Nearly 4 months I plan I remodeling a bowling alley in two months max
Reworking My Large System
- Thread starter DJ Bobcat
- Start date
But a bowling alley is no where near as complicated as Bobcat made his large system ..
Understood Steve....I didn't say he was doing it all wrong.....just so much....again IMHO...
OK... I'll admit this project is taking more time than I expected, but it hasn't really been 4 months. I started THINKING about it in early January, but I didn't even receive the SKB racks I bought from Steve until January 17. Then I started designing the mods. Ordering and receiving parts took nearly a month, and there were scope changes, trips to the Hardware Store, and the winter weather. Oh, and then there were the redo's of stuff that didn't work out, and stuff I just screwed up.[emoji1] In reality, I probably don't even have 30 hours of actual work in this thing. I bet I have 20 times that in THINK time, 'cause I think about it a lot.
Last system I built took 2 hours from start to finish used it that night
Hey! Me and Bobcat are anal about doing things right. Nothing wrong with being detail-oriented unless it takes 4 months...LOL! 
I COULD have built A SYSTEM in two hours as well.[emoji4] Heck, I could have just used the large system I already had and just put my Denon MC6000 MK2 in the same case I used for my American Audio controller. That would have taken maybe 15 minutes.[emoji1] I didn't realize this was a RACE![emoji1] The controller is the only thing I've changed as far as actual components go; everything inside the rack is still the same (except for the computers, PDU's and cabling). I COULD have just bought something already built and called it a day, but what fun would THAT be?[emoji1] It's sure not about the money.[emoji1] I'm trying to build something unique and different.
This project was NEVER something that HAD to be done. It was something I WANTED to do... trying to improve on something I built 3 years earlier... something lighter, and quicker to set up and tear down... Maybe something with some cool new features, where I could try out some ideas I had, and see if they work... and maybe make my DJ gigs more fun. I didn't HAVE TO use monitors... I could just use a laptop. The rack came with a laptop stand. I didn't HAVE TO raise the height... coulda just hunched over. Didn't HAVE TO modify the front of the rack, although accessing the knobs on the front of the controller would have been awkward (at best) without doing so. I don't have to install a mic stand or LED lamp... I just WANT those things.[emoji1] But having what I WANT ain't gonna happen in no two hours.[emoji1]
I've ALWAYS been the type to do things a little different than others. I customized every car I ever owned to suit my taste. When you try to do something that can't be purchased (or try to replicate something that can be purchased, but do it at a lower cost), it doesn't always go as planned. There's gonna be some trial and error. That takes time. I'm OK with that. I'm OK with setbacks and failures. Overcoming them is part of the process.[emoji4]
There was also another part of this project you guys may have forgotten... I turned my old Gator Cases rack into a home server rack, and got rid of my old 24U home server rack. I turned my two old DJ computers into home servers (new hard drives and all new Unix based software). And then I added two new Dell servers (adding 8TB of disk space and installed and configured the server software) and converted a stereo cabinet into a rack for them. I also bought two new Nano Computers and set them up (Windows 10 Pro) to be my new DJ computers. You can't even set a SINGLE new (Windows) computer up in two hours... takes that long just to load software and updates. Copying 2TB of music on to them takes several hours more.[emoji4]
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Understood. As I have NO mechanical skills, you have my respect on being able to think and then DO all the work.
@dunlopj: Heck, it normally takes me two months to get up the courage to Begin a project, before which spending many weeks if not months to plan it out. You'd be surprised how much research we (anal guys) put in before we start. And, once we begin, it takes longer to complete due to unforeseen measurement or research mistakes. LOL!
If you go back and read the thread (more like a novel) "Slight Miscalculation", the whole rework of my Small System was instigated by my purchase of the Denon DN-410X, which ended up in my Large System because it would not fit in my Small System. So then I bought the Denon MC6000MK2...etcetera, etcetera.[emoji1]
... But it turned out to be a most fortunate miscalculation, because that DN-410X may be my FAVORITE component (at least even with the MC6000MK2). In fact I'm lookin' to buy another one, if I can find a good deal.[emoji4]
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Understood! I am a proud card carrying member of the OCD Association...although to a slightly lesser degree.
It can't be OCD .. it has to be CDO .. they .. must.. be .. in .. order ...
I'm also an on again off again member of the CRS club, too. (Can't Remember Sh....)
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So today I did a little of this, and a little of that.
No huge accomplishments, but I focused instead on some of the details. The computer shelf, for instance. Nothing special about it... just your standard 8" vented rack shelf. This was my original choice, but I had trouble figuring out how to mount it, because there's no space for it in the 4U rack space. It has to go in the space above the 4U rack, and under the upper rack space where the controller will be mounted. I toyed with a wooden shelf, but to make it strong enough, it would have been too thick, so I came back to the steel shelf, and figured out a way to mount it so that it can be removed. The computers are screwed onto the shelf from underneath, and the Ethernet switch is mounted on a wooden block, which is also screwed to the shelf from underneath. There's no rails to mount the shelf by the rack ears, so I made blocks for each side of the case with slots in them to slide the rack ears into, then the controller is screwed to the rails above it, locking the shelf (and computers) into place.
Now I COULD just leave all parts inside the rack raw, rough, and unpainted. Nobody will ever see the inside of the rack besides me, but that's not the way I do things. It's kinda like wearing clean underwear when you go out. Nobody will ever see them under normal circumstances, but you never know. Today I worked on filling, smoothing, and sanding all the structural members I added, in order to be painted tomorrow. When you look inside the rack it will look professional... like it came that way from the factory. I'm SO particular (OCD), when one of 4 corner screws to screw one of the computers to the shelf from underneath broke off as I was screwing it in, I spent a considerable amount of time carefully drilling it out so I could put a screw in all four corners. Three screws would have held it in place, just fine, but the other one had all four... and I would NEVER consider removing a screw from the one that had all four.
Now it's time to make the holes in the upper rack door to mount my mic and LED lamp; pretty much the same as I did with my Small System. Only this time, maybe I can make the holes without screwing it up, like I did with that system. Hopefully, I learned how NOT TO DO IT. I'll let you know. You can see from the pics, I've marked where the holes will be cut. Haven't cut the holes yet because I need to make sure they are in the best place so as not to interfere with what's going on underneath.
No huge accomplishments, but I focused instead on some of the details. The computer shelf, for instance. Nothing special about it... just your standard 8" vented rack shelf. This was my original choice, but I had trouble figuring out how to mount it, because there's no space for it in the 4U rack space. It has to go in the space above the 4U rack, and under the upper rack space where the controller will be mounted. I toyed with a wooden shelf, but to make it strong enough, it would have been too thick, so I came back to the steel shelf, and figured out a way to mount it so that it can be removed. The computers are screwed onto the shelf from underneath, and the Ethernet switch is mounted on a wooden block, which is also screwed to the shelf from underneath. There's no rails to mount the shelf by the rack ears, so I made blocks for each side of the case with slots in them to slide the rack ears into, then the controller is screwed to the rails above it, locking the shelf (and computers) into place.Now I COULD just leave all parts inside the rack raw, rough, and unpainted. Nobody will ever see the inside of the rack besides me, but that's not the way I do things. It's kinda like wearing clean underwear when you go out. Nobody will ever see them under normal circumstances, but you never know.
Today I worked on filling, smoothing, and sanding all the structural members I added, in order to be painted tomorrow. When you look inside the rack it will look professional... like it came that way from the factory. I'm SO particular (OCD), when one of 4 corner screws to screw one of the computers to the shelf from underneath broke off as I was screwing it in, I spent a considerable amount of time carefully drilling it out so I could put a screw in all four corners. Three screws would have held it in place, just fine, but the other one had all four... and I would NEVER consider removing a screw from the one that had all four.Now it's time to make the holes in the upper rack door to mount my mic and LED lamp; pretty much the same as I did with my Small System. Only this time, maybe I can make the holes without screwing it up, like I did with that system. Hopefully, I learned how NOT TO DO IT.
I'll let you know. You can see from the pics, I've marked where the holes will be cut. Haven't cut the holes yet because I need to make sure they are in the best place so as not to interfere with what's going on underneath.
I've been thinking about this post, and I gotta say, it's EXTREMELY unlikely I would EVER use a system I built the same day[emoji4]... Reason being; testing. Unless the system was built with components that you've already tested thoroughly, it's pretty risky to use new components without a good stress test. Here's why... Manufacturers of electronic components (actually manufacturers of everything) know they have a certain percentage of defects. This is all based on statistics, but virtually NO manufacturer tests every unit they produce. They test every 10th one, or 1000th one, or randomly test, etcetera, then they calculate how many defects are probably produced. They're willing to live with a certain defect rate, as long as their buyers are willing to buy their product given that defect rate. Manufacturers know that even though a part is defective, often it never reveals itself, because the product it goes into may not reveal it, or the customer who buys the product with the defective part may never use it to the extent that the defective part fails. To make products that are defect free would be cost prohibitive, and to test every unit produced would also be too costly... It's cheaper to build in the cost of replacing the possible defective products into your pricing structure.
Products that have numerous parts sourced from numerous vendors could have many defective parts inside. That's why it's pretty likely that with a new piece of gear (or computer), if it's gonna fail, it often fails early on. If it works well for weeks, it's likely to work well for years, as long as it's handled and maintained appropriately.
With this new Large System, the computers and the controller are new. So I set the computers up and tested each one (connected to the controller), running them non-stop for several days in a row. Then I checked the logs to see if there were software problems. Even cables can be defective, and I have many new cables inside this new system. I won't be using this Large System right away after completing it, as I'll want to test it and practice on it for a couple of weeks before I'll be confident enough to use it for a gig. I also have tests that simulate likely failures, then I go through the steps to troubleshoot and resolve the problems; be that swapping out a backup or bypassing the failed component. Gear can still fail, even after it has been thoroughly tested, but those failures are typically related to the age of the product, or some other intervening factor, such as power flashes, handling mistakes, or heat.
So for me, even if I could build a system in 2 hours; it would not get used at a gig the same day.[emoji4]
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@DJ Bobcat ... Mount the PCs on top using these new Kickstarter ones .. The World's Most Powerful Pocket-Sized PC
You worry to much, I always have a backup, that system worked flawlessly, and has for 3 years now. Heck it nearly paid for itself on its first night of work, I could never put the time and effort you have into a system that is out earning money much quicker. This is a profit earning business if something is not making a profit it’s gotta go
Oooooo.... That's a cool PC![emoji1] Are you gonna get one? The wife might leave me if I bought ANOTHER computer.[emoji1] It would be interesting to see if those pocket-sized computers would run Traktor without any hiccups.[emoji4]
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I may, but they don't ship until late this year ... a touchscreen would have been ideal. They also run Android, so might be cool to power LightRider DMX.
Maybe[emoji4]... Comes from 40 years in the IT business and seeing electronic systems fail; always at the worst possible time. I can't give my clients EVERYTHING someone like Taso can provide, but one thing I CAN give them is the comfort of knowing the music will play throughout the entire event, and that the PA System is as reliable as possible.
I worked for a Pacemaker manufacturer for many years, and I can tell you, even pacemakers fail. A disturbing thought, huh? So if something as critical as a cardiac pacemaker, which is built to the highest standard humanly possible can fail, how reliable do you think DJ gear is?[emoji1] I may worry a lot, but it's kinda hard to say if it's too much.[emoji4]