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2u rack question


bassboy115
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Sorry to dispell the simplicity of this but rack cases can come in any depth you want.

In the past I have used EMS cases from [url="http://www.cpcases.com/prodtype.asp?typeid=3"]CP Cases[/url] and they come with a centre section depth of 400mm or 500mm and in vertical steps of 3U.

I have also had rack cases made by [url="http://www.spider-engineering.co.uk/music/index.asp?groupID=2412"]Flightcase Warehouse[/url] to the depths that I have specified.

My current amp case is 4U and 450mm deep. I asked them to fit rack strip to the front and the rear so I could mount a power distribution strip across the back.

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As OOBM said you do get manufacturers that for no apparent reason make the depth non-standard, I've even bought cases that are 2U but the rack strip is positioned thus that a 2U piece of equipment can't be fitted as it can't be mounted flush with the bottom; they stated that equipment should have airflow space. Off the shelf you can find that manufacturers do 3 depths that I know of; X-rack shallow for effects units, standard for most equipment and deep for certain amps that exceed normal depths.

Which leads on to your response 2U or 3U. If you know that the manufacturer fit the rack strip starting at the bottom (SKB & Gator to name 2 do) and your amp doesn't generally run too warm then 2U is fine but if you are unsure about the manufacturers spec or the amp has a top mounted fan (I thing recent GK amps have but correct me by all means) then I'd go for a 3U.

I have a Tech amp 2U and there is no need to mount in a 3U case as it never gets remotely warm BUT it needs to be in a deep case. My Thunderfunk on the other hand was trialled in an X-rack as it is very slim F to B but the heat build up I didn't like! That is now mounted in a 3U Gator case and it never gets too warm.

Most big manufacturers publish their spec but as a rule of thumb I'd be tempted to say get 1U higher than you need, you never know when you might decide to upgrade to a deeped amp or fit a rack tuner etc.

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[quote name='warwickhunt' post='101584' date='Dec 9 2007, 08:47 AM']As OOBM said you do get manufacturers that for no apparent reason make the depth non-standard, I've even bought cases that are 2U but the rack strip is positioned thus that a 2U piece of equipment can't be fitted as it can't be mounted flush with the bottom; they stated that equipment should have airflow space. Off the shelf you can find that manufacturers do 3 depths that I know of; X-rack shallow for effects units, standard for most equipment and deep for certain amps that exceed normal depths.

Which leads on to your response 2U or 3U. If you know that the manufacturer fit the rack strip starting at the bottom (SKB & Gator to name 2 do) and your amp doesn't generally run too warm then 2U is fine but if you are unsure about the manufacturers spec or the amp has a top mounted fan (I thing recent GK amps have but correct me by all means) then I'd go for a 3U.

I have a Tech amp 2U and there is no need to mount in a 3U case as it never gets remotely warm BUT it needs to be in a deep case. My Thunderfunk on the other hand was trialled in an X-rack as it is very slim F to B but the heat build up I didn't like! That is now mounted in a 3U Gator case and it never gets too warm.

Most big manufacturers publish their spec but as a rule of thumb I'd be tempted to say get 1U higher than you need, you never know when you might decide to upgrade to a deeped amp or fit a rack tuner etc.[/quote]

Regretably there is no such thing as a standard rack case. It just happens that some companies have decided to make the same sized products. Competition and all that.

The only recognised international specification is for the Rack Unit, "RU" or "U" which is 19-inches (482.6mm) x 1 3/4-inches (44.45mm). This has its origins in the early days of the GPO Telephones and came into being sometime in the 1920s or 1930s. The minimum distance between the rack strip and the exact positions of the fixing screws are also part of the specification.

If the apertures in the case/rack and the equipment were both exactly the same dimensions it would very difficult to use so the aperture is usually made slightly wider, minimum 1/32-inch Similarly the overall height of a piece of equipment is only nominally in multiples of 1 3/4-inches as the overall height is reduced by 1/32-inch, 1/64-inch from the top and the bottom. The full spec is a BSI and not available on the web unless you buy it.

As already mentioned some manufacurers do not comply with the specification so it is always best to check before you buy. Always get 1U larger than you think you need.

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