Portable Eurorack Case DIY Project, Part One

My old Doepfer G6 rack w. power supply 2

Sometimes new ideas don’t come from buying something shiny and new, but from simply looking around at what’s already there.

As I’ve been planning to create more content for the blog, I realized I needed a smaller, more portable setup to complement my ‘main’ Eurorack modular. Something I could easily pick up, move to the living room or outside, and experiment with whenever inspiration hits.

This weekend, I wasn’t able to go out much because of too much pain, so I decided to finally tackle a project that had been waiting in the corner for far too long: transforming my old, clunky Doepfer G6 rack (2 × 84HP) into a more portable case.

Yes, I know... there are already plenty of companies making beautiful cases ( Casefromthelake, 2egress, and so on). But this G6 had been lying around for ages, unsold, unused. And since I love recycling whenever I can... most of my art projects are made from reclaimed or leftover materials. It only felt natural to give it a second life.

From 84HP to 126 HP wide

I started dismantling the old rack, stripping it of its rails and panels.
My original plan was modest: one row, 126HP wide. 

But, like most of my projects, the idea grew while I was working on it. I cut one rail in half, connected it to another with a piece of threaded rod, and suddenly I had the width I wanted.

At first, I thought this would be enough for a small experimental rig. But then the big question came: where would I put the power supply? That’s when I noticed I could reuse a few more rails from the back. Why stop at one row when I could make it two?
So instead of downsizing, I ended up with a larger, more flexible case; two rows high, 1 x 126HP plus one 42HP wide = 168HP in total, while still recycling almost everything.

Connection of the rails,
side-view

The prototype front panel is now almost finished. The wooden top is in place, and I’m considering putting the whole thing at an angle for easy access. That part will probably be a story for another blogpost.

 
If I can find some nice wooden panels, the build should be finished in a few days. Maybe I’ll even paint this plywood case with a water-based color, but honestly, I already love the raw look it has now.

Sometimes staying home leads to unexpected creations, and I’m already looking forward to experimenting with this new recycled setup.

Almost finished front of the new portable case prototype

Soon after the last picture, I realized I’d made things harder for myself. Of course the power supply should go in the bottom row, so the top stays nice and deep for my modules.

...To be continued....

Check out my other modular case inspiration blogposts HERE

Skiff- Friendly

skiff  ( s k í f ) :

" A flatbottom open boat of shallow draft, having a pointed bow and a square stern and propelled by oars, sail, or motor.
[Middle English skif, from Old French esquif, from Old Italian schifo, of Germanic origin.] "

Source: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/skiff

They have been out there for a while, but it seems like more and more people like to use "skiff" type wooden or aluminium shallow racks to house their Eurorack modules.
Flat-bottomed shallow skiffs that often lie down horizontally or are slightly tilted can be very useful in many situations because they fit perfectly on your desktop, next to your computer.
In my opinion they are perfect to put controller modules in them, but be aware...

Walnut Makenoise skiff

The shallow depth of some skiffs might not be enough for the kind of modules you want to put in there.
Be sure that the depth of your modules is tuned to the depth of your skiff and vice versa.
I see a lot of manufacturers putting the word 'skiff-friendly' in their advertisements lately and most of them are usually very shallow, so you would not have a problem with those.

The walnut Makenoise skiff from Analoguehaven in the picture for example has an internal depth of only 1.75 inch (4.45 cm) without a power rail mounted. Now that's shallow...

Imagine that with a busboard mounted inside and figure out how little depth is left for modules.
Not that this is a bad skiff or so, in fact it looks beautiful and can house the most 'skiff-friendly' modules that i know, but i know for sure that my (Doepfer)  A-175 Joystick wouldn't fit in there...

My advice is to check out the depth of the modules that you would like to install in your skiff before you buy one... better be safe than sorry...