phillydjdan
Member
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2011
- Messages
- 2,075
I finally got a chance to turn my dated finished basement into my mancave/office/comms center and I felt like sharing the project with everyone.
First task was to rip out the old bar and bar back and remove the dated paneling down to the studs:
Then I was tasked with running electrical so that all the equipment could be powered without putting a strain on any other circuits. Turns out, the previous owners took an outlet out in the dining room and installed an in-wall A/C unit, but instead of moving the wire, they ran a new wire to a new outlet a couple of feet away. I was wondering why I had a breaker that seemingly didn't control anything, and I discovered why! So instead of running a whole new feed, I simply pulled that wire down from the wall above and completed the circuit as desired (and up to code, of course). I then began installing new, updated paneling and ceiling tiles, and also replaced old recessed can lights with new, dimmable LED lights:
Then came the task of ripping out the old floor tile and installing new. I opted for peel & stick tile, as it is easier to install for a DIY guy. The new desk was delivered right in time as I was finishing the walls and building the "data center" in the corner:
Once everything was built I began the process of moving the equipment from my old office upstairs down to my new office. Most of that work only took about a day, and finishing touches took another day or two. This is pretty much the finished product. The desktop radio rack still needs a coat of paint and the ceiling tile cut above the data center for the cabling, but it's probably 99% done at this point. I am very happy with the finished result. Total cost was around $1500 all in with materials (which also were purchased to update the rest of the room for a play area for my daughter). The outlets in my area are configured so that the wall switch turns on all the desktop equipment minus the chargers.
Features include:
Dual band WIFI router
GMRS repeater constructed from 2 Motorola CDM mobiles
Feed radio rack with 2 Motorola XTL mobiles, 3 Kenwood TK-8180 mobiles and 2 Uniden scanners
4 Feed servers
DJ audio amplifier/speaker system
Desktop radio rack with 2 Motorola XPR mobiles, Uniden Scanner, Motorola APX mobile, 2 Motorola XTL mobiles and 2 Kenwood NX mobiles
6 bay Motorola gang charger with adapter cups for APX and XPR portables
Programming laptop
Desktop PC
Everyday laptop
TV connected to rooftop antenna for OTA stations
DJ console to interface with DJ software
Oh, and I kept the Budweiser mini-fridge for drinks
First task was to rip out the old bar and bar back and remove the dated paneling down to the studs:
Then I was tasked with running electrical so that all the equipment could be powered without putting a strain on any other circuits. Turns out, the previous owners took an outlet out in the dining room and installed an in-wall A/C unit, but instead of moving the wire, they ran a new wire to a new outlet a couple of feet away. I was wondering why I had a breaker that seemingly didn't control anything, and I discovered why! So instead of running a whole new feed, I simply pulled that wire down from the wall above and completed the circuit as desired (and up to code, of course). I then began installing new, updated paneling and ceiling tiles, and also replaced old recessed can lights with new, dimmable LED lights:
Then came the task of ripping out the old floor tile and installing new. I opted for peel & stick tile, as it is easier to install for a DIY guy. The new desk was delivered right in time as I was finishing the walls and building the "data center" in the corner:
Once everything was built I began the process of moving the equipment from my old office upstairs down to my new office. Most of that work only took about a day, and finishing touches took another day or two. This is pretty much the finished product. The desktop radio rack still needs a coat of paint and the ceiling tile cut above the data center for the cabling, but it's probably 99% done at this point. I am very happy with the finished result. Total cost was around $1500 all in with materials (which also were purchased to update the rest of the room for a play area for my daughter). The outlets in my area are configured so that the wall switch turns on all the desktop equipment minus the chargers.
Features include:
Dual band WIFI router
GMRS repeater constructed from 2 Motorola CDM mobiles
Feed radio rack with 2 Motorola XTL mobiles, 3 Kenwood TK-8180 mobiles and 2 Uniden scanners
4 Feed servers
DJ audio amplifier/speaker system
Desktop radio rack with 2 Motorola XPR mobiles, Uniden Scanner, Motorola APX mobile, 2 Motorola XTL mobiles and 2 Kenwood NX mobiles
6 bay Motorola gang charger with adapter cups for APX and XPR portables
Programming laptop
Desktop PC
Everyday laptop
TV connected to rooftop antenna for OTA stations
DJ console to interface with DJ software
Oh, and I kept the Budweiser mini-fridge for drinks
