Homemade rack effects

suicidalmoose · September 05, 2006, 05:29:20 AM

I've done a few searches on this forum and haven't found what i'm looking for ...

Is it possible to get affordable rack cases for effects (much like you can buy those metal pedal cases)? I don't have access to metal working equipment and it seems like all the rack cases out their are for Servers which of course bumps the price due to the power supply and general layout. Guys ... I've got a drill, and that's pretty much it, any advice?

I'm purely building this for convenience not to create studio quality effects but to house a variety of analogue effects in one enclosure on top of other rack units that i already own.

Also does anybody have advice for creating a footswitch for such a unit? to switch effects on and off remotely that uses a standard mono/stereo cable of some sort? kind of like channel switching on an amp.

Thank you all.

GibsonGM · September 05, 2006, 08:16:24 AM

Search google for "electronic enclosures". Circuit Specialists, Inc. has them, and you can order them off the net. I don't think any of them will be 'cheap', tho! Very do-able idea - a little complicated, and it will take some thought and cost some dough.

Making the foot controller will just involve expanding on the idea of true bypass switching, and could be FET based or just mechanical. You could end up with anything from mono, stereo or more conductors depending on how many effects you have in there & what you want to be able to do with them. Could even use a PC parallel cable and have many options. Check out the foot pedals for some amps for ideas.

David · September 05, 2006, 08:28:24 AM

Mount your unit in this:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?DID=7&PartNumber=262-430

idlechatterbox · September 05, 2006, 08:28:50 AM

Worked for me:
If you watch the ebay auctions, every now and then they sell junked patchbays for about the price of shipping. Since a patchbay is mainly empty space, it worked good for a pedal cocoon, and it had the benefit of a zillion 1/4 jacks already screwed into place for the various cables. I eventually found an even better enclosure in the form of a discarded DVD player. Nothing but (more) empty space, and lots of holes in the back so no drilling required. At one point I had 3 pedals (store-bought) and a pre-amp in there. Heck, I probably could have played a DVD on it too! I've read others who've been even more imaginative with reincarnating enclosures.

Dave_B · September 05, 2006, 09:14:29 AM

Par-Metal gets good reviews on the DIY Audio forum. I've got some old rack gear that I planned on attacking, but I'm not sure it's worth it, given the prices and appearance for a new one.

lumpymusic · September 05, 2006, 09:32:46 AM

Quote from: suicidalmoose on September 05, 2006, 05:29:20 AM
Is it possible to get affordable rack cases for effects...

My local thrift store seems to always have a bunch of rack mount
security camera controllers for about $13 each. The back panel
is filled with BNC connectors, which probably don't have much
use for pedal/audio stuff, but the holes are already there and
the cases are metal, designed for RF shielding.

Lumpy

suicidalmoose · September 05, 2006, 09:53:25 AM

good stuff guys, i'll look into all of it! I think if i'm clever i might even be able to make a rackmount system that's compatible with my the footswitch of the amp i'm gonna get (a Laney GH50L), get some sort of boost happening there and stuff (it's a single channel amp with a boost function). Good stuff.

Cheers,

Dave_B · September 05, 2006, 10:09:46 AM

Another thing to look for on eBay is old video equipment. A lot of those things are rackmounted and occasionally dirt cheap because they're obsoleted. Ten years ago they might have cost you $60,000, but not anymore.

suicidalmoose · September 05, 2006, 10:21:56 AM

i guess those interested in buying a "new" solution can have a look at the behringer patchbay Px1000, if they don't mind the behringer name it's a 1u 19" rack.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Behringer-Patch-Bay-PX1000-Patchbay_W0QQitemZ150027426742QQihZ005QQcategoryZ23792QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

pretty cheap (cheaper than buying enclosures for the 4 or 5 effects).

once again thanks.

Dave_B · September 05, 2006, 11:52:28 AM

Quote from: suicidalmoose on September 05, 2006, 10:21:56 AM
i guess those interested in buying a "new" solution can have a look at the behringer patchbay Px1000, if they don't mind the behringer name it's a 1u 19" rack.

Double check the depth, though. Some of those patch bays are only a couple of inches deep.

Dave_B · September 05, 2006, 11:59:17 AM

Also, there's a forum member, Garrett, who had several of these made. They were 4" deep if I remember correctly. He was selling them for less than the Behringer and they were ready to drill. He hasn't posted here in several months, so you might drop him an email. Check is profile for an addy.

Mark Hammer · September 05, 2006, 02:21:12 PM

A great many of the rackmount projects from PAiA and other places come with absolutely no case whatsoever. Just the rack panel, and a bunch of jacks for patching and powering purposes on the front. If the rack case you plan to put your work in provides adequate shielding and protection for the contents, you could quite easily go with that look-ma-no-case approach.

Alternatively, why not just attach a modest Hammond aluminum box like this one (http://www.hammondmfg.com/pdf/1444-26.pdf or something else from the 1444 series) to the backside of a rack panel? The back case and panel do not have to match cosmetically nor be of precisely equal dimensions. All you have to do is have a box that provides enough clearance that it can slide in between other rack units, and can easily contain the circuit in question. A 1U panel is 1.75" and a 2U panel is 3.5". If the box is no more than 1.5" it will fit nicely behind a 1U panel, and a box up to 3" in height will do okay behind a 2U panel.

For that matter, you don't need a single box behind the panel. For example, imagine that you have drilled out oversized holes on the rack panel to accommodate knobs, jacks, LEDs, and toggles. All those things are actually mounted to a pair of aluminum chassis neatly tucked behind the rack panel. The knobs are added after the chassis is screwed to the panel/faceplate and the legending itself is on the panel/faceplate, but the guts sit in a box that can be easily detached from the panel and worked on separately, leaving the other box completely intact and in place. Kind of a modular rackpanel approach.

Satch12879 · September 05, 2006, 07:11:22 PM

Why are you all making things so complicated? Bastardize this, eBay that, bolt this, thrift store that. Hammond MAKES rack enclosures and they are available through their usual distributors.

There's also Lansing Enclosures which our own Lyle Caldwell uses to great effect. Hmm, nude brushed aluminum...

Dave_B · September 05, 2006, 08:48:36 PM

Quote from: Satch12879 on September 05, 2006, 07:11:22 PM
Hammond MAKES rack enclosures and they are available through their usual distributors. ... There's also Lansing Enclosures which our own Lyle Caldwell uses to great effect. Hmm, nude brushed aluminum...

The only Hammond or Lansing enclosures I could find start in the $60-70 range. Do you know of cheaper ones?

moosapotamus · September 05, 2006, 09:56:05 PM

Bud rack enclosures might be more affordable.

~ Charlie

suicidalmoose · September 06, 2006, 04:29:28 AM

yep i did see that about the behringer and other patchbays i found, the thing about the depth. only 2 3/4 inches deep which is enough for some very basic effects but effects like chorus only just make it in. i'm keeping on the lookout for old rack unit's that i can scoop off ebay or london sellers.

Dave_B · September 06, 2006, 09:10:54 AM

The thing I discovered about re-using old rack enclosures is that there are many ways to attach the front panel. If you're planning on replacing it, there's a chance it will be more trouble than it's worth. I've got a couple of these in the basement that turned out that way. I know you're trying to do this as cheaply as possible, but you could end up spending more if you're not careful.

suicidalmoose · September 06, 2006, 11:07:50 AM

i'll keep that in mind, it almost feels like a patchbay would be absolutely awesome, cause of the holes would be about the right size for pots and the trs connectors.

sivnalem · September 07, 2006, 10:41:50 AM

I'll echo what was said about old video rack mount equipment . In fact I would guarantee (I work in TV) your local TV stations have absolute piles of old rackmount equipment laying around. If you can get in good with the engineers they might let you go scrounging. There are all kinds of goodies from bundles of wire for projects, to pots and knobs, to rack enclosuses and project boxes. That's how I keep my hobby cheap.

Neal

Noplasticrobots · September 07, 2006, 03:11:19 PM

I agree with moosapotomus. I perused the Mouser catalog yesterday (but forgot to post) and the plastic Bud equipment seems to be the cheapest, they even have mounting bosses. Of course you'd have to do some shielding, but for a cheaper price it might be worth it. I never knew rack equipment was so damn expensive!

http://www.budind.com/pdf/hb14460.pdf

http://www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntt=563-prm-14462

Check out Mouser catalog page 1513 for more.

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Homemade rack effects