Best place for blank 2RU enclosures?

I'm looking to rack-mount my UA Solo 610, which mean mounting it in a 2RU case.  It won't be a hard project - in fact I think finding an appropriate case will be the biggest challenge.  Truth be told i'm always buying kits, so I don't even know where to begin looking for a blank 2RU enclosure.  Can anyone recommend a supplier?

FYI - I come from Australia, so I need a supplier willing to ship internationally.

Oh yeah - ideally 8 or 9 inches deep 

Yello! Modushop cases are very good and goog price. I think they can ship to australia as well, dont know if shipping is too expensive though. Http://Modushop.biz

Par metal

I would also talk with Dan at Collective Cases.  He has a White Market thread and his basic cases are awesome despite being low cost.

What about Altronics. They are in OZ, and pretty good quality....

http://www.altronics.com.au/index.asp?area=item&id=H5032

Just to note this thread should probably be in the lab or brewery but not in preamps

Timothytitus88 said:

What about Altronics. They are in OZ, and pretty good quality....

http://www.altronics.com.au/index.asp?area=item&id=H5032

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They are actually not very good quality.
There are a number of issues with these cases.

1.) Rear panel is painted, so you generally make a complete mess of it when drilling holes as the paint begins to peel off and can, if you are unlucky, come off in chunks. Not good, it should be anodized like the rest of it.
2.) There are a number of small misalignments with the case. For instance the top panel has never been truly flush on a single one of these I've bought (I've bought 2x 1U and 2x 2U, but never again....).
3.) The screws that are included + the threaded mounts for them last for about 2-3 screw/unscrew cycles until the unit begins to strip thread and basically fall apart.
4.) The front panel contains a groove top and bottom (it's more like a perpendicular strip top and bottom that you screw into, instead of the usual front mounting screws) which makes DIY CNCing one immense PITA as these channels continuously get in the way. I've even snapped CNC drill bits accidentally hitting them. Very annoying.

I really dislike these cases and would never recommend them again.

So anyone with a suggestion of a case that nicely addresses all of my points would be very very welcome also.

I've already looked at many options, and will take the previous advice also.

Jaycar cases in Australia are not much better. They SEEM better initially, but the go together like a weak mechano set, and unfortunately the misalignment issues are present, with the added issue of paper thin rear panels that don't drill very well at all.

For comparison the SB4000 1U rack case that I got that's part of the original specified kit is by and far the best quality case I have worked with thus far. Everything is perfectly flush, very strong, and I've taken it apart multiple times with no wear and tear at all. I need more cases like that one. It also feels really solid and is heavy. The Altronics ones feel like cardboard in comparison.

The SB4000 case is a par-metal. I'm definitely a fan, simple and well built. The modushop cases look nice as well.

They are actually not very good quality.
There are a number of issues with these cases.

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Well, I should have said "good quality for the price". I did not mean to suggest they were as nice as some of the overseas ones.

Par-Metal looks nice, but where can you get anything like that in Australia that is affordable? (Not a smart a** question, I would love to know)

I will soon be CNC'ing the altronics front and rear panels. I will be making a small jig. The strips on the back of the front panels will face down and locate the panel on the jig. Then engrave, mill and drill in one go. Not sure why you would put them face down on a machine and drill from the back.

Cheers,

Tim

Timothytitus88 said:

Well, I should have said "good quality for the price". I did not mean to suggest they were as nice as some of the overseas ones.

Par-Metal looks nice, but where can you get anything like that in Australia that is affordable? (Not a smart a** question, I would love to know)

I will soon be CNC'ing the altronics front and rear panels. I will be making a small jig. The strips on the back of the front panels will face down and locate the panel on the jig. Then engrave, mill and drill in one go. Not sure why you would put them face down on a machine and drill from the back.

Cheers,

Tim

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I used to think that they were pretty good for the price, but as I spend more and more time in DIY land, I appreciate the convenience of good quality stuff, and I considering moving to higher-quality and more expensive products. I really think it's worth it, as the money you spend with your time, is more expensive IMO than the money you spend on the hardware, and getting good results with those cases was just taking me too long.

As for the question about where you can get stuff like that in Aus, I am still working on it, but I do have a few very very good options about, I will be sure to let you know.

The idea for the jig is great, and what I would definitely have chosen to do if I had my time with those cases again. My issue was that the CNC I was using wasn't even long enough to fit or drill a full length rack panel. So I had to drill it in 3 sections, and, due to time constraints, I didn't bother making a jig and just drilled it from underneath (as it was easier to clamp and keep flush with the CNC bed at the time). But you live and learn right ;-)

The biggest issue for me is really the way the screws are screwed into what are effectively riveted threads attached to the case at different points. They just have a very nasty habit of falling off.

I agree with you, absolutely, for the money, that they are great. I just feel as I get more and more serious, that I need to go for the more expensive and reliable option.

I would LOVE to see your results Timothytitus88 when you finish, please do post them back here. Thanks.

I live in Sydney, Australia and can honestly say that you won't find better looking/quality cases than modushop.biz for the price.
Sure, you pay more than you would normally for shipping, but you get what you pay for and they're awesome cases.

My only gripe is putting the actual thing together can be slightly annoying.

Braeden

braeden said:

you pay more than you would normally for shipping

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You sure do.
For 4x1U cases totalling around 145 EURO, I would pay 105 EURO in shipping.
That seems crazy....

Might have to splurge and just buy them in quantity I guess....

Yep. Shipping is the problem.

Well, to add more to my price / quality thing with the cheap Altronics boxes, Where I worked at the time I was able to buy them on account with huge discount. So I bought a whole bunch. I think 2U Black anodized was under $30. And no shipping.

So, ill give them a go, and perhaps at the end of the experience i will agree more about the quality and never want to use them again.

My project for this year is to build four G9's (yep, 4) plus a few other things into these boxes, using my CNC which was my project for last year. When I make some progress, you guys will see it!

And a couple of little responses...... The "riveted nuts" are clinch nuts. if they start to spin (agreed they should not), a drop of locktite might do the trick. If the thread is stripped in the clinch nuts, it would be possible to pull then out and put new better ones in. or even replace them with small nutserts (if you have the tool). I will soon be finding some spare clinch nuts or nutserts for this, because you can buy spare front (blank) panels for these boxes, but I would need to drill and fit these as they don't come in the blank panel. You see, I assume Ill need some spares if I screw up with the CNC.

Cheers,

Tim

Timothytitus88 said:

You see, I assume Ill need some spares if I screw up with the CNC.

Cheers,

Tim

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Good call, been there, done that...will do it again.

par metal is about a half hour away from me. I might regret saying this but if there's ever a group buy I could possibly distribute these things. Ptownkids hooking me up in the annual gift thread has sparked my generosity.

etheory said:

braeden said:

you pay more than you would normally for shipping

Click to expand...

You sure do.
For 4x1U cases totalling around 145 EURO, I would pay 105 EURO in shipping.
That seems crazy....

Might have to splurge and just buy them in quantity I guess....

Click to expand...

Yeah it's quite expensive, I hate the look of the Altronics/Jaycar cases. In fact, I originally built my GSSL into one of them, but later replaced it with a modushop down the track ;D

If you have not purchased yet I have some 2U 350mm deep cases and I would happily ship to Australia.

Matt Black aluminium front and natural aluminium back panels.

Top and bottom panels are 1.5mm steel with ventilation holes and painted in matt Black.

Please PM if they are of interest.

Parmetal's warehouse just burned up in a giant fire.  I love Collective Cases because of the fact that the XLR's and IEC connector holes are already done.