Entertainment Center

[fuzz092888]

You would be an expert on things that suck

 

[Alex2507]

You would be an expert on things that suck

What sucks is that I need to empty out my closet and cut a hole in the ceiling to fish out a neutral from the Overhead Lighting Circuit and drop it in the open wall before I can insulate and close ... but yesterday since I got the box leveled and screwed into the floor and wall I was able to take the hope chest out of the living room and put it on top of the box on the ManTown (spare room) side.

It's hard to capture in a photo just how much of a difference the absence of that hope chest makes in an already small living room but I'm sure that GN would applaud the result. It's like I have him in the back of my head going 'but' ... 'if' ... 'why'. He's been good of late on the forum but in my head he just won't STFU.

I took a minute to straighten up and got better pic's of the front.

I guess while I'm here I'll say that I decided to not have the line of drywall from the door pocket plane out with the corner. I'll keep that jog the way it is to be able to jam in a towed in speaker corner in there. It'll add 3 inches of either space to walk or 3 inches of distance from port to boundary on the speaker. Also that shock of wire will go in the wall to emerge into a soffit that will plane out with the archway (that's what that opening that you walk through is called). Notice the outlet for speaker wire and coax.

Here's the diffuser that needs to be lowered to the height of the future soffit.

The place is a mess. I'm tired of living like this. Let's just hope that this brings 'Me and My Bright Ideas' to a close. Thanks everybody for taking an interest and keeping it fun ... except for GN ... from him I need silence.

 

[Rickster71]

The fit and reveal on the cabinet doors looks perfect. Nice job.
Looks like you're getting there.

 

[Alex2507]

Calling YAA !!!

My fan solution is too loud. The one I'm using measures 4-5/8" ^2 and plugs into a switched 120v outlet on my power center. It's grounded too ... not that that matters.

 

[GO-NAD!]

It's hard to capture in a photo just how much of a difference the absence of that hope chest makes in an already small living room but I'm sure that GN would applaud the result. It's like I have him in the back of my head going 'but' ... 'if' ... 'why'. He's been good of late on the forum but in my head he just won't STFU.

The place is a mess. I'm tired of living like this. Let's just hope that this brings 'Me and My Bright Ideas' to a close. Thanks everybody for taking an interest and keeping it fun ... except for GN ... from him I need silence.

Look, if it wasn't for my encouragement, that cabinet would still be in the shop! And this is the thanks I get!?

Seriously, this was/is an ambitious project. I tip my hat - it's looking great.

 

[GO-NAD!]

Calling YAA !!!

My fan solution is too loud. The one I'm using measures 4-5/8" ^2 and plugs into a switched 120v outlet on my power center. It's grounded too ... not that that matters.

That fan looks pretty industrial. Is it a 120V fan? Or, is it a 12V on a wall wart?

That's a pretty ghetto-looking installation. I hope you plan to cover it somehow. Sorry, I just can't help myself. However, I'm sure that if we tally up the abuse we've heaped on each other, you would be in the lead.

 

[sawzalot]

Calling YAA !!!

My fan solution is too loud. The one I'm using measures 4-5/8" ^2 and plugs into a switched 120v outlet on my power center. It's grounded too ... not that that matters.

I actually envisioned the fan installed on the inside , allowing the fancy Chinese style cuts to be on display , not enough room in the cabinet to do that ?

 

[Alex2507]

That side of the cabinet can't be seen from the doorway. I figured that if I had the fan on the outside pulling air out I would be less likely to hear it at the listening position. I'm not at all concerned about what it looks like in that corner. If anything I'm a little bothered that I have Ivory, Almond and White outlets in that corner. It looks like @$$ but it's not a priority.

 

[Adam]

Hey, Alex. There are a LOT of 120mm fans available. That's a very common size for computer cases. One that I had my eye on at Amazon was this one, but I didn't do an exhaustive industry search. Newegg has many to choose from, and people will often comment on the noise level.

Two things that I've used in the past to control fan noise are: (1) a constant lower voltage and (2) a fan controller with a variable voltage dial.

You can also get simple thermostats that will turn the fan on and off based on the temperature at some location in your cabinet.

 

[Alex2507]

YAA has done the leg work on this but that fan you linked I don't believe listed a db level but these guys did.

I really just want to plug it into a 120 volt receptacle because I have a switched one. Kind of a use what you got and get what you gotta get thing.

 

[Swerd]

My fan solution is too loud. The one I'm using measures 4-5/8" ^2 and plugs into a switched 120v outlet on my power center.

I still think you shouldn't go for a fan until you are certain your cabinet cannot passively vent enough air to deal with heat build up.

Muffin fans, even those that are 4⅝" diameter, are small. They move air with high RPM and most are noisy. They may move enough air for a computer cabinet, but not for your EC. Someone will be able to suggest quieter fans, but I think they don't move enough air to make them worth using.

While using your HT, do you plan to keep the glass doors open in front? What about the rear trap door? I can't imagine heat building up with those large openings in front and rear. If you want to keep the rear hatch closed, you may need more vent area on top.

One of your photos shows a hope chest sitting on top of the EC. Will that stay there? I hope not, because more openings in the top of the cabinet could let more heat escape. I would go large. Get some floor heat vents at Home Depot or Lowes. Cut openings on top (by hand or sabre saw – you don't have to pull the cabinet out for that) to fit the openings and drop them in. With several of those on top, hot air can escape as long as you keep open the glass doors in front or the hatch in the rear. Good ventilation, passive or fan-driven, requires both intake and exhaust vents.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

What sucks is that I need to empty out my closet and cut a hole in the ceiling to fish out a neutral from the Overhead Lighting Circuit and drop it in the open wall before I can insulate and close ... but yesterday since I got the box leveled and screwed into the floor and wall I was able to take the hope chest out of the living room and put it on top of the box on the ManTown (spare room) side.

It's hard to capture in a photo just how much of a difference the absence of that hope chest makes in an already small living room but I'm sure that GN would applaud the result. It's like I have him in the back of my head going 'but' ... 'if' ... 'why'. He's been good of late on the forum but in my head he just won't STFU.

I took a minute to straighten up and got better pic's of the front.

I guess while I'm here I'll say that I decided to not have the line of drywall from the door pocket plane out with the corner. I'll keep that jog the way it is to be able to jam in a towed in speaker corner in there. It'll add 3 inches of either space to walk or 3 inches of distance from port to boundary on the speaker. Also that shock of wire will go in the wall to emerge into a soffit that will plane out with the archway (that's what that opening that you walk through is called). Notice the outlet for speaker wire and coax.

Here's the diffuser that needs to be lowered to the height of the future soffit.

The place is a mess. I'm tired of living like this. Let's just hope that this brings 'Me and My Bright Ideas' to a close. Thanks everybody for taking an interest and keeping it fun ... except for GN ... from him I need silence.

Cabinet looks great.

What is that giant wire running on the wall?

My dual ghetto fans work great and I can't hear them at all.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

This seems like a good time to spring my foot photo trap on Greg.

The above pic aside from making Greg a little sick shows the ManTown side. Of particular significance is the 120v exiting the wall in a normal fashion with a GFCI receptacle. That's Rick's doing. Just a note for Rick: when somebody is being stupid it's okay to tell them, "Hey, you're being stupid." Anyway the Monster power center plugs into that (the other cord is just to power up a lamp temporarily). The cable company coax exits the wall there too.

!

I just now saw this you sick-o....

 

[fuzz092888]

I still think you shouldn't go for a fan until you are certain your cabinet cannot passively vent enough air to deal with heat build up.

Muffin fans, even those that are 4⅝" diameter, are small. They move air with high RPM and most are noisy. They may move enough air for a computer cabinet, but not for your EC. Someone will be able to suggest quieter fans, but I think they don't move enough air to make them worth using.

While using your HT, do you plan to keep the glass doors open in front? What about the rear trap door? I can't imagine heat building up with those large openings in front and rear. If you want to keep the rear hatch closed, you may need more vent area on top.

One of your photos shows a hope chest sitting on top of the EC. Will that stay there? I hope not, because more openings in the top of the cabinet could let more heat escape. I would go large. Get some floor heat vents at Home Depot or Lowes. Cut openings on top (by hand or sabre saw – you don't have to pull the cabinet out for that) to fit the openings and drop them in. With several of those on top, hot air can escape as long as you keep open the glass doors in front or the hatch in the rear. Good ventilation, passive or fan-driven, requires both intake and exhaust vents.

SO the fan you have is too noisy. I don't know what it's rated for, but the other two fans that were linked, the turbine and the home theater cooling are about 30 db. I have a little 80X80 USB fan which is rated at about 30 db and it sounds like a plane getting ready to take off. Especially when you're trying to watch a movie and it gets quiet.

As Swerd said above, suggesting quieter fans may not do you a whole lot, at least at 120mm. At 200MM you have 10 less db and double the CFM. My two recommendations would be one of these fans

EDIT: the XIGAMETK is a 140 mm fan
Newegg.com - XIGMATEK XAF-F1451 140mm Case Fan Ultra Quiet Copper Bushing Axis Aeronautical Oil System Bearing

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER R4-MFJR-07FK-R1 200mm Case Fan

I think one of them has LED's, but that's easy enough to disable. You would also need an adapter for these, but with a bigger fan you could plug it in, let it run full bore, and still not have the noise problems while moving more air too.

I also think that you should leave that side vent alone, which should save you time, and mount the fans on the top of the cabinet at the rear. I think that would make a for better airflow.

 

[Rickster71]

I really just want to plug it into a 120 volt receptacle because I have a switched one. Kind of a use what you got and get what you gotta get thing.

They make short extension cords with slide dimmers built in.
Usually used for table lamps
Let me go look for a link. Edit: something like this to slow it down and make it quiet. http://www.lowes.com/pd_70717-539-TT-300NLH-WH_0__?productId=3189447

 

[Rickster71]

I agree with when it was mentioned earlier about passive cooling first.
It may be fine with the existing vents and no fans.
Maybe just open that back hatch a bit to help vent during use....you might not even need that opened.

 

[GO-NAD!]

I agree with when it was mentioned earlier about passive cooling first.
It may be fine with the existing vents and no fans.
Maybe just open that back hatch a bit to help vent during use....you might not even need that opened.

Having his back hatch open during use, is something Alex should be accustomed to...

 

[Alex2507]

I still think you shouldn't go for a fan until you are certain your cabinet cannot passively vent enough air to deal with heat build up.

Muffin fans, even those that are 4⅝" diameter, are small. They move air with high RPM and most are noisy. They may move enough air for a computer cabinet, but not for your EC. Someone will be able to suggest quieter fans, but I think they don't move enough air to make them worth using.

The rec'r sits in that corner and it has about an inch clearance top and bottom (due to the feet). A small quiet fan that size doesn't have to flush out the whole cabinet but only move some air to give me some kind of peace of mind. A Denon 4311 would give me an additional 1/2 inch of clearance but I'm not there yet financially.

While using your HT, do you plan to keep the glass doors open in front? What about the rear trap door?

I imagine the front would be open but I didn't want to need the back open. I suppose I could make sure I open it but I didn't want to have to do anything other than hit PLAY.

One of your photos shows a hope chest sitting on top of the EC. Will that stay there?

No, it's there temporarily to clear out the living room.

What is that giant wire running on the wall?

It will get put either in the wall or I'll build a soffit around it for the run along the ceiling.

My dual ghetto fans work great and I can't hear them at all.

Link please?

They make short extension cords with slide dimmers built in.
Usually used for table lamps
Let me go look for a link. Edit: something like this to slow it down and make it quiet. Shop Lutron Credenza 1.5-Amp White/Gloss Slide Dimmer at Lowes.com

That looks interesting.

SO the fan you have is too noisy. I don't know what it's rated for, but the other two fans that were linked, the turbine and the home theater cooling are about 30 db. I have a little 80X80 USB fan which is rated at about 30 db and it sounds like a plane getting ready to take off. Especially when you're trying to watch a movie and it gets quiet.

That's disheartening. Is yours blowing in or out ... wait, it's in the cabinet. Mine would be outside the cabinet blowing out so maybe it would only sound like a small plane.

As Swerd said above, suggesting quieter fans may not do you a whole lot, at least at 120mm. At 200MM you have 10 less db and double the CFM. My two recommendations would be one of these fans

EDIT: the XIGAMETK is a 140 mm fan
Newegg.com - XIGMATEK XAF-F1451 140mm Case Fan Ultra Quiet Copper Bushing Axis Aeronautical Oil System Bearing

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER R4-MFJR-07FK-R1 200mm Case Fan

The 140mm one is a little bigger than I need. I've got some other fans kicking around that were way louder but they may be acceptable with Rick's slide dimmer.

I also think that you should leave that side vent alone, which should save you time, and mount the fans on the top of the cabinet at the rear. I think that would make a for better airflow.

I agree but I want the top of that cabinet clear. If passive ventilation is enough then a little help in a trouble area will give me some comfort knowing that I did something but I'm not willing to have fans mounted on top like that. The side vent is out of the way and out of the line of sight.

I agree with when it was mentioned earlier about passive cooling first.
It may be fine with the existing vents and no fans.
Maybe just open that back hatch a bit to help vent during use....you might not even need that opened.

I quoted all the passive ventilation suggestions just to acknowledge that I hear you guys. I have literally spent all day wiring up and repositioning components. This is a lot of wire and why couldn't j_garcia have put his Oppo up for sale before I bought a Panny BR player with 8 channel analog outs?

My knees and back need a break. A KFC break.

 

[Bryceo]

Is it finished yet?

 

[fuzz092888]

I see now. Well then I agree with Rick that the dimmer switch would probably be fine. A fan controller would work as well.

Do you have the fan attached to the 120V plug with a 3 pin connector? If so there's this:

Coolerguys Manual Fan Controller 3pin to dual 3 pin connector- suitable to use w/thermal controller

I don't know if you'd be interested since you already have all the holes cut and you're sticking the fan on the outside anyways, but coolerguys has started making these packages. 120mm fans with options. You can pick the type of grill or no grill (they have wood now for a grill) and your choice of fan only, power supply, power supply +manual controller, power supply + thermal controller, etc

http://www.coolerguys.com/cabcool1201.html

For 120mm fans only, I think this is an interesting one. It comes with an optional Low Noise Adapter which brings the noise down to 12db at 900 RPM's with ~42 CFM which is pretty good for a 120mm fan producing only 12db. Without the LNA it does 1300 RPM's at 19 db's with ~54+ CFM, which is still as good as most 120mm fans. This would also keep you from having to buy a dimmer switch or the controller I linked to.

http://www.coolerguys.com/840556099741.html