I finally got the kind of portable Eurorack case I’ve been wanting. Of the dozen or more Eurorack cases I already have, this is only the third case, complete with power supply, that I’ve bought. All the rest I put together from separate parts. And it’s the first 7U case.
Checking and tweaking the power supply
Though it’s hard to see in this photo, the meter is showing the -12V rail as exactly -12.28V. The +12V rail was +12.28V. That seemed high, so I figured out how to tweak them down to 12.04V.
All three rails are rated at 3A max current. I believe the same power supply is used in After Later Audio’s 104hp 7U case as well. Notice the three blue trim pots. The left most is for +5V, the middle one is -12V, and the right one is for +12V. It took about one turn counter clockwise of the 12V trim pots to arrive at 12.04V.
I checked the continuity (power off, of course) with the power pins on all 36 shrouded headers, proving to myself that there aren’t any zones. All +12V pins are connected across all the headers. Likewise for the other two rails. I also proved that the CV and Gate busses are not implemented, i.e. those end pins on the 16-pin headers are left unconnected.
The case cover seems to have been designed for adding a power inlet, switch, another power supply, and rails. But After Later Audio says, “Note that the 84hp case will not have a lid expansion like the 104hp case does.”
You can see from the photos on the website how these bracket are intended to be used. The brackets slide into the ends of the case and get secured by the wheel screws. There should be four of the wheel screws, but only two were included. I don’t see much advantage in using these, since it only raises the back end of the case a little bit and isn’t adjustable. Would make more sense on the 104hp case, especially when the case lid has been made into another full case.
There should be PDF manuals available for these cases. I was head scratching before I discovered how the brackets should be used. Some advice about adjusting the voltages would be helpful for advanced users who are able to measure the voltages.
Overall impression
This is a great case! It is solidly built with metal parts. Has a power supply with plenty of current. MIDI, I/O, and USB power are valuable inclusions (though I don’t use MIDI). Finally, the $350 price is very competitive. I bought from Detroit Modular and they shipped it free. It arrived really quickly.
