[JMS] Voila! Front Panel Success

[Don Buska]

Hi Ronnie,

Here is something I sent you in March of 2006.  Is this it?

"When I did my Millen 90831 I first made the chassis cover for the
modulator.  That required accurate holes drilling for the MIC Jack,
Level Pot shaft, CW-Phone Switch and the Meter.  I also drilled four
holes that would attach the later front panel to the chassis box and
those on the side lips to match up with the chassis screws that hold the
two sides together.  Once that is completed and checked by assembling it
together, I took it apart again.  The chassis cover then was used as a
hole template for the rack front panel.  Your right the front panels are
not cheap so centering the chassis cover onto the back and scribing the
markings onto the back of the front panel needs to be done with great
care.  Repeat the drilling rules used on the chassis cover to the front
panel.  The four screws that hold the front panel to the chassis were
flathead counter sunk types.  So after the front panel was painted one
of the first things I did was to mount the chassis cover to the front
panel.  Once the aluminum plates are glued onto the front those screws
will be hidden and not easily accessible.  You might try working without
those mounting screws, but that would mean the meter and CW-PHONE switch
are the only things holding the front panel to the chassis assembly.
That's pretty much weight and meter mounting screws have a tendancy to
break out of the meter case.  If you aren't going to try and replicate
the aluminum front Millen Style panel you won't have to hide the chassis
to panel mounting screws.

Since metal is not forgiving this stuff takes time.  A reasonable
investment in good tools is worth all the aggravation poor tools will
produce.  Once you've thrown away a few front panels or chassis you come
to the conclusion that the initial investment in tools more than offsets
the cost and times wasted."

73

Don N9OO