Need design for the case to hold the TAPRX888

[ghbyrkit]

We will need to put these boards into something to hold them and protect them from abuse and cable issues and such.

A specification for some standard extrusion case is an acceptable answer (HxWxL)

A two-part (clam-shell) case is preferred to a single extrusion. It allows for removing the top and making measurements.

[ghbyrkit]

currently under consideration is an 88mm x 100mm case 38mm tall. We do have examples of end plates to fit such a case.
Note that the current thermal pad material is 5.08 mm thick. With a copper foil strip, it is too thin to supply compression on the thermal pad to case interface. It looks like adding a 0.5 mm thick additional pad will make it fit. Awaiting some Laird product from DigiKey to confirm this observation. I used a similar 0.5mm thick additional pad, but did not remove the plastic top and bottom protection.

The max width of a PCB would be 84 mm to fit the rails in this case.

[ringof]

drafted in https://github.com/ringof/TAPRx888/tree/dev-endplates/mechanical, which includes two PCB projects for a front and rear plate, as well as the STEP file for the enclosure (less the end plates from the original 120mm model available from JLCMC)

Initial mockup here - notional label and logo location made, this was more for mechanical fit check: https://ringof.github.io/TAPRx888/

[ringof]

PR #58 brings in work that now defines a mechanical assembly with:

• A 100mm long variant of JLCMC K70-8838-Hx-L120, commonly found on eBay but not currently on JLCMC
• A front endplate, produced from a KiCAD design located in mechanical/endplate-front, with NPTH for SMA connectors, logos for HamSCI, Turn Island Systems and TAPR, and the TAPRX-888 name
• A rear endplate, produced from a KiCAD deisgn located in mechanica/endplate-rear, with NPTH cutouts for the USB3 B connector and a hold for the status LED, as well as a large model name and description
• 8x tapping-for-aluminum screws. For the enclosure model, M3 worked best, and I selected some notional self-tapper from McMaster-Carr, but for the eBay enclosure, this will want to be M2.5

A live view of this mechanical design is at TAPRx888 Mechanical Fit Check

[ghbyrkit]

we certainly have a design now. Ordered 20 of https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256810007083607.html on 7/27.