Metal Equipment rack

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Toker41

Better Than You
I have come into a 5' metal equipment rack (for severs, networking, etc.). I can easily fit all my gear (well, alot of it ), plus my PC, and a 17" monitor in this one rack. I have never heard anyone speak of using one of these in a home studio, so before I go ahead and bring it home I need to ask a stupid question...
...is there any reason I shouldn't use a metal equipment rack for my gear?
 
I had looked at one of those too. They are less expensive than the contemporary rack pieces. I cant think of a reason why you wouldnt use a metal rack. I mean, the rack you have now links the rack equipment with a metal rail, right. Whats the difference? I say go for it. And if you dont mind, how much, and where?
 
That is the best part..
...it was free. Buddy of mine had one laying around. He came by it at work where it was headed for the scrap pile. Painted it black and it looks like new. Only problem I see is that the rails aren't threaded, but no big deal, I can use clips.
 
I have a couple and I use the 7' version at work. The only thing you may have to be careful of is ground loops. It may not be a problem for you but it's something to watch out for. They make a nylon mounting bushing to electricly isolate equipment on the rack rails from each other. I've also used nylon screws and washers.
 
I used to use three 6 foot metal racks for my gear. Get some nylon washers for your gear, the kind with the little raised lip around the hole. I forget what they are called. Anyway, mount one washer on the inside of the rack face, as well as on the outside. That will isolate the gear. The point being to keep metal from touching metal.

For a while I also used nylon rack screws, but that was more of a pain to do than just using the nylon washers.
 
Toker41 said:
That is the best part..
...it was free. Buddy of mine had one laying around. He came by it at work where it was headed for the scrap pile. Painted it black and it looks like new. Only problem I see is that the rails aren't threaded, but no big deal, I can use clips.
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Hi

I wouldn't be half as worried about the ground loop issue mentioned below because ground loops are caused by potential differences so you would more want things to be closely coupled than separated... imagine the concept of a big console with lots of third party equipment in it... good grounds are nice. Flaky grounds down shielded cables are bad.

In any case, insulating the screw with a plastic washer is not going to stop the body of the equipment from bonding through the rack metalwork. I've worked in radio and TV boadcast studios and nobody insulates the equipment from the racking.

That aside, I'd be more worried about sticking your monitor in there unless it's a flat LCD one. There's hell and all radiation comes out of a monitor (they use magnetic deflection) and you wouldn't want it too close to any mic pres or similar sensitive equipment.

:(

Geoff
www.auroraaudio.net
 
Geoff_T said:
In any case, insulating the screw with a plastic washer is not going to stop the body of the equipment from bonding through the rack metalwork. I've worked in radio and TV boadcast studios and nobody insulates the equipment from the racking.
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I'm just curious about this statement. If the body of the gear is not touching the rack, and the screws are insulated from touching the gear at the rack holes, how could the gear still bond with the metal rack?
 
Ground loop problems shouldnt occur in this case. The ground on the outlet plug is usually bonded to the case of the piece of equipment. So connecting the ground from each chassis to eachother, is just the same as plugging the gronded receptacle into a grounded outlet. Ground loops occur when youhave a difference in potential from one grounded outlet ot another. By grounding all the chasis together, you actually solve that problem, (if some of your equipment was plugged into different outlets). No I dont think you need to use nylon washers and screws. Just regular clips designed for #10 screws should do you fine. Or you can get some lock nuts for the screws. Either way, you are good to go.
 
SonicAlbert said:
I'm just curious about this statement. If the body of the gear is not touching the rack, and the screws are insulated from touching the gear at the rack holes, how could the gear still bond with the metal rack?
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Hi

You are screwing a metal case securely against a metal rail... the contact area of the screws is minimal compared to the surface area of the rear of the rack ears.

In a proper studio environment I take steps (dirty great long ones) to bond those metal racks to the studio technical earth.

You want everything bonded tightly together and they all connect together (as the other poster mentioned) via the earth pin of the power cord anyway.

Ground is your friend! ;)

Geoff
www.auroraaudio.net
 
^ What he said

I used 1/2" braid with a 1/4" termail at each end when I used metal racks.

I can say EFI was knocked down to zilch :D
 
OK,
Thanks guys, some great advice here. Let me see if I have this right...
...If I plug all the gear into a rackmount power strip (probably more like 3 or 4 strips) and the gear has a ground plug, and the power strip has a ground plug...and I plug all the power strips to the same outlet (or outlets on the same line) I shouldn't have to worry about using nylon screws or anything like that?
If this is so..what about the gear that does not have a ground plug, but uses a wallwart instead?
 
Toker41 said:
OK,
Thanks guys, some great advice here. Let me see if I have this right...
...If I plug all the gear into a rackmount power strip (probably more like 3 or 4 strips) and the gear has a ground plug, and the power strip has a ground plug...and I plug all the power strips to the same outlet (or outlets on the same line) I shouldn't have to worry about using nylon screws or anything like that?
If this is so..what about the gear that does not have a ground plug, but uses a wallwart instead?
Click to expand...

Hi

Try to buy one of those long metal power strips that's designed to fit into equipment racking and has more than enough outlets for the number of items you are fitting to the rack.

This will spare you cascading power strips which is messy.

The only reason I would use those nylon washers was to prevent from scratching the front panels... it's nothing to do with insulation.

Your walwart gear may or may not get a ground off the rack via its metalwork but there's more than a sporting chance that it will via any cables and if you have everything closely tied together, you won't have potential differences and shouldn't have ground loops.

It's a good idea to bond the rack to ground as well.
Don't forget what I mentioned about not putting the monitor in the rack if it's a VDU because it radiates everywhere. A bit like putting a fox in the chicken run!

:)

Geoff Tanner
www.auroraaudio.net
 
Thanks.
I did take note of the "don't" on the monitor. I try to keep my monitors (2 of them) away from everything, but was thinking that room is getting tight. Wonder how the wife would feel about knocking out a wall or two. Don't care...just wonder...hehe.
 
Any reason I shouldn't mount my PC in with the rest of the gear? (It's a rackmount PC)
 
Hi

That shouldn't be a problem, compared to the EMF coming from the monitor. I'd put it at the bottom of the rack and any sensitive stuff like hi-gain mic pres at the top of the rack.
 
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