3D Printed A4000 Fascia Panel

I'm in the early stages of building a new Amiga 4000D using the ReAmiga A4000CR motherboard, plus a case that I acquired from a member on AmiBay, and some other bits and bobs.

The case doesn't include the front fascia panel however, and I was casting around for an option, bearing in mind the CNC aluminium option, but eventually finding a 3D printed front that's for sale from a shop in Poland. After getting past the language barrier - they don't speak much English, and I speak zero Polish - I bought one, and it was shipped pretty promptly here to me in the UK. It looked pretty good from the box, but didn't include the drive covers, or an on/off switch, which was the next problem. I also wasn't very keen on the butter yellow colour that it was painted:






With a little help from another AmiBayer, I found some 3D models of a 4000D fascia, from which I pulled the drive covers, the button, and the pusher-rod that transmits the push to the switch inside the machine. I ordered a set from PCBWay, which arrived pretty promptly too, in a nice neutral white. They took a little fettling to get the fit right, but as I'm a plastic modeller by day, that wasn't a problem. I added a shim to the bottom cover, trimmed some of the inner lip away behind the brackets, and got everything nicely lined up. The next job was to change the colour of the main panel, and match up the white covers.

I bought a couple of rattle cans of RAL 9002 "grey white", and gave everything a coat, which showed up some layers on the parts, which coupled with my mistake on the top surface, causing a sag where the paint was too thick, I decided to flatten it back down again and smooth everything out a bit. I used some of my modelling tools to wet sand the surfaces, flatting back the rougher surfaces, and generally smoothing it all out. The recessed lettering under the LEDs and the switch were a bit indistinct for my liking too, so I took my life in my hands and made them a more uniform width with my micro-chisels, without making a mess, which was nice

A nice warm day with a light wind saw me outside with a large sheet of carboard protecting the patio table, and some Blutak protecting the delicate sprung locating lugs on the rear of the panel. I sprayed far thinner coats in three sessions, and came out with a much better finish, going a bit light on the upper bevel, which I infilled later once the rest of it had cured. I also gave an extra coat on the switch to help keep its colour for longer.




I'm quite pleased with how it's come out, but need to find a couple of little screws to locate the covers, as they're just held in place by Blutak at the moment. It's a tad lighter than the chassis cover, but it's a lot better match than the yellowy tones of the original paint job.

Soldering many, many parts is next, but I might break the monotony to find out how the push-rod and switch go together, as I've never actually seen a real Amiga 4000D before.

Mike.

@RetroMike
Wow - nice work!

With regards to the original power switch connection, the original actually has the button and rod to the switch as a single plastic piece: A nice button front on a long plastic rod going back to the PSU switch. But other than that it's simple - the end of the rod rests over the power switch tip. So the power-button-and-rod is simply held in place/is resting between the front cover and the power switch.

@graff

Thanks Thomas I noticed this morning that I had the switch upside down, but as it's loose, it doesn't matter

Thanks also for the tip on the button and its rod. I'd kinda figured that might be the case, but as I've not cracked the chassis since the parts arrived, it was a bit up-in-the-air.

Mike.

you could have 3d printed the full front, there are two different 3d files around for the fronts, one that attaches with magnets and another that attaches as the original one do, I recommend the one that attaches with magnets. You could order them from chinese 3d print agencies

@RetroMike

great stuff! is that PLA? either way nowadays we have spray paint that matches the original colour pretty good

@xe1huku
Yeah, I'd heard about that, but the price for the pre-printed one wasn't bad, and the heavy lifting had already been done for me. It was just the colour I wasn't too keen on. It clashed with the RAL9002 that my replica case had been sprayed with.

That said, my spray can RAL9002 from a brand called Maston One is a little bit lighter, but the tone matches much better to my eyes.

@328gts
I think it's SLA, but I might be wrong, and often am. All the supports and other such clues were already removed and it had been painted a yellowy beige by the time it arrived from Poland. If it is PLA, it's the best I've ever seen, although the PCBWay printed covers were also pretty good, as were the housings for the mini-circular Flight Radar gadgets I ordered at the same time. Those were definitely PLA, but very good nonetheless.

I've gotta say, I'd be very happy using them again if I need to, in terms of price, speed and quality. I've got neither the space nor the time to get my own printer and learn how to use it effectively yet. I promised myself I'd get one next gen, but that's about 2 gens ago now.