Building an 1u rack I/O interface

Jonathanthomas83

So I'm looking to build a nice 1u I/O for a rack I'm putting together. 

I'd like to have the following:

• 1x balanced input 1/4" jack
• 2x unbalanced output 1/4" jack
• 2x balanced XLR
• 1x FASlink (XLR)
• 1x USB2 Female A socket to male B.
• 1x powercon to power Axe FX

I've seen this picture of a home made I/O and I like what he's done with  the silicon gaskets around each module. I'm looking to source the parts and put it together in a similar way.

And like what Designacable have done with this (cables soldered to the input sockets etc)

Jonathanthomas83

What I meant to ask was, does anyone know what these things are called and how do I source them? Sorry!

guitarfishbay

Is it a type of patch bay?

Jonathanthomas83

@guitarfishbay yeah it is, a kind of bespoke I/O interface for the Axe FX...but I'll need to know what to call those little modules so I can search for them and source them in the UK. I don't particularly fancy dropping £300+ on the Designacable pre-made one.

Jonathanthomas83

@guitarfishbay you were right about the Axe FX tuner...what else do you have in your rack? Anything I should consider?

guitarfishbay

I think they're just called connectors, you can get them from studio spares

https://www.studiospares.com/Cables-Leads/Connectors-XLR/Neutrik-NC3MD-LX-Chassis-3-PIN-Silver-Male_511140.htm

Scroll through here

https://www.studiospares.com/Cables-Leads/Connectors.htm

Honestly I use nothing else for guitar, except a Matrix power amp for my cabs.

guitarfishbay

Ok I think this is it, D size connectors 

http://www.neutrik.com/en/xlr/xlr-chassis-connectors/d-series/

Jonathanthomas83

@guitarfishbay amazing, thank you!! :-)

bob21

Yeah, the connectors are all Neutrik D Series stuff - standardised size. You can buy a pre-punched 1u panel with the right amount of holes - do this, unless you have time, practice and the correct size punch; drilling them is messy and inaccurate. 

The silicon surrounds serve no purpose other than making the connectors stick out further - this is in my view bad rack building anyway, as I think the connectors should be rear-loaded, not front, so just the working surface pokes through the panel. Much prettier. Like this: 


As for the picture you posted of the back - it's just heat shrink slid back up the cable and shrunk once connections have been made. Go for it, if you want - but I have built a lot of racks without, and have had no issues. If anything, it makes it harder to fix bad joints! The only time I would worry is if the back of the rack is really really tight and there is a chance of something shorting out..


Two tips - Neutrik make a 'mounting plate' which replaces the 2 nuts per connector. These are very much worth it (especially for this kind of quantity) - unless you are well practiced and own a M3 nut spinner!
Also.. Buy hex headed M3 bolts (bonus points for black colour, so they look flat against the black panel!) - the heads in the crosshead ones are so soft, you will end up chewing them up to get them tight. This doesn't happen with hex heads. Make sure the bolts are countersunk, and make sure the holes in the panel are countersunk (you may need to do this dependent on who you buy the blank panel from).

Yes, I am a massive rack nerd, I have built a lot, and apply lots of OCD to them!! 

Jonathanthomas83

@bob21 thanks for the amazing advice! Much prefer them ideas, especially the rear mounting and mounting plates, very neat.

Where would I find a decent plate with countersunk holes?

bob21

Stuff like this I tend to buy from CPC - usually fairly priced, and always the easiest..

So:
Rack Panel
Mounting Frames 
Output XLRs 
FASLink XLR
Jack Sockets (These are balanced, can be used for either - just use T&S contacts for unbalanced/mono, or better yet, short the R&S contacts together)
USB Socket (the picture is the wrong way round, but the USB insert is reversible)
Powercon Connector  
Get one of these boots for the powercon, as otherwise the connections on the inside of the rack are touch-able.. And to quote
@Sporky - 'Mains is ouchy if you get it up you'..

Irritatingly CPC don't do the right sort of bolts, but something like this would do fine - or you may be able to source these locally.


Anyhow, I think that should be a good starter for you!

Jonathanthomas83

@bob21 you're a gentleman, thank you! Looks like we have similar OCD issues! ;-)

JMP220478

like to see how you get on with this - is this for an Axe FX  only or power amp too ?

Jonathanthomas83

@JMP220478 this is for Axe FX only, although, all connections to a power amp would be done internally and I'm pretty sure I'd only need an extra power socket on the interface as everything else would stay the same (if I had a power amp too). :-)