Something wicked this way comes...

Spoons said:
Estimated total empty weight (less vinyl cover) based on the actual weight of existing components and estimated weights of glue, finish, and small screws will be 87.5 lbs.

Estimated weight with the components I intend to put in the cabinet is 155#, that is going to be a breeze to move around!!!
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Until you have to cary it up a flight of stairs, hopefully you won't have any of those kind of gigs ;). Hey, I only missed it by 20 Lbs
 
Sixstring said:
Until you have to carry it up a flight of stairs, hopefully you won't have any of those kind of gigs ;). Hey, I only missed it by 20 Lbs
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I used to move appliances up and down stairs alone that weighed considerably more than 155# and some were quite awkward, the 155# will not be a problem - at least weight wise.

Don't most places have stairs to get on stage? Don't people move their 4X12 cabinets (about 95#) up and down stairs and risers with two people no matter how short the staircase or lift is; seriously, the additional 60# should be nothing for two people to manage.

The advantage of this cabinet is that it will be a one trip cabinet and it will likely not "require" two people especially going down stairs, we'll have to wait and see about going up the stairs after it's completely built, the components have been added, and the center of gravity shifts from the theoretical location. I actually solid modeled this entire thing including the physical size, weights and approximate center of gravity of all the components that I plan to add to the cabinet and placed the side lifting handles directly under that completely assembled (including components) theoretical center of gravity, this also allowed me to know where the center of gravity is located when an average 6' tall person pulls this cabinet on its wheels and tries to pull it up a standard 8" riser staircase. I've actually thought a lot about this part of the product because I consider it a major feature and planned ahead as best as I could, but even well thought out plans can come crashing down, that's exactly why we make prototypes prior to committing resources to full production.

P.S. Your 20# guess was actually a pretty darn good guess, all you would have to do is switch a couple of components and that 155# could easily shift 20# either way.
 
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Sixstring said:
Until you have to cary it up a flight of stairs, hopefully you won't have any of those kind of gigs ;). Hey, I only missed it by 20 Lbs
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I agree that this cab/rack idea is a good one for those who have a single dedicated rig that needs to roll and move easily, and are fine with the speakers being oriented in this manner. (btw, i'm a CAD guy also...nice work on the model!). Yes, stairs would be a problem, but nothing that a roadie or helper couldn't solve. Up/down a full flight of stairs or two with no elevator...I dunno there, and those gigs do exist (at least for me).

Personally, I like the idea of total modularity of not only speakers, (and number of cabinets), but also processing. Personally, my rig is 2 identical cabinets (lightweight single driver in each), and I use one cab or two (stacked) depending on the venue and need, and can place them sitting on the floor, angled, or elevated (on a tripod if desired). I also have the option of using a small stomp pedal/preamp for those very, very basic gigs where space is an issue and I can get away without using rack gear. One trip with a hand truck or dolly is usually all I need.

I know I'm not the target audience for this product, but I'm sure many others would find this setup useful. I personally just don't prefer to have a dedicated rig since I do so many different types of gigs with so many different requirements. Not that anyone asked, but just wanted to voice a different viewpoint on the thinking behind the design of my live rig. Size and weight and flexibility were very high on my list of reasons. 25 years ago, though, none of these things really entered my mind much. LOL!
 
Spoons said:
I used to move appliances up and down stairs alone that weighed considerably more than 155# and some were quite awkward, the 155# will not be a problem - at least weight wise.

Don't most places have stairs to get on stage? Don't people move their 4X12 cabinets (about 95#) up and down stairs and risers with two people no matter how short the staircase or lift is; seriously, the additional 60# should be nothing for two people to manage.

The advantage of this cabinet is that it will be a one trip cabinet and it will likely not "require" two people especially going down stairs, we'll have to wait and see about going up the stairs after it's completely built, the components have been added, and the center of gravity shifts from the theoretical location. I actually solid modeled this entire thing including the physical size, weights and approximate center of gravity of all the components that I plan to add to the cabinet and placed the side lifting handles directly under that completely assembled (including components) theoretical center of gravity, this also allowed me to know where the center of gravity is located when an average 6' tall person pulls this cabinet on its wheels and tries to pull it up a standard 8" riser staircase. I've actually thought a lot about this part of the product because I consider it a major feature and planned ahead as best as I could, but even well thought out plans can come crashing down, that's exactly why we make prototypes prior to committing resources to full production.

P.S. Your 20# guess was actually a pretty darn good guess, all you would have to do is switch a couple of components and that 155# could easily shift 20# either way.
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All true... And I was not trying to derail your product with negatives just looking at the facts, I'm getting older and my back is not what it used to be so the days of humping around 2 412's a few heads and some effects are all gone for me. Now it's all about trying to get it as compact and light as I can for my needs and wants. When my rig is compleet I will have maybe 5 separate pieces to manage none weighing more then 45Lbs. Slap it all on a light weight folding dolly and I'm good to go, the up side.

Down side, all of the pieces together might weigh in at what your rig is projected to weigh at and if I had a gig where I had to deal with stairs then I'm having to make multiple trips but could do so on my own with out needing any help or having to go to the Chiropractor afterwords.

So it's just a case of different needs, maybe you could come up with another version that could be modular and stackable with interlocking pieces for those that would like that option? Over all weight might go up a few Lbs but it could be broken down in to more manageable pieces in the event you don't have any help to lift the all in one version ;).

EDIT: I was just looking at your rendering and you could bust it up into 3 pieces that can all be locked together as one unit what do you think?
 
Sixstring said:
So it's just a case of different needs, maybe you could come up with another version that could be modular and stackable with interlocking pieces for those that would like that option? Over all weight might go up a few Lbs but it could be broken down in to more manageable pieces in the event you don't have any help to lift the all in one version ;).

EDIT: I was just looking at your rendering and you could bust it up into 3 pieces that can all be locked together as one unit what do you think?
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interesting idea
 
We broke a 24 space power amp rack up into several smaller racks for similar reasons.

Back in the day of heavy power amps, that big power amp case was "the rack of doom" lol.

It had a life of its own and was such a pain in the #$#$ to move it anywhere. Into and out of the truck was always an exercise in self mutilation lol
 
barhrecords said:
We broke a 24 space power amp rack up into several smaller racks for similar reasons.

Back in the day of heavy power amps, that big power amp case was "the rack of doom" lol.

It had a life of its own and was such a pain in the #$#$ to move it anywhere. Into and out of the truck was always an exercise in self mutilation lol
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Been there, done that! My very first amp rack was loaded with a pair of Crest 5001 for mains, a Crest 3501 and a Soundcraftsmen MA5002 for monitors. I couldn't split that rack up fast enough. My back hurts just thinking about it!
 
Sixstring said:
All true... And I was not trying to derail your product with negatives just looking at the facts, I'm getting older and my back is not what it used to be so the days of humping around 2 412's a few heads and some effects are all gone for me. Now it's all about trying to get it as compact and light as I can for my needs and wants. When my rig is complete I will have maybe 5 separate pieces to manage none weighing more then 45Lbs. Slap it all on a light weight folding dolly and I'm good to go, the up side...
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I didn't take your comment as trying to derail anything, if I came across as being defensive that wasn't my intent and I apologize. I'm just stating things from my experience and engineering perspective and you are stating from your experience and perspective, I have absolutely no problem with suggestions or criticisms - I learn from both. The Army got rig of any ego I had years ago, so, let'er rip, I don't mind at all, seriously. :)

I'm getting older too, my knees are starting to get bad, and I want to simplify my multiple component rig, I want my regular stooping and bending over as it's related to my rig to be a thing of the past, I choose to simplify by reducing separate items and unify them all into one functional cabinet that I will completely cover all my bases and hopefully the end results out of the speaker cabinet and the sound system will be as good or better than anything I'm doing right now. I've derived this cabinet from my experiences since the 1970's and my general needs for today. Right now I completely tear-down and setup my rig twice a week, every week, and an all-in-one, grab-n-go concept looks really attractive to me. Since I am reusing absolutely nothing at all from my current rig, except the actual guitars, I'll probably keep my existing multiple component rig for a while as a good backup. My wife is not real happy with everything being completely new and the BIG dollars it will take to put all the new components in the cabinet; I guess I can continue to say "At least I'm not spending all that money and LOTS more on another race car", yep I did that for a while.

I completely realize that a product like this is a narrow niche market, the product may fail miserably, or it might sell; either way I'll have the cabinet that will fit my needs for quite some time and if others happen to be interested in it, I figured I'd try to low volume manufacture them too. Either way I win. :)
 
Jakobscortum said:
Make it a frfr speaker system...
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I actually considered frfr speakers as my first choice but I'm having a problem obtaining the frfr speakers I would like to put in it. I have chosen Coaxial/Twin Cone speakers right now Coaxial/Twin Cone - K12H-100TC - Celestion - Guitar, Bass & Pro Audio Speakers and the Coaxial/Twin Cone - K12H-200TC - Celestion - Guitar, Bass & Pro Audio Speakers both of which are OEM speaker sales ONLY that will certainly have minimum quantities. Right now I'm having a real problem getting any kind of communication going with the manufacturer, I honestly think I'm being stonewalled.
 
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UPDATE - It's coming together quite nicely!

Finished the basic chassis today (except for caster mounting block) and checked hardware fits; everything is going as expected and that's always a good thing! Tomorrow I get to make an edge dowel drilling jig so I can add the other strengthening dowels that were planned to do after chassis assembly was complete, and I can complete the final fit on the doors so there will be no finish rubbing when the doors are opened or closed.

More on the to-do-list before the final finish can be applied; things like edge radius routing, rout dowel pins to surface, install caster blocks, install the T-Nuts for mounting the speakers, fill the little nailer holes, completely encapsulate the back side of the angle mounting T-Nuts, etc, etc...

I'm taking my sweet time, to make absolutely sure that everything is "perfect" and any manufacturing notes can later be applied in production.

Here is a couple of quick photos...
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img_3356.jpg


Final note: I can easily lift the chassis on and off the table in the photo, the side handles make it EASY!
 
UPDATE:

All the strengthening dowels have been installed, routing the pins flush to the surface and sanding them smooth is done, the edge radius' are completed.

Tomorrow: Fabricating and mounting the caster mounting blocks.

Monday: It's off to the machine shop at the other end of the plant to spend a little personal time with a precision end mill making the angle pieces that the rack components are mounted to.

Nearing completion. Things are going VERY well, the anticipation is starting.
 
No easy storage place for the MFC 101? Just thinking if it was able to just pull out and set down would be a plus for the guys who use it. But that thing looks great.
 
SRDELE said:
No easy storage place for the MFC 101? Just thinking if it was able to just pull out and set down would be a plus for the guys who use it. But that thing looks great.
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Storage for pedal board will be in the front pocket of the vinyl cover.
 
Spoons said:
I ruled out a lid in favor of a vinyl cover that will snap snugly into place, almost no additional weight and the snaps are readly available at any hardware store for pennies as opposed to many dollars for stainless steel hardware. Plus, I have an entire upholsery department right in our factory with rolls and rolls of high quality vinyl for use.
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What about mesh covers for the speakers then or a sheet of perspex that could slide down on the front to protect axe FX 2 knobs and other rack gear etc...
 
The speaker grill cloth will not included. This is truly suppose to be the ground floor cabinet that is personalized by the user, the only finishing will be the outside black textured speaker coating. I've already assembled my personal speaker mounting panel with Marshall Salt and Pepper Grill Cloth.

As for a cover for the rack components, it's not in the works right now. The vinyl upholsteries we use every day in our factory are very durable and water proof, they are made for very long term use in all kinds of weather. The cover will be specifically designed for the application including something additional for the area in front of the rack components.

Nearing completion of the chassis and almost ready for the outer coating. We've had some delays in the factory with some rush contract stamping jobs and machine breakdowns but it looks like we are back on track to finish things soon.
 
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