I'm looking to redesign an existing PCB backplane to make it towards eurorack and design a front panel to mount it. The existing PCB is quite large because it has slots for six 80x80 mm voice cards; I may reduce it to five voice cards but I think I can fit six stacked horizontally. The existing backplane is 147mm x 109mm; I should be able to shrink it to fit within 28HP. Still YUGE, but my bean counter math says since it houses ~8 VCOs/VCFs + VCAs so it's roughly 4HP per function, not too bad from a density standpoint. Fully populated, the total weight is around 12 oz, with each 80x80 mm voice card weighing about 1.25 oz.
My challenge is mechanical support. I don’t have many jacks or knobs on the front panel—not enough to provide significant structural reinforcement across 28HP with voice cards. Since I’m not super mechanically inclined, I’m wondering: what are some good ways to support a large backplane in this format? I'm thinking a need brackets or similar. And would a few exposed screws would be necessary from the front panel to do so?
My challenge is mechanical support. I don’t have many jacks or knobs on the front panel—not enough to provide significant structural reinforcement across 28HP with voice cards. Since I’m not super mechanically inclined, I’m wondering: what are some good ways to support a large backplane in this format? I'm thinking a need brackets or similar. And would a few exposed screws would be necessary from the front panel to do so?
Statistics: Posted by brer_rabbit — Mon Mar 17, 2025 1:28 am — Replies 0 — Views 5