Sourcing Chassis

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C_F_H_13

Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2020
Messages
11
Hi All,

What are most people doing for sourcing chassis for DIY projects, specifically standard rack format 1U/2U/3U cases? I am in the process of building something that will live in a 3U chassis, so I'm looking for recommendations.

I'm in Canada, and Hammond (which is local) has options, but they are in the range of 300-400$ for an empty chassis I would still need to modify and put together myself.

I really don't need some super robust high quality one, I am looking for cheaper options as I'd rather not spend more on the chassis than everything that's inside it :)

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
abbey road d enfer said:
Unfortunately, that's pretty much the reality. Metalwork is the most expensive part of almost any electronic product.

Yeah I had a feeling that would be the answer, still looking for options though of any price point.

Also mods I put this question in the wrong sub group if you want to move it to Machine Shop!
 
Here are a couple options

Par Metal
http://www.par-metal.com/

Collective Cases
https://groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=41963.0

The white market and black market in general can be a good place to find things.
 
For standard 19" rack i use modushop. Good range of cases for good price.

I don't know how much it could cost to ship to canada though (They're in Italy).
 
john12ax7 said:
Here are a couple options

Par Metal
http://www.par-metal.com/

Collective Cases
https://groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=41963.0

The white market and black market in general can be a good place to find things.

+1 on Par-Metal
 
JohnRoberts said:
I built a lot of early stuff into the gutted out chassis of older products.

JR

This was actually suggested by a friend as well, and actually would be fairly easy to do, as I have a closet full of older useless rack gear.
 
C_F_H_13 said:
This was actually suggested by a friend as well, and actually would be fairly easy to do, as I have a closet full of older useless rack gear.
One of the first (small) audio amps I designed was built into an old consumer amp chassis. I was even able to re-use the power supply from the original amp. I built this audio amp for my younger sister (RIP) to use as a record player, and she used it for years.

JR
 
JohnRoberts said:
I built a lot of early stuff into the gutted out chassis of older products.

JR

+1. You can get a really nice, ancient rack mount device from ebay that has much nicer features than a modern generic chassis, strip it and use it. And you get some usable vintage parts out of it, if you’re willing to go to the trouble. I have a couple of old Dynair boxes with 4 slide-out trays that I built 4 preamp channels into for each unit. I think I got both for $90 plus shipping.

You can find surplus Middle Atlantic chassis for pretty cheap sometimes on ebay. Not as nice as a Hammond or Par Metal, but perfectly serviceable.

Otherwise, the options given above cover most of the usual suspects.
 
john12ax7 said:
Here are a couple options

Par Metal
http://www.par-metal.com/

Collective Cases
https://groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=41963.0

The white market and black market in general can be a good place to find things.

Add Bud Industries in Cleveland Ohio to the list (www.budind.com)...
 

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