In August 2022 I bought a Korg Nutube evaluation board:
It’s a pain in the neck to use a bare electronics board resting on bubblewrap, so I made an open-format sandwich case:
Functions and Wood Cutouts: I considered cutting a large square hole in the top, but realized this wood is very thin and easily warps or breaks. So, I switched to making only necessary holes. These include:
- A rectangular view port for the Nutube – it lights up and serves as a power indicator too
- A large oval for the left and right tube distortion level knobs – they each click into four positions
- A small oval hole to reach the Nutube activation / bypass switch.
The main power switch is shown in the last photo, along with the L and R output jacks and volume matching pot.
Costs and Materials: About $10 for a craft board and rubber feet, and I have another $10 in a box of brass hex hardware (but used only a fraction for this project). I already had a lot of tools and materials on hand, including my prior Bottlehead Crack black walnut dye, charcoal, linseed oil wood finishing brew. I darkened all the hardware with bluing paste, and this turned the brass brown.
Build Notes:
- Critical viewers will see my wobbly lines, as I did this with an electric hand drill and Dremel-style tool. I cut the craft board pieces by hand with a box cutter (they are very thin). Everything was hand fit to the Korg board using cut-and-try, and I had to cut relief areas under the top where the caps stick up to level the top wood.
- Hobby store craft boards don’t hold finishing details well. This wood is dyed and oiled – I was going for a vintage and organic style rather than the plastic look of modern poly finishes. I sanded several times with 3000 grit paper, and it looks a lot better than it did previously.
- Once upon a time I was critical of open build cases, but realized they are a lot better than no case at all. The evaluation board arrived with four drilled holes perfect for a Raspberry Pi style hex sandwich, and I struggled to find a commercial case that would fit but not be too bulky.
Bonus: I found a microfiber cloth to match my avatar photo!