As a few of you know I've built a garage over the summer and have been working on consolidating all of my gear from all my zones into a second rack in my basement. It has taken a bit longer than I expected but I am now at a point where I am "finished" with all my sources, remotes and zones up and running.
I guess it is always fun to start with a before pic. Here is the way I had some of this gear setup before I started.
The system was primarily a SD 4 zone system using an Integra MZA 4.7 as the main controller for the zones. I did add a 4x2 component matrix switch for a while but when the garage came I decided I needed at least 4 HD zones.
After bugging BMX for some help he recommended an Extron matrix switch which are primarily a professional switcher. These have all BNC connections and RGBHV inputs/outputs. I found that I could use one of the Horizontal or Vertical inputs to transmit digital audio. Also the model I purchased allows for analog switching with volume control. So for under 200 I have a matrix switch that not only will handle 8x4 zones with component video/digital audio but acts as a preamp as well!
This pic is of the entire new rack. I purchases 4 Middle Atlantic rails and built the rest from 2x4's I had left over from the garage build.
From the top down:
Cat5e patch panel
Monoprice 24port 10/100 switch
MA power center
URC MSC-400 - Master controller for all URC remotes. RS-232 & IR control
Popcornhour C-200
Niles SI-245 amp - bedroom amp.
Dell computer for music files and future Home Controller (homeseer)
DTV HD Sat box
DTV HD Sat box
Sony DVD Player
Extron Crosspoint 300 8x4 matrix switch
Monster Power Center
Custom Server Raid5 4 Hotswap 2TB drives
I also rewired my phone system and SWiM switch for my DTV into a new structured wire box. That is the white box at the top. I have DSL so the new distribution panel I purchases allows me to strip the DSL out to the router and then just send the phone to each jack. This way I don't have to use any of the "dongles" that you would normally with a DSL system.
this is the back of the rack. I mounted it sideways so I would have the ability to easily work on the wiring without have to have any kind of a slide out mechanism. The small box on the outer part is a mini KVM switch so I can access the computers directly if I am not using remote desktop to access them. I am mounting a small monitor directly above this and will have a wireless keyboard with a trackpad when they come in.
Next pic is the back of the MSC. I am using 3 of the 5 IR ports, All 5 RS232 ports, 4 of 5 video sensors, 2 RF antennas and one of the relays which I can use as a 12v trigger for the bedroom amp.
To feed my ripped music I am using a MusicStreamer USB Dac. Great product for the money. (thanks Greg) I used velcro to mount this and the baluns so they are out of the way but still easily accessible.
The last pic I will bore you with is the back of the Extron matrix switch. Here you can see all three baluns I am using to feed my HD signal via Cat5 to the zones. Also you can see that the analog inputs actually don't use RCA connections. I had to custom make the wires and use their phoenix connectors to the matrix switch.
All and all I am super happy with the outcome. I can now use up to 8 sources shared across all 4 zones plus the theater. I have quite the selection of URC remotes now to control everything. The CCP software makes it very easy to have all of your remotes and base stations in one file so updates are very easy.
