Description

A modular system always starts from a sort of container, a place where the modules can be mounted into.

You are probably considering to build your own case from scratch, making it to fit your needs, maybe with a clean and practical shape, easy to build.

People craft these things in very different ways, using a variety of materials and techniques; however the most popular choice is the Doepfer-styled case.

We decided to build a case that would fit the average Eurorack musician, a person who prefer spending money on the modules rather than the case, without overlooking aesthetics.

The TS-301 is designed to be functional and reasonably cheap.

The style and materials are quite familiar to the DIY community, the structure is mainly made with 12mm plywood, which gives strength, keeping the cost low, while the back is made with 6mm MDF, a softer material which provides adequate support to the bus boards but gives a different color tone to the final product.

We also added a handle and slightly modified the overall shape to make the whole thing less similar to a "wood box".

The case has a usable room of 6U per 84HP, which is the most common size format in Eurorack.

It fits perfectly two TS-201 bus boards, able to power up to fourteen modules each, while the dual power supply provides 1.3A on both rails (+12V and -12V).

Specs

• 6U
• 84HP Gie-Tec rails (with lip)
• Meanwell power supply
• +12V output current: 1.3A
• -12V output current: 1.3A
• +5V: No Output
• 80x M3 square nuts
• Dimensions: 20cm, 45cm, 32cm

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The case had been realized with a CNC, this way we can ensure a nice and square final product and also add some unique details.

The power section is one of the hottest topic between Eurorack users, especially on DIY forums.

Our choice is for the Meanwell RD-3513, and here are the reasons:

The output current is the same on each rail

Many Meanwell dual rail PSU provide large current on the positive rail, but very small on the negative rail. Eurorack modules draw current from both rails and, even if the positive rail is the most loaded, it's not a bad idea to have plenty of room also on the negative one.

The output voltage is 13V (adjustable)

When you load the PSU, for example if you have many modules, there is a voltage drop on the output that may be even few hundreds mA, not a tragedy, all modules are going to function as well. However this is drop can be compensated by adjusting the trimmer on the PSU.

There's no +5V rail

Nowadays very few modules require +5V to be already available from the bus board, the majority have an on-board voltage regulator which converts the +12V rail into +5V or +3.3V.