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Do any of you know of good "blank" panels that vent (such as via metal screen or mesh)? I'm hoping to find something available and at a reasonable price.
Use case: parts of my rack get pretty hot, despite my having left intake / outlet spots for outside air to enter and exit the rig. I'd like to add some "venting blank" panels to more of the rig so it can move more air, while still protecting the rig from unwanted wires, screws, or other objects potentially getting inside and causing a damaging short. I'd love to lower the internal temp to help my modules have long lives!
I probably need 5-10 4-8HP "venting blanks," not a lot! So I'm hoping to find a ready to use alternative vs. having to mess around with DIY for such a modest HP usage.
I have to say, I'm surprised there isn't already something like this widely available in the marketplace.
This is something I keep thinking about too, something in maybe 3 and 4hp, so you can get a bit of air flow with a couple at the bottom and a couple at the top. Electronics do last better when kept cool don't they?
I'm sure I could make my own but I'm not sure it would end up looking very tidy marked out and drilled by hand!
Enjoy your spare HP, don't rush to fill every last space, this is not like filling sticker books. Resist the urge to 'complete' your rack, its never complete so just relax.
@JNH-83 thanks for that Shapeways suggestion! They look like good candidates, IMO they are also a bit $ for plastic, so I may continue to look for some other alternatives. But I'm happy to have at least 1 good pre-fabricated option here!
@wishbonebrewery, yeah, how is it vented blanks are not more widely available and used?
I suppose we may as well compile a few of the better DIY options in this thread, such as preferred materials, potential preferred BOM vendors, dimensions, etc. A few weeks ago I'd found a good vendor and dimensions BUT I seem to have not noted that (sigh)... I'll post more on DIY options when possible.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but any steel or aluminum with (appropriate sized) vents would be a candidate material right?
Buy some inexpensive aluminum blank panels. Drill some holes in them. Rough up whichever side you want to be face-down with course sandpaper, then superglue some wire mesh (like screendoor material) to the bottom. Leave enough space so you don't interfere with mounting the panels to rails.
Now you have the airflow you want and a barrier to stop any loose items (like screws) from falling into the drilled holes.
@Ronin, thanks for those suggestions. My first few checks showed "out of stock" but I can keep checking for availability elsewhere.
@TOMMI001 thanks for the news, maybe post again when the units are available? I am in the US, I'm not sure mail from your location in the Netherlands would make sense, but we'll see...
I am also considering ordering some perforated aluminum sheet such as https://www.onlinemetals.com/en/buy/aluminum-perforated-sheet which is quoting about $5 per for 10 units of "custom cut" 1x5 inch panels, or $40-50 for me to get more than enough vented blanks as I would need, which is not bad. I've seen people in other forums say the cut tolerances are not exacting SO one might need to buy big and cut down. Do ya'll know what capacity metal sheers are needed to get clean edges / angles / dimensions on blank-sized metals? I don't have any such tools presently.
@Ronin, thanks for those suggestions. My first few checks showed "out of stock" but I can keep checking for availability elsewhere.
@TOMMI001 thanks for the news, maybe post again when the units are available? I am in the US, I'm not sure mail from your location in the Netherlands would make sense, but we'll see...
I am also considering ordering some perforated aluminum sheet such as https://www.onlinemetals.com/en/buy/aluminum-perforated-sheet which is quoting about $5 per for 10 units of "custom cut" 1x5 inch panels, or $40-50 for me to get more than enough vented blanks as I would need, which is not bad. I've seen people in other forums say the cut tolerances are not exacting SO one might need to buy big and cut down. Do ya'll know what capacity metal sheers are needed to get clean edges / angles / dimensions on blank-sized metals? I don't have any such tools presently.
-- nickgreenberg
How would you mount the perforated aluminum to your rails? There's no guarantee that any of the holes will line up or be big enough to pass the threads of a screw through.
I wouldn't use sheers as they will probably curl your aluminum. Sheers (aircraft sheers are best) only make sense for rough cuts in my opinion. I'd use a small hacksaw. You can clean up your cuts using a deburring tool. Just do a search on Amazon for one.
How would you mount the perforated aluminum to your rails? There's no guarantee that any of the holes will line up or be big enough to pass the threads of a screw through.
I wouldn't use sheers as they will probably curl your aluminum. Sheers (aircraft sheers are best) only make sense for rough cuts in my opinion. I'd use a small hacksaw. You can clean up your cuts using a deburring tool. Just do a search on Amazon for one.
-- Ronin1973
If using perforated aluminium:
You would have to Buy some Round Needle Files to open out or Slot the appropriate perforations.
Snips - Yeah bad idea, as said it will curl the metal, especially so with small parts like this.
Hacksaw - you are going to have to be very careful and accurate or it will look like a dogs dinner, you need a large Flat File rather than a deburring tool, to smooth and straighten the edges. You may also find you will need a Bench Vice to you can appropriately hold the piece of metal so you can square off and make parallel.
Personally, I'd just wait and buy something made by someone else, Eurorack looks nice and I wouldn't spoil it by making something in my garage that would look like a bag of Sh**..... I'm a Mechanical Engineer (for years, before I was a brewer).
If you want to get technical, the Aluminium Blanks from Thonk - You can see the sheer and break-away on the edges, this shows its been stamped out, the initial stampings (Holes & Outside edge) will bend the material, a subsequent stage of the Power-Press will planish (Flatten) the Blank, there will still be sharp edges so I could guess the parts are then tumbled or shot blasted to de-burr. I literally used to make the tools that made things like this.
Enjoy your spare HP, don't rush to fill every last space, this is not like filling sticker books. Resist the urge to 'complete' your rack, its never complete so just relax.
hello ! drill some big holes into the back of your case at the top and the bottom. glue some mesh against them to prevent getting dust inside. thats it. i did some temperature measurements with a closed system which ended at about 35 degrees (celsius) with 20 degrees outside. this is not really a problem for your electronics. if you live in a tropical region this might be more important. but high humidity is more dangerous then. happy twiggling !
hello ! drill some big holes into the back of your case at the top and the bottom. glue some mesh against them to prevent getting dust inside.
-- mrsupersubsonic
Definitely another way to do it! And this actually makes sense, because you'll have your cooler air entering at the bottom, warmer out of the top, and all of the cooling would be passive and convective, ergo no need for a fan, etc. I do note, though, that it might make more sense to use "slots" rather than just holes...something along the lines of 1" high and 6" across for a typical 84 to 104 hp cab. Two in the bottom of the cab's back panel, two in the top, add some mesh (just glue it in) and you'll be SET. Plenty of airflow, and that'll help keep both drifting and weirdness AND component thermal stress under control.
Is this a common problem..? I'm still building up but a rack heating up is quite a scary thought..
-- SeveredSerpents
The problem is mainly due to the power supplies. These are usually the primary heat source inside cabs; a few 4 hp supplies get hot enough that you'll see a warning on them about high temperatures. Most of the time, this isn't a concern...but if the heat builds up enough, it can throw modules that need precise CVs (VCOs, for example) for tuning reasons into fits. This has been a constant battle, actually. One of ARP's early adverts touts the stability of their VCOs as opposed to Moog's. Some of this was due to better design in the exponential voltage converters...but the original Moog 901s were notorious for janky tuning issues due to heat.
The other big problem is that excessive heat isn't good for electronic components. Over time, this can manifest as various instabilities in modules. The power supplies themselves are pretty susceptible to this issue, actually, plus they have to deal with their own current inrush issues on power up which, if components have been damaged enough, could cause you to need a new power supply.
I have several cases and the heat issue is popping up only in my most power hungry setup. So no, not common on this end. But I am trying to troubleshoot it so that my expensive OSC modules can have a good long lifetime.
QUESTION: might I be overrunning power on PART of my Doepfer monster case setup? MG shows my rack power consumption is way under max capacity for the case as a whole. But maybe I have a lot of power consumption focused on one row of my 4 row case? If this is a potential culprit for the heat buildup, I could move some modules around. But I have a good module setup I don't want to fuss with if moving them elsewhere in the case wouldn't help...
QUESTION: might I be overrunning power on PART of my Doepfer monster case setup? MG shows my rack power consumption is way under max capacity for the case as a whole.
-- nickgreenberg
Careful...one of the standard MG caveats is that the current draw figures aren't always 100% accurate...or sometimes even present!
ALSO...I seem to remember that there was a modification kit to allow you to remove the upper and lower trim panels of Doepfer A-100 cases and install some 4 hp horizontal frames in their place. Can't find it right now, unfortunately, but if you can turn some up, fill 'em up with 4 hp vent panels...or just use some 4 hp blanks and drill as desired. Since these are at the top and bottom of the cab, the normal airflow should draw out the heat buildup in the case.
I can put some #s on this:
-- Deopfer Monster 12u case power specs (per Perfect Circuit): Available Current: 8000mA @ +12V, 4800mA @ -12V, 16000mA @ +5V
-- my 12uMonster rack's row1 draw per MG: 1075 mA +12V | 487 mA -12V | 0 mA 5V | ... about average (1/4 of total below)
-- my 12uMonster rack's row2 draw per MG: 1496 mA +12V | 764 mA -12V | 0 mA 5V ... higher than average
-- my 12uMonster rack's TOTAL draw per MG: 4421 mA +12V | 2535 mA -12V | 0 mA 5V
So if my case has 8000mA @ +12V delivered by 4 PSUs (one for each row) am I maybe pushing Row2 too hard by using ~1500mA +12V?
"Careful...one of the standard MG caveats is that the current draw figures aren't always 100% accurate...or sometimes even present!" -- I hear you @Lugia. BUT if the #s above are roughly right, would we be expecting a heat problem?
I have some other cases that are NOT experiencing heat issues -- they get warm but not hot -- so I'm just hoping to identify and fix the issues going on with this one Monster case. Thanks!!
Hey BrumoD, great point, yes the 4 PSUs do look do be 1 per quadrant vs 1 per row. Out of the quadrants in my rack, Q1 (upper left) has the biggest power consumption #s and the most heat.
SO looking by quadrant, MG estimates Quadrant1 draw of 1478 mA +12V | 848 mA -12V | 0 mA 5V. If the case's total specs divide evenly across its 4 PSUs then one PSU should give 2000mA @ +12V, 1200mA @ -12V, 4000mA @ +5V. AND if that's right, then my Quad1 draw is ~75% of +12V capacity, 70% of -12V capacity and 0% of the 5V capacity. Am I looking at this right? Are those %s high enough to be making a lot of heat?
Looing at the total case (all 4 PSUs) my draw vs capacity is about 55% usage at +12V, 52% usage at -12V, and 0% at 5V. SO, while I have lots of power headroom in the case overall, maybe I'm pushing 1-2 PSUs too hard and getting excess heat as a result...
Makes sense, nick...have you tried rearranging the ribbons so that the draws become more even across all of the power distro scheme? It should be possible, if you more or less know your module draws, to snake things in there around so that everything becomes even, then if the P/S for that zone is still running too hot, you'll know that there's potentially a problem with the P/S itself. If not, though, you've gotten your current draws set up properly with those adjustments.
Thanks @Lugia, yes that will be my next step, to re-run some of the cabling and try to distribute the draw more evenly across the 4 PSUs. Fingers crossed this will help!
@TOMMI001 thanks for the news, maybe post again when the units are available? I am in the US, I'm not sure mail from your location in the Netherlands would make sense, but we'll see...
FYI folks I bought some for TOMMI001's vented blanks, they are great! The look nice, pass a lot of air, line up perfectly with a 4HP slot, and have small enough slots to reject cords and rack screws. He even did a custom (all black) design for me. Thanks Tom!
