I've had some of the pieces of this sitting around for months, but, on the occasion of 2.0b11, I finally got motivated to finish a docking sled for home. I'll attach some pics for the BBS record (is there a less tacky way than to reply to myself???)

First of five pics: front view

TSLSIA

Here's a shot of the very high-tech application of Shoe Goo to anchor each plug from the back

When it came to fitting ethernet and DC plugs in the sled, I decided to follow the Way of The Lord -- a piece of 1/2" plywood secured with sheet metal screws and tapped to accept ethernet and power. My big dilemma? What to secure these with -- I wanted something that would flex just a bit on the RJ45. Answer? Some ancient Shoe Goo from my closet. Some polyurethane caulk would have worked, too.

On the RJ-45 I trimmed away the retaining clip and the anti-snag hood. Important to use one with a nice strain-relief boot, though, for proper Shoe Goo grip.

Here's a view from the top. I happened to have some scrap 1/2" UHMW polyethelene sheet around, so I used that to support the sled.

Is there anything that can't be fixed with either duct tape or RTV silicone?

Very clever, Jim, I'm going to put that one in the FAQ. Hope that's OK.

I'm going to put that one in the FAQ. Hope that's OK.

Certainly! It is the highest honor!

Originally I was going to make a one-off urethane casting to hold the plugs, but when I saw Mark's version I decided that it wasn't worth the effort. I had some silicone around but didn't use it. My decision flow kinda went like:

Silicone?: Maaaybe not sticky enough. 3M 5200?: Got some here but takes forever to cure and can only be removed with a jackhammer. Sikaflex 291 polyurethane?: Perfect, but too lazy to go get it off the boat.....Look, some Shoe Goo! Why not? Seems to work fine.

Once the Goo had cured part way, I left the Empeg in the sled overnight to help reinforce the alignment, esp the ethernet. Slides right in now. No more hooking up. Ahhhh.

(Thinks to himself.... How many times have you said this before? ...)

Nice rack.

Now how about some descriptions of all the wiring you've done inside the case? I have a few ideas myself, but haven't been able to get to any of the electronics stores recently. One of them not around here even has some decent chasis. I have to take a closer look (wasn't thinking about the empeg when I last saw them).

Bruno

Nice rack.

Thanks! I'll take that the right way!

OK, gory details. I'll try to be comprehensive but concise (ya, right!!)

My long-range plan was to have this installed in a separate enclosed AV rack, thus the rack-mount approach.

The front panel is just a basic aluminum AV rack blank panel (Mid Atlantic brand?) I got at a local AV/sound shop. The aluminum box I got at a local electronics supply outfit called Radar Electric; it was overpriced (like $25??), but it was the right size, so I caved in. I mated them up with those black hex-head bolts (still debating whether to paint those washers on the front black) then covered the whole thing with tape and carefully cut the hole for the sled with my jigsaw (which a girl friend of mine calls the "Bosch Basher" - great saw, BTW).

On the back panel: the DB9 is simply held in place by a M-M gender changer to which the Empeg serial cable connects. The power inlet is a 3-prong "PC-style" inlet with a built-in filter (so they say!!) that I got from allelectronics.com. I just didn't want to have *another* external potato transformer to deal with, so I just soldered a 6" extension from Radio Shack to the inlet, stuck the OE DC transformer into it and secured them to the base inside the case.

The + off the transformer just feeds through the front panel switch so I can easily power cycle the Empeg for updates and such. The only other odditity is that I put a 150F NC thermal switch in the path so that (in theory) the Empeg will power off if things get too hot. I mounted it on some studs (you can maybe see it on the right side) so that it should operate off ambient air temperature inside the case.

Other back panel stuff? Because I couldn't think of an easier way to do it, I fed the ethernet and RCA line-out through the back panel by finding a piece of left-over black ABS sheet (that I got from Crutchfield and used for my fake dash pocket) Dremeling some holes for a dual F-F RCA and a F-F RJ-45 connector, then stuck them in place with some (None Finer) JB Weld with a little black pigment mixed in. Then I cut a rectangular hole in the back of the case and bolted that ABS plate over it. The hooded RJ-45 patch cable inside the box cable is a 1-foot patch cable I got from www.cyberguys.com. Short patch cables like that can be hard to find. (maybe not obvious but I fed it into the plywood plate in the docking sled by cutting a "keyhole" type hole -- so I wouldn't have to cut the patch cord).

To Do? I'm going to put a ventilated piece of Lexan on the top. I also left a spot on the left side for a 12V fan if it seems like it's needed. I'm having the urge to add a bunch of ENIAC-style flashing lights...!

Hope that helps (oh, and your Kenwood remote arrived!)

Awesome. Thanks for the details... now that i have an extra sled laying around i'm gonna have to build me one of those badboys!

Thats pretty cool. I have one question for you if you don't mind. How come you used the plug in power supply rather than the power and ground wires on the sled connector itself?

Probably to have it automatically use the "Home" identity

/Michael

Thanks ninti, loren!

as to How come you used the plug in power supply rather than the power and ground wires on the sled connector itself?

Well, for one the ISO connectore for that sled got buried in a heap of books and dirty laundy and I lost patience looking for it. Also, I had the impression that this would be the way to keep the "home" personailty/settings, although it occurs to me that having the plug inserted (whether powered or not) could be good enough for that purpose. Finally, I said "Why not? -- I couldn't see a downside except that I don't have a constant + on the orange wire.

Is there is a downside that you can think of? I'd rewire it in a heartbeat!

(Oh, and in my earlier post where I said I had a DB-9 gender changer on the back of the box? Well, that was true as I had a a string of short mismatched serial cables in there, but I cleaned it up with a nice long cat5 with RJ-45/DB9 adapters, so now the F DB-9 connector on the sled is just anchored through the back panel)

Only one I can think of is the fact that the power connector is a bit sensitive to proper insertion and can cause the player to stay in home mode in the car too, if the little switch inside the connector jams... Makes no difference if it's powered or not though.

/Michael

> Is there is a downside that you can think of?

Nah, I just wanted to know the issues involved if I decided to something similar. Thanks for the info and the pics. Now I got to find some Shoe-glue.

for a downside to using the home power connector how about you can't power off the unit just standby

for a downside to using the home power connector how about you can't power off the unit just standby

Sure you can power it down when it's on home connection. Just terminate power to the home connector. I think his home-component system already has a switch for this purpose.

I think it's fine that he's using the home power connector in the sled, it's the most straightforward and simple way to get the home/car personalities working transparently.

Seeing the trick with the Shoe Goo and the plywood makes me really want to make one of these boxes myself. Actually, two, one for home and one for work. Can't afford two sleds at the moment, though...