The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

Ed Nisley's Blog: Shop notes, electronics, firmware, machinery, 3D printing, laser cuttery, and curiosities. Contents: 100% human thinking, 0% AI slop.

The New Hotness

  • IEC Power Socket Mount

    The original Kenmore Model 158 sewing machine used a two-wire line cord:

    Kenmore 158 - terminal block
    Kenmore 158 – terminal block

    In light of my modifications, grounding the frame seems prudent. The heap produced a long IEC extension cord with screw-mounting ears on the socket end that fit neatly into the GX270’s rear panel area occupied by two PCI cover plates, so a bit of Quality Shop Time seemed in order.

    The GX270’s carcass yielded a complex bit of sheet metal that held the hard drive and a few other odds & ends, with some clean right-angle bends in exactly the right places:

    Dell drive bracket - intact
    Dell drive bracket – intact

    Some bandsaw work removed the gimcrackery:

    Dell drive bracket - first bandsaw pass
    Dell drive bracket – first bandsaw pass

    More bandsawing produced a rough outline:

    Dell drive bracket - second bandsaw pass
    Dell drive bracket – second bandsaw pass

    Sawing to length, removing the small flanges, and squaring the sides:

    Dell drive bracket - squaring edges
    Dell drive bracket – squaring edges

    I traced the existing PCI cover tabs, bandsawed the outlines, and filed to suit:

    Dell drive bracket - basic outline
    Dell drive bracket – basic outline

    They look a bit ragged, but fit well enough:

    Dell drive bracket - trial fit - interior
    Dell drive bracket – trial fit – interior

    From the outside, it looks like it grew there:

    Dell drive bracket - trial fit - exterior
    Dell drive bracket – trial fit – exterior

    The divider between the PCI slots succumbed to tin snips and a bit of filing. The tabs climbing over the bottom edge come from the internal EMI shield covering the entire back surface.

    A bit of coordinate drilling and manual milling produced the IEC socket outline

    Dell drive bracket - drilling and milling
    Dell drive bracket – drilling and milling

    Which looks pretty good from the inside:

    Dell drive bracket - IEC socket - interior
    Dell drive bracket – IEC socket – interior

    And great from the outside, if I do say so myself:

    Dell drive bracket - IEC socket - exterior
    Dell drive bracket – IEC socket – exterior

    Match-drilling a #6 clearance hole below the hole in the clamp arm, then ramming a self-tapping case screw into it, provides a convenient grounding point for the sewing machine cord:

    IEC Socket Mount - ground screw
    IEC Socket Mount – ground screw

    The chassis lid has two matching holes for those screw heads, which would ordinarily hold the two PCI cards in place. I could remove the clamp arm, but it doesn’t get in the way of anything.

    I loves me some Sherline mill work…