So I made this solution for fitting as much as possible into hand luggage and wanted to see if anyone sees any negative about this as well as inspire others to make something similar. Given that you have the tools needed as well as suitable suitcase, this will cost you less than €2 and 1-2 hours of building it.
Basically what it does is screwing the plates into the holes on the sides of the machines so they don’t move at all. Then it fits tightly into the suitcase so when you close it, it’s not going to move. I guess I should add a little bit of padding for protection. Then there’s about 15X20X42cm left for power supplies, cables, my small mixer and some extra clothes. Obviously I wouldn’t roll it across cobblestones or anything rough. Is there anything I’m not seeing here?
Thats a very nifty solution! Check the flight companies hand luggage Rules. Some might have smaller sizes.
EDIT: Here i duckduckgoed this for you: https://www.skyscanner.net/news/cabin-luggage-guide-hand-baggage-sizes-and-weight-restrictions
That’s genius, but, they’ll ask you to separate them for X-ray.
If the unit gets a whack, then the force will be concentrated on the screw holes. That could end badly.
You need to source/trim your screw length very carefully, fingers crossed you didn’t have/leave more than 6mm on the far side of the board - some will maybe have pcbs well clear, but some will not - otherwise neat strategy
See thread (and links at foot of first post)
Yeah, that’s definitely something to be aware of. I wish there was some modular suitcase available, one that had a base compartment the size of the smallest bag allowed on board and then you could just zip on an extra compartment depending on the airline you’re flying with. Maybe it exists though?
Damn! There should be a warning text on the sides next to the screw holes, stating the maximum length of screws you can use. Thankfully no damage was done in my case.
Ah, I guess they will. That’ll be a 5-10 minute mission to separate them and put them back together. I’ll buy a small screwdriver that I can attach to my keychain so that shouldn’t be too much of a hassle.
Gotta be honest, this seems like a terrible idea. From the transfer of force if they get knocked around to having to separate them in the airport to all the weight being on the screws like that and being jostled around. Why not just buy some foam and pack them that way?
Well, I wouldn’t say that the weight is on the screws. They all sit quite comfortably on the bottom and the sides of the suitcase and when the suitcase is closed, it’s so tight that the whole thing doesn’t move at all. I can only imagine that some serious whack would do it any damage like the suitcase falling down some stairs or the unit being dropped on the floor. Obviously I’d carry the suitcase over some rough cobblestones and such.
Why this solution over foam? Much less space. I imagine if you want to pack each machine into foam safely, it’d add about 1-3 cm to each side of each machine. This potentially makes them take less space than otherwise would be possible because when the Analog Four and Rytm are facing each other, the knobs are on the opposite sides. The Octatrack needed more space because the sleeve for the suitcase handle is right there in the middle.
I suppose I could place all the machines in this suitcase with the foam but then there would hardly be any space left for power supplies, cables and other stuff that you might want to bring. This way I’m barely using half of the suitcase.
I mean, I get what you’re saying theoretically. However, I would never put almost $3k worth of devices in that kind of carry case.
agreed. you’ve paid that much for the gear. if you’re going to travel with it, and put it into possibly the most risky situation you could, why cheap out on protecting it?
there’s a pelican case solution around here somewhere. I’d go for that. probably $150 for peace of mind that your babies are safe. worth it 
Buy a Pelican 1510. Problem solved.