Where to get blank rack shelves/panels from

liv_rong

liv_rong

Knows very little
Didnt know where to post, this seemed like as good a place as any.

A buddy and I are planning on making an xlr patchbay. Does anyone sell any kind of blank stuff that we can easily attach the connectors to?

This is what we are going to make, just less channels depending on what kind of blank stuff is available. Hopefully we dont have to cut out each hole for the connectors.

Any help or guidance is much appreciated.
 
Digi-Key and Mouser have them. Do a Google under "blank rack panels" and you'll find tons of rack stuff.
 
Dumb question, why don't just buy one? I'm not handy with stuff like this so I have to buy stuff already made. If all else fails, try Radio Shack.
 
dodgeaspen said:
Dumb question, why don't just buy one? I'm not handy with stuff like this so I have to buy stuff already made. If all else fails, try Radio Shack.
Click to expand...

first of all it's not a very steep learning curve and the only real knowledge involved is how to put together an XLR cable. as a recordist you will definitely have an XLR cable break and you will be much better off learning how to repair them than buying a new one every time.

other than that it's just organizational details that make things nicer but aren't really essential to the workings of the unit. I built this one from parts from redco.com for under 100 dollars. if i remember correctly it may have been closer to 80.

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it's 16 inputs. two sets of 8 pair snake cable, one longer than the other so that it can get to the top of the rack. i bought a panel with extra holes in case i want to add something later on. they sell all sorts of connectors to fit into those holes in the panel from XLR and 1/4 inch to speakon, usb and firewire jacks

it makes it very nice because once it's wired i don't have to access the back of the rack at all. the jacks go to preamps which then go to their various A/D inputs.

the closest thing that can do what this does is a hosa unit that costs 120 dollars.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PDR369/
the cons to that unit are:
1. it's hosa
2. it costs more
3. you still need cables once you buy the hosa rack
4. it has less channels and no chance for expandability like mine does.
 
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Hmmmm, so you dont have more jacks on the rear? Its just one panel with a female connector on the front and then its essentially just a cable to go to the pres? I didnt think of doing it like that, I like that better than what I was thinking. I was going to just make a box with inputs on the front and outputs on the back, which would have been a lot more expensive.
 
yeah the jacks are just panel mount "D series" XLR. from there i stripped some 8 channnel snake cable back so that it's nice and neat and used some zip ties to keep it all from getting tangled. solder it up. add XLRs to the other end and you are done.

i highly doubt anything in my home made panel will fail ever and if it does, i made it so i know how to fix it. those hosa jobs are expensive and since they are hosa are automatically suspect for failure. plus you need the cable out the back of them so there's yet another set of connectors that could fail also. i like to keep things simple.
 
You could make one using extruded aluminum sold at hardware stores. They sell U shaped stuff that works. It cuts easily with a fine metal bit on a jigsaw. Or use an old rack mount piece of gear and put a flat piece of aluminum on the front. To drill bigger holes nicely you will need a drill bit like this:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-900026/
Unless I made it from scratch I'd probably buy a completed one used.
If you have the XLR's you should be able to make one almost free, or close to it. Buying all the parts from reputable companies is too expensive I think.
 
For me, I wouldn't want to have any patchbay in between the mic and a computer, I just wire it straight from the mic to the mic pre to the compressor and then into the A/D converters, and all with the shortest homemade cables.
 
It was a complete success, except for the part where I ordered not enough/wrong connectors (I thought one of me pres had an xlr out, but it had a trs out). I also learned how to make cables and it was pretty easy and straight forward. It all cost me about $150 shipped, I bought all Nuetrik connectors (except for the trs thru jacks) and Gotham "Double Reussen shield" cable.

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