Broconne's Wiring Adventure

[pete_c]

Awesome, do you have any details on the flip downs? Model numbers, etc?
[/quote]

Will take some pics and provide model numbers. Put an LCD in my office a couple of years back. Most recently I have been using recessed combo power/key recessed plastic boxes.

When I did my cabling I used different colored CAT5 cabling for phone, alarm, video and network.

 

[drozwood90]

Good idea about the different coloring.

I know I did the same. Grey was for "general" / phone / etc. White was for Data only.

Of course, I did it like this as I had a box of Cat 5 (grey) and a box of cat5e (white) laying around the house...well the old house.

So I pulled all this stuff out to the points I wanted them the day before they closed up the walls. I was told $100 per drop, and that I was not allowed to do any LV wiring. Cocooners here helped me to see the light!

Before I left for the day, I mapped out where all the wire ends were (the wires are buried in the walls right now). I then marked all the "sets" of wires (if there were three wires in a location, I marked them all a single number, then taped them together). After we closed on the house, I only needed to pull the wires out (most bundles were 1 white and 2 grey, or two white and one grey) of the bundle and map them to a punch panel on my 19" rack in the basement. This worked out nice as every time I work on a new bundle, they are already punched down and I need only try to figure out which wire is which once. The other two "fall"0 into place as I have a 50/50 shot at the "similar" colored wire, then the other two are easy to figure out.

--Dan

 

[broconne]

Alright - back from my work trip.

I went over and measured the wiring room and created a visio with my layout plan. What else would I do?

Computer Rack

This rack will have one or more GB network switches and associated patch panels.
Also, the computer rack will eventually hold the following yet to be built machines:

Main Server:
Processor: i7 processor
Memory: 16GB
Host OS: gentoo
This server will perform routing, firewall, transparent squid proxy with ad block, web serving, and will act as the VM server.

This server will contain the following virtual machine clients:
(1)
Function: Sage Server
OS: Windows XP
Memory: 1 to 2 GB

(2)
Function: Media Server (itunes server, tversity server, nuvo music port (if used))
OS: Windows XP
Memory: 3 GB

(3)
Function: CQC Server
OS: Windows XP
Memory: 2GB


Storage Server:
Processor: Used single or dual core. 1.5 to 2 GHz range.
Memory: 4GB
OS: Opensolaris
Storage: 3 or more 1TB drives in a raidz1 configuration.



Theater Rack
This rack will hold items used for television such as cable boxes, HD Homerun units, sage extenders that are controlled via IR distribution from upstairs.
When I build out the home theater it may contain those components or those components may be located closer to the theater.




Can 1
Can 1 will be 42 inches and will contain all lighting modules for ALC/OnQ

Can 2
Can 2 will be 42 inches and will contain HAI and associated accessories and boards

Can 3
Can 3 will contain any sort of coax distribution or other miscellaneous items.



Any comments on computer, theater or can plans?


Here are some more pictures of the room:

Looking in from the mechanical room

Looking in from the future gym:

Wall for proposed Cans: (I intend to frame out a wall for the cans)

Facing can wall looking into future gym:

Facing rack wall (I probably wont store my bathroom doors here like the model does):

 

[felixrosbergen]

I think you will want front and rear access to your racks..the room shape doesnt lends itself very well for this.

You could put against the north and the south wall and thus have front/rear access on east/west sides.. on the opposing wall faces you could then put your cans so the free space between the rear and the can is double used. I hope this is clear..it's bit hard to explain i guess..you'd have a can on each north/south wall both north of the middle passthough and south...this woudl allow up to 4 cans..

Are you looking to surface or flush mount the cans? I woudl suggest getting the room finished with plywood and then just surface mount eveything...no matter how hard you try...this is not going to be a 'pretty' room, so you mihgt as well have the convience of surface mount cans where you can easilly runs cables in and out.

Why the Coax distribution in a can? I knew a lot of people do it that way...but with splitters and such it seems pretty easy to surface mount..unless you intend to use spliiters/amps etc that are intended to can mounting only.

I guess you need to start deciding so you can give a general indciation to the LV guy where which type of wiring shoudl end up...what the amount you're putting in you don't want to get alarm/alc and all the rest ending up in the same place.

I understand you're doing quite a few conduits for all the AV stuff...any plans on how to run this horizontally within the basement? Some sort a cable tray may be handy. I nailed velcro straps to the beams and that works pretty well, but it's likely that you'll be adding tho these bundles as you go so it woudl be easy if you have a cable tray, hooks or somehing similar where it's easy to add cables to the bundles. Also think about how this is going to work in relation to the insulation. You're likely to have insulation on the underside of your ground floor.

Good luck..

 

[broconne]

I think you will want front and rear access to your racks..the room shape doesnt lends itself very well for this.

Good point - I suppose I could buy pull out racks from middle atlantic, but that would get pricey and I hoped to buy racks off ebay or get ones from work that are no longer in use. The stud wall is 44 inches, racks seem to be 2' deep or so. I could pull them out and give myself 10 to 16 inches to work back there. Not optimal, but room placement dictates what I can do.

You could put against the north and the south wall and thus have front/rear access on east/west sides.. on the opposing wall faces you could then put your cans so the free space between the rear and the can is double used. I hope this is clear..it's bit hard to explain i guess..you'd have a can on each north/south wall both north of the middle passthough and south...this woudl allow up to 4 cans..

One wall can't be used for racks as the space behind it will be finished. But, I think I understand what you are saying - is this what you meant:

Are you looking to surface or flush mount the cans? I woudl suggest getting the room finished with plywood and then just surface mount eveything...no matter how hard you try...this is not going to be a 'pretty' room, so you mihgt as well have the convience of surface mount cans where you can easilly runs cables in and out.

Hadn't thought about it - but plywood for mounting some cans is a good idea.

Why the Coax distribution in a can? I knew a lot of people do it that way...but with splitters and such it seems pretty easy to surface mount..unless you intend to use spliiters/amps etc that are intended to can mounting only.

Don't really have a good answer. The house comes with one can that includes a Coax distribution module as well as phone/ethernet distribution models. I might see if I can skip that stuff and get a credit and use it towards pipe chases/other LV.

I guess you need to start deciding so you can give a general indciation to the LV guy where which type of wiring shoudl end up...what the amount you're putting in you don't want to get alarm/alc and all the rest ending up in the same place.

Yep - I agree. I guess the other option is to tell him to run everything down to the floor +6 ft. Then I could bundle and move to wherever I want in that room.

I understand you're doing quite a few conduits for all the AV stuff...any plans on how to run this horizontally within the basement? Some sort a cable tray may be handy. I nailed velcro straps to the beams and that works pretty well, but it's likely that you'll be adding tho these bundles as you go so it woudl be easy if you have a cable tray, hooks or somehing similar where it's easy to add cables to the bundles. Also think about how this is going to work in relation to the insulation. You're likely to have insulation on the underside of your ground floor.

I hadn't thought about any sort of tray system. I hope to start finishing the basement one year after moving in. At that point, I am not sure what I am going to do to make it so I can still get to these pipe chases....

Good luck..

Thanks - I will need it

 

[AceCannon]

For what it's worth: I am using two 7ft racks. Both have wheels, so I can pull them out a little for rear access. $75 each on Craigslist. (pictures, thread). I am also about to pick up a two-post aluminum rack for $30 from Cragslist in case I want to use it for small stuff like patch panels.

Instead of cans, I intend to mount my ALC hardware and Elk stuff directly on plywood walls. The central closet is lockable, so I am discarding the can concept completely. I am going to land some of the ALC conductors and maybe security wiring onto 66 blocks, then route to appropriate terminals.

Of course none of this may be applicable to your situation. . .

 

[broconne]

For what it's worth: I am using two 7ft racks. Both have wheels, so I can pull them out a little for rear access. $75 each on Craigslist. (pictures, thread). I am also about to pick up a two-post aluminum rack for $30 from Cragslist in case I want to use it for small stuff like patch panels.

Instead of cans, I intend to mount my ALC hardware and Elk stuff directly on plywood walls. The central closet is lockable, so I am discarding the can concept completely. I am going to land some of the ALC conductors and maybe security wiring onto 66 blocks, then route to appropriate terminals.

Of course none of this may be applicable to your situation. . .

What is the benefit of not using cans? It seems like it would give a "neater" installation...

 

[AceCannon]

What is the benefit of not using cans? It seems like it would give a "neater" installation...

Space limitations are essentially eliminated.

I feel like I will be able to change things easier.

Cable management should be easier. I think it will be easier to make it look nice.

 

[beelzerob]

Dang, Ace sure is getting the "near a big city" hookup for cheap racks. B) I managed to pick up 2 full racks for $5 from work.

But that was AFTER I spent $50 on a 2 post relay rack.

Broccone, I THINK what he was talking about was moving the rack to the middle of each wall...assuming that the front/back of the racks are the left/right sides in your pictures. That way you have access to the front and back of each rack. That's how my rack is situated...the side is near the wall (though not right against it), with easy access to the front and back.

Whew, thanks Ace! I was afraid I was the only one mounting directly on plywood!

this was BEFORE I took up all the extra slack and used velcro to bundle the wires together...it looks a lot better now. but overall *shrug*, it's in my room, so it can look anyway I want it to. :rockon:

How are you planning on mounting your ALC, though? My controller doesn't have holes, it has tabs and then a thumbscrew.

 

[Monk]

What is the benefit of not using cans? It seems like it would give a "neater" installation...

Space limitations are essentially eliminated.

I feel like I will be able to change things easier.

Cable management should be easier. I think it will be easier to make it look nice.

This link is what I would aspire to achieve, although I have different cans and it will probably never look this good.. Mounting to plywood will work fine, but in my mind it will lose the "professional" look.

http://www.cocoontech.com/forums/index.php...q=si&img=1#

 

[AceCannon]

This link is what I would aspire to achieve, although I have different cans and it will probably never look this good.. Mounting to plywood will work fine, but in my mind it will lose the "professional" look.

Hopefully not. I will def be posting pictures as it comes together.

 

[broconne]

What is the benefit of not using cans? It seems like it would give a "neater" installation...

Space limitations are essentially eliminated.

I feel like I will be able to change things easier.

Cable management should be easier. I think it will be easier to make it look nice.

This link is what I would aspire to achieve, although I have different cans and it will probably never look this good.. Mounting to plywood will work fine, but in my mind it will lose the "professional" look.

http://www.cocoontech.com/forums/index.php...q=si&img=1#

Wow - that is seriously awesome.

 

[pete_c]

Here are some pictures of my setup - first one is AudioVox LCD TV and Toshiba in Kitchen. Generic in Laundry Room.

 

[pete_c]

Here is a picture of my telephone in the kitchen - all wires (power and telco) go thru wall to basement. Please note in speaker cavity I have a Linksys WRT-54GL (one upstairs similiar fashion) with POE. Also an antenna for the W800. Also a picture of my family room setup. Just updated it for Dolby 7.1 with an additional pair of speakers (center rear). I also added line out and new power in the rear of the room for the subwoofer.

 

[pete_c]

Here is the office LCD-TV. Also shown is the master bedroom speaker switches. I put these switches in each of the bedrooms. The whole house audio system is connected to Homeseer. The "B" part of the speaker switcher is connected to the main stereo in the family room. The AB switches in the bedrooms and bathrooms switch from a local resource to the house resource.