Updated for 2005

I was inspired by Larry Hendry’s project page.

Also see the Synthesizers.com cabinet page.

The mounting rails from Larry Hendry made it all possible. The photo above shows my workbench in 2002. This is how the first cabinet looked before adding mounting rails. I temporarily fastened up some modules with the wood screws supplied with the dot com cabinet. You could do it this way and just forget the rails. But rails make it simple to remove and relocate modules. The rails are strong steel and use machine screws 8-32 x 1/4″. These are similar to the mounting screws supplied with MOTM, but shorter. The 3/8″ length is too long because of wood behind the machined holes in the rails when installed on these cabinets.

These photos show the first of three QCS22 22-Space Walnut Studio Cabinets I converted to hold MOTM modules. I also converted the large QCS44 slanted cabinet. (So I still have one empty QCS22 left!) Although called 22-space, the QCS22 actually hold 26U of MOTM, because MOTM modules are narrower than dot com modules. They are the same height.

Note the position of the MOTM-900 power supply, located to the right end of the cabinet. I removed the wood back, slid it over just the width of the MOTM-900, and refastened it. (Eventually, I removed the wood back completely for ventilation and ease of access.) I mounted MOTM-900 with wood screws. Also note that the power distribution board of the MOTM-900 faces to the left with convenient exposure to the modules. The MOTM-900 is positioned in a normal upright position from the rear. It you tried to mount it as-is on the left it would be upside down or the distribution board would be hidden behind the power supply chassis from the module area. If you use the MOTM-900 supply, I recommend mounting the new way (below). There is a MOTM-960 power distribution board mounted just behind those modules. You can see the wire going to it from the MOTM-900.

Here’s how it looks with the Stooge rails in place:

It is not exactly a simple job to mount the rails, but you don’t have to be a great carpenter either. The wooden lip the rails fasten to is narrow. The rails cannot mount flush with the edge of the cabinet but have to be spaced inward a tad (about a credit card width) so that the panel mounting holes will align properly in the vertical dimension. I had some blank MOTM panels and used them as spacing guides during the mounting process. It’s a little tricky, because there is not much wood at the edge for the screws to bite. Use #4 x 3/4 inch flat head wood screws. Always drill a pilot hole to prevent splitting the wood. The hole must be drilled perpendicular to the panel. Do not be tempted to drill at an angle. It makes it difficult to get the spacing right, because tightening the screw will pull the rail outward.

Start at the left and leave space for the filler end cap. Measure along and mark where the mounting screws will go, following the 1 3/4″ – 3 1/2″ pattern on the rails. Don’t just butt the rails together end to end and hope for the best. You want the MOTM mounting holes to align correctly all the way across, so that you can mount a module across the joint of two rails. There is a gap of almost 1/8″ where the cut rail is used. And I had to file off the end of one of the full rails to make it short enough to come up even. But they were pretty close to start with. As for the gap at the left, I put the 1/2″ spacer piece from Larry in there before I fastened down the first rails, and it turned out that the rails wedged it in place so that it needed no further fastening. I use the Synthesis Technology logo 3/4″ end cap for the right end. Since I started working from the left, my logo end cap is on the right end, which is opposite from the cabinet shown on Larry’s page.

Later I moved the power supply to the left end and reoriented it. Here’s the way I now mount the MOTM-900. Note the oddball angle bracket that is needed because the transformer obstructs the bottom mounting hole.

I replaced a MOTM-900 with the 1.5 Amp Power-One supply. It is not much larger. But now there’s access to the mounting hole and no bracket is required.

The MOTM-950 power supply in the right end of the current top cabinet: