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  #1  
Old Sun 05 November 2006, 21:33
vadeem
Just call me:
 
Control box cases/enclosures (only the outer, empty box part)

I was thinking of using 2 of these rackmount cases. One for the power Control Box, the other for the CPU. $59 USD each.

http://www.buildtoorderservers.com/ProductCart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=43&idpr oduct=211#details

This one is $95 but has an airfilter with the fan:

http://rackmountmart.stores.yahoo.ne...m4uracch1.html
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  #2  
Old Tue 26 December 2006, 13:41
vadeem
Just call me:
 
This company has some nice prices on both rack mount computer cases and rack mount power supply cases.

They do custom cases with no extra charge for D-sub holes and the like.

We could get a few of us to go in on some with silkscreen logo and labels.

http://ango.com/
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  #3  
Old Tue 26 December 2006, 23:20
Gerald_D
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Vadeem, I had a quick look at that site and they do not seem to do a simple dust-proof enclosure made for wall-mounting?
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  #4  
Old Wed 27 December 2006, 02:17
Gerald_D
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What does a Rittal AE 1038.600 or Wiegmann B201607CH cost over there?

The idea is to....
- have no louvres or slots for cooling (they allow dust in)
- have a large size and thus a large surface area for heat dissipation (cooling)
- have bottom cable entry via glands. No connectors on the surface of the box.
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  #5  
Old Wed 27 December 2006, 18:07
Brian_B
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I checked the online Grainger's catalog (www.graingers.com/) for the Wiegmann B201607CH.

The enclosure (Grainger #6C721) is $216.75, and the interior panel (Weigmann #NP-2016, Grainger #2W828) is $29.35 for a total of $246.10 before tax and s/h.

I will check to see if some of the other online suppliers have better pricing - Graingers is almost never the cheapest, only the most convenient!
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  #6  
Old Thu 28 December 2006, 15:44
Bob Cole
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If you want some decent pricing on these enclosures, try this web site. It looks like they are VERY competative price wise.

www.AutomationDirect.com

Regards, Bob C.
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  #7  
Old Thu 28 December 2006, 21:36
Bob Cole
Just call me:
 
Here is a direct link to the B201607CH box for sale on the internet.
http://web2.automationdirect.com/adc/Shopping/Catalog/Enclosures/Metal/NEMA_12/C ontinuous_Hinge_Wall_Mount/B201607CH

hope this helps, Bob C.
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  #8  
Old Fri 29 December 2006, 00:31
Gerald_D
Just call me:
 
There might be better alternatives to the Wiegmann B201607CH because that enclosure is all 14gauge steel which makes it heavy and expensive.

Anyway, this is the size and style enclosure that I am suggesting - something simple and rectangular with a hinged (dust-sealed) door.

The enclosure needs air circulation on all the sides, inclusing the back. It needs spacers to mount it about 40mm [1.5"] off a wall. 16gauge will be adequate.

The "sub-panel" is nothing more than a thickish (14gauge/2mm) steel plate. (see the white plate in these photos). The "sub-panel" is removed from the box while doing most of the wiring - makes life (and inspection) a lot easier.
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  #9  
Old Mon 12 February 2007, 18:07
Russ schoenberger
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The company that I work for has a sheetmetal shop for building there own cabnets (mostly cnc equipment) for substations. I could see about them building some to meet our needs If people are interested.
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  #10  
Old Sun 04 March 2007, 11:47
Gerald_D
Just call me:
 
NEMA or IP enclosure for control box *

a. The first reason for having an enclosure, is to offer protection.....




From the table it is deduced that NEMA 4, 6, 12, & 13 are suitable for this application.

In a lot of countries IP ratings are used instead of NEMA ratings. There is no equivalent table between the two standards. For an indoor MechMate, the rating needs to be IP51 or higher. Original MechMate IP55

b. Construction of the enclosure:
1. To have a hinged door.
2. Capable of wall-mounting with air circulating past the back wall as well.
3. Made of steel or aluminium for heat conduction and EMC shielding

c. Size of enclosure:
1. Height: 550mm [22"] is comfortable, 500mm [20"] minimal.
2. Depth: 220mm [8.5"] is comfortable, 150mm [6"] getting very tight. 200mm [8"] is probably ideal.
3. Width: 400mm [16"] is comfortable, and minimal for G202 drivers, while the G203V drivers allow one to cramp it down to 350mm [14"]. The major determinant of the width is passing the driver heatsink through the door opening which is narrowed down because of gasketing. Strictly speaking, the enclosure width should be given by the opening size and not the overall size.
For reference, the original Mechmate enclosure is 550Hx400Wx220D external.

d. Accessories purchased with the enclosure:
Many enclosures are sold with a removable "sub-panel" or back-plate. We do need one of these, but it will invariably be more economical to make our own. (It is a flat sheet of metal with some holes in it). We need quite a strong plate to carry the weight of the toroid transformer, after it has gotten a big fan hole cut through its center. Also it is convenient to tap threads into the plate and thus allow components to be easily removed - the plate needs to be at least 2mm [12gauge] thick for threads.
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  #11  
Old Sun 04 March 2007, 12:17
Gerald_D
Just call me:
 
Possibilities:
FactoryMation SCE-20168ELJ : Saginaw, 20"H x 16"W x 8"D, NEMA 4 $113.00
. . . . .
. . . . .
????
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  #12  
Old Wed 11 April 2007, 12:08
Loren Gameros
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Gerald,

I followed your advice on the FactoryMation box and it works great.
It came powder coated.
Good recommendation.
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  #13  
Old Fri 27 July 2007, 04:39
Allegheny
Just call me: Brian
 
Massachusetts
United States of America
For those of you still looking for NEMA 12 wall mount cases, these recently popped up on an evilBay store in Austin, TX - $90 + s/h for a 24 x16 x 10" brand new box is pretty good!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll..._promot_widget

They also have larger, 24 x 24 x 10" boxes at similar savings.

Brian
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  #14  
Old Sun 29 July 2007, 15:15
jbmclain
Just call me: Joe #42
 
Birmingham, AL
United States of America
Thanks for the good find!!! Order mine today as well as Motors and little gegcos!!

I'm committed now.!.!

joe
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  #15  
Old Thu 02 August 2007, 19:17
jbmclain
Just call me: Joe #42
 
Birmingham, AL
United States of America
Got my box on Wednesday!!! Very heavy duty and adequate for the job, also I received my motors today!!! I should now be committed or committed.!.!!!!!!

Joe
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  #16  
Old Sat 18 August 2007, 18:12
Tom Caudle
Just call me: Tom
 
Texas
United States of America
While steel enclosures will take some abuse they also present a challenge to make all of the cutouts. We switched to the sealed molded fiberglass NEMA enclosures for harsh environments. We can get all of our controller electronics in a 12 X 14 X 8 size. Plenty of room for a fan and 4 geckos. Pricing is a LOT lower than the cases listed in the thread and you can make cutouts with a router! For a few dollars more you can get one with a hinged front.
hammond-enclosure.jpg650Enclosure-Oly-341.jpg
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  #17  
Old Sat 18 August 2007, 22:21
Gerald D
Just call me: Gerald (retired)
 
Cape Town
South Africa
While fiberglass cabinets may be cheap and easy to cut, they are good heat insulators - meaning that you have to pump in outside air to keep the insides cool. Which in turn leads to fans and maintenance-intensive filters. Not nice in a dusty wood routing shop.

Fiberglass boxes are also brittle - they crack easily if they have a few cutouts and get accidently hit by a board. The hinged fiberglass boxes are very poor for dust sealing and cracking at the hinges.
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  #18  
Old Sun 19 August 2007, 16:30
Tom Caudle
Just call me: Tom
 
Texas
United States of America
The boxes we use are rated for harsh (wet, dusty) environments. The front cover has a heavy rubber seal. Heat is a problem in any closed box with no air flow. While the metal of the box may act as a conductor of heat it is at best a really poor one. Just a small amount of air flow across any radiating heat source breaks the thermal layer effect and the heat transfer is improved dramatically. If a design needs 500Watts of power at least 1/3 of that will go up as heat. The FETS in the Geckos have to first radiate the heat through their aluminum back plate, onto the heatsink and finally out to the air. If the air is non-moving the entire process backs up.

We do have to clean the intake filter every week or so.

Next release of our PSC series power controller will have an internal heat measuring device for both the interior of the box and right at the Gecko heatsink. It won't let you forget to clean the filter or not realize you have had a fan failure. The unit will warn you and shut down before there can be any damage to drives or other electronic components.
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  #19  
Old Sun 19 August 2007, 23:12
Gerald D
Just call me: Gerald (retired)
 
Cape Town
South Africa
Tom, have a good look at our box in this thread. There is an essential fan in there - with lots of turbulent air flow inside the box. It works extremely well and needs zero maintenance.
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  #20  
Old Tue 23 February 2010, 07:13
Temuba
Just call me: Dave
 
Vineland,NJ
United States of America
Enclosure Internal Fan vs External Fan/Filter

Gerald,
I would like to thank you for your time and energy you have put into this forum. I am currently purchasing items from a local surplus supplier for my build and purchased a 24"x20"x8" NEMA 12 enclosure with scratches for $45USD. Cheap compared to the asking price of around $250USD new.

My inquiry is to your post #19 regarding not introducing external air by having a side panel mounted fan. First, in the several years since you posted this, have you had any issues or problems trying to cool down the electronics with just internal recirculating air?

I have read other post that include a filter installed to keep the dust from entering the enclosure. One great idea you had was to "pressurize the case" by installing the fan between the filter and the case "input" opening and then having an "output" vent on the opposite side. My second question, besides the maintence of the fan and filter, do you see or have any opinions as to any advantages or disadvantages by installing a fan w/filter versus just having an internal fan and recirculation the internal air? Also, please keep in mind that I would like to leave the possiblity for future upgrades like more electronics if I decide to add an A, B, and C axis, thus adding more internal "heat producing" components.

I can also purchase several commercial alum. heat sinks, roughly 6"Wx12"Lx1"D with about 6 fins on each. I was thinking of using these to mount the drivers similar to you using the alum. plate as a heat sink. It would be a lot less expensive this way than purchasing a new plate of alum.

Looking foreward to your response and thank you. Dave
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  #21  
Old Tue 23 February 2010, 09:05
Gerald D
Just call me: Gerald (retired)
 
Cape Town
South Africa
The control boxes are all still working and keeping plenty cool enough without feeding in external air. No filter maintenance, because there are no filters.

An extra axis or two would easily be accommodated, unless you are talking of high-amperage motors and high ambient summer temperatures. (The worst that could happen is that you may have to introduce external air, but avoid that for as long as you can)

Those heatsinks will work fine.
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  #22  
Old Tue 23 February 2010, 09:19
Temuba
Just call me: Dave
 
Vineland,NJ
United States of America
Gerald,
Thank you for the information. I will install an internal fan to those heatsinks I mentioned before. I also saw at the surplus supplier a 24V (I think) squirrel type fan/blower roughly about 6" square. Since I have a larger encloser than neccasary I can install the drives vertical and install the blower/fan at one of the ends of the heatsink. This hopefully wil blow/circulate air straight across the full length of the heatsink fins.

Currently the machine will be in the basement. It never gets above mid 70°F in the summer and very cool/cold in the winter.

Dave
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  #23  
Old Wed 04 August 2010, 20:39
guerd87
Just call me: John, Still trying to earn a #
 
Pakenham, VIC
Australia
We all know that these control boxes are really expensive! Locally to get something new im up for a few hundred $$$

I have got an older cabinet here for free. It could be a bit deeper, But I may be able to modify it if needed. I have attached a Picture of the box. There is no mounting tray inside. A large hole at the bottom can be plated or used as connections area and make up a plate for it. It needs a bit of work and some paint, but If it saves me a few hundred $$ then im happy to do it - as long as its safe!

The dimensions are 400x600x180. Not really that deep but I can fit my drivers inside ok.

Do I need the riser board, Or can/should I mount direct to the case?

If I need a riser:
- Does it need to be insulated from the cabinet itself?
- Does it need to be a certain material? Alloy/steel?

I understand a riser makes it alot easier to work on and installing parts, But is it there for any specific safety reasons?

If I dont need a insulated riser then I was looking to just fit a riser to the BOB Card and Drivers, Mounting the Power supply directly to the case.

Thanks,
John
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Tmp00001.jpg (65.0 KB, 793 views)

Last edited by guerd87; Wed 04 August 2010 at 20:42..
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  #24  
Old Fri 06 August 2010, 03:34
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
Your box looks a lot like mine. I bought it new, it came with a powder coated raiser plate & it is not isolated from the casing. In fact, I even intentionally ensure that it is grounded.
yes, it makes installation a lot easier. you can even hide the wires behind the plate, I did just that.
Actually, any material will do, conductive or non-conductive. If you are not familiar with electrical works, it is best you use conductive material, its your choice between AL or Steel.
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  #25  
Old Sat 07 August 2010, 21:36
Red_boards
Just call me: Red #91
 
Melbourne
Australia
Middy's quoted me $295 for a box, so you'll be saving a bit.
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  #26  
Old Wed 11 August 2010, 12:52
guerd87
Just call me: John, Still trying to earn a #
 
Pakenham, VIC
Australia
Thanks for the info. I have sourced a riser plate from a local company and given the box a tidy up. Start mounting the electronics this weekend
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  #27  
Old Mon 27 September 2010, 03:32
silverdog
Just call me: Sergio #70
 
Rome
Italy
Would this to be a bad idea? (box with transparent window)
http://www.cataleg.it/catalogo.asp?T...ID=D&ResTree=N
Or it's better to have something totally closed (no window)
http://www.cataleg.it/catalogo.asp?T...ID=D&ResTree=N
thanks
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  #28  
Old Mon 27 September 2010, 04:05
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
Sergio, the two links are the same & non-show pix.
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  #29  
Old Mon 27 September 2010, 05:21
silverdog
Just call me: Sergio #70
 
Rome
Italy
Whoops !!
maybe this is better:
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Legrand IP65.JPG (3.7 KB, 569 views)
File Type: jpg Legrand IP55.JPG (2.6 KB, 568 views)
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  #30  
Old Mon 27 September 2010, 07:04
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
don't see any problem with both.
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