#967

Yep that looks really nice, I like the fish! I was thinking more of rails without ears, but I do like the idea of having the structure of the ears…

@karst - The ones I saw looked backed by wood, probably glued on or maybe just seated in a groove. I don’t know if I’d go that route for a build myself, was asking mostly out of curiosity.

#968

Ears help with precision, if you can work with it, you should be safe :slight_smile:

#969

I think that most glues might be a slight concern on hot/humid day, especially since some modules can produce a decent amount of heat themselves.

#970

Indeed there are M2 out there: M2 Eurorack Rails « Art For The Ears

#971

One for people with case plus a lid: what do you think is the shallowest you could make a lid, while still being able to close patched? 60mm?

#972

I would say something around there. My lid is 66mm interior depth and it’s pretty close to where I wonder if it’s bad for the jacks and cables if there’s too much spaghetti inside. I think it’s fine, but I wouldn’t want to go any shallower.

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#973

You’re quickly becoming my case consultant :wink:

Is your case from Clank? I’ve decided to order from their next batch, after seeing the measurements of a few other brands was thinking of slimming down the lid a little.

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#974

my bill is on its way :wink:

my case is from clank and I’m very pleased with it, Andrea seems great and their power is really good — the new boards have pull up resistors for i2c built in I think :eyes: I see the erica one is listed as 59mm, I feel like erica synths probably has tested that and determined its fine, so I would trust them over my own paranoia :stuck_out_tongue: that being said, it does depend on the cables — if I’m using the hosa cables they’re very flexible and I don’t worry too much, but I have had braided cables that feel a bit more snug. You could probably lose 7mm on the lid and the case and not have any issues, but I’m not sure it would make that much of a difference in overall size or weight.

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Modular Power Supplies
#975

I have the 50mm one from Intellijel for their Palette case and it’s definitely too short, then I have the 70mm from Intellijel for their Performance case and it’s better. If I’m honest though I’d like something closer to 80 or even 90mm. Obviously at some point it’s impractically tall lol… But yeah I get worried sometimes about the jacks on the 70mm one although it does definitely work

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#976

My DIY case has 55mm lid, with braided cables and closes fine. With non braided cables I think you could go 50mm.

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#977

I can vouch for the Clank cases and their I2C setup, and it does have pull-up resistors. For me it worked right away without needing to test different cable lengths or configurations, with Ansible + crow + teletype + ER-301 + an intellijel x/y 1U configured as an I2C TRS input for 16n.

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#978

I’ve posted tangentially about this before but now that the opportunity is in front of me, I want to be explicit. I currently have a 7U Intellijel Performance case, which I love. I filled it up pretty quickly, though, especially since I’ve got an ES-9 and a Mordax Data that I use constantly, but that don’t actually provide sound or modulation (I know I can use the ES-9 for way more, but for me it’s mainly an audio interface). So, I’m looking for expansion and a natural option to consider is a second performance case, with the Joiner Brackets. My only concern is that the kickstands on the performance case don’t have much grip, and I’m worried that the two cases joined together will be a bit flimsy or slidy? Who here uses two Intellijel cases joined together? What are the pros and cons. Two other options I’ve been thinking about are:

MDLR 14U 126 HP Travel Case - This seems to be similar to two intellijel cases, but a bit wider. It also seems like it’d be a lot sturdier, but it’s very pricy and I’d lose the IO and MIDI on the performance case.

MDLR 13U studio case - Big, lots of space. Portability isn’t super important to me, so that’s not really a big deal. Missing one 1U row. Also expensive and would have to import

Doepfer cases - Only recently started considering this, after learning that they can stack. This seems like the classic “modular wall” you see online. Upside, SOO much room and plenty of ability to expand. Also, can get the base, and then just use my performance case on top of that until I can get another doepfer case. Downside - definitely more space than I need, and will likely make me buy more modules. Also, might be a bit too big for my apartment, as just a hobbyist and a beginner at that.

Any insight you guys can share about the joined intellijel cases vs these options would be much appreciated! Also, anything I’m not thinking about? Power concerns? durability? Really, anything you have to say will help me here!

Thanks!

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#979

i have been using two intellijel 84hp 7u cases for over a year now. sometimes joined, sometimes separate depending on my needs at the time. i configured both cases to work standalone as well as together. for me this system works really well because i can easily pare down my setup for more focused work or performances. or i can have all my module possibilities within reach for sketching. i would say i prefer this configuration infinitely over having one big case. it’s a bit more inspiring… but that’s just me.

as for the joiner kickstands… they are really sturdy solid metal and don’t bend or wobble. there are also very grippy rubber caps on the feet that make contact with your desk or whatever surface its going on and in my experience don’t slide around at all.

the only con i can think of to this configuration is that if in the future you did ever want to travel or perform with your full system vs something more condensed, you have to figure out a way to pack or carry both cases separately, and maybe that’s a bit annoying. i have just one soft case for whichever 7u i am bringing around with me. i have traveled with much larger cases than that and i really don’t enjoy it so i am happy with this limitation. :slight_smile: hope that helps!

7 Likes
#981

This is great! Thanks for taking the time to write out your experience. I do love the idea of being able to separate them into two instruments. My plan going in, though, was that the flatter case was going to be focused on sequencing and modulation and the vertical one would be sound sources, effects, and some more modulation. I think this would net out to roughly one standalone instrument that could function with any kind of controller (midi controller, other euro case, ableton via MIDI, etc), and then a controller instrument that wouldn’t be much value on it’s own. I’ll have to consider how I’d want to rethink that setup if I wanted two usable instruments (or maybe I’m alright with an advanced controller, and then one standalone desktop synth type case)

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#982

yeah, it’s a bit tricky to get everything where you want it if two standalone systems is a goal. i do have a similar setup to what you’re describing where the bottom case has my tactile controller modules in it. for me it ended up working because i guess i just have enough cv and sequencing modules to split them between the two cases and get enough voices / control between each. but i do also swap things around occasionally.

#983

I actually also just did this too. I split into cases, some diy cases I made. One has the voices and controllers, and the smaller other one has all of the effects. I decided recently that I really want to get back into playing guitar more, but use euro for processing instead of pedals. Having to sit in front of a bigger case with all of these synth voices tended to distract me from playing. Plus, when we do get to play shows again, I want to be able to play a guitar centered show or a synth one and just focus on either. It’s proven to be extremely inspiring.
I’m wondering, did you perhaps get that Intellijel Octalink to hook up the two cases? That seems like it would be very handy.

Here’s what I have going on now:

image
image4032×3024 4.11 MB

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#984

You like touch plates, get a Plinky then. Great responsiveness, no dead zones. You get sampler and 8 voices as topping.

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#985

The biggest current issue with plinky is availability!

#986

Just want to second that the kickstands are more than up to handling the two joined cases. The table mine are on is a bit slippy - the grips on the kickstands aren’t enough to prevent occasional sliding - so I put a little neoprene or other grippy stuff underneath when necessary. When used on my wooden desk they’re fine.
In fact I hardly use the big kickstand on the joiner - the angle using the built-in kickstands on the bottom cases works better for me and seems more than up to handling the weight of both cases.
FWIW I just REPLACED a 12U trogotronic with these and other than having less power (though it’s plenty and very clean) and slightly less convenient placement of the bus boards I could not be happier. SO much more ergonomic, lightweight, sturdy, and since I can separate them for transport I don’t have to destroy my body whenever I move the system around anymore.

#987

Just want to second that the kickstands are more than up to handling the two joined cases. The table mine are on is a bit slippy - the grips on the kickstands aren’t enough to prevent occasional sliding - so I put a little neoprene or other grippy stuff underneath when necessary. When used on my wooden desk they’re fine.
In fact I hardly use the big kickstand on the joiner - the angle using the built-in kickstands on the bottom cases works better for me and seems more than up to handling the weight of both cases.

This is great to hear! I actually picked up the joiner plates already, since they’re somewhat tricky to find and I wanted to be ready for when I wanted to expand. I think I like the angle the joiner plates give, but I’m glad to hear everything feels sturdy. I think you guys have sold me and I’m going to go the double intellijel case!

yeah, it’s a bit tricky to get everything where you want it if two standalone systems is a goal. i do have a similar setup to what you’re describing where the bottom case has my tactile controller modules in it. for me it ended up working because i guess i just have enough cv and sequencing modules to split them between the two cases and get enough voices / control between each. but i do also swap things around occasionally.

I think for now, I won’t prioritize two distinct instruments, but rather two functions. The upper case will be voices and effects, with some modulation (probably a function generator, pams, and some LFOs). This will be the standalone instrument, but without a controller. Then, I can travel with it if I want, and use any controller to “play” it (sort of like a desktop module like the minilogue XD module or these new sequential desktops). If I’m traveling, I can just bring the upper case and a laptop, and play the case with MIDI.

The lower case will be heavy modulation, and control. Sequencers, complex function generation, the es-9. It’ll be centered around being a tool to play the upper unit. As I expand, maybe I’ll include some sampling functionality here so it can sort of be a standalone super badass sampler with tons of control, but that will be secondary.

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