[MaskdBagel]

Hi all-

I'm fairly new to DIY gear, and I'm just getting moving on my Cornet2 kit (have the sockets, grommets, terminals, and about 1/4 of the resistors in so far). I'm a little bit stumped on the enclosure. But as I said, I'm new to this, so it's probably a simple thing that I'm missing.
I went a little cheaper and got the recommended Hammond enclosure from AES (H1444-22 and H1434-22), and I can't figure out what's going on. There are no holes in the top plate to line up with the notches in the printed drill guide, and it seems like even if there were holes, the plate is enough larger than the drill guide that it wouldn't want to work. Anyone used this enclosure that can give me some ideas?
Also, while we're talking enclosures, any recommendations on painting this one and how to make the decals? I'd rather not just tape on the laser-printed piece of paper that came with the kit. I'm not THAT cheap. 
Thanks in advance for the pointers!

[Theo]

Hi all-

I'm fairly new to DIY gear, and I'm just getting moving on my Cornet2 kit (have the sockets, grommets, terminals, and about 1/4 of the resistors in so far). I'm a little bit stumped on the enclosure. But as I said, I'm new to this, so it's probably a simple thing that I'm missing.
I went a little cheaper and got the recommended Hammond enclosure from AES (H1444-22 and H1434-22), and I can't figure out what's going on. There are no holes in the top plate to line up with the notches in the printed drill guide, and it seems like even if there were holes, the plate is enough larger than the drill guide that it wouldn't want to work. Anyone used this enclosure that can give me some ideas?
Also, while we're talking enclosures, any recommendations on painting this one and how to make the decals? I'd rather not just tape on the laser-printed piece of paper that came with the kit. I'm not THAT cheap. 
Thanks in advance for the pointers!

While the Hammond case is less expensive, it's a pain to work with.  First, you will have some trouble attaching the Cornet2 board to the case due to the screw taps (you will have to bend or cut out one side of the taps to assemble the case).  Second, H1444-22 from the parts list is 12x8x2" (that's what I bought too); 2" is not tall enough for use with the drill template for the back.  2" version will fit together, but you will have to adjust the positions of the holes for the back and the fitting will be very tight and not friendly to work with when you want to upgrade parts in the future.  You should get the 12x8x3" instead for about the same price, or buy a bigger Hammond case altogether.  You may also want to mount the board on the case instead of the plate; therefore, drill holes on the case and not on the plate.

[Theo]

There are no holes in the top plate to line up with the notches in the printed drill guide, and it seems like even if there were holes, the plate is enough larger than the drill guide that it wouldn't want to work. Anyone used this enclosure that can give me some ideas?

As I said, you may want to drill on the case instead of the plate.  It is easier to use the circuit board as a guide to position the drill holes for the top; just center the holes as best as possible.  If you use the 3" tall Hammond case and follow the drill guide for the back plate and use the recommended RCA jacks, make sure you order the 1" nylon standoffs as for the Lansing case; otherwise the RCA holes on the back will not line up with the RCA jacks.  When you mount the board on the case, screw the standoff tight on the case first before securing the nuts on the circuit board.  Do not substitute metal standoffs for the recommended nylon standoffs or a short might happen!  Sound like a lot of trouble for saving on a cheaper case.  The upside is that the Hammond case has thinner metal and easier to drill than the Lansing case.

[schubert]

I used the 2" Hammond case and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.  The board doesn't fit in it without a lot of bending (and I had to cut corners off the circuit board), it's hard to paint (neither paint nor primer sticks very well), and it was too short for some of the caps I was using, so I had to lay them down.  You also may have trouble fitting the board in around the power inlet.  I finally did get it all together, but I was so dissatisfied with the result that I chucked the Hammond case altogether.  Now I'm working on putting the Cornet2 into a case salvaged from a nonfunctional AV amp.  It's a bit of work, but the price is right and there's plenty of room for all the FT-3 caps I put in there!     With a front panel made of a piece of oak it will look nice too.  I did my Chime this way, and this is what it looks like:



Note: no ugly transformer sitting on top!