Readers: If you want to build the power expander featured in this post, please go to PCBWAY's Community pages--a gerber ready to download and/or fabricate as well as KiCAD files, 3MF for 3D printing, FreeCAD files, etc. are here.
Also please visit PCBWAY's site using the link here--it will help this blog. Thanks.
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I solved a simple problem--I had too many Euromodules for my TipTop Happy Ending power supply.
I didn't need more current, instead, I was out of physical connections.
I whipped up a "power strip" for Eurorack--one 16 conductor input, 3 outputs. Small and simple....a one afternoon tops DiWHY project.
I laid it out in KICAD:
Using PCBWAY's Kicad Plug-In it's off to the blog's helpful sponsor--boom, it was back:
Building it was a piece of cake.
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But! what happened if the traces shorted out against the case? Electrian's tape!
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| At least I used green electrician's tape! |
But then I started to feel--guilty. Why not 3D print?
Fusion360's license (for me) is going up from $100 a year to $795 a year--nope.
I started to check out an interesting--albeit counterintuitive and surprisingly hard to learn--CAD program called "FreeCad"--as a simple first project.
FreeCAD and my brain were possibly not meant for each other. Nevertheless I designed a 3D WF Holder ("tray"? "backing"?) and printed it on my MP printer. You can download the 3MF file here and/or get it fabricated at PCBWAY, they do 3D printing all day long.
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| I had to widen the screw holes a bit to accommodate 5mm screws. The 2 holes seen at the top of the PCB were enlarged in the uploaded gerber. |
DONE! This is when it's good to know some DiWHY as I was seriously out of power plugs in my rack. This was a simple utilitarian PCB that I have not seem in the wild yet--it's probably out there and I missed it, if so, well now there are a few more of the damn things.
Again, you can download all the stuff for your own warm floater here.
Next time, some MIDI. have fun!
