Tips for buying a rack (audio/server style), Please

[BMXTRIX]

I think my main question now is more along the lines of how much space I need to plan for beyond Actual RUs required for the equipment I have/plan to rack.

My general rule is that you should plan 1RU of air flow around each piece of equipment in the rack and plan for exhaust from whatever space you put it into. So, if you put the rack into a sealed closet space without exhaust, you may want to put a 2RU fan at the top of the rack to pull the hot air out of the space and the vent panels between the equipment will allow cool air into the space and around the equipment.

https://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/so-here-we-go-24-a-v-zones-w-10-sources.83272/

The VT1 panels from Middle Atlantic have a minimal hole pattern design which should be plenty if you use them between all of the equipment.

Each RU is 1.75" tall, so you can typically do the math on the height of the gear. AV receivers fall into the 4 or 5RU category quite often, but most other gear is now under 1RU, like streaming devices. You can pick up plain rack shelves to set equipment on, but if you want it to look nice, then a custom rack shelf with a custom faceplate will really help to make things look nice.

Look through the photos of what I posted above. I have swapped some stuff in the rack, but my audio distribution hasn't been touched in the past 10+ years since I originally posted that thread. The small equipment rack that I show later in the thread is still in place and looks quite similar. That small one backs to a coat closet and while I don't have any active cooling for the closet, the equipment doesn't have any amplifiers and the game systems or Blu-ray Disc player in there hasn't complained... yet. I can just open the door to the coat closet if I wanted to. But, it shows how basic rack rail, screwed to studs, then framed out with some decent looking wood can create a nice looking rack. If I did run into issues with heat with that smaller rack, I could put a 2RU fan at the top and add a few vent panels if I needed to, so that was planned for.

Generally, my rule is to plan for more space and to have it available. I have added a third rack next to my other two in the basement to give me a bit more room, but it is mostly empty at this point. But, my rule remains the same. When possible: 1RU venting above each piece of gear. This will leave you room to access cabling and gear far more easily.

 

[highfigh]

@TLS Guy
Follow up:

It seems if grounding were as important then even the more common MA Racks which are Particle Board panels and a pair of Rack Rails would have this feature and it does not seem that they do.

That said...
Building a DIY Rack with MDF or Ply and including in this design a means of correctly grounding it would be sufficient, yes?
Therefore, including a base frame which is properly bonded to the Rails should be sufficient to accomplish this.

Not being a trained electrician, myself, is there something more in this which I am missing?

Thanks!

The more common MA racks are steel, but if the rack is made of non-conductive materials, a ground point is supposed to be provided. This is something many ISP installers omit, don't seem to know about and from experience in dealing with them, they don't care, either. Oddly, rack screws often come with a non-conductive washer that's supposed to prevent ground loops in the rack and to protect the face of the equipment/rack ears from damage when the screws are tightened.

Meeting code doesn't seem to matter to Spectrum's contractors, either- on one job, the installer used one of the breaker panel screws to secure their splitter and left coax draped across the door to the panel. The first installer went up the pole to find a tap for this house and tested it while standing near the pole and instead of replacing the short cable, he left it with a splice but didn't use a weatherproof splice cover, used one wire tie to attach the cable to the weatherhead, had to borrow my hammer drill and a long masonry bit so he could drill through the mortar next to the basement window and never secured the rest of the cabling going to that window on the outside of the house.

Then in his attempt to prove that he's one of their best, he cut the cable feed to the next door neighbor's house when he was looking for a tap for the new customer. The people next door, who were also my customers, had to do without internet, TV and phone until Spectrum could get someone out to make the repair. The real Spectrum installers who came to fix the many problems, as well as a manager, were appalled.

 

[highfigh]

Each RU is 1.75" tall, so you can typically do the math on the height of the gear. AV receivers fall into the 4 or 5RU category quite often, but most other gear is now under 1RU, like streaming devices.

Have you ever tried to install equipment that, for some reason, didn't have holes that conformed to the typical rack's spacing? I have and it wasn't some off-brand crap. It's like they didn't even know about the standards.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Have you ever tried to install equipment that, for some reason, didn't have holes that conformed to the typical rack's spacing? I have and it wasn't some off-brand crap. It's like they didn't even know about the standards.

I've run into a few weird things over the years for sure. Since I'm not, by trade, an installation tech, I don't actually run into these types of issues all that often. I have seen some stuff that's made like 1.5 RU's tall, and comes with rack ears, but doesn't fill the space properly. It's just left with half a RU of extra space above it for no reason at all. I want to say that came from Polycom or something. Drove me nuts.

Most of the commercial stuff I do ends up with a lot of rack shelves just thrown into it and not always the most thought out engineering design. Mostly because clients don't need it to look 'perfect', just good enough is fine for them and their budget.

 

[TLS Guy]

My general rule is that you should plan 1RU of air flow around each piece of equipment in the rack and plan for exhaust from whatever space you put it into. So, if you put the rack into a sealed closet space without exhaust, you may want to put a 2RU fan at the top of the rack to pull the hot air out of the space and the vent panels between the equipment will allow cool air into the space and around the equipment.

https://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/so-here-we-go-24-a-v-zones-w-10-sources.83272/

The VT1 panels from Middle Atlantic have a minimal hole pattern design which should be plenty if you use them between all of the equipment.

Each RU is 1.75" tall, so you can typically do the math on the height of the gear. AV receivers fall into the 4 or 5RU category quite often, but most other gear is now under 1RU, like streaming devices. You can pick up plain rack shelves to set equipment on, but if you want it to look nice, then a custom rack shelf with a custom faceplate will really help to make things look nice.

Look through the photos of what I posted above. I have swapped some stuff in the rack, but my audio distribution hasn't been touched in the past 10+ years since I originally posted that thread. The small equipment rack that I show later in the thread is still in place and looks quite similar. That small one backs to a coat closet and while I don't have any active cooling for the closet, the equipment doesn't have any amplifiers and the game systems or Blu-ray Disc player in there hasn't complained... yet. I can just open the door to the coat closet if I wanted to. But, it shows how basic rack rail, screwed to studs, then framed out with some decent looking wood can create a nice looking rack. If I did run into issues with heat with that smaller rack, I could put a 2RU fan at the top and add a few vent panels if I needed to, so that was planned for.

Generally, my rule is to plan for more space and to have it available. I have added a third rack next to my other two in the basement to give me a bit more room, but it is mostly empty at this point. But, my rule remains the same. When possible: 1RU venting above each piece of gear. This will leave you room to access cabling and gear far more easily.

I don't think you can have a hard and fast rule about spacing. A lot of solid state gear makes practically zero heat and can be mounted with no gaps.

 

[TLS Guy]

I recently purchased a Sanus rack since it was mid tier in price compared to the MA racks and Navepoint. If it wasn't mentioned already, I would suggest 600mm depth in whatever you get. I really have no compassion to the other racks but the Sanus feels well built and comes with enough shelves, spacers and bolts that I didn't have to buy any extras when I was getting all the equipment loaded. It comes pre-assembled on a pallet so getting it up and running was pretty simple. Overall, I'm very happy with it and felt it was money well spent.

That does look like a nice rack for a free standing home installation. My needs are more like what you need in a pro installation like a radio or TV station. I don't need my racks to move, as I can get behind them. So only the front shows, and that is the only side that needs trimming out, and is the only surface seen from the room.
If you are planning a new home, or doing a major remodel, that is the way to do it, with a walk in mechanical chase. That is pure luxury, there is no other way to describe it. It is not the sort of approach the average homeowner would think off, unless that have been in pro installations.

 

[wibble]

I've had a couple of rack systems over the years. One of them I fitted with one adjustable foot on the front and 3 'fixed' (not swivel) casters, oriented to follow the arc around the adjustable foot. This allowed the entire rack to swivel out from it's position for access to patching etc, obviously space permitting.

Also, there are some lovely rack mount accessories available, use them for spacing. Drawers for storing accessories under each piece of gear and worklights for loading discs etc. I liked to add 1U vent panels between most items too just to look less crowded (and more air is always good).

Hot stuff at the top (with ventilation above), then anything you need to read and tweak at eye level, then things you need to load media into, then some drawers and any black boxes / UPS etc down low. I would also support the rear of anything with any heft to it, even though most of the manufacturers seem to think it isn't needed they don't know how strong your cabinet is and it isn't difficult to rig up a bit of extra support.

 

[highfigh]

I've had a couple of rack systems over the years. One of them I fitted with one adjustable foot on the front and 3 'fixed' (not swivel) casters, oriented to follow the arc around the adjustable foot. This allowed the entire rack to swivel out from it's position for access to patching etc, obviously space permitting.

Also, there are some lovely rack mount accessories available, use them for spacing. Drawers for storing accessories under each piece of gear and worklights for loading discs etc. I liked to add 1U vent panels between most items too just to look less crowded (and more air is always good).

Hot stuff at the top (with ventilation above), then anything you need to read and tweak at eye level, then things you need to load media into, then some drawers and any black boxes / UPS etc down low. I would also support the rear of anything with any heft to it, even though most of the manufacturers seem to think it isn't needed they don't know how strong your cabinet is and it isn't difficult to rig up a bit of extra support.

Many 'real' racks already have rear rack rails, so it's pretty easy to support heavier pieces- some of the largest have tabs on the rear that can have ears attached.

Right-hot stuff at the top, so it can't overheat other gear and heavy stuff at the bottom, so the rack isn't top-heavy. Unfortunately, some of the heavy stuff also generates the most heat.

 

[highfigh]

If you are planning a new home, or doing a major remodel, that is the way to do it, with a walk in mechanical chase. That is pure luxury, there is no other way to describe it. It is not the sort of approach the average homeowner would think off, unless that have been in pro installations.

A removable panel in a closet works well, too.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I don't think you can have a hard and fast rule about spacing. A lot of solid state gear makes practically zero heat and can be mounted with no gaps.

I agree, but only up to a point. One of the big reasons for the spacing is almost all around single space gear and the size of the human hand. I can't tell you how many racks I've had to touch over the years where a control system, which is 1RU and direct rack mountable, and shallow, is placed directly under a power conditioner and directly above some other component. Both of which are deeper than the control system. Yet, the control system needs hands on it to make corrections and additions to what is going on.

So, while I do agree there is no hard and fast rule, it is my general rule to give equipment some spacing. Not just for reducing heat, but to allow for far greater accessibility. As a bonus, if you have an amp that is wired in place, and at some point in the future it fails, and the replacement amp you get is slightly taller, you have up to 2RU of growth for that product spacing without having to rework the entire rack.

 

[wibble]

Unfortunately, some of the heavy stuff also generates the most heat.

I'd still prefer to put the hot stuff up high, and manage stability with other means, but every setup has its own compromises.

I have to deal with a lot of airborne dust in my area, and just use a domestic air purifier placed below the gear. I never incorporated dust control into a rack but I absolutely would if I went that route again. Probably some nice accessible filters at the front at floor level, with intake fans directly behind.

The only thing electronics like better than cool air is cool clean air

 

[TLS Guy]

I agree, but only up to a point. One of the big reasons for the spacing is almost all around single space gear and the size of the human hand. I can't tell you how many racks I've had to touch over the years where a control system, which is 1RU and direct rack mountable, and shallow, is placed directly under a power conditioner and directly above some other component. Both of which are deeper than the control system. Yet, the control system needs hands on it to make corrections and additions to what is going on.

So, while I do agree there is no hard and fast rule, it is my general rule to give equipment some spacing. Not just for reducing heat, but to allow for far greater accessibility. As a bonus, if you have an amp that is wired in place, and at some point in the future it fails, and the replacement amp you get is slightly taller, you have up to 2RU of growth for that product spacing without having to rework the entire rack.

I can easily get to all my units from behind, but the sides of the racks are open as well. In the main rack the only zero spaced units are the crossovers and the power amp controller. They make no detectable heat all all. The only units that get slightly warm are the AVP and UPS. The UPS is at the bottom, one in each of the three racks. They are also supported by the floor, as they are very heavy. If I did not have fairly close spacing the units would be too close to the floor. There are 64 units plugged into AC in this system. In addition the amp controller receives a 27 volt supply. I counted them yesterday. So a convenient stacking is really important.

The power amps are above the Audio work center, with a fan above exhausting to the outside of the house. I did have concerns with this, and probably would not have got away with 9 close spaced dual channel amps, if they were not current dumpers. I have checked the temp often, especially after driving hard, and temps are well in the safe range. The fan you can barely hear. It just extracts the air above the amps to outside the house, and does the job fine. There are three AC vents into the chase, so I have plenty of cold air coming in. Also the furnace AC fan is never turned off. It can't be because of the ERV and because of the central all season humidity control.
So far so good.

 

[TLS Guy]

I'd still prefer to put the hot stuff up high, and manage stability with other means, but every setup has its own compromises.

I have to deal with a lot of airborne dust in my area, and just use a domestic air purifier placed below the gear. I never incorporated dust control into a rack but I absolutely would if I went that route again. Probably some nice accessible filters at the front at floor level, with intake fans directly behind.

The only thing electronics like better than cool air is cool clean air

There are two filters on the ERV and the central air system has an electrostatic filter. The air is clean.

 

[Nicholas Caged Animal]

Could you just use some sawn off pieces of 2 by 4 timber on the corner for stacking on top of the other? Or Hockey pucks? This would still leave some space for ventilation

 

[TLS Guy]

Could you just use some sawn off pieces of 2 by 4 timber on the corner for stacking on top of the other? Or Hockey pucks? This would still leave some space for ventilation

If you had read this thread, then you would know one of the huge advantages of metal racks is that it makes grounding much simpler, more secure and certain. Wood is not a conductor.

 

[Alex2507]

Hubbell

They were throwing it out at work. Maybe consider being a construction rat like me and then waiting it out.

 

[highfigh]

They were throwing it out at work. Maybe consider being a construction rat like me and then waiting it out.

Free stuff is good!

That door would probably never handle the weight of AV equipment without sagging- not that all enterprise-grade network equipment is lightweight, but most of it isn't as heavy as a power amp, large AVR, etc. Lighter pieces, probably- especially with 2RU and 3RU shelves to add rigidity to fight racking.

I have been re-configuring my rack and am remembering how much easier it is to place the shelves when the rack is laying on its back, then loading it after the shelves are in place. I thought "I'm only moving a couple of pieces". Right. 'A couple' turned into 'every piece'. DOH! I should have just removed everything, but I needed to find out how many spaces of height I need, to be able to open the dust cover on my turntable when its sliding shelf is extended while I lay the LP on the platter and put the record clamp on. No, the clamp doesn't provide mystical powers, but it makes LPs lay flat since even the old ones aren't perfect, even though I have always stored them vertically.

 

[Alex2507]

That door would probably never handle the weight of AV equipment without sagging

You're right. I didn't realize there were like network racks and A/V racks. And I have scavenged heavy duty rails from network racks for a DIY A/V rack.

There's a lot of options to figure out. Thanks for pointing out that there are better options.

 

[highfigh]

You're right. I didn't realize there were like network racks and A/V racks. And I have scavenged heavy duty rails from network racks for a DIY A/V rack.

There's a lot of options to figure out. Thanks for pointing out that there are better options.

If you won't be filling the rack and will have at least 3RU that can be used for a blank panel, that would help prevent diagonal sagging , AKA 'racking'. Each piece that screws directly into the rails helps with this too, especially if they're 3RU and all of the screws holes are used.

 

[ryanosaur]

OK... So revisiting this:

Is there any reason to not use a server frame rack for audio gear?

I see several that are adjustable depth, thus allowing me to select the depth I need to accommodate my largest item and the cords plugged in behind.
Beyond that, the only other real difference I see is the use of box nuts instead of pre-drilled and tapped holes.

Thoughts, please?