7U Case - 1U Adjustment

I saw a photo of such a conversion and it was apparently simple to do.
Only one rail has to be moved.

I‘m planning to do this myself. Good tip to watch out for the latching mechanism.

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Nice. Haven’t gotten around to doing this, but when and if you do, please share your process. :slight_smile:

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i moved one of mine to the middle…
the actual movement was relatively simple, just drill the holes in the right place… it doesnt affect the leg assembly. use modules or blanks to help space it out

the things to keep in mind and consider beforhand…

once moved, the modules on your top row need to be shallow enough to fit above the audio and midi jacks. also, the previous holes cannot really be plugged with a screw/nut because there will now be likely be modules there (the top row on the sides modules are adjacent)

all in all im happy with it, although i see why the design decision is to be on the top. for utilities the patching just makes more sense in the middle. my system is more black… so its a bit ugly in the middle, hoping Intellijel will make black panels for the 1u eventually though

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Would like to see your case now! :slight_smile:

wouldn’t this damage the performance of the input jacks and stuff that are either on the top, above where the 1U previously had been (for the tiny cases) or in front by the handle, though?

There is another topic very similar to this Alternative / portable power for 7U cases (although they do get off topic more too)

what do you mean damage? they still work fine, just take up potential module depth from the top row after its moved

I was of the understanding that the 1U modules that interface with the audio/MIDI jacks on the front of the case would not be able to reach anymore. Do I just not understand how some 1U tiles work?
(such as https://intellijel.com/shop/eurorack/1u/umidi-jacks-1u/
https://intellijel.com/shop/eurorack/1u/power-entry-1u/ https://intellijel.com/shop/eurorack/1u/line-in-1u/ https://intellijel.com/shop/eurorack/1u/line-out-1u/ https://intellijel.com/shop/eurorack/1u/audio-io-jacks-1u/)

how do you then connect the audio and midi jacks if there are modules in the way? Don’t they require a 1U tile in order to have any use? This was what I thought was what had to happen, since there is no real way to internally normal signals effectively—you could want them to go to any of the modules, which would be a pain

the audio and midi jacks are connected with a 10 pin cable to the corresponding 1u modules so there is no issue except for the physical space that the jacks take limiting your 3u module depth at those points. and you probably need a longer 10pin cable since the 1u now farther away

Damase, Which modules have you successfully installed in your top row that fit above the upper jack connections?

my promodular miiiix fits above the audio jacks, its 3 or 4pcbs deep maybe 40mm. my asys rs-95n or mungo d0 do not fit above them so i have to keep toward the middle. my other stuff is mostly 30mm or less its an easy fit

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Thanks. I’ll have to put aside some time for a module-measuring session because having the 1U in the middle makes so much sense for keeping the top 3u less obscured and more playable.

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I wouldn’t call myself a master DIY’er, but it took me 15 minutes to mod both my 7U cases. It was super simple, just be precise with your measurements. I’ll probably replace the machine screw with something more appropriate but it’s tight and doesn’t bother me much.


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How do you properly drill a whole in the aluminum?
I hear stories of rough holes/edges and sliding drills when doing it wrong.

As I mentioned I’m no expert so someone else might have a better way. I measured, measured again, and measured again to be sure. Once I had my spot, I used an awl to make a dent. Was super careful to get the dent in the right spot. Then I used a very small bit to drill a pilot hole, then a bigger bit to make the final hole. Shards of aluminum were made in the process, wear some eye protection.

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What kind of drills did you use? What surface did you put the aluminum sides on and how did you fixate them?

I used a standard Milwaukee hand drill and regular drill bits, nothing special. Aluminum is soft so it drills quite easily. I did not remove the sides to do this, I simply turned the case on it’s side resting on my rug and drilled downward.
I should probably say again that I am not an expert in this area :grinning: There is probably a better way to do this but I was successful twice using this hack.

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I would use a wood backer so it doesn’t punch through and damage anything!

There is a bit called a center drill that has a small tip and then a 60 degree angle which will make a starting place for a regular drill bit so that it can not wander when starting your hole.
Small center drills (1/4") are perfect for following a center punch mark in Aluminum.

Foghorn
a machinist (for 50 years)

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