AKAI PC-S56USB card full metal bracket?

Quite simply, way too expensive. 

I am going to make this part using a printed circuit board. Given the price of the metal version, I have no other choice, otherwise the final product will be way too expensive.

AKAI PC-S56USB card.

To properly finalize the development of this board—which is a modern clone of the original AKAI card—I need to create the metal mounting bracket for the rear panel of the S5000 rack.

In theory, the card can sit securely in the machine without this metal cover. For now, that’s the case for me. Indeed, the card retention system inside these AKAI units (S5000/S6000) is so well designed that expansion boards simply can't move around. Still, for the sake of proper finishing and EMC compliance, it's better to carry things through to the end.

So, I had to dive into 3D modeling. Since I didn't want to spend a fortune on professional software solutions, I naturally had to fall back on open-source options. That's how I (didn't really) choose FreeCAD. I'm using version 1.1.4.

Well, there’s certainly a lot to be said about using this software. While it isn't overly complicated, nothing about it is straightforward either. Overall, it feels like an archaic solution, inherited from 3D engines and design philosophies from the early 2000s. You’ll find plenty of criticisms about it online, and in my opinion, they are quite justified.

However, its saving grace is that it exists and gets the job done—especially for small projects like this one—without wasting too much time. Assuming, of course, that spending three days to design a simple plate with a few holes can be considered 'not too much time'. Keeping in mind as well that I'm not an engineer and have no background or training in any of this.

So, after a few days of learning, here's what the card should ultimately look like:

 

and the back of the card :

I still have to double-check a few dimensions, because the assembly is pretty precise. Then I'll have a few prototypes made. To do that, I'll need to find the right material and make sure the part's design works well with the supplier's cutting capabilities. It's going to be another learning curve, but it helps me build my skills and will open up new possibilities—especially for 3D-printed plastic parts, now that I can model 3D objects fairly well.

Drumulator become Drumix.

Yes, because I'm making enough modifications to the original system that I'll christen this future machine with a name all its own! It will be: Drumix (the terrible)!

After a few printed circuit board tweaks, here — in ray tracing, no less — is what the output board will look like. Huh? What? Just the output board?

Yes, for now. But hey, the processor and logic board should be fairly 'easy' to make.
I've already been able to test that whole part with a prototype board connected to the FPGA board with the Trion FPGA I'm going to use. It's only a matter of time now.

Because these past few days I've been working on the MSX cartridge. The goal being to automate the process of loading ROMs into FLASH. That is to say, once the download is complete, the MSX computer reboots by itself onto the cartridge, without having to do that extremely tedious little game of power OFF and ON!
To achieve this rather easy-looking goal, I need to juggle with:

• Kicad for 4-layer boards and 0603 SMD components.
• Electronic implementation of the FPGA with all its constraints.
• VHDL programming for all the switching logic and the download sequencing.
• RISC-V Sapphire programming of the processor embedded in the FPGA.
• Getting familiar with the whole development toolchain and finding the programmers.
• Modifying the generic programmer from Aliexpress to work with the FPGA.
• Getting lost in the sometimes baroque workings of the MSX.
• Programming in C with the MSXgl library to create the download page executed by the MSX.
• Debugging the whole thing without getting too lost in this labyrinth.

Well, you have to admit that all of this is fun. Except that I also have my USB card for the Akai S5000/6000 to finish. I just have left to create the metal mounting plate for the back panel of the Akai RACK. There you go, and no doubt various other things that also take up time. 

I forgot, I have a superb 4-layer FPGA board in a BGA package to assemble. There too, quite a 'sport' ahead. But, I might have something to practice hot-air soldering on. I'm trying to repair a Vivlio TOUCH LUX 5 e-reader whose screen was broken by excessive pressure on the device. And, I've finally just discovered the real reason why the machine won't restart. There's clearly a solder ball on the processor that has come loose. By pressing on the processor at the same time as the power button, well after two seconds, the machine starts up. No choice, it has to be re-soldered with hot air.

Yay for sports!