Eurorack cases/racks/stands. Ask questions, share experiences

[Myles_Avery]

Seconding the love for this case. I own one of these and an isms. I feel like between both I’ve got the top of the line and as much space as I’ll ever let myself expand to. (famous last words!).

[wolfgangschaltung]

I bought the pelican case for my Isms, but this can only be closed unpatched. Currently using Intellijel 7u cases, which I can close patched, even with stacked cables.

[bookmil]

How do you like the Intellijel 7U, I’ve been sorely tempted. Trying to do that “hold to 104” thing but I don’t know if I can.

[marcus_fischer]

i’ve been super tempted by the 7u intellijel as well (even the 4u for different reasons)
I saw some of the padded cases that gator will be making for them at a recent synth event and they look great too.

[oscillateur]

I’ve got a 7U Intellijel and I really like it. I’m looking forward to the padded case thing, as one of the only bad things about these cases is that the alu can be scratched a bit too easily. This can be “solved” with stickers but that might mess with the potential resale value :).

The only other bad thing I can say about the 7Us are that if, like me, you have a lot of small modules, you’ll probably need to plug a passive busboard on one of the connectors from the main board. These will not benefit from star grounding/etc. but everything works fine for me (and just in case I plug the digital modules on their own connector on the main board). I use a 4ms bus stick for this, and it works like a charm.

Apart from this, it’s really a super nice case. I’ve got mine on a small guitar stand, that way I can put other things (pedals/quNexus, etc/) right underneath.

I would probably have gotten a 104HP one if they had been available initially but 84HP * 7U is a nice shape, very briefcase-like in terms of dimensios/ratios.

[wolfgangschaltung]

The 7u is cool, I started with one and now use 2 of them.

Benefits

(1) They can be closed easily while patched. I have a Switch module installed, an Earthsea and a White Whale (I am obviously a traditionalist ), and I can close the lid easily with the USB cables running from the Switch to the monome modules.

(2) The integrated stand with 2 variable angles is awesome.

(3) The selection of 1u tiles offered by Intellijel is useful.

(4) I can connect & stack 2 of them to form a nice EMS-VCS3-like angle between them – and the whole combination is really super-solid.

(5) They are just lightweight enough to carry them for a prolonged time around. Nevertheless, make sure to have an antiperspirant with you if you walk longer distances. The optional shoulder strap is a godsend. I just hope that its nylon fabric doesn’t wear off quickly at the sharp edges of the red connectors.

Downsides:

(1) Frankly, having the 1u row at the top is not that great in practice. I would have preferred to have it in the middle between the 2 rows. The 1u houses utility modules which need to be connected to modules in both rows, so having the 1u row in the middle helps keeping cables short and out of the way. Imagine you have both the modulation source and the modulation target in the lower row, but the target doesn’t have an attenuator, so you have to patch over the upper row to reach the Quad Attenuator in the 1u row.

(2) You always have to pay for the MIDI jack and 1/4" jacks and boards. This feels a bit odd when you plan to have more than one 7u case (which is something Intellijel encourages by offering the Joiners to connect 2 7u case). I would have preferred blind panels that can be replaced with
(a) MIDI trio,
(b) 1/4" jacks,
© XLRs (with transformer-balanced output – no more ground hum!),
(d) USB power connectors (these are available as 1u tiles, but this would save space).
EDIT:
(e) Inter-Case Connection Kit: This would consist of a backplate with two RJ45 connectors and a 1U tile with 16 minijacks (see e.g. http://www.doepfer.de/A1809.htm, there was one more manufacturer at Superbooth this year with a similar idea – anybody remembers?)

[bookmil]

Thanks for the thorough review. I’m currently using the 104HP x 4U and find the 1U modules useful as well.

When I re-racked my setup to 7U on modular grid I did find that I wanted to mentally patch to the 1U utilities in between the two 3U areas. So I definitely understand the desire for a middle mounted 1U.

Right now I’m still mostly messing with things quietly in my apartment, but should I need to venture out, this seems like a decent option.

Can I ask what you are using for 1U Modules?

This is my current setup:

[wolfgangschaltung]

This is the “main” 1u row (i.e. for the case I can use either standalone or together with the support case):

This is the “support” 1u row (i.e. for the additional case with mixer etc.):

[steveoath]

Couldn’t find a relevant thread, so thought I’d ask here. Can anyone share tips for mounting rails inside a briefcase. I found a beautiful old cream samsonite briefcase and couldn’t pass it up. I have 6U of 84HP rails and cheeks in my current (also DIY) setup so I assume a couple of batons would do the trick?

I think I could possibly squeeze in a 1U utility row as well. What is the most common standard for tiles?

[sandy]

Yes. Batons or some sort of subframe that fits around the inside edge of the suitcase. You just need to make sure whatever mounting method you use doesn’t eat into module space as far as possible.

[steveoath]

Thanks. I have a few inches to play with fortunately, so hoping to salvage some suitable wood from the builders nearby

Probably pick up new rails for the 1u section at a later date.

[shellfritsch]

John at pulplogic built me a custom frame with shock mounts and a 1u tile row. He did a really wonderful job. Here it is after I mounted it in an old aluminum case:

//// pictures ////

[image] [image] I built this travel case out of an old aluminum zero carry-on. Shock mounted frame by Pulplogic. 8.9lbs with lid. I fitted the piano hinge with removable pins.

[joshhh]

The Intellijel cases are pretty adaptable. This is mine:

@jnoble would you be able to reshare a photo of your multiple 4U setup? The FB photo won’t seem to load anymore, but I recall it being very cool

[jnoble]

@jnoble would you be able to reshare a photo of your multiple 4U setup? The FB photo won’t seem to load anymore, but I recall it being very cool

I’ll go one better and post a new picture since some things have changed lately:

[jnoble]

As of tomorrow this will be the arrangement (below). I love having two rows of tiles, the Quadratts are invaluable. The 7U case would not be nearly so nice for me with just one row. I would be at or past the power capacity of the 7U power supply, too. Having said that, I think the 7U is pretty awesome also.

[barnjazz]

i just built a 7U 84hp case! Very DIY, first project of its kind for me. It’s not perfect, but it’s carry-on size and sturdy AF. i’m new to modular so it’s mostly empty at this point (and the second row of 84hp is a platform for my 0-coast and SQ-1 for now). I’ll post pictures this weekend when i’m in the house at the same time as the sun!

[caelmore]

I really liked how @danielrdehaan had his case set up when I bought a module from him. He had some 1U tiles and what I believe was 14U worth of space and the ability to close the case with room to leave it fully patched. I think it was a DIY case. Daniel, can you post some photos and info on your setup?

[joshhh]

Thanks for the photo, looks better than I recall! Are those couplers and end cheeks custom? And balanced XLR outputs?

[jnoble]

Thanks for the photo, looks better than I recall! Are those couplers and end cheeks custom?

Yes, I made them and the handscrews.

And balanced XLR outputs?

Those are a recent addition: I installed a pair of Jensen JT-DB-E DI transformers inside the case that connect to the Intellijel output tile. I play live a lot and have grown tired of lugging a 1.6 lb. Radial ProD2 brick around with me.

[papernoise]

So far the Intellijel cases seem to be among the really few well done cases, with a built in PSU, proper lid and some really nifty and useful things like the built-in standoffs. When I will buy a new case (which is likely to happen in the future, since 9U proved to be too much for me) the 7U one is the one I’ll get. I only have a minor gripe about the 1U row. Sure it is useful, but it forces you to fill it with 1U tiles likely replacing things I already have, though I guess that’s a bit of a weird reasoning I’m making since that is one of the things which lets you put a lot of stuff in 7U (as opposed to having to go with a bigger case). I also like the connectors on the back and the fact that it seems really solid!

Somebody in another thread mentioned that some people on Muff Wiggler had issues with the PSU, but as far as I can see the reports are a bit inconclusive and some of the people actually admitted that the issue was with the modules they had, not with the PSU. So I to me it seems like it’s a non-issue after all… but maybe @kisielk you want to elaborate on it?

And since we’re talking about it, can I ask what “+/-1% output voltage accuracy” in the specs means? Does it mean there is a ripple of 1% in each direction (+/-120mV for the 12V rail) so basically the voltage can oscillate between 11.88 and 12.12V? But at which load? Does it refer to transient load regulation, or is it just the tolerance of the PSU? And what about noise values?
I mean the specs do look good to me, I’m just trying to figure out what they actually mean.