<< http://www.plastic-tags.com >>
Ask for Elizabeth Perry. Tell her it's for a ham radio
panel project and she'll be able to refer to a wide
library of tag styles just for HB panels.
These people have been making engraved panel labels for me for
years.
They can produce in any of several color combinations and font
styles, and a wide variety of sizes that are all computer controlled.
Their tags can be produced with tiny mounting holes, blank back or with
sticky tape that's microthin so it doesn't look like a wad of gooey
tape underneath.
If any of you wish to see a front panel picture please contact me
directly
and I will send a phot or two to show you how professional an
appearance engraved tags impart to a HB box.
Hal
W4HBM
On Wed, 1 Mar 2006 23:11:31 +0000 Alan Ibbetson <alan@g3xaq.demon.co.uk>
writes:
> I asked
>
> > I would like to create a front panel for my latest homebrew
> project
> with
> > better markings than my usual Dymo tape ugliness. I've located
> some
> > material called Water-slide Decal Paper that I think could fit
> the
> bill,
> > but only if I can find a suitable PC package to draw tuning
> scales,
> band
> > position markings, and so on.
>
> [Summary: I like Front Panel Designer best. It is free from
> http://www.frontpanelexpress.com/ ]
>
> In detail:
>
> In addition to the recommendations on the list, I also received
> off-list
> suggestions of Brother/Dymo clear label tape, and vinyl peel and
> stick
> lettering from stationary suppliers. But what to do about dials for
>
> things like rotary controls?
>
> Colin <k7fm@teleport.com> gets very close with this suggestion:-
>
> "I make my own panel material using decal paper, however I have
> never
> found the perfect software and have to combine stuff. You can do it
>
> with things like AutoCad, but that software costs as much as a new
> car
> and then you need to go to college for 4 years to learn how to run
> it.
>
> "One program I have found very useful is a program written by a
> French
> author called "Graph Paper". It lets me make those things like you
>
> would have behind a tuning knob. You can select the degree rotation
> and
> major and minor ticks. Works great and you can learn it with the
> amount
> of energy it takes to sip a cup of nice English tea. About $30.
> This
> software lets you make all sorts of things like music sheets, graph
>
> paper or dials.
>
> "The water slide paper is not perfect and requires some thought into
>
> color. The perfect color for the lettering is white, with a black
> panel.
> But few printers print white. The Mannesman Tally MT-1000 does, but
> it
> is out of production. I have one of those and they are amazing. I
> have
> tried lower contrast printing, like light yellow on a charcoal
> background, but the contrast was unacceptable.
>
> "For some of my panels, I actually went a different route and they
> are
> quite good. I created a panel on regular high gloss white paper.
> Then
> I could use different colors. After printing, I laminated it, cut
> holes
> out for the controls then glued it to the front panel. These panels
>
> look outstanding. One minor problem for a normal printer is there is
> a
> limitation of 8.5" x 11" panels.
>
> "I also made some very nice decals without even using decal paper.
> Printed out colorful "decals" on regular paper. Then covered the
> front
> and back with clear wide mailing tape. Then cut out the desired
> "decal"
> and glued it on. I made a copy of the old Ameco 1 tube transmitter
> and
> needed an Ameco label - with a lightning bolt. It came out
> beautiful."
>
> The French graph paper package to which Colin refers is available
> here
>
> http://www.marquis-soft.com/
>
> The Dials drop-down gives what most people will want, and the
> interface
> is very simple, but I wanted something with a little more
> flexibility.
>
> As Colin said, professional CAD packages will do everything but cost
> a
> fortune and are hard to learn. CorelDraw is just as excessively
> feature-rich, although it is available on 15 day free trial if
> anyone
> wants to learn how to drive it and then instruct the rest of us.
>
> Most of the freeware CAD packages I tried over the past few days
> were
> either poor at lettering, had scaling errors with my particular
> printer,
> were unfathomable, or often all of the above. This site summarises
> some
> of the wide range of software available in this area
>
> http://www.freebyte.com/cad/
>
> Finally, I tripped over a package called Front Panel Designer. It
> does
> everything I want. It is intuitive to use. It produces accurately
> sized
> output on my Lexmark inkjet printer. And it is free. Download it
> from
> here
>
> http://www.frontpanelexpress.com/
>
> If you want professionally CNC milled panels then this company can
> do it
> for you too. Here is a website showing some examples
>
> http://www.strings.ph.qmul.ac.uk/~thomas/synthdiy/frontpanel.htm
>
> --
>
> Cheers,
>
> Alan G3XAQ
> alan@g3xaq.demon.co.uk
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Amps mailing list
> Amps@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/amps
>
>
Harold Mandel
Superintendent of Construction
Baran Telecom Inc.
606 - 205 - 0172
hmandel@barantelecom.com
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