OK, as promised, I finally completed my Server Cabinet shack. For the last week I have been recuperating from an illness and stuck at home. I would work 15 minutes on the rack, take a break, work another 10 or 20 minutes, etc. and eventually got it all done.
Now to get technical, it is really a Networking Cabinet, not a Server Cabinet. A server cabinet is deeper, networking cabinets are less so. This cabinet is 42u high (about 7 feet), 24 inches deep and fit standard 19 inch rack panels. I used much of my existing equipment from prior shacks and added a couple new items.
Here is the rack itself in its entirety:
I placed the equipment so that the stuff I interact with the most are at sitting level, items I rarely interact with or control by computer are at the extreme top and bottom. Thus the R8500 and IC746Pro, along with the 536, 996P2 and a couple other scanners are "right there".
The IC746Pro is racked on a custom built rack from NovexCom. It includes a 30A power supply, lit callsign indicator and dual speakers (one of which is connected to the TYT dual bander) and magnetic mic clips for a couple of the other radios.
Below that is the R8500, also on a NovexCom rack. Below the 8500 are the MDC and PL/DPL/DTMF decoders, then the two-way radios (Kenwood TMD-700A, TYT 9800 and a Moto CDM1250U. There are 2 Astron rack mounted power supplies there, one for the 3 two-ways and the other for the scanners. Below the CDM is my TRX-2 head, using the magnetic mount on the vented panel.
Above the 746Pro are the scanners, including a 536, 996P2, 996XT, 4 BCT15x's, 7 BCT15's and 4 PSR600's.
The BCT15's and 15X's are mostly used with ProScan to search out the MilAir bad for new channels, one is used to monitor the nearby Air Force base operations.
The PSR600's are mostly used for Pro96Com to monitor local trunked systems. I can either follow up to 4 different data channels or assign one or two to be a voice radio and follow comms.
The 536 and 996's are used for local rail, fire and police operations as well as the operations of the country club I live on. (I don't golf but some of the comms of the course rangers here is pretty funny...)
On the desk to the left of the rack is the Windows computer (Intel Nuc mounted on the rear of the monitor). This is used to run my AirNav box, ProScan, Pro96Com and other stuff. In this picture it has the AirNav application going.
Radios on this desk include my SDS100, HP-1 and HP-2 as well as a few commonly used portable scanners and 2 ways (436, G5, TRX-1, 325, 125AT etc.)
My main computer setup remains the same as before, a 5K iMac with 2 additional 32 inch monitors, all on a standing desk.
Coming up when I can get to it is another modular desk identical to the one just to the left of the rack, this one will be on the right and used for things like paperwork with drawers and stuff.
The whole set up is designed to be easily moved to accommodate things like painting (we are having the entire interior of the house repainted this fall) and working on things. I can pull the rack out, remove the side panels etc. to get at parts of the interior as needed. The main computer desk is all self contained, the only wire coming from it is the power cord. Behind the monitors are things like the UPS, backup hard drives, speakers etc.
The rack is pretty much self contained too. There are 3 Stridsberg Multicouplers, 2 8-ports and a 4-port, the three power supplies, 3 USB hubs and some other assorted stuf***e. I need to do a little wire clean up but want to run the system for a while first, then I can make whatever changes I need then clean up the wiring. I did make a point of keeping the 12VDC wiring on one side, the AC stuff on the other.
Coming out of the bottom of the rack are the 11 antenna cables going to the rack on the wall (which accounts for the drywall scars yet to be repainted) as well as the USB cable and mic cables for the 746 and Moto.
When I get the third desk put in (next week?) I will take the rest of my portables out and set up the various chargers and racks for them, keeping only the ones I use all the time near by.
All this was pretty much my wife's idea. She was thinking ahead to the repainting we are going to do and thought it would be easier than disassembling everything and putting it back together again. Now, I just remove the jumpers from the wall panel (they are all labeled) and move the cabinet to the center and draping it. Same for my computer desk. The modular desks will have to be disassembled but those are easy. (Elfa free-standing stuff is a dream to put together and take apart.)
I am sure there will be some minor changes as I use things but I think this will last a long time. The wife has decreed that it will because it was not cheap but she gave me a budget and I did it within it. Things got delayed with a week in hospital but the recuperation time provided a slow and thoughtful process to get it done right.
Now to get technical, it is really a Networking Cabinet, not a Server Cabinet. A server cabinet is deeper, networking cabinets are less so. This cabinet is 42u high (about 7 feet), 24 inches deep and fit standard 19 inch rack panels. I used much of my existing equipment from prior shacks and added a couple new items.
Here is the rack itself in its entirety:
I placed the equipment so that the stuff I interact with the most are at sitting level, items I rarely interact with or control by computer are at the extreme top and bottom. Thus the R8500 and IC746Pro, along with the 536, 996P2 and a couple other scanners are "right there".
The IC746Pro is racked on a custom built rack from NovexCom. It includes a 30A power supply, lit callsign indicator and dual speakers (one of which is connected to the TYT dual bander) and magnetic mic clips for a couple of the other radios.
Below that is the R8500, also on a NovexCom rack. Below the 8500 are the MDC and PL/DPL/DTMF decoders, then the two-way radios (Kenwood TMD-700A, TYT 9800 and a Moto CDM1250U. There are 2 Astron rack mounted power supplies there, one for the 3 two-ways and the other for the scanners. Below the CDM is my TRX-2 head, using the magnetic mount on the vented panel.
Above the 746Pro are the scanners, including a 536, 996P2, 996XT, 4 BCT15x's, 7 BCT15's and 4 PSR600's.
The BCT15's and 15X's are mostly used with ProScan to search out the MilAir bad for new channels, one is used to monitor the nearby Air Force base operations.
The PSR600's are mostly used for Pro96Com to monitor local trunked systems. I can either follow up to 4 different data channels or assign one or two to be a voice radio and follow comms.
The 536 and 996's are used for local rail, fire and police operations as well as the operations of the country club I live on. (I don't golf but some of the comms of the course rangers here is pretty funny...)
On the desk to the left of the rack is the Windows computer (Intel Nuc mounted on the rear of the monitor). This is used to run my AirNav box, ProScan, Pro96Com and other stuff. In this picture it has the AirNav application going.
Radios on this desk include my SDS100, HP-1 and HP-2 as well as a few commonly used portable scanners and 2 ways (436, G5, TRX-1, 325, 125AT etc.)
My main computer setup remains the same as before, a 5K iMac with 2 additional 32 inch monitors, all on a standing desk.
Coming up when I can get to it is another modular desk identical to the one just to the left of the rack, this one will be on the right and used for things like paperwork with drawers and stuff.
The whole set up is designed to be easily moved to accommodate things like painting (we are having the entire interior of the house repainted this fall) and working on things. I can pull the rack out, remove the side panels etc. to get at parts of the interior as needed. The main computer desk is all self contained, the only wire coming from it is the power cord. Behind the monitors are things like the UPS, backup hard drives, speakers etc.
The rack is pretty much self contained too. There are 3 Stridsberg Multicouplers, 2 8-ports and a 4-port, the three power supplies, 3 USB hubs and some other assorted stuf***e. I need to do a little wire clean up but want to run the system for a while first, then I can make whatever changes I need then clean up the wiring. I did make a point of keeping the 12VDC wiring on one side, the AC stuff on the other.
Coming out of the bottom of the rack are the 11 antenna cables going to the rack on the wall (which accounts for the drywall scars yet to be repainted) as well as the USB cable and mic cables for the 746 and Moto.
When I get the third desk put in (next week?) I will take the rest of my portables out and set up the various chargers and racks for them, keeping only the ones I use all the time near by.
All this was pretty much my wife's idea. She was thinking ahead to the repainting we are going to do and thought it would be easier than disassembling everything and putting it back together again. Now, I just remove the jumpers from the wall panel (they are all labeled) and move the cabinet to the center and draping it. Same for my computer desk. The modular desks will have to be disassembled but those are easy. (Elfa free-standing stuff is a dream to put together and take apart.)
I am sure there will be some minor changes as I use things but I think this will last a long time. The wife has decreed that it will because it was not cheap but she gave me a budget and I did it within it. Things got delayed with a week in hospital but the recuperation time provided a slow and thoughtful process to get it done right.
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