rack mount heat

  • Thread starter Thread starter wes480
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wes480

wes480

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concerned with putting my rackmount gear right on top of each other...

like, my Avalon U5 gets semi hot and has vents all along the top...do i really want a couple RNCs, or an RNP...or..anything else...pressing right against it? Or is "that ok and that's what the stuff is made for"...

<in which case why does it need mad vents :) >
 
You are thinking exactly right, Wes. You should always be aware of where the vents are on any gear and be careful to leave them unblocked.

In addition, you want to identify which units tend to run hot in normal operation. Gear loaded with tubes can get particularly toasty, but some non-tube gear gets quite warm as well. In those cases, it is generally considered good practise to leave an empty rack space between the "hot" piece and the one above it. This allows air convection to cool the warm unit, and protects the unit above it from conducted heat.

If you should ever get a Fairchild, you won't want to put anything within six rack spaces of it!
 
You'r absolutly right... heat is one of the biggest problems. In bigger installations, where they have a machine room, you will normally rack everything with at least one he of rack space between every piece. And they install cooling to keep temperature under control.
In a studio you will "loose" 50% of your rack space this way, so it's not a practical solution, so careful planning and distribution of eq is needed.
If it heats up on the outside you can just imagine what will happen inside.... hi temperature will reduce the lifetime of your equipment. Most capacitors will change value when exposed in hi tempearture, a lot of the "old vintage stuff" might need their cap's replaced to get their response back....
 
Yeah, I believe you can get rackmount fan units. Try raxxis or one of thoe sites. If not, definitely take care to separate amps and preamps as they normally run hotter. Not only do they need the space for air flow, but they will cook other units near them if they get real hot.
 
cool...i left a space between the U5 and the "rack rider" which is above it - the rack rider (little power supplier thing)....doesn't seem to get too hot.
 
Not only can heat be a problem, but also transformer bleed with resulting hum, especially with a preamp adjacent to any other rack unit. I can tell you that if you put a DBX386 and a Joemeek twinQcs in adjacent rack spaces, they will both hum like a mother. Convection cooled power amps can also be a problem if not allowed to breath, but it's still better than fans. It seems to be an axiom- "there's never enough rack space.'-richie
 
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