggerated by the magnification of the photograph and are only barely noticeable to the naked eye. Overall a very clean cut.