Current options for large rackmount enclosures

I'm currently trying to get my 24 channel passive mixer with panning & trim built, and as you can imagine with that many controls, it's going to require a fair amount of front panel space. Once I had all the parts on hand, I did some measurements and determined that a 3U case would provide sufficient front panel real estate. I ordered one from Par-Metal and it arrived with those annoying lips on the front and bottom panels that eat into the front panel space. There is no mention of this on their website, despite it being an issue that, according to my later searching, is something many other customers & fellow board members have encountered. So I sent it back for an exchange like I was instructed to over the phone, and waited for them to call me after receiving UPS confirmation of my package's arrival at their location. After a while, I tried calling them multiple times and got no response. This was a week and a half ago. So I called them yesterday and inquired about my exchange. Apparently, their warehouse burned down (before my package arrived), and not only is there some confusion regarding where my returned package actually is, but they also have no stock to fulfill my exchange.

What would have normally just been unfortunate is now disastrous, as I have a bunch of projects that need to be mixed and this mixer would have been done already if Par-Metal had simply included an illustration of the lip in their so-called "detailed" technical drawing on their website so I could have ordered the right size in the first place. So, I'm pretty pissed about that, but looking forward...

I now need to source a large rack enclosure from someplace else. After working up a front panel layout for the anticipated 4U enclosure, I have realized that a 3U enclosure would be awfully tight given the way the pots' leads jut out so far from the central axis. So I'm looking for a 4U enclosure and it appears that most manufacturers top out at 3U. Also, a fair amount of the options that the board search turns up are no longer around, but one poster made mention of there being more options than previously available in a post a little over a year ago.

So, does anyone know of any good 4U rack cases at a good price? If not, maybe a good 3U case which is known not to have any lips or protrusions which eat into the front panel area? I'd greatly prefer 4U, though...

Some info here about Par Metal and alternatives:
http://www.groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=51226.0

In the past, I dug around in various catalogs to find a chassis box of an appropriate size that was then bolted onto a blank rack panel.

Bri

Thanks for that link, Kevin. I didn't know the issue had been discussed in the Brewery.

After looking over the alternatives discussed there, I e-mailed dandeurloo about a custom 4U case and called web-tronics about their 4U case which is currently on backorder. It'll be another 3 weeks or so until that's back in stock and I haven't heard back from dandeurloo yet.

After reading Brian's post I looked over what Hammond makes (since I can get a good price on it) and realized I'll end up tearing my hair out trying to find a random metal box that happens to have the same dimensions as a 4U rack case, of any depth beyond 2 inches.

I'm starting to think about building my own case. It's something I was already planning on doing for my upcoming builds, but given the time sensitive nature of this build, I was hoping for an off-the-shelf solution. But if that's not possible, I guess I'll be starting that process with this build.

I have access to a large press brake that happens to be sitting in the hallway right outside my studio space and I just got an angle grinder for Christmas which I can fit with a cutoff wheel. The two things I'm unsure of are bending the lips on the case (I'm not sure if the brake is notched for this or not), and finishing the case. I guess powdercoating would be the ideal solution, and there's cheap Craftsman powdercoaters available, but they require an oven for curing. I can't use the kitchen oven and a piece of rack gear won't fit into most of the toaster ovens out there. And those large toaster ovens don't pop up for cheap on craigslist. But what does fit large rack gear and shows up cheaply on craigslist are full-on kitchen ovens. They're just a lot harder to store than a toaster oven...

So, does anyone know if you can safely operate and store a kitchen oven outdoors?

Maybe this thread should be moved to the metal shop now.

Bud.  Not cheap, not terrible.  Get it up to 6RU.

http://www.mouser.com/catalog/catalogusd/645/2061.pdf

563-RM-14213
(2) 563-TBC-14252 or (2) 563-TBC-14262

There's an internal panel option for isolation between sections, and you can get handles, rack sliders, etc.  The rear will mount wherever you want it, and you can cut the sides down shorter if you want.  Not sure what cutting the top/bottom down would entail, probably also work. 

Very interesting. I've heard of Bud cases, but I couldn't find rack cases on their website.

At first when I looked that link, I got really excited since the price seems in line with the Par-Metal and web-tronics offerings. Then I read the datasheet and realized that you have to buy the top and bottom panels separately, adding over $60 to the price.

It appears that these panels have a lip around their outer edges. Does it seem like the lip would be required for a lightweight build like a passive mixer? If not, then I can just cut a couple panels of sheet steel and drill some holes in the corners.

The top and bottom increase rigidity substantially, I'd want to use at least one of theirs, if not both. 

OTOH, I guess if you use the internal chassis as divider, it would increase rigidity too. 

I can see how the lips are intended to provide rigidity, but everything in this build will be mounted to the front and rear panels. Furthermore, the top and bottom panels provide each other with rigidity by being parallel with each other and bolted to the same cross members. I think John Roberts once mentioned using this trick on a mixer bottom panel.

Plus, I regularly see pieces of store-bought gear where I think, "You'd think you could use a bit more rigidity here," and yet they hold together fine because there's nothing too substantial on the inside.

I think I'm just gonna order up the core & handles then cut my own top & bottom panels. If it seems like more rigidity is required then I'll bolt in some brackets between some panels that won't need to come apart for maintenance. Also, I know I can do simple bends with this press brake, so I can always give my top & bottom panels a rear lip for added rigidity.