Rackmount?

[liquidtrance123]

I'm currently looking for a small Rack Enclosure to consolidate my systems. However everywhere i'm looking they're at least $600 even for the crappy small ones. Anyone know where I can get a cheap 4 post rack? Something over 12U and lower than 30U?

Also: would this case fit this rack i've been looking at?

5U Case:
Dimensions 8.7" x 19" x 22.5" (HxWxD)

15U Rack Enclosure
Maximum depth 29" (Base),22.5" (Post to Post),16.5" (for Rail)


Thanks

 

[mobiux]

I searched for a few minutes and found this place.

Not exactly "cheap" but not the most expensive i've seen.
http://www.hometech.com/rack/rack.html

You also may be able to find a deal on ebay, if you are close enough to pick it up.
Delivery will about kill ya though.

 

[Nn'theraq'pss]

Racksolutions

 

[Frosty_axe]

Check the classifieds where you live, you can often find racks from companies that have gone under for dirt cheap.

 

[gogogonzo]

I had the same dilema you have until I broke out the power tools. Keep in mind this is for a cramped home office, not a real office. Find a 6' or 7' relay rack and cut it down to the height you need. This is how I made my own 4 post rack for ~$130. My original 7' rails were sacrificed to make the rack below and spare 21" rails for mounting home theater gear in the future. I still need to skin the sides with aluminum, mount 2 cable management arms, and clean up the mounting ears a bit, but it does function very well.

The biggest money saver for rackmount gear is this: A $50 tower case ~16.25" tall + $17 drawer slides will get you nearly the same thing as a $400 rackmount case. And by 'nearly the same thing', I mean that yours will be lighter, quieter, cooler, cheaper and have more drive mounting options than a Chenbro or Antec rackmount case ever could. An Antec BQE would be PERFECT for rackmount if the door opened the other way. If anyone knows how to mod the door, let me know. I used a Raidmax case as it was cheap and just the right size.

Since someone will ask (I hope) from top to bottom:
DLink 4 port KVM : Netgear router : Linksys Switch : Linksys WAP
Cobalt RaQ3 modded to RaQ4r
Raidmax Virgo 811w : Abit AV8 : Athlon64 3000+ : AIW9600XT : 1GB Corsair : 3x80GB Seagate
SGI server case : Intel LG440GX+ : Dual P3 700 : 1 GB : 5x36GB 10k U160 Ultrastars in Intel hotswap cage

Get the Knape&Vogt heavy-duty full extension slides from Lowes:

I used 1' sqare stock and all-thread to mount the front and back rack faces together. No casters are needed since the huge bottom mounting plates slide on carpet so easily:

If you are ever in Dayton, stop by Mendelson's. They sell rack gear and other random stuff for pennies per pound. They even have an AS/400 shell that is just begging to be a modding project. Happy modding.

 

[raynman68]

I built a rack for my home studio using Starcase. They have kits of various heights and depths. Here is a link .

Robert

 

[Sparky]

My buddy has a 60 inch Dell Cabinet and he has run out of room. He is looking for a 72 inch one now. We install Megaframes from Chatsworth here at work and get the old ones for free just to get rid of them for the customer.

 

[wetware interface]

there are a few suggestions i could make in you local area to pick up rack cabinets.

first off go to the scrap yards. i found 2 old ibm 360 cabinets for scrap prices $70 apiece.
rubber wheels.
solid steel construction with hinged door.
and the size of a refrigerator weight of a refrigerator too .

other solutions are to hit ebay and do a search for music gear racks. these can be found in 24 space 36 space sizes with wheels and even wood cabinetry. you'll need to buy slides seperatly but you can pick up a nice furniture grade wood rack enclosure for cheap and hopefully near you locally so you could pick it up. music gear racks are the same size as it racks so no issues there.

you can also find those tall open racks for cheap and just cut the top off and fit into another cabinet if you hunt the garage sales in your area you may find a very nice stereo cabinet that would be wide enough to accomodate a free satnding rack cut down to the right height and you'd get a glass door

 

[liquidtrance123]

Thanks for all the feedback alot of great solutions, however after alot of thought the cost alone of bringing over just 2 of my machines to Rackmounts are going to obscenely expensive. Just to move over my fileserver is going to be about $300 shipped. Thats for a 5U and some drive coolers like i have now. For the time being i think the work around is i'll just get another small desk to consolidate my "headless" servers. Once I purchase my new Condo, i'll actually think about setting up a rack there as i should have more room and hopefully $ left over