The Frame is our take on the plexi fight stick craze that has taken the Fighting Game Community by storm over the last few years. This combination Acrylic and Machined Aluminum case is not like the rest. 

But, credit where credit is due - these have been around for years, most notably popularized by Art over at Art's Hobbies. Art provided this service for years until he decided to step aside and bow out of the community gracefully a few years ago. He's long remembered as a pillar of the community and I still get messages praising his work and contributions.

Unlike Art's cases or any of the current ones on the market, we've taken a different approach blending our love of all things metal with the flexibility and low cost of acrylic. The Frame's chassis is milled out of a solid piece of aluminum so it can withstand the rigors of daily use, travel, and provide a solid base for any build. It's over engineered but offers some advantages over our bend aluminum Panzer 4 case and the similarly milled S-Tier Panzer 5 kit.

No seams, no weak points, no assembly of the frame itself, and no 3D printed parts.

THE FRAME PREORDER: THIS IS A PREORDER WITH AN ESTIMATED SHIPPING DATE OF 10.20.2024.

Those who participate in the PRE-ORDER will get 1 hour of THE FRAME DESIGN SERVICES free to help create their custom layout. This can be used to customize any of the acrylic pieces for your FRAME. Note: This is not art design but rather mechanical design for your plexi. This will be limited to the pre-order only and must be bundled with your FRAME pre-order.

The Frame's Features

The Frame has a D Shape recessed cutout on the front so you can install any Neutrik or our USB A-C passthrough adapter into the chassis. The mounting holes are threaded using #4-40 threads so no extra nuts or washers are required.

Along the front, we have placed 6x 24mm holes so you can use any screw in type button for auxiliary functions. If you don't want to use them or a subset of them, you can either plug them with 24mm plugs or omit those cutouts on your optional acrylic/printed plexi overlays.

On each side, we have placed 4x 24mm holes so you can use any screw in type button for auxiliary functions. If you don't want to use them or a subset of them, you can either plug them with 24mm plugs or omit those cutouts on your optional acrylic/printed plexi overlays.

Inside, there is a PCB mounting area, as part of The Frame so you can mount your favorite PCB using 4x #4-40 screws. The PCB fits tight into this area so you will want to use harnesses designed for the 20pin header. We will include a USB A to 4-pin connector to account for any USB offsets some PCBs have.

All of the sides have recessed areas that you can bolt optional acrylic overlays into, either opaque 1.5mm thick pieces or custom printed plexi artwork to make a really interesting fully wrapped art build. 

The Frame Difference

Because we opted to use acrylic for the Top and Bottom - you are free to create any custom layout you want and have it cut at no additional cost. As long as you follow the design guide there are no setup fees, design fees, or otherwise!

Have a great idea but no desire, time, or knowledge of CAD software or Adobe Illustrator? No problems! We can make your designs for you. Check out our FRAME DESIGN SERVICE listing here.

Of course, we have (or will have) a lot of stock options as well that we will cut as they are ordered. And you can share or use any of the options the community makes as well. They are all on our Discord!

Materials and Dimensions

Material is Aluminum which is bead blasted and anodized black.

Dimensions: 360mm Long x 230mm Deep x 51mm Tall

Weight: 3lbs 9oz.

What's included?

• The Frame Chassis
• 10x M4 screws, 15mm long to mount the inner and outer acrylic pieces required for this build.
• 2x #4-40 screws for mounting a USB passthrough
  
• 4x #4-40 screws for mounting a PCB
• 12x M4 screws, 6mm long to mount the optional side acrylic pieces
• 4x Feet
  

Required Parts, Purchased Separately

• THE FRAME
• Plexi Inner Layers Top
• Plexi Inner Layers Bottom
• Plexi Outer Layer Top, Printed or Cut on Demand

Optional Parts, Purchased Separately

• Plexi Outer Layer Bottom, Printed or Cut on Demand
• Plexi Outer Layer Sides (All 4), Printed or Cut on Demand

Generally good ideas for DIY and Custom Fight Stick Builds

• Push Buttons
• Levers
• Ball Tops
• PCBs
• Wiring Harnesses
• USB Cables
• USB Passthroughs