pjones Posted November 18, 2007 Share Posted November 18, 2007 Hi there, I am looking for a suitable 19" rack that can be used at my school. I'm not too sure which one's are suitable, one with a door would be preferable. It would hold a video changer, radio mic reciever, dvd player, cd player etc. 18U would be suitable. I am in the North-West of England. Does anyone know of anything worth buying? Thanks, Phil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted November 18, 2007 Share Posted November 18, 2007 Hi Phil, welcome to the forum. I'm not in your area, so it's difficult to recommend a specific supplier. However, there are two types of companies which you should think about contacting. The first is the obvious one - AV installations companies. They'll have contacts with wholesale suppliers. The other option is IT installations and cabling companies - these guys buy racks in large quantities. Bearing in mind the size of these things, finding a local supplier is a good idea.. There are a whole range of qualities available, with an equally wide range of prices. Over the last year, I have bought a variety of racks ranging from about 50 quid to upwards of 1500... Before deciding on a specific model, you should ask yourself some questions. You say the rack should have a door. Why? Is it for real "security", or is it just to deter unauthorised fingers. Most of the "locking" racks that I've encountered can easily be opened with a screwdriver, or with a little force - racks with decent locks have a higher cost. Do you want a glass door or steel? Glass has the obvious advantage of letting you see meters and LEDs without opening the door, but it also lets the bad guys see in... Some of the cheaper racks are quite flimsy - they're not really up to holding heavy kit via the front rack strip alone - you can usually get round this by installing a shelf or securing heavy kit to the rear rails. Is it to be floor mounted or wall mounted? Does the back door need to open? Do the side panels need to be removable for maintenance? How deep does the rack need to be? Some are only 400 or 500mm deep. Others may be 1.2m or more. 600 and 800 are probably most common. Does it need ventilation. You haven't specified any kit that runs particularly hot, but if you were to stick a couple of power amps in there, that'd change the whole picture. Some of the items you mention sound like they may be "domestic" items rather than "pro" - one difference is that domestic kit usually doesn't have 19" rack ears. So you may need to think about trays or shelves to hold these. And think about cable management within the rack. Sorry - I've asked more questions than I've answered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjones Posted November 18, 2007 Author Share Posted November 18, 2007 Hi Phil, welcome to the forum.... Thanks for that, the appliances do have ears on them, and the door would be to 'deter' people from fiddling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sully Posted November 19, 2007 Share Posted November 19, 2007 18U is the sort of size you might find available from a business as they find they need a bigger one or from an IT surplus supplier, they're big and bulky so a number of places have to bin them if they have no takers. My employer will have a number of cabinets including one about this size surplus after we move out of a number of buildings on site that are being demolished next year but has the disadvantage of not being anywhere near the North-West unfortunately. David. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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