Being a total cheapskate, and wanting some kind of metal case for an upcoming project I managed to identify an inexpensive ($20+shipping) new surplus 2U 19" rackmount chassis on Ebay. See attached photos.
The chassis would be used to hold a small DSP crossover board, an SMPS and class-D amplifier boards. All of these should fit within the internal height of the 2U rack height. I will use a small low noise low speed fan to move some air through the chassis to cool the equipment. It's just for home use, so don't expect heat generation to be excessive. I recently put together similar components inside a wood enclosure and that worked out well. I'm looking for a little more shielding from a metal case.
I'd like to know about any pitfalls of using such a case, or if others have taken this approach with success. I realize that I will have to rework the rear panel because it has a large cutout for the power supply and spaces to hold the cards on the PCB. I'm wondering if there might be other issues or problems that I need to plan for, or if there is something that would make this unsuitable for an audio project case.
Thanks for any advice that might come to mind.
The chassis would be used to hold a small DSP crossover board, an SMPS and class-D amplifier boards. All of these should fit within the internal height of the 2U rack height. I will use a small low noise low speed fan to move some air through the chassis to cool the equipment. It's just for home use, so don't expect heat generation to be excessive. I recently put together similar components inside a wood enclosure and that worked out well. I'm looking for a little more shielding from a metal case.
I'd like to know about any pitfalls of using such a case, or if others have taken this approach with success. I realize that I will have to rework the rear panel because it has a large cutout for the power supply and spaces to hold the cards on the PCB. I'm wondering if there might be other issues or problems that I need to plan for, or if there is something that would make this unsuitable for an audio project case.
Thanks for any advice that might come to mind.
Attachments
As I see, the case is normally used for a computer board and drives (HDD/SSD or optical).
Try to remove the case for the drives.
Add the PSU in the area, where a computer PSU is normally mounted.
Try to remove the case for the drives.
Add the PSU in the area, where a computer PSU is normally mounted.
Yes, that's the general idea. I assume that most of the internal stuff can be removed simply by unscrewing the parts from the case. There should be lots of room inside because it's a 2U rackmount.
Anyone else have some thoughts about using this chassis for an audio project?
I will be getting a few this week, so I hope it will all work out for the best! It turns out that they are only $12 and I can pick them up in person from the seller. It's a super DIY deal.
I will be getting a few this week, so I hope it will all work out for the best! It turns out that they are only $12 and I can pick them up in person from the seller. It's a super DIY deal.
I don't anticipate many problems! My cheapest effort on a case so far ended up being gutting a set top box and putting a dcb1 in it. I used timber on the front to make it look a bit nicer than the plastic facia did. My only comment would be that going cheap in dollars = going longer in effort to get a nice result.
I like the feeling of repurposing something that was tip bound - that's diy!
I like the feeling of repurposing something that was tip bound - that's diy!
I ordered a 4U server chassis from Newegg for a mega PC and it arrived with the drive cage missing. Email to Newegg and the manufacturer (Logisys) went unanswered, so I came up with a plan to use it for a case / chassis for a tube amp. I figured out where everything would go, but before I did anything drastic, I sent another round of emails. Newegg swapped out the chassis and even paid for shipping, so my plan never took place. Still think it was a good idea though.
It is a suitable chassis for such a project, to hold the PCB boards in place I like to use what is called pinball machine PCB legs, they make for great spacers and you don't have to perfectly line up the feet screws, as they are L-Shaped, so you can install them to your board, then place the assembly in your case and mark where the screws go, not as easy with regular spacers. The nice thing about your server chassis is that it has many vents, so a one or two fans recirculating air should do the trick just fine.
- Status
- Not open for further replies.