rplace Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 I need to buy some rack rails to put my equipment in the side of a closet. Room limitations and a "pump diaphragm" for my well dictate that the rails can not be the better part of floor to ceiling. I have about 4 feet to work with. More then enough room for my current equipment, but I don't know exactly what size rails to buy. I have heard 3 holes in the rack rail = one "Space". Is this correct? Anybody got a good rule of thumb for what a space is AND what that height actually is? I want to be able to calculate spaces I currently need as well as have a few for future growth. Do people typically stack the bottom edge of one piece of equipment on the top of another or do you leave space/half space between components? I have seen shelves for non-rack mount equipment as well as fan inserts and other nice rack stuff, but have not seen any sort of "spacer or face plate" designed to simply block off extra space if the rails are a bit taller then the stacked equipment. Anybody know of such a thing? Thanks, Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 ---------------- On 11/22/2004 9:53:59 AM rplace wrote: I need to buy some rack rails to put my equipment in the side of a closet. Room limitations and a "pump diaphragm" for my well dictate that the rails can not be the better part of floor to ceiling. I have about 4 feet to work with. More then enough room for my current equipment, but I don't know exactly what size rails to buy. I have heard 3 holes in the rack rail = one "Space". Is this correct? Anybody got a good rule of thumb for what a space is AND what that height actually is? I want to be able to calculate spaces I currently need as well as have a few for future growth. Do people typically stack the bottom edge of one piece of equipment on the top of another or do you leave space/half space between components? I have seen shelves for non-rack mount equipment as well as fan inserts and other nice rack stuff, but have not seen any sort of "spacer or face plate" designed to simply block off extra space if the rails are a bit taller then the stacked equipment. Anybody know of such a thing? Thanks, Rich ---------------- one rack space equals 1.75 inches it is generally recommended to allow at least 20% additional space for future expansion of your equipment. as to stacking - some equipment is designed to be stacked directly on top of each other - pro audio amplifiers for example.... other equipment needs to have open space above for ventilation (consumer receivers for example).... here is a good source for great rack equipment.... http://www.middleatlantic.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rplace Posted November 22, 2004 Author Share Posted November 22, 2004 FYI this place seemed to have pretty good prices on rack rails. No idea how the company is to order from online...time will tell. Just passing on info, I have no interest in the company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardhead Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 Minn_Male42 is correct about the spacing and the referral to Mid Atlantic. However, this presumes you're actually talking about actual racks and not simply shelves which often are erroneously call "racks." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rplace Posted November 22, 2004 Author Share Posted November 22, 2004 Actually I am just interested in the rails only so I can create my own rack in a wall/closet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 Parts express ( www.partsexpress.com ) sells rack rail in full length and precut pieces. You can see what it looks like, by using the link: http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=262-392 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 i suggest that you buy a couple of vent panels - 2 spaces high when you buy the rails..... mount the vent panels at the top and bottom of your rails before you mount the rails into the closet..... this forms a large rectangle that makes sure you are mounting them the right distance apart and that you are square.... after you have the rails mounted into the 2 x 4's then you can remove the vent panels and use them later in your rack.... BTW - rack screws are not included with the rails or any premade rack that you buy..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 Good advice all round. 1.75 in per space, the rack itself should be slightly wider than 19" equipment width, although the racks themselves are more like 18- 18 1/4 center to center (of screw hole) Mount the rails SECURELY! THis means real bolt and nuts through framing members, NOT drywall screws or other wood screws, etc. When making racks for pro use, we would usually build the boxes slightly wider than 19", then use washers or other metal shims to jockey the rails to the exact width needed. Nothing like making the box too dern small. When buying rack mount hardware, for heaven's sake, get stainless or anodized if you want black, don't use econo grade hardware. Many rack screws are slotted head and come packaged with #10 delrin/teflon washer, so ya won't scratch up yer valuable gear. Resist the urge to wind em in with a drill. And take this hint from Indy car mechanics. When starting a machine bolt (like your rack mount bolts) avoid stripping the holes by starting the screw backwards (that's right lefty-loosen), you'll hear a faint 'click' when the threads properly engage, then begin the proper clockwise tightening motion. Nothing like stripping out the one screw hole you really need for support in a rack situation (or the spark plug on an Indy car!) And put the dern thing on wheels if ya can't get around to the back to wire it up. Have fun and GO HARD OR STAY HOME! Nothing more military-spec than rock-n-roll spec! Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 Here's a great website that will provide step by step instructions with details pictures and all that. What everyone said here is correct, but it's nice to have lots of pics and directions and a website with lots of extra info: http://www.colomar.com/Shavano/construction.html Here's the direct link to the rack building page: http://www.colomar.com/Shavano/rackcase.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 Thanks Dr. Who, Very well written articles. Pay attention class! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 ---------------- On 11/22/2004 6:09:55 PM colterphoto1 wrote: Good advice all round. 1.75 in per space, the rack itself should be slightly wider than 19" equipment width, although the racks themselves are more like 18- 18 1/4 center to center (of screw hole) Mount the rails SECURELY! THis means real bolt and nuts through framing members, NOT drywall screws or other wood screws, etc. When making racks for pro use, we would usually build the boxes slightly wider than 19", then use washers or other metal shims to jockey the rails to the exact width needed. Nothing like making the box too dern small. When buying rack mount hardware, for heaven's sake, get stainless or anodized if you want black, don't use econo grade hardware. Many rack screws are slotted head and come packaged with #10 delrin/teflon washer, so ya won't scratch up yer valuable gear. Resist the urge to wind em in with a drill. And take this hint from Indy car mechanics. When starting a machine bolt (like your rack mount bolts) avoid stripping the holes by starting the screw backwards (that's right lefty-loosen), you'll hear a faint 'click' when the threads properly engage, then begin the proper clockwise tightening motion. Nothing like stripping out the one screw hole you really need for support in a rack situation (or the spark plug on an Indy car!) And put the dern thing on wheels if ya can't get around to the back to wire it up. Have fun and GO HARD OR STAY HOME! Nothing more military-spec than rock-n-roll spec! Michael ---------------- the middle atlantic rack rails (and all of their racks) are exactly 19" outside of rail to outside of rail..... and once again.... if you get a couple of vent panels (or blank panels) when framing in your rack you will have no problem..... the HP series of rack screws from middle atlantic have slightly flatter heads for a more finished look but they are hardened steel... for a very finished look you can get trim strips that cover the rack screws.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 To think of all the racks I've put together and never used vent panels to line things up! Man I like that tip, and now I can't wait to take a good 15 minutes off the next build time Btw, the rails are supposed to be exactly 19" apart on the outside of the rack rail (so a 19" inside width of your cabinet). I know it was already mentioned, but it must be stressed to make your inside width slightly larger than 19" and then use washers to get it just right. There's nothing more annoying than having to throw away a cabinet that you just finished building. Also, remember to leave at least a 1/2" above and below the edges of the rack rail...it's easier to fit stuff in and sometimes some rack mounted stuff requires a little extra room. If you're doing an inwall rack setup, then I might suggest building a seperate rack and then mounting it inside a slightly bigger cabinet that you build into your wall...then purchase some heavy duty shelf runners and make your rack able to slide in and out (like a big drawer, but with runners on the top and bottom for stability). This helps to make the wiring easier. And don't forget to leave extra room for power panels and all that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rplace Posted November 24, 2004 Author Share Posted November 24, 2004 Hey, thanks for all the great info on rack rails and construction! Funny when I ordered the rails I saw the blank plates and ordered 2 thinking to myself that one at the top and one at the bottom would make it easy to keep the rails square, parallel and the correct distance while I roughed in my opening. Later I read about using the vent for basically the same idea. What do they say? Great minds think alikeor idiots seldom differ? One final construction question. Do I only need 2 rails in the front? Looking at the link to cabinet building it appears like itand that is how I have always envisioned it. However, I took a look in our server room at work and the racks of equipment all have 4 rails - 2 in the front and 2 in the back with supports running front to back for each piece of equipment to mount to. I guess my question is will a 30 pound amp with 2 screws on each side of the face plate mounted to the rack rails support all that weight? What happens when you end up with 6-8 pieces of equipment all in that rack? Surely if you are buying equipment designed to be rack mounted the face plate where the handles comes out of are designed to support the weight of the equipment, right? Am I just worrying too much? I have always liked the look of a clean, simple rack of equipment. Now I cant wait to build it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted November 24, 2004 Share Posted November 24, 2004 ---------------- On 11/24/2004 8:49:53 AM rplace wrote: Hey, thanks for all the great info on rack rails and construction! Funny when I ordered the rails I saw the blank plates and ordered 2 thinking to myself that one at the top and one at the bottom would make it easy to keep the rails square, parallel and the correct distance while I roughed in my opening. Later I read about using the vent for basically the same idea. What do they say? Great minds think alikeor idiots seldom differ? One final construction question. Do I only need 2 rails in the front? Looking at the link to cabinet building it appears like itand that is how I have always envisioned it. However, I took a look in our server room at work and the racks of equipment all have 4 rails - 2 in the front and 2 in the back with supports running front to back for each piece of equipment to mount to. I guess my question is will a 30 pound amp with 2 screws on each side of the face plate mounted to the rack rails support all that weight? What happens when you end up with 6-8 pieces of equipment all in that rack? Surely if you are buying equipment designed to be rack mounted the face plate where the handles comes out of are designed to support the weight of the equipment, right? Am I just worrying too much? I have always liked the look of a clean, simple rack of equipment. Now I cant wait to build it. ---------------- you are right - you only need front rails unless you are mounting very heavy and/or very deep equipment..... generally most people will mount their amps or any other heavy equipment towards the bottom of the rack..... the faceplates on amplifiers will hold up the amp with no rear support - that's the way they are designed..... good luck on building your rack! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted November 24, 2004 Share Posted November 24, 2004 Generally the front rails are enough unless the equipment is unusually heavy or will be bounced around a lot in transit. Sometimes with portable amp/processing racks, we put a small section (about 6" high) of rail in the back of the cabinet to support custom face plates for speaker (nutrik) terminators, etc, so you wouldn't have to dig around to find the jack on the amps. Probably not necessary for home units. Remember to build in AIR FLOW, whether it be top/bottom vents of small boxer fan units (those have small photos of dancing Santas on them). have fun Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted November 24, 2004 Share Posted November 24, 2004 ""Russ "It's a 106 miles to chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses" "" Which begs those famous questions: Is it shorter to Chicago or by bus? Do you carry your lunch or driver to work? Can you roller skate in a buffalo herd? sorry...just feeling goofy this am. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted November 24, 2004 Share Posted November 24, 2004 one of the greatest movie lines ever..... they said it right here in this scene.... click the following link to hear it..... http://blues.squidly.org/sounds/106_miles.ogg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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