Spacing of Jacks, Pots, Switches on Panel

[numbertalk]

About to start making panels using FPE and am wondering how you all determine/know the spacing to use between jacks/pots/switches/etc...? I'm thinking I could just cut a piece of paper or cardboard and lay out all the components there and measure before going into FPD - is there an easier way?

[neandrewthal]

Id recommend making a full blown cardboard panel to try out first, before you start making real panels with the same spacing.

[Funky40]

best is to lay it out on paper, yes.


my opinion:
The magic spacing is 30mm, same as Nord modular1 (many other Synths too as it seems ) if you use small knobs.
You can go down till 28mm, maybe 26mm with having enough room for the Fingers, but not less !
With this spacing you can twiddle the Knobs free, smaller spacings will limit acess for extensive twiddling.

sometimes it is just a thing how things match up:
Knobs vs. jacks.
so i layout first the knobs . The jacks usually have enough space to find a good solution.
If not: I make the panel a bit wider. ( ohh, i'm relativly free in euroformat )

Switches i put sometimes to close to the Jacks, i regret it in some cases.
so think to the direction it switches when placing them close to jacks.( i did not )




jacks can be really cramped: If it's the only solution thats ok, IMO. If having "some" room for fingers it's nicer to patch,
Note:
think also that you have to wire up that shit.
Sometimes it's useful cause of that not to go with to cramped layouts.

[dar303]

Funky: cool, I call that the "Korg spacing" after the korg MS-series that has good ergonomics and relatively small knobs. 30mm between knob centers for ordinary modules and 25mm betwen sequencer knobs.

[numbertalk]

Thanks for all the info.

One more question - I don't actually have a cabinet yet, because I have an MS-50 (speaking of the Korg design) and have been integrating the modules with that, storing them in tupperware. I've decided, though, since I like the 1/4" jacks and a little wiggle room, that I'm going to go with the Moog/Synthesizers.com 5U panel height. Given that, and also given that I'll probably start out with a cabinet that I buy from synthesizers.com, when I lay this out in FPD, where exactly should the mounting holes go on my panels for mounting the panel to the cabinet and what size should these drill holes be?

Thanks!

[Funky40]

see here:
http://www.electro-music.com/forum/topic-18281.html

or at dotcom itself ( the link should be above too )

[sduck]

If you're going the 5u route, you might want to take a look at the modularsynthpanel yahoo group - http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/ModularSynthPanels/?yguid=126193340
Most of the fpd files there are for motm format, which is similar to synthesizer.com size in height, but a little easier to get manafactured, and a lot cheaper.

[numbertalk]

Thanks again for the info. Good to know about the MOTM panels. I can see where they would be cheaper with the horizontal units being a bit smaller. Found the technical layout of the dotcom panels as well. Also I submitted to join the yahoo panels group yesterday and am waiting to hear back. I feel like it's such an important decision but you don't really know what exactly works for you until you have it in front of you and are using it. I'm sick of keeping things in tupperware though (talk about a pain in the ass with with a mess of jacks, pots and switches with no real organization or nice panel labels) so I'm going to use others' designs at least as a launching point to get started. If I keep feeling like it's an insurmountable thing, or secondary to just creating more modules as well as worrying I'll make panels I don't like, I'll never do it. Time to give it some thought and just jump in and do it.

[neandrewthal]

If you want to use other's designs to start off, then MOTM is right format and yahoo synth panels is definitely the right place

Come to think about it, you should check out Bridechamber's panels. They are excellent quality and 1/3 - 1/2 the price of what a simularly decked-out Schaeffer panel would cost.

If you go MOTM, you can still use the synthesizers.com cabinet if you install MOTM mounting rails, or just drill holes in the wooden rails as you see fit. You will be able to fit 26U horizontally instead of 22U of dotcom modules.

[synthetic]

There's a mechanical drawing of a panel on the MOTM site if you want to see what that standard looks like. Knobs are always on top and jacks on the bottom, which is nice and neat. I would go with a standard like this so that you can add Bridechamber, MOTM, Oakley, etc. modules in the future. Unless you're determined to design every LFO and envelope yourself.

http://www.synthtech.com/tech/m440_panel.pdf

[Peake]

Try the Buchla or Serge/Modcan aesthetics. Once you try banana jacks, you won't go back.

[numbertalk]