05-23-2010, 08:54 PM
Bil, I had looked at some purpose built control cabinets and was astounded by the cost. So, I began searching around for something that wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg. This is actually a salvaged storage cabinet that I got for practically nothing. I mounted some iron channel in the back to hold the backplane which is actually a piece of particle board covered in white formica. Alot of the electrical components are salvaged. Other stuff I bought online at "Factorymation." Good selection and good prices, although some stuff has to be bought bulk, for example, the terminal blocks come in boxes of 100. I surely don't need 100 of each color, but I was willing to pay the price for what I wanted.
The outside dimensions of the cabinet are 24" wide and 30" tall. The backplane is 19" wide. The holes for the meters were an oddball size so I cut them with a jig saw and then finished them up with the dremel tool and a grinder bit. Lots of messy, noisy work!
The outside dimensions of the cabinet are 24" wide and 30" tall. The backplane is 19" wide. The holes for the meters were an oddball size so I cut them with a jig saw and then finished them up with the dremel tool and a grinder bit. Lots of messy, noisy work!
Three Foot Rule In Effect At All Times