Building Rackmount Cabinet for Home Use?

Timothy M. Schumann asks: "I am trying to build a small rack mount cabinet for my family to help with the clutter of our home network. I don't want to purchase a rack or cabinet pre-manufactured; I would like to build my own. However, I have been unable to find a list of physical specifications that racks and cabinets must conform to when built, so I was wondering if any Slashdot readers could help me find such information? Just for a frame of reference, I'm looking for something along the same detail level as the BTX form factor specs that can be found here. Any input on cost effective hardware choices for rack mountable UPSs, switches and/or cases is also welcome." This topic was originally discussed some two years ago, and while there was some useful information was presented, the basic question wasn't really answered. If you were going to try and build a custom rackmount enclosure for yourself (or someone else), how would you go about doing it?

Comments

Simple Solution

[Zorak Man]

Just throw all your boxes under a desk with 6 monitors on top like me.

Re:Simple Solution

[elemental23]

Better still, put the machines in two stacks a few feet apart, throw a piece of plywood on top, and you don't even need a desk!

Closet

[Saint Stephen]

That's what closets are for.

Re:Closet

[jeffbopp]

Sure, Ill build a rackmount cabinet. A rackmount cabinet for Drugs!

Not Neccesarily....

[twoslice]

Some day you are going to want to move.

It could be sold with the house as a built-in feature. Who knows, if you sold it to a geek it could be the closer....

Re:uh, no. Do NOT use your brain.

[ONOIML8]

Dude! What the hell are you talking about? You've got to have some serious issues if you can't mount something correctly in a relay rack. Center the load, zip in four screws from the front and, sometimes, four from the back. If you've centered your load properly those bottom two screws will hold it forever, or at least until you put the top two in. If the equipment provides for rear screws you always use them as well (like power supplies).

And who the hell is this "guy in back" anyway? You make me jealous, wish I had help. I've built entire cellular telephone sites and radio repeater sites putting things in racks and rarely have help. I've even been able to mount 75 lb power supplies in relay racks by myself without damaging anything.

I know you must have been shooting for "funny" but someone modded you up as "informative" and someone is going to get the wrong idea. Relay racks will work fine for his application.

By the way, you do know that they make four point relay racks, right?