Arranging your rack

[wilkinsi]

I seem to be constantly re-arranging my rack. Every rackmounted piece of equipment is different in depth. Each time I buy a new piece, its much longer or shorter than the others, prompting me to re-arrange. I'm referring to depth, not Usize.

I'm trying to take into account power leads kept away from audio leads, whilst allowing the best access possible to units so that I can patch in cables without having to take other stuff out whenever I add another piece.

Should it always be shortest at the top, longest at the bottom or the other way round?

[Rsmacker]

Re-arranging your rack in public will get you arrested.

Get a patch bay.

[rjohnstone]

Put the biggest heat producer up top.
Their depth is irrelevant.

I've see guys put the deep ones on the bottom, like rack power amps, only to have them cook the unit sitting on top of them.

The main goal is to have good air flow and heat dissipation.

Power leads should always be run down the sides of the rack and audio cables wired point to point with the slack zip tied up nicely.

[wilkinsi]

Thanks RJ. I don't have any power amps, just an FX processor which generates no heat at all, the sound module generates a fair amount. I'm soon to get a rackmountable 8-track, which will probably generate the most, and it's twice as deep as the other devices. Should this be placed above or below the PB10 power distro? The PB10 facia almost looks like its coming off the box, because I leaned on it faffing about with cables behind it. I have to use the sound module to prop it up as best I can as opposed to leaving IU space between each device. I guess you get what you pay for. Perhaps I should consider a Gator rack case instead of one of these crappy 14U Quicklok (£28 - what a rip) desktop racks (which is nothing more than two L-shaped bars joined by a single bar). The Gator's are not cheap but i imagine they'd be sturdier.

[Rsmacker]

:ROTF: So, you mean this rack hasn't even got sides? Well, there you go, so you don't have to worry about heat dissipation and airflow then.

Rjohnstone, I was once having problems with a rack of Crown/Amcrons, and it turned out that my leaving a 1u gap between them wasn't as clever as I thought it was, the heat rising from the bottom one was being drawn in through the air intakes on the one above and the one above that etc etc. So, rather than them all drawing nice cool air and expelling the heat out the back, the gaps I had created meant warm air was being drawn in the front. They were getting a bit of a pasting, I have to confess, but when I re-jigged them in the rack, no problems again, even though it looked like they were sitting there in a nice hot lump!

[levantin]

I like a nice rack. Then again, who doesn't!

[Norton]

I like a nice rack. Then again, who doesn't!

Rob Halford, since he's gay.

[Rsmacker]

Rob Halford, since he's gay.

W-w-w-w-h-aaaaaaat?? Since when?

[Freyr]

Rob Halford, since he's gay.

And sings... he wouldn't need a rack, being a vocalist and all...

[levantin]

W-w-w-w-h-aaaaaaat?? Since when?

Since he was born?

[hippietim]

Halford's British after all, so of course he's gay.

[thunderhead]

Halford's British after all, so of course he's gay.

So is Wilkinsi...

I mean he is British as well

[Rsmacker]

Hey! Less of that! Wilkinsi isn't gay, he's experimenting with his sexuality.

[thunderhead]

experimenting with his sexuality.

What does that mean?

Is it like a 30 day trial? If you don't like it, you get a refund

[Norton]

Halford's British after all, so of course he's gay.

So, what you say is.... Levent is half-gay?