Pro Production: The Wide World Of Road Cases

Riding The Rails

Racks are yet another type of case, and they house electronic components that are bolted into the case on “rack rails.”

Standard rack rail dimension is 19 inches wide, and gear is designated by how many vertical “spaces” (or rack units) they use in a rack: single space (1RU) is 1.75 inches, 2RU is 3.5 inches, 3RU, is 5.25 inches, and so on.

Rack-mount gear has “ears” that extend on either side of the front panel, and these allow the item to be bolted onto the rails.

Rails can be tapped for bolts (usually a 10-32 thread), or open spaced and used with bolt and captive backing cage nuts that slip into place on the slotted rail. Even though they’re bolts, the fasteners are normally referred to as rack screws, and have large flanged heads to help support the electronic gear.

Phillips and square drive are the most common heads on rack screws, but high security applications may use screws with heads that require a special tool. Standard road racks usually have two removable doors (called lids) that latch on securely and provide protection when the unit is transported.

Along with holding electronic equipment, racks can be used to house drawers at various heights, as well as stationary or sliding shelves, lock-box storage units, connector panels, lighting panels, ventilation and fan panels, and blank panels to fill up unused spaces in the rack and to help manage airflow inside the rack.

A rack (or three) in full.

Some racks are outfitted with a single set of rails in the front, while others offer an additional set of rails in the rear to help secure larger/heavier equipment. While the width of the racked equipment on the rails is always 19 inches, the depth of the rack can vary with the application and requirements with depths between 18 to 22 inches being the most common.

Standard racks have their rails bolted directly to the sides of the rack. Shock mounted racks use an inner frame with rails that are isolated either by foam, springs, or rubber mounts to the outside case. These racks offer more protection to fragile electronics.

Slip-over racks are basically a standard rack that fits into a road case with a slip-over top. These offer the extra protection of a shock rack, but with added flexibility. The rack can be used by itself out of the case, sitting in the tray portion of the case, angled into the tray portion of the case, or sitting on top of the closed exterior case. The variety of positioning options is one of the reasons why slip-over cases are very popular at front of house and for video switching.

There are a lot of variations in designs for racks. Smaller racks may be used to house individual pieces, and may feature rubber feet, while larger racks holding multiple pieces of gear usually have wheels to make them easier to move around.

More Variations

Slant-top rack mixer cases bolt a mixing console to rails in the case oriented in a comfortable operating position. A variation called the “pop up” case features rack rails that adjust to different angles allowing the user to select the most comfortable operating position of the mixer.

This case offers a wide range of storage options, all with convenient access.

In addition, this style allows for a more compact case as the mixer can be stowed in a lowered position. Another variation is the slant-top with rack spaces, allowing a console to be mounted in operating position at the top of the rack, along with additional rack gear below. Some of these larger cases have lids that are used as tables to increase the work surface area.

Side-by-side racks (a.k.a., “double wides”) mount two racks next to each other in the same case. A variation is the side-by-side, with a mixing console area on top under a lid, particularly popular for installed systems where equipment needs to be rolled into different positions, such as in a multi-purpose room.

A more elegant version of this style can be found in many churches, where a roll-top design secures the console when it’s not in use, and doors secure the rack contents.

Some manufacturers incorporate the rack lids into stand-alone tables, or tables that hook on to one side of the rack. When packed for transport, the table legs fold up into the case lid, and the lid is attached to the rack as usual.