Suitable laser projector case....?

In my seemingly never-ending quest to find a "proper home" for my 1-watt "Jolly Green", I'm leaning towards the use of a Middle Atlantic audio equipment rack cabinet that I already have on hand. I plan on using a 1/4" plate to mount the optics and components that require heat sinking, and cut sheet aluminum as needed for the front & rear panels. On the positive side, this should make for a fairly-quick case fabrication project, which is a big plus in my attempts to get something built while home for the holidays.

One of the drawbacks using this case is that the actual construction is dense vinyl-covered plywood. So, not only is it heavy (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, considering the contents) but it could potentially expose wood surfaces to a stray 1-watt 532nm beam. To work around this, I am contemplating laminating all the potentially exposed interior case surfaces with black foil prior to assembling the case.

One of my concerns here, for those of you familiar with the CDRH certification requirements - provided all other requirements are met, would the materials used in the case itself prevent meeting certification requirements?

Thanks in advance for any feedback....

i dont think (and i may be wrong) that the CDRH will like any sort of a case made out of wood. :rolleyes:

I have a feeling they will view it as a hazard. I could be wrong, Steve will probably comment here, but I would try to use a different case.

What happened to the case you got form me last year?

-Marc

I still have that case - which is VERY nice, but the thickness of the end panels will require quite a bit of work with all the cutouts I need!

Of course, the REAL issue is that while that case could house Jolly Green, there wouldn't be any room for adding a gnarly red cousin down the road....:D


SO - instead of laminating the interior with the black foil, how about the idea of using sheet aluminum to cover all the interior surfaces?
(Which would actually go fairly quick if this was done before the case was assembled)....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gottaluvlasers

...

What happened to the case you got form me last year?

-Marc

---

Jolly Green has made a major step towards becoming a functional projector -
the CT Lasers case has now been modded and looks remarkably like a laser projector!
Of course, I still have to actually mount the "innerds", but the major hurdles have been taken care of!! *retardo

Have I told anyone lately how much I really hate cutting aluminum?....O_o :p

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stuka

Have I told anyone lately how much I really hate cutting aluminum?....O_o :p

---

I've had good luck with a hand-held jigsaw and a coarse-tooth metal blade. Granted, you have to go slow, but that's what I used to cut my baseplate... (1/4 inch thick plate)

How about some pics? ;)

Adam

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by buffo

...
How about some pics? ;)

Adam

---

I'll do that once I figure out which home holds which gear...:confused:
'Bama-bound in the AM, so I should be back at the laser-bachelor pad with all the stuff for a while :p

I hate cutting aluminum too, especially the thick stuff, im looking forward to building my projector but im not looking forward to the cutting of the base plate tho. As aluminum is soft, it gums up the teeth of the hacksaw.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Experimentonomen

I hate cutting aluminum too, especially the thick stuff, im looking forward to building my projector but im not looking forward to the cutting of the base plate tho. As aluminum is soft, it gums up the teeth of the hacksaw.

---

Yeah, and you practically need a hazmat suit if you're trying to use a metal cutoff disk or hole saws!! :eek:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Experimentonomen

I hate cutting aluminum too, especially the thick stuff, im looking forward to building my projector but im not looking forward to the cutting of the base plate tho. As aluminum is soft, it gums up the teeth of the hacksaw.

---

That's the point when you just bring it into your work and use a shear :th_Jttesur:

I tried a hole saw in aluminum once, dident work @ all, ended up with a tripped breaker and a fried powerdrill motor.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stuka

Have I told anyone lately how much I really hate cutting aluminum?....O_o :p

---

Find someone local to you with a shear. I chopped out my projector enclosure in less than 4 minutes.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Experimentonomen

I tried a hole saw in aluminum once, dident work @ all, ended up with a tripped breaker and a fried powerdrill motor.

---

Next time use a hole saw that is made for metal doors. Cuts like butter.

My hole saw was made for metal.:p