Reworking My Large System
- Thread starter DJ Bobcat
- Start date
I was supposed to go out today and pick up a few items from Home Depot so I could work on my project. Got dressed and let the dogs out, when it hit me... IT'S GORGEOUS outside today!... Sunny, high 70's, and NO wind (of any consequence). So I decided to lounge by the pool most of the day instead, occasionally playing on this forum. Got NO work done at all.[emoji1] Means I'll have to work longer and harder tomorrow (if I feel like it).[emoji1]
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Another day, and not much accomplished on my project. I got some parts painted with a second coat, and a couple of small items fabricated, before having to clean up. I spent too much time looking for stuff I KNOW I bought, but can't remember where I put it.[emoji1]
Time is running out on April. I DID manage to get to Home Depot to buy the stuff I need, but ended up having to go back later because I bought the wrong size hole saw. It's not that Home Depot is very far away; it's not. It's just that every time I go there, it consumes no less than an hour and a half. Today, the second trip didn't take that long, but I ran some other errands too, so I wouldn't have them hanging over my head.[emoji4] Tomorrow looks like it'll be good weather, so that's good. However, that grocery shopping isn't gonna do itself.[emoji1] Seems life keeps getting in the way of this project. I have so many little details that are ALMOST done. I can see the finish line... only I keep tripping over my own feet and falling flat on my face before I get there [emoji1]... metaphorically speaking.[emoji1]
Time is running out on April. I DID manage to get to Home Depot to buy the stuff I need, but ended up having to go back later because I bought the wrong size hole saw. It's not that Home Depot is very far away; it's not. It's just that every time I go there, it consumes no less than an hour and a half. Today, the second trip didn't take that long, but I ran some other errands too, so I wouldn't have them hanging over my head.[emoji4] Tomorrow looks like it'll be good weather, so that's good. However, that grocery shopping isn't gonna do itself.[emoji1] Seems life keeps getting in the way of this project. I have so many little details that are ALMOST done. I can see the finish line... only I keep tripping over my own feet and falling flat on my face before I get there [emoji1]... metaphorically speaking.[emoji1]
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Just a little teaser... My keyboard shelf is nearly done...
A little filler and some paint and I think it will look pretty good.
A little filler and some paint and I think it will look pretty good.
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Wasn't gonna show any of these until I was done, but since I'm posting some progress pics of the keyboard drawer, this one shows how my Nano computers and the network switch that ties them together will fit (on a shelf) under the controller...
I dig the setup and really been thinking about doing something like that likely...
My thought was to get a really compact computer and separate monitor to lighten the load. Hinge a thin monitor to my Odyssey controller case and Velcro a small box computer somewhere in the Odyssey case top that I flip and put under the controller bottom part of the case.
Concerning the all-in-one, I'd be worried about maneuvering the gear in and out... How much padding do you have for the monitor?
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A small computer and a monitor may end up weighing more than a laptop. I use dual 22"monitors with the large system I'm working on now. I used to have two 1U rack mounted computers, but I'm switching them out for the two Nano PC's, reducing the weight by at least half. My monitors are kinda heavy though. I may need to buy a couple of ultra-thin monitors in order to cut some weight.
As for the All-In-One computer in my Small System. I reworked that System last summer, replacing a 1U rackmounted computer and 22" monitor with the Dell 23" AIO computer. The computer folds down forming a nice lid (of sorts) over the controller mounted in the top up the rack. That worked out nicely, because that rack only came with a small canvas cover, which only covered the top and front of the rack. When the AIO is folded down, the frame around the screen contacts the edges of the top of the rack, protecting the screen, but not making any contact with the controller underneath. I'd like to say I planned it that way, but it was honestly just a happy accident.[emoji1] The rear case of the AOI is pretty sturdy, so all I use to cover it is a fabric monitor cover. It might not be a bad idea though to put a piece of foam inside the cover. Then the whole system fits inside a rolling soft-sider case. The case is a little too big for it, however, so it has about 8 inches of padding stuffed into one side to keep the rack from sliding around inside.
Fortunately, it travels very well, and I've had no problems with the Small System at all. Until I finish this current (Large System Reworking) project, my Small System is my primary system, with a Laptop as a backup. I don't particularly care for the screen size of a laptop though, which is why I do what I do with my Small System (AIO) and my Large System (dual monitors).
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Sometimes ya gotta just DO... I spent a LOOOOONG time thinking about how to do this or that, but very little of what I thought about ACTUALLY worked without some pretty significant adjustments and modifications. Today I just decided to jump in and DO, and let the pieces fall where they may. Worked out pretty good. I solved ALL the problems I was having with the mods to the slant-top rack except for one, and that's because I didn't get to that issue today. Can't tell ya what it is, though, because I'm saving that part for the big reveal.[emoji1] Had a good day, though; made a lot of progress. Now that I'm past some of the biggest hurdles, I'm feeling pretty good about this new rack.[emoji4]
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... And sometimes NOTHING works out.[emoji1] I spent HOURS yesterday working on that last issue with the slant-top rack mods, and nothing worked. I fabricated three different potential solutions, but when I tried to fit them inside the rack, I realized they ainna gonna work. So it's back to the drawing board on that one. Not a show stopper for now. Today I'll mount the gooseneck mic stand and the LED light; similar to what I did on my small system. This should be much easier than with the Small System though, since I remember the mistakes I made with that one. Let's hope I can do it without screwing it up![emoji1] I also have some more stuff to paint and a couple of things left to do on the High Heels.[emoji4] Oughtta be a productive day, but I'm not gonna work all afternoon... need a little head-clearing time.[emoji4]
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Not much to see yet, because the bottom rack is partially finished in the garage, and the top rack is partially finished in my office, but here's what it looks like at the moment
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... I had to mount the monitors to see where to mount the LED light and the Microphone stand.
LOL... They aren't really SO large... only 22 inches.[emoji1]
Yep... Actually 39 inches from edge to edge. I guess we're gonna find out what it looks like with a 36 inch facade, because that's what I'm building.[emoji4] But the facade is meant for hiding cables, and it should do that with no problem.[emoji4]
Here's What it looks like from the back... or the front
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OK... got a new plan that seems like it should work. The problem is with my 4 wireless microphone antennas. On my old Large System, they were mounted on the rear patch panel, and the hard cover that latched onto the back fit over them with room to spare. With the SKB R104 (slant-top rack), the rear patch panel is inside the case, and cover panel for the rear opening is inset, so it won't fit over antennas that protrude into the space required for the cover panel. Somehow, the antennas need to be mounted somewhere where they can fold down. I might have been able to mount them on the rear patch panel, but they would have to be screwed on and off with every setup/tear-down and I'm trying to reduce the setup time (from that of my old system). Having to put the antennas on, and take them off and put them away would ADD time. Adding time for something new is OK, but not for something the old Large System already had. So I'm attempting to make a drawer of sorts that pulls out from the back, with the antennas already mounted (folded down), then I'll simply tilt them up vertically when they're outside the rack. They'll be hidden by the facade.
The other problem I'm dealing with is making sure that the internal wiring is still accessible with everything I mount inside the rack (such as an antenna drawer). My old Large System had two 2U doors on the rear. Because the rails (in the SKB R104) are not outside the rear opening, I can't put a door on the back side, unless I made something custom. The only opening for the SKB R104 is a 2U door on the top (above the controller) this is the same as what I have in my Small System, except that the Small System has no mixer mounted in the front, so not as many wires to access. The computers are mounted on a shelf that sits above the GTD B-33 receiver, and under the controller, and the Denon DN-410X occupies the bottom 3U of the R104. Accessing the connections on the back of the mixer and wireless mic system will be VERY DIFFICULT from that 2U opening. The shelf pops out, but requires unscrewing the controller and lifting it out of the way. You never want to have to mess with the internal wiring at a gig, but you need to be prepared to do so. You never know? Only one time have I had a wiring problem, and it was a simple case of a 1/4 inch jack where the microphone cable had popped out just slightly to where it was difficult to see, but I felt it pop in when I pressed on it.
Anyway... this task has already taken a day of fabricating and experimenting, without resulting in a workable solution. My new idea is gonna take another day because it will require even more fabrication. We'll see how this one turns out.
The other problem I'm dealing with is making sure that the internal wiring is still accessible with everything I mount inside the rack (such as an antenna drawer). My old Large System had two 2U doors on the rear. Because the rails (in the SKB R104) are not outside the rear opening, I can't put a door on the back side, unless I made something custom. The only opening for the SKB R104 is a 2U door on the top (above the controller) this is the same as what I have in my Small System, except that the Small System has no mixer mounted in the front, so not as many wires to access. The computers are mounted on a shelf that sits above the GTD B-33 receiver, and under the controller, and the Denon DN-410X occupies the bottom 3U of the R104. Accessing the connections on the back of the mixer and wireless mic system will be VERY DIFFICULT from that 2U opening. The shelf pops out, but requires unscrewing the controller and lifting it out of the way. You never want to have to mess with the internal wiring at a gig, but you need to be prepared to do so. You never know? Only one time have I had a wiring problem, and it was a simple case of a 1/4 inch jack where the microphone cable had popped out just slightly to where it was difficult to see, but I felt it pop in when I pressed on it.
Anyway... this task has already taken a day of fabricating and experimenting, without resulting in a workable solution. My new idea is gonna take another day because it will require even more fabrication. We'll see how this one turns out.
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Good luck with your "new" modifications. I'm about to start a remodel project myself, once the used Pro-X case arrives. Call me superstitious but I still feel the need to have my Denon 4500 MK2 media player in my rack or adjacent to it in another "to be modified" rack. Since I do have a separate Zone in my pioneer mixer, I'd like to try and run L&R outputs from the Dennon to that Zone. In an emergency, I could play CD or use a thumb drive or USB external HD.
Will report later.
Will report later.
