Assembled:
Showing wooden walls and plastic bottom plate:
Parts, parallel projection:
Exploded:
The four pieces of material that are laser-cut and assembled to make up the enclosure:
Sent to the laser cutting service. From prior experience it should take two weeks to get to my door.
One concern is the upper outside corners. The official monome enclosure and many other products (e.g. the Apple mac mini) use a two dimensional rounded corner which is designed to prevent the user from hurting himself on a sharp point. With the limitation of laser cutting, rounded corners are hard to do.
Some possibilities:
- The current design. Pros: inexpensive, simple, can round the corner using sandpaper, although this is a low quality solution. Cons: ouchies.
- A flat border on top of a sanded corner. Pros: no ouchies, high quality rounded corner when looking from the top. Cons: adds the cost of another piece of material, quality differneces between the rounded corners on top and below.
- Stack of plates. Cons: costs way too much.
- Combination of 1 and 2. Possibly the best option. Could even have the faceplate extend over the sides instead of a border piece. Pros: no ouchies, costs about the same as 1, high quality solution. Cons: having the top extend past the side means it's easier to lift the other side when resting your hand on the edge.
- Uses a small laser-cut insert to give an inner rounded corner to the walls. Pros: rounded corners. Cons: may show through when stained, low quality.
- Same as 3.
Conclusion: 1 and 4 seem like the best options. Personally, I like the square edges; there's a certain appeal to the contrast between the rounded corners of the faceplate's buttons and the square corners of the enclosure. However, that's an analysis on the aesthetics and not on actual use, I will write an update when I receive and assemble the enclosure.
Other enclosures:
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