Cabinet door for rack.....opinions!

[Sonnie Parker]

This may seem kinda nit picky but what the heck.....

I have a cabinet door frame built for my rack cabinet:



Obviously not installed yet....

Now I've got choices for what kind of glass to install in the door frame.

I can go with clear glass or tinted (bronze or smoke gray).

I was kinda thinking of using the bronze tinted but fear it may tint too much. But it would dim the little various lights a little more.

Is a big deal to be able to see the equipment clearly? IYO

Will tinted glass effect remote sensing?

The glass cost is not astronomical but I can't see wasting money on 2 peices of glass just to see which I'll like.






SONNIE

Cedar Creek Cinema

DVD Collection

BFD Comprehensive Setup Guide

[ThomasW]

I'm not real big on showing off gear so it's in closets, or in the basement whenever possible

Smoked glass will impact IR sensing, how much I don't know.




theAudioWorx
Klone-Audio

[Rick Guynn]

Depending on the IR issue, I think I would either go with clear or heavily tinted. This is just coming from an aesthetic opinion given the wall color.

-Rick

[Sonnie Parker]

Thomas, do you consider the bronze tinted to be a smoked tint as well? I had smoked in my mind as gray.

Please Thomas........ now you know you've yanked no telling how many folks down to your basement with that sub air conditioner you got. :LOL: You got something to show off!

Rick, I believe the intensity of the tint will depend on the thickness of the glass. At this point I'm not even sure how thick I need it. I felt like the bronze would blend in better and maybe if I get it 1/4" thick it will be fairly dark, but that's gonna make it very heavy. Then there's the issue of IR sensing. :roll: :?

Guess I'm gonna have to just try it one way and see what happens. Hope for the best, huh!






SONNIE

Cedar Creek Cinema

DVD Collection

BFD Comprehensive Setup Guide

[ThomasW]

The bronze tinted is going to be more reflective, I believe it contains actual metal in the coating. All are available in various degress of transparency .

The glass companies should have scrap samples you could get to try the IR transmission




theAudioWorx
Klone-Audio

[Sonnie Parker]

Scrap samples! Good idea!

Thanks Thomas....






SONNIE

Cedar Creek Cinema

DVD Collection

BFD Comprehensive Setup Guide

[Andrew Pratt]

what about that window tinting kits that you can buy at automotive supply stores? You might be able to get some scraps from them to let you play with differnt tints.

[Sonnie Parker]

I went up to the glass place this morning with my frame. The lady didn't have squat for samples. None that I could borrow and she didn't have anything in stock that would fit my frame other than plain 1/8 inch glass. So I went ahead and had that installed. I'll try it for a while and see how it looks. She did tell me that if I end up going with the bronze tinted glass that it has no metal particles in it.

Good idea on the car window tint Andrew. It would be less expensive to buy that than the tinted glass. I have a friend that does that at a car detailing place. He's got several choices but those may have metal in them. I'll just have to check. I would definitely be able to choose the darkness that way.






SONNIE

Cedar Creek Cinema

DVD Collection

BFD Comprehensive Setup Guide

[Andrew Pratt]

Sonnie which remote do you use? if its one of the pronto's (or their clones) you should have plenty of power to pass though the window tint

[Bob]

Just for curiosity sake. How about doing a quick test. Turn everything on and put a couple of thermometers in there, better use oven ones they go pretty high. Then cover the opening for a couple of hours with plywood or cardboard or even tinfoil. I would be curious to find out what the temps were and if you still wanted any glass.
My vote would be nothing or shutters that could be opened enough for the sensors to work. Also, are there vent holes in the back? If not, maybe get the drill out or maybe the saber saw.
It is a beautiful cabinet but looks airtight which may need to change.

[Sonnie Parker]

Andrew, right now I'm using the HTM SL-9000. I haven't made a change on remotes just yet.

Bob, yeah I thought about the heat deal. I plan on installing a small fan in the top of the cabinet to pull air through. The door will have a slight gap in between it and the cabinet as well. I may end up having to create a small gap in the rear at the bottom to help with the circulation too.






SONNIE

Cedar Creek Cinema

DVD Collection

BFD Comprehensive Setup Guide

[Bob]

Did you build the cabinet yourself? It really is a nice peice.

[Sonnie Parker]

Nah Bob, wish I could claim it but I didn't. I had my cabinet man build and install it when we built the house.

I figured I'd go ahead and have everything in the house matched up as close as possible.






SONNIE

Cedar Creek Cinema

DVD Collection

BFD Comprehensive Setup Guide