Evening star., 1926-02-15
DO Your Bit to Increase Cabinet sizes.

Once sizes become standardized II
Is difficult to change them, even III
the face of the fact that such sizes
have become obsolete.
Such seems to be the condition OF
cabinet and panel sizes for home-built
acts and in the interest of better de
signed, better.looking and easier-to.
build sets l am going to ask that all
fans interested in building their own
sets help me TO change the existing
panel and cabinet sizes to conform
TO present-day practice in set con-
struction.
remember the time when panel
dimensions were anything but stand
ard Every writer designed set TO
conform to his own ideas of proper
ton and adaptability TO a given Sc,
lection Of parts and the panels had
to be cut to size and the cabinets
built to order.
Panels Were Standardized.
AS the business in home-built sets
grew, the panel and cabinet manu-
facturers sought to standardize the
sizes Of panels and cabinets so az TO
eliminate the cost Of cutting panels
or building cabinets TO order.
This was a move in the right direc-
ton, and back In 1928 I Was one of
the writer's who was asked by panel
manufacturers to work up series
Of panel sizes that could be made
standard.
At that time the "bread-board" type
Of subpaneI construction was the
common form of construction. There
was no bakelite subpanel with con-
cealed wiring. All the parts. such as
| sockets, transformers. fixed condens-
ers and coils, were fastened on hor-
Ma r1 nd
screwed 10 the edge Of this board.
A panel inches wide was sufficient
for all practical purposes. The stand
ard lengths were decided upon as 10.
-. Il. IS. Il, "a. 70, IS. with some
larger panels.
Bakelite Has Gained.
With the larger five and six tube
| sets that are popular now, this bread.
| board arrangement Is not conducive
| to good appearance, easy wiring or
symmetrical layout, and. accordingly.
| the bakelite subpanel idea has been
gaining ground.
| There Is no question about the fact
| that the subpanel arrangement, with
| it's use of a bakelite subpanel and
wiring concealed underneath the sub
| panel. is much better than the wood
| Dashboard arrangement.
The greater size Of transformers
| coils and variable condensers, how
| ever, limit the application Of this
! type of assembly because of the fact
| that the seven-inch panel sizes were
| designed and standardized when the
breadboard arrangement was in
! vogue.
| Place Coils and Sockets.
The ideal arrangement OF parts in
the subpanel type Is to place the
radio frequency coils and sockets or
the upper side OF the subpanel in q
symmetrical arrangement and the
/ transformers, fixed condensers and
wiring underneath the subpanel
, Transformers Of the all.American
type form very good subpanel sup
ports. thus eliminating the heavy
! weight placed on the subpanel wher
| such transformers are mounted or
top. The placing Of such trans
formers underneath the subpanel also
facilitates wiring connections. 1t alst
makes it possible to place the radio
frequency transformers on the top o!
the panel, thus increasing consider
ably the distance between radio ant
audio frequency transformers, &C
knowledged as the best type Of ar
rangement.
It Is comparatively easy to ge
4
but cabinets are harder to get. Whel
an arrangement OF the type I hav,
Just mentioned is used, the height o
the cabinet should be at least min,
inches, to accommodate a transforme
of three to four inches in height he
low the subpanel and a large radi
frequency transformer of the Toroi,
coil type above the subpanel.
Conservative Panel Sizes.
Three panel sizes. by IS, by >
and 8 by "a. would take care o
practically any type Of set and per
NIT Of very neat arrangement
The cabinets should be 9 inches higl
and IL inches deep and Of a lengtl
to correspond to the panels used.
I believe that If panel and cabine
, manufacturers would standarize an
stock up on these sizes the difficultie
now experienced by most set manu-
facturSrs in trying to fit parts int
cabinet spaces that are too small t
accommodate them would vanish.
I have brought the matter to tn
attention Of panel and cabinet manu-
facturerS and they are willing to pre-
. duce such sizes If they can be show
that there is enough Of demand I
justify stocking up such additiona
sizes.
Express Opinions.
l would like to have my reader
who construct sets express an opinio
as to the demand that such large
panels and cabinets would fill. Mos
Of the set manufacturers have ha
to change to larger cabinets and
believe that set builders would benefi
9l3 y