So... I think this post is gonna wrap up any new activity related to the project, which was the subject of this thread. Of course, I'll respond to any comments and questions, but the project is DONE. But let me recap...
This whole thing started because I wanted to replace the mixer in my small rack system. This is what it used to look like...
Unfortunately, the Denon DN-410X I bought new on eBay didn't fit. I entitled the thread "Slight Miscalculation", but probably should have called it "NO calculation", because I didn't check the size of the mixer before I bought it, didn't really pay much attention to where on the mixer cables would plug in, and I did not check to see how much clearance there was in the rack.
Pretty much P1$$ poor planning.
I asked the forum for advice, and steve149 made me buy a Denon MC6000 MK2
, which not only replaced the old mixer, but also replaced the old American Audio DP-2 controller; cost of the new controller: $445. The old mixer is now retired, as is the old controller. The new Denon MC6000 MK2 that steve149 made me buy required modifications to my small rack, in order to provide access to the knobs, switches, and headphone jacks on the front. I was able to cut out a section of the case, reinforce it with wood, fill it with Bondo, and sand it and paint it to match. Except for the can of paint, I already had everything else I used for this part of the project. Total cost of the paint: $10.
Then I replaced the old 1U rack-mounted computer with a Dell Optiplex 7440 AIO computer, which not only replaced the old computer, but also replaced the Acer 22" monitor. I bought a new 2TB SSHD drive to replace the 128GB SSD drive that came in the computer, and I also purchased and installed an additional 4GB of RAM. The AIO computer is a significant upgrade in performance, and it's screen is almost 2 inches larger than the monitor. The old small system included a 1U rack mounted keyboard drawer. Removed that and replaced it with a wireless keyboard and mouse combo. The cost of the new AIO computer, hard drive, and memory was $397.98. The Acer monitor will be relegated to backup duty (for the dual 22" Acer monitors I use for my large system). The old computer was pulled out of its 1U case and put into a smaller case, and is now my bedroom computer (replacing an Intel Stick PC). Not sure what I'm gonna do with the Stick PC.
Removing the 1U computer and 1U drawer from the lower 2U section of the small rack freed up space to install a wireless microphone system, which I did not have in my small system before. Previously, I had an older single mic system I had bought used on eBay that I plugged into the old mixer when I needed an extra microphone. So I removed the dual microphone system (GTD Audio G622HL) from my large system, and mounted it in my small system, along with the Alto 15 band equalizer that was previously in my large system. However, I decided the equalizer was not necessary, so I replaced it with a 1U drawer; also removed from my large rack system. This part of the project added no additional cost for the small system. The 1U rack mounted keyboard drawer will be retired or used in the rack holding my home servers.
The one thing I DID like about the original small system was that the old mixer had an XLR mic input on top for my Bogan gooseneck mic, and it had a BNC mounted gooseneck LED light. I already had an XLR connector for the mic, but had to purchase a new USB gooseneck LED light, and a USB plate for plugging it in. I had purchased a 2U hinged rack panel to place over the opening above the controller in the top section of the rack, and I cut holes in it to mount the XLR jack and the USB plate. The cost for the LED light, USB plate, and hinged rack panel was $30.
The only parts used from my original small system were the Bogan microphone, the VESA bracket, and the rack case itself; as well as the rack mounted power distributor, the 1U patch panel plate, and the 2U vented rack pane (all of which were mounted on the back of the rack case). I had installed the rails on the back during the original build of my small system several years ago. Everything else (including wireless keyboard/mouse combo, dust cover, and miscellaneous parts and cables) is new or re-purposed. Total cost: $1,010.25. I have no idea how much actual time I spent on these mods. I've spent far more time thinking about it than actually doing anything. I'd guess I have about 6-7 hours of actual work. I spent far more time waiting for stuff I ordered to be delivered and probably at least as much time posting entries about it in this thread.
This project did have a domino effect, though. Besides the rebuilding and re-purposing of the old IU rack mounted computer from the small system, there were resulting upgrades made to my large system. Here's the original configuration of my large rack system...
The Denon DN-410X mixer that did not fit in my small rack has replaced the Samson rotary mixer used previously... a very nice upgrade. Removing the wireless microphone and Equalizer and reinstalling them in the small rack system meant purchasing a new wireless microphone system for the large rack... the GTD Audio B-33; cost: $299. A four mic system running on a frequency that won't be obsolete soon is certainly an upgrade from the old GTD system I put in the small rack. I reused the 1U computer case from the small system, and built a new computer in it to replace the 2U video/light controller PC mounted in the large rack. The new quad core i5 PC is a significant upgrade over the old Pentium machine. I had to buy a few cables and connectors to accommodate the changes made in the large rack, the cost of which was $150$. The cost of the computer parts was $315. Add the cost of the Denon mixer ($263). The total cost for the upgrades to my large system was $1,061.51. Retired was the old 2U Pentium computer (but I'll reuse the 2U rack-mountable case elsewhere), and the Samson rotary mixer. The 1U drawer from my large system went into the small system to replace the 1U rack mounted keyboard drawer. Here's what my large rack system looks like now...
... Don't give me a hard time about cable management. This system was set up in my office for testing; not for public performing.
Total cost to upgrade both my small and large rack systems was about $2,100.
I ordered about $200 worth of additional cables and carry bags I'll need to transport some of the new purchases, but I did not order the custom case for my small system. For now, I'll continue to use the soft-cover case I've been using, even though it is a little too large. Perhaps I'll just cut some pieces of foam to fill the empty spaces, but eventually a nice custom hard case with wheels would be a better solution.
I'm not counting the ADJ Dotz TPar lights I bought, since they really had nothing to do with my racks. But with all these upgrades, I'm ready for whatever business comes my way. Thanks for reading and commenting.
