Build your own rack

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After building my first pair of subs off this site it quickly became clear I needed a place to store and transport the associated equipment. Commercially available racks are relatively cheap but thought I’d have a go at making my own. I couldn't find much useful info on the subject so pretty much just made it up as I went along. A lot of thought went into this project but I also made quite a few errors so I Thought I’d share this for anyone thinking about something similar. Feel free to laugh at my equipment, this is just a hobby for me and there is only so much cash I can justify spending on something that gets only very occasional use.

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Case was constructed out of 18mm ply, I’m sure you could go a lot thinner but I had some left over from a previous project. Measurements need to be very accurate and corners need to be square because small errors become very noticeable when you attempt to slide the last bit of gear in the last remaining rack space! I got my sizes right even with my hopeless collection of tools and makeshift workshop by clamping top and bottom pieces together before cutting and same for the sides to ensure opposing panels were exactly the same dimensions. However I stuffed up during the final gluing and assembly so mine ended up not quite square the front and rear removable lids were created by fully assembling and gluing all six sides, then simply cutting the lids off. The flat alloy strips around the edges created a snug fit for the lids. I couldn’t find anywhere that sold rails to secure the fronts of the rack units so I ended up fileling square holes in a strip of angled alloy and securing the equipment by inserting a coach bolt from the rear and using nuts on the front. The result was; units were very secure but was an awfully fiddly process to get everything mounted. Would DEFINATLY be worthwhile buying the correct rails, my method was a pain in the ass.

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Next I wanted to have everything at the back as organized as possible. I used a power conditioner at the top of the rack. Not sure how important or effective they are but it certainly makes a convenient power strip. Also the peace of mind of having everything surge protected is not a bad thing. Extra power socket at the back is for mixer/laptop and the speakon sockets are much more convenient then the bare wire terminals on the old crown. I made up custom length xlrs and power cords to keep everything neat and tidy but that a move I regret now that I need to change the configuration to a 3 way system. All in all this was a fun and relatively successful project hope this write-up might help someone.