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Rackmounting my class D amp. Quick photo diary.


robocorpse
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Class D amp manufacturers on the whole don't believe anyone would want to rackmount or even flightcase their products because they are "made for portability". They are wrong :)

Most Class D users are limited to either carrying them around in a mimsy little nylon bag that will get smashed to bits in the back of the van on the first speed bump, or putting them in a sturdy box for transit then leaving them perched on top of a cab, ready to be squashed by someone elses amp, pulled off by someone tripping on a cable, or worse still, nicked because they are so compact and easy to smuggle out. I am one of those musicians who need their gear to be flightcased as my stuff gets thrown around in vans and in and out of venues a lot, but is also sick of having to lug a 50 pound Ampeg between vehicles and venues/rehearsal rooms, up stairs and onto 8x10 cabs. Apart from the inconvenience, it is too risky on the wrists, one false move and you're sunk. So I decided to take the plunge and buy a Magellan 800 (a beautiful and great sounding little amp, cheers @bassace !) then work out how to incorporate it into the setup without having to spunk more money on a custom flightcase to hold it and my rack tuner. So I thought I'd just post some photos of what I was dreading having to do, but in reality only took an hour to complete.

1) Removed the rubber feet from the amplifier and very carefully measured then copied the hole locations onto a 2u clamping rack tray.

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2) Drilled the holes to match the existing holes in the amplifier baseplate, then deburred the edges.

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3) Made up a couple of spacers from scrap 6mm plywood and drill matching holes to suit the existing ones. I decided to do this to give a little airflow under the amp, and also just in case a gig gets rowdy (and a lot of mine do!) so if any beer hit the rack, it would run off under the amp, and not soak the baseplate and potentially get in and cause problems.

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4) Removed the screws from the original feet and gave them larger washers to spread the load a little on the rack shelf. Used spirit pen to blacken the front edges of the spacers so they are invisible.

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5) Screwed the amp to the rack shelf via the spacers. It sits nicely and has loads of airflow.

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6) The amp, screwed into the shelf. I measured it so the front of the controls would be just behind level with the front lip so even if the entire lot came crashing down off an 8x10, there is virtually no risk of the controls getting sheared off.

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7) Fitting the clamp bars on the rack shelf. This way, the amp is secure sideways and front to back, but if the case gets tipped or dropped, the clamping bars will hold it in place on the up/down so there is no undue strain put on the bottom screws. This is important if I ever wish to re-rack it and revert to freestanding. Small pieces of hard foam sheeting were placed between the bars and the amps surface to stop it getting scratched by the bars.

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And here's the finished case. Looks a bit gappy but hey, airflow!

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So there you have it, I wasn't looking forward to this job as I thought it would just be a bit of a bodge, but needs must, and this thing is absolutely bombproof now in my full flight rack case.

My rack is now 13 pounds lighter than before, and I have an arguably better amp for my purposes, with a lot more welly if I need to drive it.

 

 

Edited by robocorpse
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Very tidy job but, for me, the only time I ever use my genzler is when I need something light that packs into a small space. If I'm going to take a rack case then the trade off of class d power is negated somewhat and I'd rather have the sound benefits of an amp with a bit more weight. Obviously we all have different needs though and I completely understand how this works for others.

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