It's remarkable how many little details there are, which must be addressed when building a rack system. Most of the members know this better than I, so this is more for the noobs who may be reading this thread. Today I reworked my patch panel. I used the same patch panel I removed from my old Large System rack, and I'm reusing it, but many things have changed, so it could not just be thrown into the new rack unchanged.
I like a patch panel on the back of my rack. I don't like the cables coming down in the front around my feet... where they might interfere with my dancing.[emoji1] Though I prefer to have most of the cabling hidden inside the rack, there are several external connections that work best if they are on a patch panel. And though my computers are mounted inside my rack, I like having access to their USB ports through connections on the patch panel. I also have an Ethernet switch inside the rack, and at least a couple of those ports need to be connected to the patch panel.
The rear patch panel on the back of the SKB slant-top rack is going to be inset further into the rear opening than normal, since I couldn't install rails on the back of the rack without jeopardizing the use of the rack cover. So I'll mount a make-shift rack an inch or two further into the rear opening. It should have very little impact on the use of the connections installed back there. I am eliminating a couple of the connectors, but there are a couple of new ones, so it's pretty much a wash. I've also removed the 4 Wireless microphone antennas off the patch panel, as they would be too far inside the rack to be properly extended if they were attached to the patch panel. I have a plan for moving them to a better location. Like I said, lots of little details. I also need to be cognizant of the possibility that I might have to use my Laptop computer in a situation where neither of the Nano Computers are working. It's a pretty remote possibility, but I need to have access to all the necessary connections so the laptop can be hooked up to the PA system if necessary. Since the controller is mounted inside the rack, instead of being in an external case (like my old VMS 4.1), I need to have its connections available on the patch panel as well. Finally, the rack is split, so there needs to be some connection between the two rack sections, but nothing that can't be easily disconnected for transporting.
Compared to the internal wiring, my patch panel is pretty simple, but it still requires some thought and planning.[emoji4]
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