Too many tiles and not enough tile rows?

Want to make a tiny desktop modular?

Here’s a standalone Eurorack 1U Tile case for up to 12 tiles made exclusively out of 3mm hardboard and a handful of M3 nuts.

Step 1: Cut

File for laser cutting is here: http://github.com/THX2112/1U-Eurorack-Tile-Case

The file may need to be converted to whatever your laser cutter uses. Just make sure that the scale is correct. There's a 25x25mm square in the upper right corner to check.

The “rails” are cut right into the top, consisting of three almost identical pieces of 3mm thick hardboard.

Step 2: Glue and Add Nuts

Using wood glue, glue one of the "rails" with round holes to the one with hexagonal holes.

Clamp (put some heavy books on it) for ten minutes or so.

The box (without the three top pieces) can be glued now. Don't attach it to the top yet. The box can be clamped with elastic bands. Not too tight though or the box will warp.

An M3 nut is held captive by a hexagonal cutout between the two other pieces with only a 3.2mm hole so the nut can’t fall out.

Put M3 nuts in the holes.

Glue and clamp the remaining "rail" over top, making sure all the holes line up.
In the middle rails, only the upper right and lower left mounting points are used to maintain strength. This means mounting the tiles using only two bolts. The proved more than enough to keep the tiles mounted firmly.

Step 3: Finish and Paint

Glue the top to the base. A hinge or lasercut t-slots can also be used, but with the bottom cutouts it’s not necessary.

Put some weight on top while drying for strong joints. It's best to wait until the glue cures completely, which is around 24 hours.

Once it's cured the sides can be sanded to remove the glue, laser burns, and any irregularities.

I painted this one with black wrinkle paint. Hardboard absorbs paint so requires many coats and/or a primer/sealer will be needed.

Step 4: Power Supply and Modules

The bottom has holes for mounting this 1.5A power supply, and a couple of these tile tail adapters. Here I used a 10-pin power distributor (glued in place for now), and one tile tail adapter.

You can use any type of power supply/distribution you want. There are also holes cut for a power switch and power connector. It's easy to modify the drawing to whatever you have around.

Check that the power supply works, then add your modules.

Longer M3 screws need to be used to mount modules than are typically used with Eurorack rails. These are 12mm and are just poking through. 8mm work too. 6mm is just a tad too short.

Even with way-too-long power leads it’s easy to get inside and route cables where needed.

It’s difficult to overturn a nut even though there's just wood stopping the nut from spinning. I generally tighten until firm, and then an extra quarter turn to pull the panel tight.