2026 Monkeymatic Palisade - KiCad OnShape PCBway ChatGPT

[nuke]

To be honest, I don't mind yanking the board if it isn't a total pain in the butt to do so.

I've found that some of the amps people groan about, like the Blues Junior, are actually pretty easy to pop the board out for component replacement. Once you commit to the idea the Blues Junior board is coming out, it only takes about 5 minutes to get it totally out of the chassis. The trick is to take them all out, the main board, the tube socket board and the speaker jack board. Does less damage, both the the amp and to one's sanity that way.

[SamRE]

I've been a bit underemployed lately, so I decided to bite the bullet and learn KiCad. And with a lot of assisstance from ChatGPT, I made it past the finish line in only four days!

This is my custom TW Liverpool build, with LND150 MOSFET first gain stage, two 12AX7 and two EL84 for about 12 watts.

Quote from PCBway for a single chassis, 2mm 5052 aluminum, anodized black, white silkscreen, before shipping. Five (minimum order) PCBs for . Will follow up when they arrive!


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Are you using Fusion 360 for the 3D models? If so, how does it perform?

[xtian]

Are you using Fusion 360 for the 3D models? If so, how does it perform?

I am using onshape.com for CAD. I like it.

[SamRE]

Are you using Fusion 360 for the 3D models? If so, how does it perform?

I am using onshape.com for CAD. I like it.

Oh cool. Do you make the pot/jack and chassis models yourself?

[xtian]

Do you make the pot/jack and chassis models yourself?

Pot and jacks 3D models come from internet. I built the chassis in OnShape myself.

[pullshocks]

Not to get your thread off track but I'm in the market for a new CAD program and Onshape looks interesting. Are you on the free version? It says the free version has unlimited public storage--how does the public storage work?

Thanks

[xtian]

Not to get your thread off track but I'm in the market for a new CAD program and Onshape looks interesting. Are you on the free version? It says the free version has unlimited public storage--how does the public storage work?

Works great. The free version requires that all your projects are available to the public. If you need privacy, then you need to pay for a license.

[dorrisant]

So was your cost the total, for both PCB and chassis?

Looks very nice, as expected, my friend!

[xtian]

So was your cost the total, for both PCB and chassis?

Looks very nice, as expected, my friend!

Total cost for the one-off chassis and five PCBs was $216.

Total cost for 10 Pinnacle chassis and PCBs plus 10 Black Butte chassis and PCBs plus 20 front and rear valence is about $1400.

[xtian]

So was your cost the total, for both PCB and chassis?

Looks very nice, as expected, my friend!

Total cost for the one-off chassis and five PCBs was $216.

Total cost for 10 Pinnacle chassis and PCBs plus 10 Black Butte chassis and PCBs plus 20 front and rear valence is:

Merchandise Total: USD $627.60
Shipping: USD $288.27
Discount: USD $10.00
Subtotal: USD $905.87
States Sales&Use Tax: USD $57.14
Import Taxes : USD $507.92
Grand Total: USD $1470.93

These tariffs really are a bitch. But US sheet metal CNC places wanted 2-4X as much.

[xtian]

So was your cost the total, for both PCB and chassis?

Total cost for the one-off chassis and five PCBs was $216.

Total cost for 10 Pinnacle chassis and PCBs plus 10 Black Butte chassis and PCBs plus 20 front and rear valence is:

Merchandise Total: USD $627.60
Shipping: USD $288.27
Discount: USD $10.00
Subtotal: USD $905.87
States Sales&Use Tax: USD $57.14
Import Taxes : USD $507.92
Grand Total: USD $1470.93

These tariffs really are a bitch. But US sheet metal CNC places wanted 2-4X as much.

[SamRE]

So was your cost the total, for both PCB and chassis?

Total cost for the one-off chassis and five PCBs was .

Total cost for 10 Pinnacle chassis and PCBs plus 10 Black Butte chassis and PCBs plus 20 front and rear valence is:

Merchandise Total: USD
Shipping: USD
Discount: USD
Subtotal: USD
States Sales&Use Tax: USD
Import Taxes : USD
Grand Total: USD

These tariffs really are a bitch. But US sheet metal CNC places wanted 2-4X as much.

How much for the PCBs and Chassis as seperate items and where did you get them fabbed?

[xtian]

How much for the PCBs and Chassis as seperate items and where did you get them fabbed?

This whole order is from JLCPCB/JLCCNC. Here is the breakdown...before tax/shipping/tariffs:

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[xtian]

My first "conversion", Blues Junior into Monkeymatic Palisade.

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[sluckey]

Looks very professional!