Electrical Panels

Time to build some electrical panels so I went to Tap Plastics and found some nice ABS black plastic that has a wrinkle finish on one side.  The main panel (above) and head panel are 1/4" thick and I will have two small side panels inside that are 1/8" thick.  The hinges are cut from a strip of aluminum aircraft hinge, very strong and light.  The hinge pins will be easily removable so I can take the panel off easily for service.

Shown above are the hinges for the panel installed.  The pins just slide into the hinge and snap in the nylon bracket to lock them in place.  Works slick and the panel comes off in just a few seconds.

This is the main panel and side panel with some circuit boards mounted.  On the main panel I mounted the LCD display from behind through a square hole I cut.  I also removed the V Music Module from the case and bolted it to the board because I couldn't figure out a way to mount the case that looked good.  All the boards are mounted using 4/40 stainless hardware and 1/4" nylon spacers.  The small panel is one of the side boards and has the 2 speed controls on it - a dual for the main drive and a single for the dome.

This is a shot of the main electrical panel in the open position.  You can also see the drive panel mounted inside the body.

Main electrical panel in the up position.  I mounted an aluminum channel on the top frame for the panel to rest against and used an aircraft stainless cowling latch to hold it closed.  Looks nice and is very secure.