# How to build a cooling system for your rack.



## 7 Dying Trees (May 2, 2007)

I had this problem where my rivera had no fans to cool the stupid amount of valves all generating heat. It should have had two fans built into it and a metal casing, but alas this was not built into mine which was some custom order for the previous owner's home cinema, so after it did overheat once (and took out the fuses) it became clear that i needed cooling.

The Problem:






Option 1: PC Rack fans. You can buy these at extortionate prices, say 1-200£ or so, and they all come in 1U mounting. Usefull if you have the space, rubbish if you don't.

Option 2: Buy a bunch of PC fans, a 12v adapter, one 3U rack panel with fan holes and get busy!

The fan assembly, 3U rack fan panel + 3 akasa 120mm fans





Next up, the rear view:





ant then, with a bit of clearing up and some tape to tidy the wires a little:





And now (the dull part) how to power it:

Simpkly buy a 12V DC adapter, figure out which of the wires is positive and which is ground(or negative), then wire this up to any PC connecter you have that'll fit the fan's power connector. Use this if you aren't sure which is which:

PC And other lovely pinout connection information

and for the lazy:
*Power Supply plug 5.25-inch 4-pin Molex*

Pin# Color Function
1 Yellow +12V DC
2 Black Ground
3 Black Ground
4 Red +5V DC

And you'll the after some soldering get this:





Now it just needs to be attached to the rack, and then connected with the adapter. Easy.

And now some gratuitous shots of it all in action and glowing red 

frontal shot in the light






now in the dark





and then the rear view, reminds me of something from space


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## The Dark Wolf (May 2, 2007)

That's fucking ACE, dude!  So simple, and so cool. Nice work. You should be an engineer. Simplicity and function, something they seem to usually overlook. 



BTW, that's the rack o' doom. Damn near perfect.


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## 7 Dying Trees (May 2, 2007)

Blindingly cheap to do as well... There's a whole load of other things you could do such as control fan speed according to temperature etc, but I think i'll just settle with an on/off switch which I haven't done yet.

But overall, it is very very cool! I initially wanted green fans, but akasa don't seem to make them anymore


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## 7 Dying Trees (May 2, 2007)

Also, akasa PC fans are brushless DC, so they shouldn't interfere with the audio. 

Another thing to remember is to make them extraction, so that they suck air out, as blowing air in wouldn't be good for the valves.

Air cooling diagram

And as for the engineering thing, i did do a masters in electrical engineering, have just never really used any of it since i ended up as a programmer


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## Lozek (May 2, 2007)

And here endeth the lesson in what Chicken-Pox can do for you


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## Jongpil Yun (May 2, 2007)

Your rack is kind of terrifying.


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## metalfiend666 (May 3, 2007)

So I'm going to have to bring my own stove to fry eggs on at rehearsal now?  Good work mate


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## metalfiend666 (May 3, 2007)

The Dark Wolf said:


> BTW, that's the rack o' doom. Damn near perfect.


 
It sounds awesome too. Being in a band with James is really bad for GAS. He's the reason I own a UV7PWH and because of him I really fancy a Triaxis and a JSX. Bastard!


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## Lozek (May 3, 2007)

metalfiend666 said:


> Being in a band with James is really when he has GAS.



Fixed


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## the.godfather (May 3, 2007)

Looks pretty damn cool to me, especially in the dark!


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## Michael (May 3, 2007)

Those fans look so fuckin' cool all lit up like that.


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## 7 Dying Trees (May 3, 2007)

metalfiend666 said:


> So I'm going to have to bring my own stove to fry eggs on at rehearsal now?  Good work mate


Depends, I've not run it and driven it hard for an extended period yet, although I think the rivera i used to have had a 80mm (single) fan in it, so I'd guess it's probably overkill. 



the.godfather said:


> Looks pretty damn cool to me, especially in the dark!


Half the reason for doing it, I could have used normal fans, but where's the fun in that?  Still wish I'd found the green ones though, but red'll do 



Mawdyson said:


> Those fans look so fuckin' cool all lit up like that.


Racks are all about the glowing fairy lights


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## 7 Dying Trees (May 3, 2007)

Jongpil Yun said:


> Your rack is kind of terrifying.


 I think the weight of it is more terrifying than anything else!


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## Stitch (May 3, 2007)

Nice! I have one like that for my rack, but yours is much cooler. I'm gonna-a-get me one.


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## 7 Dying Trees (May 3, 2007)

stitch216 said:


> Nice! I have one like that for my rack, but yours is much cooler. I'm gonna-a-get me one.



Aye  And well cheap too! But now the question is, what colour will you get


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## Stitch (May 3, 2007)

Indeed! I'm a-gonna-get-me some of them a-green ones, a-hick...

Then I'll swap you my Borg Engine for your X-Wing. 

What sort of price, all in all, (if you dont mind me asking?


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## Regor (May 3, 2007)

7 Dying Trees said:


> Racks are all about the glowing fairy lights



Damn right it is!!


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## noodles (May 3, 2007)

Great idea and nice install.


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## D-EJ915 (May 3, 2007)

looks good man


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## 7 Dying Trees (May 3, 2007)

stitch216 said:


> Indeed! I'm a-gonna-get-me some of them a-green ones, a-hick...
> 
> Then I'll swap you my Borg Engine for your X-Wing.
> 
> What sort of price, all in all, (if you dont mind me asking?



\In total? 13£ on fans, 21£ or so on the rack panel, 10£ on the adapter. If you have a 12V DC adapter or know anyone with one lying around, then you can save on that bit, same with unwanted PC fans... Just have to make sure the adapter can produce enough juice as I think the fans need 300mA each, so you need at least 1A (12VA)

I do actually wish I'd found green fans, but i haven't seen any for ages in that size :/


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## 7 Dying Trees (May 3, 2007)

noodles said:


> Great idea and nice install.


Cheers man  It still needs some tidying up, but it's cheap, quick and easy. Plus I get to look like the king of the lan party


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## maat (Mar 16, 2009)

THIS SHOULD BE STICKIED!!!

Calms down.

Thanks again James.


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## sevenstringj (Mar 16, 2009)

Yep, that's exactly what I did in my old rack. Though I opted for 2 fans, and they came with normal plugs so I was able to plug them into the power conditioner directly. Partsexpress FTW.


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## Justin Bailey (Mar 16, 2009)

I like to pour cold water all over them personally...

















































































btw awesome rig, really great idea!


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## Regor (Mar 16, 2009)

sevenstringj said:


> Partsexpress FTW.



Yeah, that website is awesome, but since I've ordered things from PartSexPress.com before, I constantly get these big ass catalogs in the mail... its kinda annoying.


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## Distortion (Mar 16, 2009)

Doesn't having fans near the amp create a magnetic field that can and probably will interfere with noise sensitive devices.. such as tubes.. ?

Just a thought  Really clever and cool idea


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## 7slinger (Mar 16, 2009)

sevenstringj said:


> Yep, that's exactly what I did in my old rack. Though I opted for 2 fans, and they came with normal plugs so I was able to plug them into the power conditioner directly. Partsexpress FTW.



link? I've been looking all over that site


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## maat (Mar 16, 2009)

Distortion said:


> Doesn't having fans near the amp create a magnetic field that can and probably will interfere with noise sensitive devices.. such as tubes.. ?
> 
> Just a thought  Really clever and cool idea



And yet we place said amps constantly next to HUGE ass magnets to push the sound...EXCELSIOR!!!!!!

This is the secret to excellent tone MORE MAGNETS!!!!!

Calms down.



sevenstringj said:


> Yep, that's exactly what I did in my old rack. Though I opted for 2 fans, and they came with normal plugs so I was able to plug them into the power conditioner directly. Partsexpress FTW.



Which fans did you order from partsexpress that cam with the AC plugs?


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## Regor (Mar 16, 2009)

maat said:


> This is the secret to excellent tone MORE MAGNETS!!!!!



C'mon now... everybody knows its a well known fact that blinky lights = tone. And since his fans have lights, it is _that_ which is adding to his tone


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## 7 Dying Trees (Mar 16, 2009)

this thread gets ressurected every so often, maybe it should go into the howto section.

My fans still work too, and still look more funky than a disco pimp in the70's


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## sevenstringj (Mar 16, 2009)

Oh shit, didn't realize how old this thread was! But anyway...

Parts Express: Middle Atlantic FAN 4-1/2" Fan 105 cfm 115 VAC

That's the one. Though I don't remember them costing 40 bucks!  Damn inflation. It was about 8 years ago I got them.


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## maat (Mar 17, 2009)

Oar-SOME! unfortunately, my wallet just got kicked in the nads from simply reading that price...



Regor said:


> C'mon now... everybody knows its a well known fact that blinky lights = tone. And since his fans have lights, it is _that_ which is adding to his tone


You kidding me?!?!? I'm mounting a gawddamn lighthouse. TODAY!


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## Stitch (Mar 17, 2009)

Distortion said:


> Doesn't having fans near the amp create a magnetic field that can and probably will interfere with noise sensitive devices.. such as tubes.. ?
> 
> Just a thought  Really clever and cool idea



Its not the magnets, its the EM noise produced when the motors spin and the commutator swaps polarity. Because these fans are brushless, you don't get that periodic burst of noise, hence; almost completely electrically silent...


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## Stealthdjentstic (Mar 17, 2009)

Thats smart.


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## maat (Jun 6, 2009)

Taken from

A Monk's Musical Musings: April 2007

*Friday, April 06, 2007*

* Proper Rack Setup *

One of the nice things about being in the music business for thirty years is that you have experienced and worked through almost _everything:_ I've been a roadie, I've worked as a Synclavier programmer, and I've worked as an asistant engineer in some of the most famous recording studios in the world... plus, I've owned just a ton of guitar rack gear.

Setting up a gig rack is all about heat management, and this is especially important for a guitarist, bassist, or keyboard player who may play outdoor gigs where the ambient temperature can go above 100 degrees F (Working in the Desert Southwest as I do, I encounter this all the time). Problem is, most newbies copy what they see in recording studios _via_ Mix magazine, or whatever. _Recording studios are climate controlled environments!_ Therefore, the ambient temperatures therein are going to be set with keeping the amps, effects units, and computer equipment happy in mind.

So, in a climate controlled recording studio, putting the power amplifier on the bottom of the rack makes perfect sense: It won't overheat, you never need to fiddle with it, and putting preamps and other gear above the amp makes accessing them for adjustments easier. Putting the power amp on the bottom of a gigging rack is, however, idiotic.

What does heat do? It rises. If you put a big, badass, MESA/Boogie Stereo Simul-Class 2: Ninety on the bottom of your guitar rig, those eight 6L6 output tubes, three 12AX7 input tubes, and two gargantuan output transformers will _bake everything above them!_ However, if you put the power amp on the top, the rising heat from it will actually aid the cooling of the lower units through convection: The rising hot air on the top will pull in cooler air from down below.

*****

Here are two of my racks to demonstrate the principle:







*ALL YOUR GEAR ARE BELONG TO US!*

One of the reasons that power conditioners with light modules make exactly zero sense for gig racks is because _the wretched, blasted power conditioner belongs on the bottom of the balsted rack!_ Power conditioners - even ones like the Furman AR-1215, which has isolation transformers - generate very little heat: Putting them on the bottom gives a relatively open area for air circulation. Just above the Furman units I have my Lexicon MPX-G2's, which I use in stand-alone mode as the preamps and effects units. These generate a significant amount of heat, they are very deep units, and they have a vent on the top - about six inches back - which should _never_ be blocked by a unit above them. I usually recommend an open space above Lexicon MPX units, but the Beheringer Racktuner generates almost no heat (I let one run twenty-four hours with the lights on, and there was a barely noticable warm spot above the internal power supply), and it is only four inches deep, so the Lexicon's vent is not blocked. Basically, the Behringer is almost as good as an empty space.

Then, the amps are on the top. The top rack is my day-to-day dinner club/backround music rig. The Bryston 2B-LP there is a single space, sixty watt per channel unit, and the heat sinks are on the front, outside of the rack. Nonetheless, it has some upper vents that need to breathe on the top a few inches back, and it can get so hot the sinks will burn your fingers if you try to hold onto them. Nice thing about the SBK racks I use is that they are light as a feather, rugged beyond belief, and they have about an inch of space all around the gear: The rack "breathes" perfectly.

The lower rack is my high end gig rack with the incredible Lexicon Signature 284 All Tube Class "A" Stereo Recording Amplifier and Direct Source: Its +4 db direct outs allow me to plug its pristine class A EL84 output right into the house PA. Yeah, it rocks.

Not pictured here is my large venue outdoor rig, which is the same except it is six spaces to accomodate a Bryston 3B-NPB in the top slot. _That_ amp has massive heat sinks on the inside of the rack, so it really needs to breathe. Setting the rack up with convection cooling in mind makes it relatively compact, and allows me to play folk festivals and whatnot out in the heat with noooooo problemo.

So, don't ever set up a gig rack like a studio rack, OK?

*****

BTW: You can easily see how the Behringers will light up a dark stage.






Cool, huh?

*****


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## TomAwesome (Jun 6, 2009)

^Interesting. How much of a difference is there really going to be in a typical rack, though? If there was much of a difference, you'd see racks set up like this a lot more often. I see very few myself. I set my racks up with the power amp on the bottom so it's easier to balance when I'm hauling it and so the heavier components will be better supported on the bottom rather than being entirely held up by the rack ears (which really should be fine, but I overthink things like this anyway). Also, both of my rack power amps take in air from the back that goes through the inside of the amp and exhausts via a vent in the front of the amp, which is wide open, so the convection cooling principle probably doesn't apply nearly as much to racks whose power amps cool like that.


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## thefearthefury (Nov 24, 2009)

very sweet colours. where did you buy the fans?


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## JJ Rodriguez (Nov 24, 2009)

Him being from the UK, he probably bought them somewhere we wouldn't know about. I'm in the process of waiting for a 3u rack panel right now. I have the fans. I decided to go with the Enermax Apollish since I hear the noise and air movement are pretty decent, plus the LED's are bad ass apparently. You just have to mod the fans since they're temperature controlled. I'll have to make a picstory of me making my fan panel too 

EDIT: Forgot to mention, I got the fans from http://www.ncix.com . I order all my computer shit through them since they're Canadian. I've looked at the Canadian Newegg site and the prices and selection don't seem as nice as NCIX.


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## Hcash (Nov 24, 2009)

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gear-and-equipment/41702-rack-fan.html

I bought my fans from Radioshack. 30.00$ for a box of four... There were a few color options...


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## 7 Dying Trees (Nov 24, 2009)

thefearthefury said:


> very sweet colours. where did you buy the fans?


LED PC Fans, 120mm, cheap to get, ebay or places that sell PC parts 

The ones I used are AKASA ones (silent ones, brushless or something, doesn't really matter, the colours were for pimping it out, could have used normal ones and saved some cash, but that's nowhere near as bling now is it  )

Basically any fan will do, but PC fans are easy to get hold of


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## TheGerman (Dec 31, 2009)

I like the way the rack looks but I have some suggestions to make it look better if you ever plan on 'upgrading' your cooling system. If you were to purchase some clear, non LED, fans and install some cold cathodes you would get a much more even color and would have more options as far as color. You could even pick up some sound activated cold cathodes which would make for some amazing light shows.

Check out Xoxide.com - Custom ATX Computer Cases, PC Mods, Computer Case mods, and Modded PC Cases for cold cathodes and Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more! for case fans.


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## bdzin (Sep 26, 2010)

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## Mesheshuggah91 (Nov 21, 2010)

badass man, would that work on a head too? I've got a Line 6 HD100 and after 30 minutes of playing if there's not a fan on it it dies. also I did not know blowing air into an amp was bad, thank you for that I'll have to find another way to cool it down


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## DancingCloseToU (Nov 25, 2010)

Mesheshuggah91 said:


> badass man, would that work on a head too?


That's a good idea  I dont see why not, as long as you can find a way to mount the fans... It certainly won't look as cool though


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## baconbag (Mar 3, 2011)

Sorry for the noob question, but do you attach it to the power amp itself or to the rack mount above the power amp?


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## baconbag (Mar 3, 2011)

disregard that. Didn't even look at the last pic.


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## chimpinatux (Mar 5, 2011)

I thought id share this:





Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Just stuck some 40mm fans inside the edge of my 20/20 chassis, keeps it surprisingly cooler and gets the air flowing more


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## simulclass83 (Mar 5, 2011)

That's a f***ing sick rack. Sure as hell beats mine haha!


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## baconbag (Mar 9, 2011)

So, how do you control the power? Do you just plug/unplug the DC converter? I found a 4 pin Molex with a switch running throught the 12V. If anyone has the time/knowlege would you be able to say whether or not this would work? Heres a link
Molex 4 Pin on/off Power Switch 12V DC


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## baconbag (Mar 9, 2011)

Also, I plan on using 80mm fans (fits 2u) so I'm not sure if that changes anything.


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## Menigguh (Sep 10, 2011)

Super cool. I am soooooo Going to do this!


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