Nightfire Guitar Amp Enclosure - No Glue

thingiverse

Nightfire Guitar Amp Enclosure - No Glue This is an enclosure for the Nightfire Guitar Mini Amplifier, their Kit #1127. Amplifier Kit: https://vakits.com/guitar-mini-amplifier The 3D printed enclosure consists of three parts, Base, Cover and End, plus Label Plaques. The Base includes the bottom, back and left end portions of the enclosure. The Cover consists of the front and top faces. The End is simply the last remaining (right) end. Also included are 3D printed Label Plaques, one for the top identifying the various ports, and a pair for the front face, identifying the Volume (left pot) and Tone (right pot) knobs. There are rows of cooling vents in bottom, back and top surfaces. All the enclosure parts snap together without glue, except of course the Label Plaques. All the parts are held together with slots and tabs in the mating parts. The nuts for the I/O jacks and pots help hold all the pieces in place once assembled and the finished enclosure is reasonably rigid. The two external hold-down tabs for mounting the Base to another object are sized for #6 flat head screws. Threaded metal inserts are used in the Base for the mounting screws that hold the circuit board in place. The holes for the inserts are shouldered so the inserts are positively located axially when pressed in and can't be pulled through when tightening the screws. It should be possible to install the threaded inserts without heat. The board has three mounting holes but only two are used in this model. The circuit board hold-down screws are M3 X 10 mm Allen head cap screws with flat washers. Threaded inserts: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D683Q26/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I modified the kit slightly, omitting the provided screw terminal power strip replacing it with a 3.5 mm mono audio jack, mounted in the left end of the enclosure with wires inside the enclosure to connect it to the appropriate solder pads on the circuit board. Aside from that the kit is entirely as supplied by Nightfire. The board can be powered from a 9V battery or a wall transformer of 9 - 12 V. Replacement power jack: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DKDWHRR?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details The circular feature on the right end is for gluing a magnet to hold a 9V battery, if used. Printing: Everything is PLA, printed with a 0.3 mm nozzle, a 0.15 mm layer height and 0.8 mm shells and 16% infill. Base: Print with bottom on the bed, with supports from the bed because of the undercuts in the bottom. Cover: The cooling vents will be better if this piece is printed with the top face on the bed. End: Note that the tabs on this piece are configured differently than on the Cover. I found that the best results came from printing as modeled with the outer face on the bed, then cutting off the extraneous parts of the tabs, followed by a little file and razor knife work to clean up if necessary. See image. Label Plaques: These are printed in two colors, pausing the printer to switch filaments when the first layer with holes begins to print. This method gives a high-contrast effect making the labels very legible. Label Plaques are glued to the enclosure parts with cyanoacrylate. Assembly: Complete the amplifier kit, but do not install the supplied two-screw power terminal strip. Instead use a 3.5 mm mono audio jack connecting it to the appropriate solder pads on the circuit board with about 2.5 - 3 inch wires. Assure the tip connection of the jack is connected to the positive solder pad on the circuit board. Cut the extra material off the three tabs on the enclosure End piece. See image. Before attempting assembly, assure that all the tabs and slots in the printed parts fit together. Trim or file as needed. Before attempting assembly, assure that the jacks and pots all fit in the holes in the 3D printed parts. Trim or file as needed. Press the two threaded metal inserts into the holes in the bottom of the Base. Press them all the way to the shoulders. If necessary they can be drawn in from the top with a longer M3 screw. Insert the circuit board into the enclosure Base part, slipping the input jack through the hole in the end of the enclosure. Leave the nut off for now. Install the two circuit board hold-down screws (M3 X 10 mm), with flat washers. Leave these loose for now. Install the nut on the input jack and tighten. Insert the power input jack in its hole in the end of the enclosure Base part. Install the retaining nut and tighten. Assure that the terminal tabs and leads cannot contact other parts. Tighten the two circuit board hold-down screws. Install the enclosure End piece by first inserting the tab at the bottom into the notch in the Base and rolling the end piece over the output jack threads. Make sure the tab at the back edge engages the slot in the rear of the Base. It will be necessary to deform the parts a little to get the tab into the slot. Leave the nut off the output jack for now. Install the Cover of the enclosure by first inserting the tab at the bottom front into the notch in the enclosure Base and rolling it over the pot shafts. Make sure the tabs on the Cover front (left and right edges) and top (left and right edges and back) engage the slots in the mating Base and End parts. It will be necessary to deform the parts a little to get the tabs into the slots. Install and tighten the nut on the output jack. Install the washers and nuts on the pots and tighten. Glue the Label Plaques to the top and front faces of the enclosure as desired. Power supply should be 9-12 VDC, through a standard 3.5 mm male mono audio plug, with the tip positive. Bill of materials: 1 X Nightfire Amplifier Kit: https://vakits.com/guitar-mini-amplifier 2 X M3 X 10 mm Allen head cap screw (circuit board hold-down) 2 X M3 flat washer (circuit board hold-down) 2 X M3 x 3 mm x 5 mm Female Press-in Threaded Brass Heat Set Inserts - Embedment Nuts (circuit board hold-down) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D683Q26/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 1 X 3.5mm/0.137" Panel Mount Female Mono Socket Headphone Audio Jack (power jack) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DKDWHRR?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details 2 X Knobs for 6 mm/1/4 in. pot shafts https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0989F7K2K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - Cyanoacrylate glue (Label Plaques) 9-12 VDC power supply, 500 mW or greater, with 3.5 mm mono audio jack, tip positive. (9 V battery OK)