Component Rack

[TheWarrior]

In assembling my new 2.0 set up, I am now in need of some cabinet space. As with many things I do, its completely over-built and will weigh about 70lbs when finished. It's all 3/4" Red Oak. There can be an epic earthquake, and the house will collapse, but damnit, my electronics will be safe!

So here's the preliminary:

Here's my hand sketch of what I'm building:

My VERY tight working quarters. Since I no longer have a garage, I have to work in the open. And I have very nice neighbors whom I do not wish to upset by coating their cars (especially the old Porsche 356) in saw dust. So I work in my alley.

Here's the pieces for the sides clamped for sanding. I don't have a jointer here so everything get sanded by hand.

One side (laying on its side) measuring 18"x 27.25"

From this angle you can see the beginnings of the interior. This single piece placed horizontally marks the bottom of the cabinet. The base will create the first shelf for a UPA-1. On top of this piece, there will be another shelf. This pattern will repeat all the way up. Extra sturdy, extra heavy. 50lb casters will be on the bottom

 

[TheWarrior]

Alrighty, got some progress, and time to actually post it...

First, a pretty pic of where I started

Next, its time for some tunes. Make my amps work while watching me build their new house

For the record, the only power tools being used are a corded drill and a miter saw. And no, a 10" blade will not cut through a 1x8, so you've got to be spot on when you flip it over. With accurate cuts, my life is made much easier. Particularly with my favorite pass time (NOT), sanding!

Smoooooooth. And yes my fellow motorcyclists, that is my pet Tiger in the background. You'll notice there is, and NEVER has been, a car.

Back inside, its time to put on the casters

Gluing up the little side panels. There will be a matching front glued on before I go to bed. These boards leave about 1/2" clearance, and should hide the casters well. With the cabinet pushing 70lbs when finished, and about the same amount of weight in electronics being placed on its shelves, I used 4-50lb casters

Tomorrow morning I hope to finish the 1x2 'face' that will conceal all the cut sides. That sets me up for Thursday to perform all finish sanding and then apply the stain. Fri-Sun will be for the polyurethane. I need to read the can again, but I may not be able to use the cabinet until Tuesday. But either way, thats the finish line!

 

[annunaki]

Wow! Very stout equipment rack!

Hopefully you will be able to lift it into the house and manage to push it on those casters.

 

[TheWarrior]

Wow! Very stout equipment rack!

Hopefully you will be able to lift it into the house and manage to push it on those casters.

Its a bomb shelter for my amps

I wasn't joking when I said I have a tendency to 'over-build'

 

[MDS]

I'm a firm believer in overkill too.

Be sure to post final pictures when it's all done, I'd like to see them.

 

[TheWarrior]

Ok, here she is with the face getting glued up, as you can see it does a nice job of hiding the cut sides of all the interior boards. It also keeps with my very plain design scheme. The amps are the star, not the cabinet.

Sanded and ready to stain

Weapons of choice

The result

Naturally, this is waaay less than ideal as the wind from the ocean blows dust all over this, but oh well. It makes me happy, and this is not for sale. The low (for so-cal) over night temps have not fully dried the stain. I'll check again in a few hours but the Polyurethane may have to wait.

 

[its phillip]

Looks great! Nice work

 

[TheWarrior]

Thanks! I'll post a final Installed pic next week once its all finished and dry!

 

[96cobra10101]

Very nice.

 

[TheWarrior]

Weee... The Flu has put my plans on hold.

The good news is that I read the Polyurethane can again and realized that because it is water based, you can apply a second coat after 2 hours. I won't be done on Tuesday, but it will still be this week. I've got a plasma to order to finish this all up!

 

[afterlife2]

That's plain beautiful great job! That would look nice in my apt since mostly everything is Brown. In that a Vizio I spy? Feel better! Can't wait till you have everything inside the cabinets pictures.

 

[TheWarrior]

Yes, a 19" Vizio. Its so funny seeing it sit between the speakers on a pile of amps, but it works. The Oppo 93 has such superb picture quality that even this little TV benefits. We watch Harry Potter, had no clue how much was going on in the background.

I've been using the cabinet as a carrot. As soon as it gets installed, I get to order a plasma. Gonna shop around and hope to find a good deal on the now discontinued 42" ST30 from Panasonic. Even got the extender arm wall mount so if its just me, I can angle the TV towards the kitchen while I cook. Coolest studio apartment you're ever gonna find!

 

[TheWarrior]

Woohoo, its done!

The cabinet is not in its final position, it'll get moved to the right when the plasma gets here. But for now, I just marvel at its beauty and that of the amps... I'm a happy camper!

I'll keep posting in this thread for when the TV gets here, and then there will still be one or two more add ons to hide the wires behind wood paneling. But the hard stuff is done!

 

[afterlife2]

Stunning work! Can I order one from you? What is that on the second shelf? and why would I need it?

 

[TheWarrior]

Thanks! No! I'm very happy with it but its a pain in the *** not having a workshop, nor would it be cost effective for you

That's the APC H15 power conditioner. I need it cause I need clean power and protection for my stack of electronics!

 

[afterlife2]

lol I was kidding but if you lived in NYC...man that thing is expensive for a power surge...does the cheaper version do the same thing? Amazon.com: Apc G5Blk 9-Outlet G-Type Rack-Mountable Power Conditioner: Electronics

or http://www.amazon.com/APC-C5BLK-Theater-Power-Filter/dp/B000FIQABA/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1328329227&sr=8-7

 

[TheWarrior]

In hindsight I would have saved a couple bucks and bought the H10, simply because I was not considering that the circuit breaker likely will not handle all of this, and a plasma display.

Your needs (voltage, number and type of components) determine what you will need. It also has excellent filtering (AC current naturally has alot of spikes and dips which translates to 'dirty' sound and picture among other probs) .

Check out the Audioholics store. I did a quick search on that product and found it much cheaper. APC AV C5BLK Surge Protector

I don't know much about that product so I do not have a recommendation, other than if you do not have more than a basic $20 surge protector and a nice AVR/TV then I would look in to something with basic filtering.

 

[afterlife2]

Thank you Warrior I'll look into one. It might help my reception and sound so why not. I can't wait for the complete setup pics you really did a great job. BTW I have that Vizio in 22".

 

[TheWarrior]

Oops, I never finished this! Sorry I got distracted

My Tiger, and the house for my tools that I built a couple months ago.

Sorry these pics didn't come out quite so well, but you can see the advantages of the Sanus VMF-220 wall mount. Two bolts into the wall, and it can handle up to a 47" TV (other mounts can handle larger sets). With this being a tiny studio beach apartment, this makes all the difference for viewing while in the kitchen, or in bed. One TV to rule them all!

Obviously hadn't moved the cabinet back in to place after having just installed the TV, but whatever. My system is now complete! Details are the hiding of the wires and the staining of the backing panels for the speakers. But, the new development is that we're going to enjoy our last summer here in Laguna, and then to blow this popsicle stand and head back to Atlanta. So I may never get around to this...

My girlfriend is a special event producer, whom I thought was determined to succeed here after being dumped by Disney when the economy tanked. Turns out she's sick of the OC, and loves the idea owning land and a house without our weirdo neighbors on all sides of us. So off we go!

Back on topic... The Panasonic ST30 42" is a great TV! Picture quality is great, especially being fed through the BDP-93. I can see room for improvement, but as an all around TV it does the job well. I may also pick up a calibration disc as I do not have the experience to calibrate it movie by movie.

This TV is now discontinued tho, so hopefully any replacement will at least match its performance : price ratio. And a HUGE props to the Audioholics store. They had the TV listed on their site, I placed my order, and then they informed me that Panasonic US had sold out, and it was no longer available. They were able to track down a brand new set and have it freighted direct! Thanks guys!

The BDP-93 is remarkable. If anyone has questioned why it costs so much more than your generic players, its because of its output capabilities. I first used it hooked up to a little 19" and the difference was astounding. And Blu-ray movies are excellent! There is a noticeable difference even on a 42" screen. I would not pay $20 for a blu-ray, but have found plenty of $5-$10 discs at Wally World. I also got Lord of the Rings cheap too, and oh man is that sweet!

The Emotiva equipment XDA-1, and dual UPA-1's have raised the bar. Effortless sound. They do it all for low level lounge listening, to high impact movie watching. The 12V triggers do their job, so everything can be controlled through the neat little aluminum remote. I love that thing. Its a brick! They're only limited by my RBH WM-30's. Once we get settled in Atl, I intend to upgrade them with some DIY towers (looking at the 2.5 Revelators, or if I stay stereo, Orions). Nothing against manufacturers, I just love building and tinkering, and had never before considered building my own speakers. To show my geek, I compare this to constructing my own lightsaber.

For anyone concerned about the electrical requirements for the amps, I have them on a 20 amp circuit, with lights, and low voltage cell phone/laptop connections as well as the XDA and BDP. No issues to report, and the APC lets me know of any voltage concerns.

Moral of the story, I'm happy as could be with my choices. And look forward to the continual improvement of my system, especially once we relocate!

 

[tattoo_Dan]

great story and amp rack ! very nice work,

what's with the Big Sur pic ?