Black Beauty Project Build - 06 Ford F-250 Super Duty **1/27/18 - New pics starting on page 41**

[diegoclass2010]

damm bro thats pretty dope what you got going on there.. keep it up cant wait for the end result!

[scooter99]

Thanks diegoclass2010.

Ok guys and gals! A little more work I did yesterday. Starting to come together for sure.

Decided to do the same method cutting the remote case as I did the unit case. This was a little more nerve wracking because it's much smaller, less material to hold, and it's way thinner. So I was definitely cautious doing this one. Went way way slow.

But in the end it worked out.

Next I had to make some new ends, or front and back panels. Got out my trusty router table and put on the flush trim bit.

Marked up the original panels, since that's what we're using to make the new ones.

A little action on the chop saw to cut these down to smaller size.

and we have two roughed out panels.

A little foam tape to hold the two pieces together.

and set the router depth.

And got them done. I was a little nervous about doing these too. They're real small pieces, and not easy to hold. But it worked out just fine. I will be buying a better router bit when I transfer these to aluminum however. This Ryobi is not going to cut it for that. No pun intended.

I have more, but I have to go to a family thing. More later.

[mbdblue]

fun getting your fingertips that close to the bit huh? nice looking wiring man

[scooter99]

Oh yes, funnest thing i've done in a while. LOL

Thanks on the wiring. Hopefully I can keep it as clean throughout the rest of the project.

Ok, onward to more progress pics. Here's the rest of what I did yesterday. I didn't do anything today due to a family function.

Now I have new panel templates. I actually didn't do this correctly. On the front panel, I wanted to extend it out about a half inch wider on each side. That way I have something to mount with. Right now this is a desk top design, the headphone amplifier is, and there's really no way to mount it in a dash or console or anywhere for that matter. So, I'll have to make a second one that I can do that with and drill some screw holes into it for mounting.

Next, I drilled out the screw holes. This proved to be a pain on this MDF. I don't know what it was, maybe I need new drill bits, maybe it's the old MDF I had laying around, I don't know. But it seemed to separate even going super slow on these holes. Something to look into down the line.

Wider parts of the screw holes done. These are the countersinks like in the original panel.

Then drilled out the rest of the holes.

Then the back panel doesn't have countersink holes. It's pretty simple.

Temporarily put together for looks.

Marking the center point.

[scooter99]

Marking for the HDMI cutout and for the knobs.

Going to drill out the knobs.

I had miss marked one of the knob holes. That's why we do templates right. Also found that 1/4" is a touch small and 5/16 is a better fit.

The plan with the HDMI port here is to drill it out as best as I can, and then finish it with a file. On the aluminum I don't know if that will work or not. I have a feeling it'll be much more difficult that this was. Not that this was easy.

But i got it done, and there she sits. This will be the plug for the HDMI cable that sends signal to and from the SDU.

This barely fits into the case too. Thankfully the wires aren't all that bulky. Wish I could have had them solder these in though with the insert holes on the inside. They go to the outside now. I just didn't realize how tight it would be. I also need to get some computer panel nuts to go between the board and the panel.

[scooter99]

Got the knobs in and the nuts tightened down.

And then temporarily put on the case.

Not the greatest picture but this gives you an idea of how tight it was in there. I have about 1/8 of space between the top and the bottom now, where before it was about 1/32. so I'm much more comfortable with this.

Then I put the knob covers on for looks. Now, when I do the next panel, which will be the aluminum panel, I'll have to fix the centering of the knobs. The third knob on the right seems to sit higher than the rest ever so slightly. This is not a huge issue, but it catches my eye big time and I know I won't be happy with that looking at it every day.

Back panel put on.

The HDMI port is completely flush mounted.

[boom50cal]

you have nerves of steel, scott.

always keeping everyone on their toes around here. hat's off to you, for always doing something kickass and cool.

:hi:

[scooter99]

Overall, it's a lot bigger than I'd have liked it to be. I might make another one down the road, and have it be smaller than this one. I'm sure I can make that happen. I already have the ideas in mind. I just have to draw it out and make it happen. But for now, this is the temporary version of what's going to be coming.

Next order of business will be getting the front and back panels transferred to aluminum, and finish soldering up the lines on the boards. Then this part will be done and I can move onto the main unit. That's all for now. More to come this week!

[scooter99]

you have nerves of steel, scott.

always keeping everyone on their toes around here. hat's off to you, for always doing something kickass and cool.

:hi:

Thanks. That's a helluva complement, and an appreciated one. Hopefully I can keep up the entertainment.

[yurvalentine]

Nice work, I'm excited to see the rest.