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Wiring Exiting Wall To Rack
This thread has 12 replies. Displaying all posts.
Post 1 made on Tuesday August 29, 2017 at 01:56
N2OACCORD
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hi there,

We prewired a home for distributed audio, control, networking etc. we are looking for a good solution for the wiring exiting the wall going to the rear of the rack. i guess we are looking for a large pass through plate of some sort?

what do you use?

thanks!
Post 2 made on Tuesday August 29, 2017 at 06:32
Mario
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Are cables buried in the wall or structured can?
Are they long enough to go to landed equipment or will you create splices in the rack?
Post 3 made on Tuesday August 29, 2017 at 08:09
Craig Aguiar-Winter
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I usually use a couple of these, and then leave a big service loop so the rack can be pulled out from the wall, as long as (as pointed out above), there is enough cable.

Craig
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Post 4 made on Tuesday August 29, 2017 at 09:03
Vertical AV
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I like to try and use a small structured wiring can (14") in the wall and then modify the front cover to have an opening trough on the bottom. If you want to get real fancy you can even put rubber molding over the cut edge on the cover to protect the cables. With 1-2 gang wall plates they always get full so fast, the cables just dangle and you always end up pulling more cables then you expect when the client adds locations.

If you go with a bigger can you can even protect your cables from the sheetrock an painting crew inside the can, which is another bonus. Like Craig says too, you always want enough cable to spin the rack around and move it way from the wall.
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Post 5 made on Tuesday August 29, 2017 at 11:23
Ernie Gilman
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You're running late. The time to pin this down is before you run the wires! If even one wire is short, you have to compromise on how you route the wires.

If just hanging the wires I'd bring 'em out in bundles of an inch or less diameter. Larger bundles are less flexible, so they eat up front-to-back space as well as putting strain on the wires where they transition from hanging to attached.

The hinged rails used in the MA Axxess series are even better. They add six feet for going from wall to rack plus the wire needed to go down the wall to the rails, then up the rack to the equipment. It's not unusual for this to add a dozen feet to each wire run!

It's best to figure this out before running cables!
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Post 6 made on Tuesday August 29, 2017 at 15:15
Mac Burks (39)
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Build a drop/ceiling soffit to drop all the cables into. Then sort and bundle your cables inside the drop ceiling/soffit and bring the bundles down into each rack exactly where you want them.

The "knot" (what i call the point where all the cables cross one another) gets hidden in the drop ceiling and all you see is nice neat bundles going into the racks.

A couple of examples.

This one there is a single long slot in the ceiling along the backs of the racks. There is an open loft above where the cables are so access is easy.


This one has 2X4's in the ceiling so the slots are cut within the stud bays. When the project was done we had a split wood plate made with holes drilled for each bundle. When installed all you saw was wire coming out of holes. You can see the access hatch behind it.




The dead space doesn't have to be in the ceiling. In this photo you can see how we did it with cables ladders and a wall in an attic.

Cables behind the wall:


Neat bundles coming through the wall:

Last edited by Mac Burks (39) on September 17, 2017 06:42.
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Post 7 made on Tuesday August 29, 2017 at 18:16
Grasshopper
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On August 29, 2017 at 15:15, Mac Burks (39) said...
Build a drop/ceiling soffit to drop all the cables into. Then sort and bundle your cables inside the drop ceiling/soffit and bring the bundles down into each rack exactly where you want them.

The "knot" (what i call the point where all the cables cross one another) gets hidden in the drop ceiling and all you see is nice neat bundles going into the racks.

A couple of examples.

This one there is a single long slot in the ceiling along the backs of the racks. There is an open loft above where the cables are so access is easy.


This one has 2X4's in the ceiling so the slots are cut within the stud bays. When the project was done we had a split wood plate made with holes drilled for each bundle. When installed all you saw was wire coming out of holes. You can see the access hatch behind it.


The dead space doesn't have to be in the ceiling. In this photo you can see how we did it with cables ladders and a wall in an attic.

Cables behind the wall:


Neat bundles coming through the wall:

Mac Burks, do you mind if I share this with a co-worker? That's great work.
Everyone should learn something new every day.
Post 8 made on Tuesday August 29, 2017 at 23:10
Neurorad
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I was gonna say what Mac said, and credit him, but instead I just waited for him to post.

But similarly, if the bundle(s) come in from a wall, they can go into a flush-mount low voltage enclosure. There, the cables can be patched if needed, and then continue through the LV enclosure, out of the bottom knockouts, and then out through a few pass-throughs mounted below the enclosure. Leave room for 2-3 more pass-throughs below the enclosure, for the future. Just cut them in later.

Like with Mac's approach, service loops can be stored/hidden in the enclosure.

All that is visible are the bundles coming out of the drywall below the enclosure, which is hidden by the rack.

I wouldn't patch audio cables, though - can pass through the enclosure, out the bottom knockouts, through the drywall pass-through(s), and then into the rack.

I think the Middle Atlantic wire tray is the ideal solution to convey cable bundles from the wall to the rack, but it's not idea for a rack on wheels - best for tracks.

[Link: middleatlantic.com]

The cable bundles can be hung from a retractor (tool balancer/spring balancer) or bungee cord, mounted near the top of the rack, in the back.

[Link: avsforum.com]

[Link: remotecentral.com]
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Post 9 made on Tuesday August 29, 2017 at 23:18
AnilAppleLink
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We sometimes use wireways with knockouts to store extra cable in commercial applications. If there is space it would work but bringing wires out in bundles also works.
--
Thanks,
Anil A. Apple Communication LLC. www.apple-link.com Pro-AV - Pro Lighting - Networking - Security Cameras - Home Theater For all your low voltage cabling needs
Post 10 made on Tuesday August 29, 2017 at 23:25
Neurorad
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Cable bundles exiting high out of the wall, into the top/upper rack is easier than low, so positioning the pass-throughs above the LV enclosure is probably a better solution than below.
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Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. -Buddha
Post 11 made on Thursday August 31, 2017 at 12:07
Oz AVI
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November 2004
1,151
Do a search for "bullnose wall plates.

[Link: ebay.com.au]

Naturally it depends on how many cables are exiting the wall.
Post 12 made on Sunday September 17, 2017 at 06:43
Mac Burks (39)
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On August 29, 2017 at 18:16, Grasshopper said...
Mac Burks, do you mind if I share this with a co-worker? That's great work.

You can share anything i post. FYI i had to update the image links because i changed hosting providers and moved a bunch of stuff around for wiremunky.
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Post 13 made on Monday September 18, 2017 at 00:59
Mario
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On August 31, 2017 at 12:07, Oz AVI said...
Do a search for "bullnose wall plates.

[Link: ebay.com.au]

Naturally it depends on how many cables are exiting the wall.

Find the plates that are modular so that the cover can be installed after the wires are ran.


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