Rack Mounting

K1UO Larry

There is a need to consolidate equipment at a rented remote space.   Any suggestions as to a rack that would hold a Flex6600,  PGXL  (possible Flex Tuner ) and a DLI 120/240V power **** and an 8 position 12V DC power distribution panel.....  Plus misc power supplies, rotor control  etc.   I think the misc stuff could fit on a couple rack mtd shelves.    What is a good source for racks to mount equipment?  Any recommendations appreciated.
Thanks es 73,  Larry  K1UO

Steve K9ZW

Larry - I’ve done a series of posts on racks and my own Flex-6000 rack project. https://k9zw.wordpress.com/?s=Rack+ 73 Steve K9ZW

Jon_KF2E

Do you know how many U rack you need? Each U is 1.75 inches.

eBay is probably your best bet.

Steve K9ZW

Remember to account for feet, cooling spaces, space to lift over any shelf raised lip, and avoid layouts that incorrectly bridge attachments over the purposely slightly irregular spacing on racks. I bought my parts from Amazon and a couple computer online places as when shipping was factored in the prices were the same or lower than eBay while the shipping was quicker and the ability to return anything that wasn’t going to work increased. 73 Steve K9ZW

Larry _ NY8T

This is what I chose to do, between the shelf from Lowes and the 2 Harbor Freight moving dollys to make it rollable $110.

18" x 36" shelves  72" tall

They sell differant sizes, along the opposite wall I have the same only in 24" x 48" shelves to store unused radio gear.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/edsal-72-in-H-x-36-in-W-x-18-in-D-5-Tier-Steel-Freestanding-Shelving-Unit/1000525

https://www.lowes.com/pd/edsal-72-in-H-x-48-in-W-x-24-in-D-5-Tier-Steel-Freestanding-Shelving-Unit/1000527

Everett Simonds

Larry:

I took my time and waited for a deal on Craigslist.  I found a nice HP G2 server cabinet in good shape.  the cabinet with all of the side panels, front and both rear doors was less that $200.00.  A while later I found a seller that had about 200 vented, 175 pound rated, adustable StarTech (IIRC) shelves at a good price; I think I bought eight of them for around $30 each.  Navepoint also has pretty good prices on shelves, blanking panels etc.  I found a genuine HP bonding kit for the cabinet on eBay for around $25.00 as well as black cage nuts and screws.

This is it, still in progress, without the doors or side panels attached:



Regards.

Everett
KE5MMT

K1UO Larry

OK.  Good ideas shared and appreciated guys.  Thanks as this will get this project off the ground I hope!

Regards,  Larry  k1UO

K1UO Larry

Thanks Steve for sharing ...  most helpful at this stage of planning.

Charlie_KB8CR

I'm using a 12U case from BHPhoto.com ($159)(https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1260045-REG/auray_ers_12u_ers_12u_steel_equipment.html?sts=pi&pim=Y)
to house my Flex 6400, under that, my Flex 3000, and under that, an Icom 7100 and two SS-30M supplies, a KPC-3, RemoteRig box, and Web Relay to switch between rigs/antennas, etc. Behind the 1U cover on top is a MacMini (running Windows10Pro) to run the whole shebang. 

VK7WH Winston

I’m using a home made rack at my Solar Powered Remote Shack.

Because of space limitations, I have bench mounted it on casters, pivoted on the right hand side back corner to gain easy access to the rear of the rack. The rack frame is made from hardware store slotted 1 inch angle with melamine wooden side panels and front rack mounting section from a salvaged rack.

While it is currently operational, it it still very much a work in progress!

Winston VK7WH

Charlie_KB8CR

VERY nice setup, Winston !

VK7WH Winston

Thanks Charlie, but I’ve still got a fair bit to do to finish it off. Although the IP Forward Control system is operational, I’ve only got basic monitoring at this stage. I guess it’s the old 80/20 rule - the last 20% of the work always takes 80% of the time! It’s been more than four years since I dug the first footing for the building (in shale rock with a crow bar)! A three and a half hour return trip each day I travel to the site doesn’t help, especially in the winter, but the shear beauty of the site combined with the ultra low noise makes it all worth while. God willing, I live long enough to actually get to use it during the upcoming Solar Cycle! 73 Winston

Clay N9IO

Now that's pretty Winston.
All of you have inspired a change in my shack.
I have a 3 foot tall 19" rack I have used with my legacy radios but strictly for 3 PC's.
I think a rearrangment with my 6600 in the rack is in order.
Thank you gents!

Asher - K0AU

In the middle of a racking project. Picture below is a snapshot. What I've learned so far:

Airflow and cable management need some planning. Lot of gear wants a free rack unit above or below to provide airflow. Not everything has a great spec showing fan placement, inlet vs outlet, max temp rise, etc. For cabling I have separate vertical areas assigned for AC, DC, Ethernet, Misc control (RS-232, dry contacts). Type 31 ferrites on everything. Cable clearance and radiusing eats up more rack space. RF patch cables are routed outside the rack on the backside for separation and to allow radiusing. Expect some trial-and-error 

Power - ended up with a 120V switched bus (for DCPS and Green Heron), 120V unswitched bus (for Ethernet switch PS), 220V switched bus (for PGXL). DC power also has 3 buses: Flex 6700 gets a dedicated feed from the PS, second feed to a Rig Runner 4008H for accessories and unswitched DC to the Ethernet switch.

Ground - copper bus bar that everything is bonded to.

Serial - I'm down to 3 serial devices: a K1EL winkeyer, the Green Heron and a PowerMaster. I'm still deciding whether I prefer the multiport serial converter or if I prefer a single port on each device. Both approaches have clearance issues. Shielded RS232 cables are bulky. Single port serial servers need about 4" of clearance behind the device.

Ethernet - lots of Ethernet and more coming. Flex, Antenna Genius, PGXL. No idea if Tuner Genius will have an Ethernet. In addition I have remote audio, serial control, and remote power switching.  Is STP better than UTP? I'm not sure, but I can't imagine where you'd use STP if it's not in a 1000W RF rack. 

20U isn't enough rack space for all this + a tuner. Planning to split into two racks, but not 100% sure what will end up in which rack to minimize cross-connects and RFI issues.

Top 8U rack is just an RF patch panel. Makes reconfiguring or patching around failures very easy. 

K1UO Larry

AwesomeWinston,  thanks for sharing.

KM4CQG

I just took delivery of a Strong FS 27 vu rack.

Im not sure of where it will go but it will give me flexibility in location.

Is anyone running a wireless connection to a dynamic microphone?