Preface:
Currently we have a small portable P.A. at my workplace, built into a fairly tall rack-mounting case on (broken) casters.
I don't know the exact dimensions of it, but if I had to put a number on it, I'd guess about 12 dm tall (ie. 1.2 m; 120 cm) from the floor.
It's constructed as a bottom "base tray", holding a basic rack made of two wooden rectangular side panels with a pair of "L-rails" (with threaded rack-mounting holes) affixed to the inner sides at the front, from the bottom to about 20 cm below the top. Another pair of rails are affixed to the inner sides at the top, but sloping downwards, to which an Allen & Heath MixWizard WZ16:2 is mounted. (I don't recall there being any cross-braces anywhere, so it relies on the front panels of mounted equipment to provide structural integrity to keep it "square".) To close it and prepare for transport, a very tall cover, like an inverted box and lined with foam, gets lowered over the whole thing and latches to the "base tray" with 4 clasps.
The "danger" with this design is if the cover is not lowered very carefully, its bottom edge can hit the control knobs on the mounted equipment at the front. And indeed this has happened in the past, and broken some of the knobs off some of the equipment. Dangers aside, another inconvenience of this design is it takes two people to open, and close, the case. (To carefully lift off the cover, or lower it down again.)
I suggested attaching some vertical aluminum "safety rails" rails to the front of the rack, which protrude a little farther than the longest knob/handle/switch/control of any mounted equipment, to protect the equipment from damage during opening/closing. But when management saw the wheels are broken too, and that you always have to call another person away from their task to help open or close the case... and that we have to replace a bunch of equipment in it anyways... they suggested buying a new rack case altogether.
The Quest:
I'm no carpenter, but I'm thinking if we get a new rack, perhaps something that's more like a box with an open front and back, would be ideal? Removable panels that fit these openings would be far more convenient and safer for the equipment inside, compared to our current rack box. As for the mixer, something similar to our existing structure of side panels with sloped rails, but only on the top of the box, would be fine. Because then the cover need only be about 20 ~ 25 cm high, which one person can easily manage, and which covers the mixer only -- therefore no risk of damage to other equipment!
Does anything like this exist?
Or does anyone here have any better suggestions? Or seen any products from road case / flight case rack manufacturers that don't suffer the problems of our existing unit?
Currently we have a small portable P.A. at my workplace, built into a fairly tall rack-mounting case on (broken) casters.
I don't know the exact dimensions of it, but if I had to put a number on it, I'd guess about 12 dm tall (ie. 1.2 m; 120 cm) from the floor.
It's constructed as a bottom "base tray", holding a basic rack made of two wooden rectangular side panels with a pair of "L-rails" (with threaded rack-mounting holes) affixed to the inner sides at the front, from the bottom to about 20 cm below the top. Another pair of rails are affixed to the inner sides at the top, but sloping downwards, to which an Allen & Heath MixWizard WZ16:2 is mounted. (I don't recall there being any cross-braces anywhere, so it relies on the front panels of mounted equipment to provide structural integrity to keep it "square".) To close it and prepare for transport, a very tall cover, like an inverted box and lined with foam, gets lowered over the whole thing and latches to the "base tray" with 4 clasps.
The "danger" with this design is if the cover is not lowered very carefully, its bottom edge can hit the control knobs on the mounted equipment at the front. And indeed this has happened in the past, and broken some of the knobs off some of the equipment. Dangers aside, another inconvenience of this design is it takes two people to open, and close, the case. (To carefully lift off the cover, or lower it down again.)
I suggested attaching some vertical aluminum "safety rails" rails to the front of the rack, which protrude a little farther than the longest knob/handle/switch/control of any mounted equipment, to protect the equipment from damage during opening/closing. But when management saw the wheels are broken too, and that you always have to call another person away from their task to help open or close the case... and that we have to replace a bunch of equipment in it anyways... they suggested buying a new rack case altogether.
The Quest:
I'm no carpenter, but I'm thinking if we get a new rack, perhaps something that's more like a box with an open front and back, would be ideal? Removable panels that fit these openings would be far more convenient and safer for the equipment inside, compared to our current rack box. As for the mixer, something similar to our existing structure of side panels with sloped rails, but only on the top of the box, would be fine. Because then the cover need only be about 20 ~ 25 cm high, which one person can easily manage, and which covers the mixer only -- therefore no risk of damage to other equipment!
Does anything like this exist?
Or does anyone here have any better suggestions? Or seen any products from road case / flight case rack manufacturers that don't suffer the problems of our existing unit?
