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The Synthbox |
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Introducing the clear winner in instrument cases - Space Case by Synthbox.
The Space Case is made from clear 3/4 inch acrylic sheeting. This material is much stronger than wood for its weight and offers a unique presentation for your modules. The Space Case offers two rows of 168HP mounting surfaces, roughly that of two standard Doepfer G6's, and utilizes Vector Electric's T-strut mounting system in which movable nuts are inserted into aluminum mounting rails. These nuts can be positioned wherever necessary, ending concerns between Analogue Systems and Doepfer hole patterns - you simply slide each module flush against the next. No more wasted real estate when combining manufacturers.
The Space Case comes standard with a robust 1.7 Amp Condor linear power supply which is held in it's own metal enclosure, keeping heat within your cabinet to a minimum. With superior overcurrent protection, the PSU will fold back (turn itself off) the moment it senses abnormal loads - such as installing a module's power connection backwards.
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Figure 1 - Space case dimensions (Expander Cabinet sold separately)
A single Space Case can house enough modules to have a fully functional mid-sized system. For those who need more real estate, an expander case (shown above) is soon to follow, giving you a complete housing solution with a distinctive and unified look. The prismatic properties of acrylic material present unique lighting opportunities that will make your case stand out in performance and in the studio.}
You're covered
Your Space Case comes equipped with two Ground Boards which are attached to the back of each row and serve two important functions: they provide a visual indication of the DC power status (via separate LEDs for each of the three output voltages: -12, +5 and +12 VDC) and most important, they assure your faceplates are properly grounded. To use them, simply connect the power cable to their standard Plan B type power connector as if they were another module in your rack.
Figure 2 - Space Case Ground board
An important note: each row must be grounded. Not only do certain modules require this for proper operation (Plan B Model 15 among them), it also serves as protection for the operator against electrical discharge. Make sure that each of these grounding boards are connected (with the red band down as indicated on the board itself).
Works well with others
The Space Case distributes it's power from the external PSU to the modules themselves via a tethered ribbon cable power harness which is daisy-chained to each module from the PSU itself. To make this connection, the cover must be removed from the external PSU box and one end of the power harness is fed through the large porthole on the chassis' side and routed directly to the power distribution board within the box. You will find connectors for both Doepfer format and Analogue Systems format configurations. The last connector on the power dist board is somewhat special. It is used to integrate other Doepfer cases to the Space Case. It has no power connections - it only serves to make connection to ground reference and the BUSS SIGNALS available on the Doepfer bus. Routing a flat cable from the power distribution of a Doepfer chassis to this connector (which is clearly marked on the Space Case distribution board) will assure seamless integration of the buss signals currently active on external Doepfer chassis boxes.
Making the connection
Figure 3 below illustrates how to connect the power harness from either the two module rows in your Space Case (both Doepfer and Analogue Systems ribbons cables are supported), or from an external Doepfer chassis in order to bring the bus signals from that secondary chassis to the Space Case. To make this connection, simply remove to Space Case external PSU chassis cover and route your power ribbon cable through the porthole located on the side of the box directly to the required socket on the power distribution board.
Figure 3 - Space Case power connections (click on image to enlarge)
