XLR Backplate

[ebulb]

Does anyone know a company that makes a plate with XLR connectors on it that fits a 19" rack that also has small cables to plug in the back of a rack gear such as pre amps etc ?

I am putting some pre amps in a rack that are short but i need to get to the back of them to plug things in.. There is at least one long rack device in there also which makes its hard to try and get your hands around..

Id like to put a back plate on the rack which has short leads already connected to the pre amps to act kinda like a patch bay, but really just extends the connectors to the back of the rack..

The plate looks like this..

http://www.fullcompass.com/common/pr...inal/38061.jpg

Im wondering if anyone makes that with the xlr connectors already on there and small cables which i patch into the pre amps and any other short devices ?

I figure i could make it if i have to but would like to know if they are already being made ?

[fifthcircle]

You can order custom plates that are already wired from Redco. Costs a few bucks, but they do good work.

--Ben

[ebulb]

so when you say custom they would make them up for me ? WOuld you hazard a guess what they might cost ? my hope was that a company already makes them as it might be cheaper... getting someone to make one usually means a fair whack on labor and doing it yourself is either time consuming or in my case id probably botch it up..

[Jim vanBergen]

Any way you slice it, someone has to build it, put it together, solder it, and test it.

You can buy raw frame parts from Middle Atlantic; and several companies make the raw frames. Panel mount male and female XLRs are nothing hard, nor are custom cable types and lengths. If you don't want to do it yourself, I'd be happy to do the work for you (for hire) , as I'm sure many people who are good with a soldering iron would be. If you're not good, this is a chance for you to become good if you want the practice. Sometimes I have more money than time, sometimes more time than money.



JvB

[Corran]

If you don't mind spending about $12-$15 per channel, you could get:

Redco Audio
and short cables here:
SLMA
and not have to solder anything. Just add the connector panel with how many channels you need. This would be about $150-$175 for a 12-channel rack, which I've seen custom soldered ones sell for. This has the advantage of being re-wireable and 1ft XLR cables are always helpful.

When I have an extra bit of money I will buy this but for now I just make do. It is a pain though!

[ebulb]

thanks for the responses.. ive been searching round and cant find anything else... im a bit shocked nobody seems to mass produce them, i would have thought it was a common problem..

The Redo / SLMA option is neat and yes the cables could be used in other scenarios down the track if needed which is good.. Bit more than i would have hoped to spend but i'll see what building one myself would cost..

Thanks Jim also..

[Jim vanBergen]

I love this 1 RU pre-punched panel that fits 16 XLRs..

BTX Technologies Inc.

BTX carries panels that come pre-loaded, as well. More expensive, and I prefer to use all Neutrik connectors... but it's worth a look. thumbsup

[netsound]

Check this out. XLR to XLR 1U 16 point... You can use 1 or 2 ft XLR cable to extend..

XLR PATCH BAY

[Remoteness]

I would bit the bullet and roll your own.
It's less expensive and can be rewarding when completed.

Middle Atlantic, Whirlwind and a few others have exactly what you need to get the job done.

As many of you folks know, we build and wire all our own rack panels.

here are a few posts with some attachments for your review...

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/remot...ml#post4102762 1

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/remot...ml#post1852082 2

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/remot...tml#post577711 3

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/remot...tml#post577697 4

All the best on whatever you decide to do.

[grindx]

The company I work for also provides those pre-punched panels. There are reasons for not offering them pre-wired. Length of harness, method of cable dress, connector type, and connector brand typically need to be custom and unless we were to have them built off-shore, it would be an expensive (labor) piece to sit on the shelf waiting for someone to buy it. We take pride in the fact that our brand of products are USA made and all of the labor provided is done here in our shop on USA soil.

Clark Wire & Cable Product Catalog

[noision]

The person you should speak with for any custom job, from cabling, to rack enclosures, you name it, is Mike Vegas at at Toursupply.com in NYC:
vegas@toursupply.com

He builds customs anything for large touring acts including Aerosmith, Frampton, Moby, etc.

He is currently building me a custom rack with my AD converters, complete internal power supplies for my outboard gear, with locking connectors on the back of the rack for all audio in, out, AC in and DC outs to a snake to each of my pieces. Basically means brainless setup and setdown in minutes for my live PA rig which includes laptop, 2 motu devices, Emu Command Station, Future Retro Revolution, Waldorf Blofeld, Elektron Machine drum, novation controller and a Korg Kaoss Pad. All will fit into a snug flight case with my computer and couple small things in my backpack. One of the key things about this rig for me is that I will not have to use my stock wallwarts, but will have all covered internally. This way, I can leave my stock wallwarts in my main studio at home when I take my things out to gig. Huge savings of time and hassle. It costs, but once you have the gear you want, this is the way to go. I haven't been this excited about my setup in a long time.

He is super cool and will hook you up with any project large or small.

For you he may be able to simply custom wire the precise back panel you need and send it to you to place in your rack and plug into.

Ravi