I have realized that I really prefer my radios to be right in front of me when I am working on the computer. That has been pretty impractical however as the cabinets then make the monitors too high to be comfortable. With the current SecretLabs Magnus Pro XL that I now have that should not be as much a problem as before since the desktop lowers more than my prior desks. This will also make it more comfortable for me to use the mouse and keyboard without a tray.
I also have a new computer coming later this week. I am headed out to MicroCenter in L.A. to pick up the parts so I can build it over the weekend assuming they have all the parts I want. The plan is for either the new 14th Gen i7 or (if the price is right) the 13th Gen. Matching that with a good motherboard, a couple SSD's, 64GB of DDR5, Fractal North case, decent mid-range graphics card and PSU. If all goes well that will be completed over this coming weekend to replace my 7 year old Intel Nuc. I am not a gamer so I don't need a high-end graphics card and the i7 should work well with multiple instances of ProScan, ARC, Pro96Com etc. The current NUC (8th gen i7 with 32GB of RAM) bogs down with 8 or 9 instance of these applications running. As it is now my primary desktop that has been an issue. I used to run a MacBook Pro as my desktop but am streamlining the shack. I am switching to all Windows for the desktop while keeping my MacBooks for portable use and radio programming in the car.
As for the desk, the SecretLabs desk is working just great and will remain. I probably will not be using the wire tray however as the cabinet I am going to use is 14 inches deep do would reduce the writing surface space too much. With the extra depth of the cabinet however there will be plenty of room to hide the stuff in the tray. When I removed the MacBook Pro and it's dock the only stuff in there is a power strip and some wires.
As for the cabinet I am going to reuse my 3u/3-bay AudioRax cabinet from earlier this year (see Rich's radio room for 2023). As my desk is 70 inches wide and the cabinet is 60 that leaves me about 10 inches of space. The computer itself is going under the desk on a bracket from SecretLabs that is due to arrive this week and new monitor arms arrive with it. I suspect the 5 inches on either side of the cabinet is where the speakers are going to live.
As for the cabinet itself it has been dinged up quite a bit, both while in use in the shack and in storage in the garage. My son and I sanded and re-stained it this weekend, a third coat will go on tomorrow and then will be poly-coated when that has had a chance to dry for a couple days. I will then use mats on top of the cabinet to help reduce future scratches.
I went out and bought a cheap rotary sander and sanded off the old finish from the top of the cabinet. That took a couple hours with course and fine sanding pads. After that we blew off the dust and stained the top with a couple layers. I did not sand off the front, rear and sides as they were not scratched up too bad. I did apply stain to them but that will act more like paint and should seal in pretty good with the poly later.
I already have the faceplates, all custom made by NovexComm; I will use 3 3u panels, each with 2 DIN slots for Uniden scanners. One plate will have the IC-7300 on the left, the center panel the SDS200 and the right the R8600. Scanners in the DIN slots will be 4 BCD536's, a 996XT and a 996P2. The Astron 25A power supply will go inside the cabinet's center bay. As I leave it on all the time there is no reason to take up desk space for it, I can reach around and turn it off if needed.
Here is the cabinet in the middle of sanding:
Same cabinet after a coat of stain:
After one or two more coats of stain and final finishing I will start to add the radios.
Next week after I build the computer and install the radios I will of course post more pictures.
I also have a new computer coming later this week. I am headed out to MicroCenter in L.A. to pick up the parts so I can build it over the weekend assuming they have all the parts I want. The plan is for either the new 14th Gen i7 or (if the price is right) the 13th Gen. Matching that with a good motherboard, a couple SSD's, 64GB of DDR5, Fractal North case, decent mid-range graphics card and PSU. If all goes well that will be completed over this coming weekend to replace my 7 year old Intel Nuc. I am not a gamer so I don't need a high-end graphics card and the i7 should work well with multiple instances of ProScan, ARC, Pro96Com etc. The current NUC (8th gen i7 with 32GB of RAM) bogs down with 8 or 9 instance of these applications running. As it is now my primary desktop that has been an issue. I used to run a MacBook Pro as my desktop but am streamlining the shack. I am switching to all Windows for the desktop while keeping my MacBooks for portable use and radio programming in the car.
As for the desk, the SecretLabs desk is working just great and will remain. I probably will not be using the wire tray however as the cabinet I am going to use is 14 inches deep do would reduce the writing surface space too much. With the extra depth of the cabinet however there will be plenty of room to hide the stuff in the tray. When I removed the MacBook Pro and it's dock the only stuff in there is a power strip and some wires.
As for the cabinet I am going to reuse my 3u/3-bay AudioRax cabinet from earlier this year (see Rich's radio room for 2023). As my desk is 70 inches wide and the cabinet is 60 that leaves me about 10 inches of space. The computer itself is going under the desk on a bracket from SecretLabs that is due to arrive this week and new monitor arms arrive with it. I suspect the 5 inches on either side of the cabinet is where the speakers are going to live.
As for the cabinet itself it has been dinged up quite a bit, both while in use in the shack and in storage in the garage. My son and I sanded and re-stained it this weekend, a third coat will go on tomorrow and then will be poly-coated when that has had a chance to dry for a couple days. I will then use mats on top of the cabinet to help reduce future scratches.
I went out and bought a cheap rotary sander and sanded off the old finish from the top of the cabinet. That took a couple hours with course and fine sanding pads. After that we blew off the dust and stained the top with a couple layers. I did not sand off the front, rear and sides as they were not scratched up too bad. I did apply stain to them but that will act more like paint and should seal in pretty good with the poly later.
I already have the faceplates, all custom made by NovexComm; I will use 3 3u panels, each with 2 DIN slots for Uniden scanners. One plate will have the IC-7300 on the left, the center panel the SDS200 and the right the R8600. Scanners in the DIN slots will be 4 BCD536's, a 996XT and a 996P2. The Astron 25A power supply will go inside the cabinet's center bay. As I leave it on all the time there is no reason to take up desk space for it, I can reach around and turn it off if needed.
Here is the cabinet in the middle of sanding:
Same cabinet after a coat of stain:
After one or two more coats of stain and final finishing I will start to add the radios.
Next week after I build the computer and install the radios I will of course post more pictures.
Thanks for sharing with us Rich.
