Rack cases/rack units

I finally have too many rackmountable pieces of gear to keep stacked up on my desk and I'm looking into buying my first rack case, something 12U, around there.

I've looked into some websites but I'm not 100% sure how these rack cases work. Do you have to buy the shelves and screws seperately? On the B&H Photo Video website it looks like you need to buy the shelves and screws seperately from the actual rack... meh.

I need some help in making this purchase. Any models of rack cases you would recommened? Anyone with any helpful tips please holler.

Thanks.

If you already have rack-mountable equipment you just need to purchase a cabinet with a standard 19" width and rack ears already installed. Then all you will need is rack screws.

I bought an Odyssey CRE16W, it's a 16U carpeted rack case.

I screwed the front of my rackmount gear to the rack rail, is that all I need to do? Will the front screws hold everything in place when the rack is standing upright?

Isn't there something I need to do to fasten the rack gear in the back? Or are the front screws all that is needed?

that depends on what you are putting in the rack... power amps usually need something to hold them in the back if you plan on moving the rack around or else the rails will get bent... also depending on the quality of the rack etc... but effect units are usually light weight and dont even have rear rack ears.

one of my rack cases came with a big bad of bolts and rubber washers (which prevent the front of the pieces of gear from getting chipped by the bolts)

Thanks for your insight.

Yeah the two rack units I installed are pretty lightweight, so I guess they don't need to be secured in the back. It just seems pretty amazing that they can be held upright with just screws in the front...

I'm just thinking about my Akai S950, which is pretty heavy, and it doesn't have rear rack ears. I don't know if it will stay in place if it's only screwed into the rack on the front.

The rack I bought doesn't have rear rack rails BTW, so eh... any other tips would be great. Thanks.

well one thing you can do is... they make these rack shelves that are 1U with of course 4 bolt holes... anyways you can put that in under the 950 for additional support. by the way... if you dont have any other gear that heats up as much as the 950 then put that at the top for the best circulation... I always suggest putting power amps in a separate case starting from the bottom if you have them because they are usually heavy and heat up a good amount.

I've owned plenty of rack gear including an s950, s2000, and s2800. never had a problem mounting any of them, including the s950 which is the biggest one of the bunch.

Xandre wrote:Thanks for your insight.

Yeah the two rack units I installed are pretty lightweight, so I guess they don't need to be secured in the back. It just seems pretty amazing that they can be held upright with just screws in the front...

I'm just thinking about my Akai S950, which is pretty heavy, and it doesn't have rear rack ears. I don't know if it will stay in place if it's only screwed into the rack on the front.

The rack I bought doesn't have rear rack rails BTW, so eh... any other tips would be great. Thanks.

do yourself a favor and remember this. If it has rack screws its meant to be mounted. Period.

Xandre wrote:I'm just thinking about my Akai S950, which is pretty heavy, and it doesn't have rear rack ears. I don't know if it will stay in place if it's only screwed into the rack on the front.

The rack I bought doesn't have rear rack rails BTW

thats how it works...


ive had a couple s950s mounted this way for 6+ years with no problems whatsoever... i dont think there is a such thing as "rear rack ears" or "rear rack rails", since my other pieces of rackmounted gear are all mounted the same way as the s950s, front ears and rails only, no support other than that...



depending on the weightload, it would probably be wise to keep an eye on the fasteners/connection of the "rack rails" to the chassis or frame of the rack itself though...




off to check the integrity of my own rack of gear...

yeah for studio gear there aren't really rear rack ears... but for sure with heavy gear like power amps you will see that a bit more. Rear rails do come in touring racks.

i keep my S900 at the way bottom of my 12 space rack... i figured it would be wise, as it's the heaviest piece of gear in the entire rack... and that if anything, the weight on the bottom would keep my rack from ever tipping over... keep in mind i use just one of those thin rack stands like this one here...

http://www.zzounds.com/item--MUPRB7030

you can even get ghetto FOBEulous and screw your 19" rack gear into a well selected milkcrate if your really desperate to rack some schit up...



the weight will be much more of a factor for the milkcrate "rack" and those screws though...

fobedafied wrote:you can even get ghetto FOBEulous and screw your 19" rack gear into a well selected milkcrate if your really desperate to rack some schit up...



the weight will be much more of a factor for the milkcrate "rack" and those screws though...

true true... if you're feeling crafty though, don't sleep on the IKEA Rast... it's the perfect size, so simply adding some rack rails will easily turn that into a decent compact rack as well...

What crossings said ^ . This photo is a couple years old (and a fckin' mess) but I still use these . The Ikea Rast ( http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/44361109 ) is a perfect cheap solution for home rack mounting . All you need is a couple of those and you can get the rack rail for a decent price on eBay .

W. Steele wrote:The Ikea Rast ( http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/44361109 )

interestingly enough, i have one of those sitting around here and i didnt even know it...