Wooden project box for electronics

Building a wooden enclosure for a simple micro controller project.
The project just changes the color of the built in light as a subtle reminder
of time for counseling sessions for my brother in law. This is inspired by timeqube.com (no affiliation).
Video about the electronics:
• Pi pico therapy timer ...
My other KZbin channel:
/ @matthiasrandomstuff2221

[@nickoakley69]

That folding and cutting in one piece is a touch of genius 1:53

[@matthiaswandel]

it ensures the slots line up perfectly

[@DiscoDevilDog]

The spring retention on the switch PCB is a brilliant idea.

[@docolemnsx]

That's just genius engineering 😂

[@JDeWittDIY]

The whole light box is a brilliant idea, if you get my gist.

[@jimthesoundman8641]

Matthias makes it all look so easy. This would take me a month of Sundays.

[@Don.Challenger]

He mentioned at the end that he habitually uses that project housing scheme for most of his enclosed devices, so he has undoubtably stumbled over or been pinched by most of the gotchas over time and has sorted those ingenious solutions out long eons ago (so for him perhaps also a month of Sundays but those were spread out and are now embodied in his skill set, work flow and experience as sunk costs).

[@VAXHeadroom]

Building his box joint jig will take you a week. The 2nd box will take you 5 minutes. It's an amazing tool.

[@honeyforce996]

The omittance of drywall screws gives away that it's a gift

[@matthiaswandel]

Ha! I was going to use drywall screws, but the heads were just too big bon the bottom. And for the inside, I needed shorter screws.

[@dalevalentine1721]

Ah, the elusive and seldom seen Yellow Robertson seen in its natural environment.

[@gorak9000]

Good catch! I think I've used a yellow robertson driver about 5 times in my lifetime - guess I don't use tiny wood screws that often!

[@KJChaput]

When can I get a therapy session scheduled with you? I'm obsessed with your videos.

[@kalaruch1974]

Woodworking therapy? I'm all in.

[@AndyProkopykChapmanStick]

The universe revolves around time cube. All hail time cube!

[@GiddeonFox]

I made something very similar to this a few years ago, but for the diffuser material on the front I used sheets of the backlight diffuser from a flat screen TV someone was throwing away. It's pretty easy to find people throwing out old TV's with broken screens and the diffuser system they use to even out the backlight is super useful for lighting projects like this.

[@Don.Challenger]

A large, capacious and organized junk space tucked away in your secret laboratory is essential for all respectable mad scientists.

[@chvolow]

Spring-loading the whole PCB like that is such an neat solution to the button problem. Most of us would tear our hair out trying to isolate the button mechanics from the board.

[@BEM684]

The first thing I thought of when I saw those wooden buttons was "wow you could make a wooden NES controller and actually hook it up to the Nintendo" lol

[@davetenney5800]

I didn't realize you were doing counseling. I have an aversion to flat sawn wood. Maybe you could help me through my problems 😅

[@matthiaswandel]

I don't Watch the video.

[@davetenney5800]

I was joking...

[@krenwregget7667]

great stuff. Matthias's channel is like a box of chololates... you never know what you're gonna get.

[@superdau]

Another idea (which I've used several times) for wooden buttons: fill the gap between the hole and the dowel with silicone or construction adhesive. The gap has to be wider of course. It depends on material thickness, you want to be able to fill the gap and the "button" also has to be able to move. A 3mm gap works fine on 6-9mm thick material. The silicone/glue obviously has to be an elastic one after curing (not all of them are). Tape the front and stick the "button" on the tape as well so that it is centered in the hole. Then fill the gap from the back. I usually also tape the back so the dowel is even more secure and fill the gap through a hole in the back tape. Right out of the caulk gun's cartridge's nozzle works, but for very small buttons using a syringe (without a needle) makes it easier. If the glue you use is (semi)transparent you can even have buttons with a lit up ring around them by putting lights on the inside.

[@leonclose7823]

I like that system. It would keep dust out.

[@TheVoidSinger]

Integral membrane buttons for woodworking... I like it! You could get some extra flex by shaving or tapering the dowel like a bolt shape. or hollow it and make a top plug for extra lighting options

[@AndreaCuchetto]

Do you have a silicone or glue preference?

[@bill3143]

I'm reminded of the "Obsoletely Fabulous" episode of Futurama

[@feedthechunk9836]

I love that box joint jig. I really need to make one someday.

[@MCsCreations]

Beautiful work, Matthias! It looks awesome! 😃 You could easily make a night light for the bedroom like that! Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@SnappyWasHere]

I wonder how many kilometers that box joint jig has traveled going back and forth for so many years!

[@Ratimus_]

Very cool. I made one similar to this using an Ikea picture frame, with a sanded piece of a CD jewel case for the diffuser. Mine was a bit hacky since the only tool I had at the time was a Dremel. It's in the first video I ever uploaded to my channel.

[@teenflon]

Interesting to see your take on it. My default is always 3D printing things like this but love to see the wood alternative!

[@matthiaswandel]

yes, most people would. But counting design and printing time, plus filament costs, a 3d printer saves neither timer or money.

[@teenflon]

@@matthiaswandel yep, I liked the fact you used firewood, literally cost nothing! Pros and cons to both, just different design choices

[@richardbrobeck2384]

Nice little build !

[@johnford7847]

A very practical video. Thank you.

[@MadeInMichigan]

That's not the Timecube I remember. Where are the four simultaneous days all happening at once?

[@jonroberson9027]

This reminds me of the HoMedics color cube line of products. Very nice!

[@JoseSilveira-newhandleforYT]

Nice boxes! Luckily those projects don't require shielding, or you would have to line the inside with grounded metal foil.

[@carlitobriganti9718]

That finger joint jig is the best !! Excellent making something smart from firewood , wish I had space for a jointer , and also wish I had that finger joint jig and a band saw …. I tried cutting plexiglass glass with track saw. Not good for the blade atall and the saw / plexiglass dust was a nightmare

[@matthiaswandel]

the slower the blade the better it works. my 16” bandsaw I used has a fairly slow speed. but a small blade on a table saw also works ok

[@dfiction]

cool box - with two buttons would work great for my cnc controller

[@user-bf9nv7ld7q]

elegant and creative.

[@captain-syntax]

Matthias, can you throw a link up to your second channel with the tech video?

[@VAXHeadroom]

I made one of the screw advance box joint jigs - challenging build but SO FAST to use!!

[@edwardholmes91]

I bought the plans and have a handful of different tool... and I keep telling myself that I need to setup a workshop!

[@VAXHeadroom]

@@edwardholmes91 DO IT.

[@TRC00020]

I think its quite nice just as a soft lamp

[@trishblakely3476]

I was thinking it was a good little kids’ nightlight.

[@rogerdudra178]

I made a bunch of boxes using box joints, they (box joints) work real good.

[@sprint955st]

4:52 “A little filler and a bit of paint…makes a chippie what he ain’t”

[@chrisfarmer4397]

And here I was expecting this to be a night light for the kids with an add time button and color mode button. I was wrong.

[@matthiaswandel]

Maybe some day, to tell them when its ok to get up.

[@Leo99929]

Where's the link to your other channel?

[@creativecomposites6193]

I really hope that walnut table is for you!

[@HonoredMule]

I've never been happy with the results I get from crack filling using wood and sawdust. I used to think I just wasn't doing it right, but it rather looks like your outcome is about on par with mine. Nowadays I just use (LePage) plastic wood which is way better at thoroughly plugging even the smallest cracks, easier to apply, and less messy besides. Only downside is I don't go through much and the Home Depot nearest us stopped carrying the ~1/2l tins (the squeeze tubes are useless and don't keep).😑 However, after a little time inadequately sealed I discovered that a partially hardened tin can be rejuvenated by mixing in some acetone. That happened a few months ago and it's still soft, gooey, and consistent so maybe shelf life won't be an issue.

[@gregthorne4292]

Great results! I’ve heard you can sand plexiglass for a frosted look, but I’ve never tried it myself.

[@matthiaswandel]

have experimented that way, but the results were never satisfying

[@DanieleGiorgino]

You can but it's not great.

[@michaeltempsch5282]

I, as more of an electronics guy and very occasional wood mangler, wouldn't feel too good about the flex in the button board - personally I'd have put backing/support behind it.

[@Don.Challenger]

Ha, like all large technology enterprises careful thought must be spent on optimizing the acceptable time to obsolescence versus the all consuming profit margin. The cycling time per decade must be kept reasonably low. Maybe some digressions into his use of flexures would be informative to all of us.

[@wolfgangmcq]

Looks like the PCB itself isn't flexing, it's mounted with a spring so the entire board pivots gently if the button is pressed too hard

[@JonnyDIY]

Too cool so how do you program the time? Does it have to be hooked to a computer? 🤔

[@JonnyDIY]

Maybe it's explained in your random stuff video I'll check that out

[@JB-fh1bb]

You might like using copper tape for low-voltage projects like this as it’s completely flat and stays out of the way

[@Beakerzor]

wait, second channel?!?!?!!!!!! why did I not konw about this already?!! FOMO!

[@dpmeyer4867]

Thanks

[@bogmaerke]

Might be a good idea to link the other channel in the description for those who don't already follow it.

[@paulstaf]

Instead of the diffuser, I thought it would be cool to cut a paper thin piece of wood that would allow the light to show through.

[@TKC_]

I have basically made this project before but rather made the diffuser by converting a black and white image to a 3d model where thickness is based on grayscale value (there are free websites to do this). When 3d printed in white it makes an image when backlit. He’s not a 3d print guy I know but a neat expansion of this sort of project nonetheless.

[@TheVoidSinger]

Veneers are great for this sort thing, Did a Block Clock that way once. You can even do buttons that way if you make them wide enough, but they'll eventual show wear and may crack if too narrow.

[@alexanderkononov1113]

Nice

[@jemand8962]

2:38 why not use the holes in the pcb to screw it to the wood?

[@SPGWhistler]

I figured he had a reason but then ended up using the holes for 'locating pins' anyway.... so I really couldn't figure out why he didn't just use the mounting holes as they were intended.

[@jemand8962]

@@SPGWhistler Maybe the screw heads could be touching the circuits?

[@timlaunyc]

Those holes are typically meant for machine screws. A screw small enough to go through the hole in the PCB would not bite into the wood without a threaded insert.

[@cjhoyle]

Same question. That is the method I've used when mounting a Pico to wood. The only explanation I could guess is that he didn't have any screws handy that were the right size.

[@Paradox460_yt]

That volt meter looks like a Tivoli Audio radio

[@TheBookDoctor]

You built the world's lowest-resolution 1x1 pixel screen!

[@matthiaswandel]

actually, the 4 LEDs are individually adressable

[@dkamm65]

I'm curious what the reason was for making a bracket to mount the PCB instead of using the existing holes to screw it in place.

[@matthiaswandel]

too small for wood screws

[@TheVoidSinger]

I was thinking brackets over the locating pins myself, but it's a bit extra work for a fast project

[@Joshplv]

Was wondering what tyoe if varnish you used on this project? also would this be possible with a handsaw in place of a table saw?

[@TonyHammitt]

You just need a couple dozen of those and you could paint some clock hands on them and have the right clock light up when it would read about the right time. An analog clock with no moving parts!

[@gorak9000]

You could just stack multiple pieces of plexiglass with the "hands" etched on to each one in a different position, and then light them from below one at a time - like the way they do "LED Nixie Tubes"

[@matthiaswandel]

I could just take the individually adressable LED strips I used and make a circle out of them

[@TonyHammitt]

@@matthiaswandel That wouldn't be nearly ridiculous enough! How about a big sundial that has a bunch of broken clocks around the perimeter?

[@aserta]

The Matthias box, because it's both electronics and wood working!

[@sloapmonkey123]

What would you have to do to make box joints with minimal imperfections?

[@30ught6]

Box joints!

[@pedromaju]

hey matthias, I love you box joint, I just have one doubt about it. How do you know exactly where to stop a turn? I mean, you can go a millimiter foward or backward when turning it, right? Have you ever thought about something that sticks on the gear tooth, so every turn are equal? Sorry if I missing something or maybe this is not so relevant to the end cut.

[@matthiaswandel]

its not that sensitive. Being within half a tooth is close enough.

[@TheFreeBro]

I’ve been wondering the same thing

[@ratchet1freak]

IIRC that threaded rod is 16 turns per inch, and there is 12 teeth on the driven gear (on the rod itself) so 1 tooth worth is about 1"/16/12 = 0.005" and unless I'm mistaken there is more slop in the machine than that

[@VAXHeadroom]

@@ratchet1freak About right - very easy to get tight joints!!

[@Don.Challenger]

At 04:50, Matthias mentions how glue and sanding hides variation (in that case he's talking about finished aesthetics not the necessary fitted precision) in this case glue and sawdust relieves any minor gapes.

[@daveduncan9005]

I'm disappointed Matthias used a saw for his rabbet joint instead of his magical Makita rebate from many years ago. I guess he used them all up.

[@superdau]

The Pi board has 4 easily accessible screw holes btw. The hold-down clamps seem a bit over engineered 😅.

[@matthiaswandel]

too small for wood screws

[@johnfithian-franks8276]

Hi Matthis, after hearing about your other channel I went on the search for the name so that I could subscribe to it, but I could not find any reference to it in your notes. Could you please let me know the other channel name so I can check it out?

[@matthiaswandel]

added to description. Its "matthias random stuff"

[@johnfithian-franks8276]

thankyou@@matthiaswandel

[@user-wo6xc3kr6m]

👍👍👍

[@shoelessone]

Very cool! It seems (for good reason I suppose) it's not possible to link to other content in a comment here, but I made a very similar design for an esp8266 box I made for my family. Even has a copper capacitive touch bottom. I have a video of it on my channel fwiw.❤

[@matthiaswandel]

Just checked out your video. I can't figure out the use of your box.

[@shoelessone]

@@matthiaswandel it's a "thinking of you" box. We all live quite far apart, so the idea was when you press the button on your box your name lights up on everybody else box, indicating (for example), "Mom was thinking about you" - sort of like a very simple analog-ish way to just sort of "check in" with family.

[@roydaley3413]

👍

[@Tysonography]

would it be possible to ad a rechargeable battery inside of it so its cord free?

[@matthiaswandel]

the hard part is battery management, and a circuit where the computer can disconnect power from itself

[@OldePhart]

How do you not have a shop full of Lasers and 3d printers?

[@virtualmarc2383]

When I make a non-metallic case for electronics, I usually coat the inside with foil tape and or aluminum foil to help with interference.

[@DanieleGiorgino]

You're remembering to ground the foil right?

[@virtualmarc2383]

@@DanieleGiorgino yeah, that's the whole idea

[@DanieleGiorgino]

@@virtualmarc2383 What high powered RF equipment are you encasing that shielding is needed?

[@VencelBiro]

Why did you use box joints and not simply repeated the flat joint?

[@matthiaswandel]

because the box joint is stronger and looks nicer

[@krumpinjugger]

Matthias painted something with a paintbrush?!

[@Viken43]

A battery could be easily added that could be charged via usb

[@matthiaswandel]

that's the easy part. The hard part is the shutoff and turn on circuitry, where the microcontroller shuts off power to itself, and some way for the buttons to reactivate power. Not easy. Otherwise the battery will just drain sitting there.

[@James.......]

Neat

[@billlichirie14]

😁👍

[@asailijhijr]

I tried to fullscreen the video just as a 15-second unskippable ad ended, now I can't see the video. And it's impossible to reload a video on mobile, you have to play another video and then go back to this one.

[@lukas--8538]

Raspberry Pi has holes for mounting screws, why you didn't use them?

[@matthiaswandel]

holes too small for wood screws

[@lukas--8538]

​@@matthiaswandelSorry, but I can´t believe that man like you don´t have smaller screws. Screw with spring which hold board with button isn´t wood screw too. :D

[@AdamEarl2]

4:53 i need some glue and sanding to hide the imperfections in my soul..

[@matthiaswandel]

pain and suffering is good for the soul? If you don't know what I mean, try using a belt sander on yourself!

[@sigma9102]

It's 2023, don't you have 3D printers in Canada?

[@matthiaswandel]

3d printers are so 2020

[@unregistereduser2]

i recently built a similar lamp. but instead of building an enclosure, i went to the dollar store, and found a decent battery-powered lamp. Then i murdered it, and replaced the internals with my own circuit

[@unregistereduser2]

ikea lamps are hackable that way too.

[@harkbelial]

Joint them with box jig or box them with a joint jig😵😵😵

[@dylan-weber]

Why not just use the mounting holes on the Pico PCB instead of making a wooden bracket?

[@matthiaswandel]

too small for my smallest wood screws

[@Gunbudder]

i can't stop buying buttons. why are buttons so fun to click??? at this point, i just have drawers of buttons that i will likely never use lol

[@matthiaswandel]

maybe install them all on some box, not hooked up to anything, so you can click to your hearts content?

[@worstuserever]

For tactile satisfaction try rotary switches. Lovely clunky knobs on vintage test gear, nested rotaries are a vice of mine. Get yourself an old analogue oscilloscope and a function generator, it's like an activity centre for nerds.

[@kvaks3000]

Mathias: I made this thing to prevent the buttons from falling out Me: Clever! ... FIVE seconds later ... Mathias: I made this thing spring loaded to handle overpushing Me: motherf

[@Warrigt]

4:14 That's what he said.

[@alejandroalessandro7820]

Counseling? Did I miss something? Have been away for a bit

[@matthiaswandel]

Not for me.

[@andrebrandao9451]

From 3:57 to 4:07, who is speaking? Doesn't sound like Mathias at all.

[@matthiaswandel]

camera sounds a bit different depending on whether I speak in front or behind it

[@jpinheiro7523]

Legal 👍👏👏👏👏👏

[@icequark1568]

nice

[@ShopTherapy623]

Matthias...the worst best woodworker around. lol

[@alexxustube]

Nice little project. Raspberry Pi is a bit overkill for such a simple job, but maybe you add some custom features later on 🙂

[@englebig]

It's not a raspberry pi computer, it's a raspberry pi Pico microcontroller

[@matthiaswandel]

Still overkill, way more powerful than an arduino. But also much cheaper!

[@thomashverring9484]

I used a dowel in the same way on a weird thingy I made for a friend. It has no true purpose other than being weird. When he presses the button a small "window" lights up. I made it from walnut, so it's also a bit fancy :^)

[@richardebbole1]

what is your I.Q.

[@matthiaswandel]

My I.Q. is "not loser enough to obsess over such silly numbers"

[@aspartns]

I would say that it's time for you to get a 3d printer :)

[@matthiaswandel]

this method is way faster!

[@Xpdgxkgkhx]

Эту хрень можно было сделать миллион раз проще и дешевле, чем с малинкой

[@csehszlovakze]

please don't leave the table saw running between other jobs, it's terribly dangerous!

[@matthiaswandel]

just because I edit out starting and stopping it? Do you really want to watch that part?

[@csehszlovakze]

@@matthiaswandel I mean the part where you put the piece through the table saw, then through the jointer and back in the table saw again, your table saw blade keeps running. It might not seem like a big deal, but I've seen enough videos about accidents, and the overwhelming majority of them are caused by complacency, which you seem to be drifting close to in this video. Just be careful out there!

[@tracybowling1156]

I looked up The Time Qube. Yours is much, much better looking. I'm partial to wood anyway. 🪵