Hi!  New guy here!

I'm looking to make a patch panel / custom interface to my guitar rig.
Where's a decent place to get rack mount enclosures?  Most places I've seen charge more for an empty enclosure than it would cost to buy a product and gut it!

yeah, i've noticed the same thing...a lot of rack mount encolsures are pre-set up for server computers and stuff though...with nice switched power supplies

do a search on "mid-atlantic rack enclosures"

Quote from: R.G.do a search on "mid-atlantic rack enclosures"

I found some of their rack panels HERE, but no complete enclosures.  I'm afraid I'll run into noise/hum problems if I use a one-sided panel and not an enclosure.

Hammond, BUD, and a few other companies make empty rack mount chassis. Check out Mouser or Digikey.

Andrew

Drew at www.toothpastefordinner.com had some spare rackmount casesw for sale a little while ago. (he's on this board).

Think Ive posted this before, but .....

Check e-bay - theres always someone selling and old network router/switch/hub/MAU etc. They are 1 or 2 U 19" rack mount (maybe not full depth though). Ive bought them working for £s and broken for pennies.

The solid Cisco router boxes make *excellent* encs for floor controllers with half-a-dozen stomp switches ...

Paul's right... I have about twenty 19", 1U, 4"-deep rack cases with covers sitting in my workshop, still in the box... they're 1/8"-thick aluminum cases made by BUD

picture here (though you don't get the guts, you do get all the screws & even some standard rack screws to mount it with!):

http://www.drewtronics.com/complete-kit.jpg

If you like one you can buy it on that page... i'm also offering 5 for $100 (email me: spam@toothpastefordinner.com)


drew
www.toothpastefordinner.com

If the purpose of the planned unit does not require anything to be rear-mounted, then the "chassis" part of a rackmount enclosure is largely for shielding.  You could save major bucks by using a rack panel and bending light-gauge aluminum to form a suitable-sized "behind-the-scenes" covering.

If you haven't done it you may want to check out some ideas that RG has posted about builing your own rack mount stuff.  I have just finished my own personal half rack with four cool effects.  I didn't want to pay big bucks for a nicely made chassis and I couldn't find half racks anyway.  So I used a couple of old dead cd rom cases and put a modified TS5, Orange Squeezer, Scrambler and a Neutron Filter in it.

I'm a total idiot when it comes to electronics but I got it all working thanks to this forum!

wooohoo...