MOTM resides in Synthesizers.com cabinet – Updated 11/19/02

Many MOTMers are ready to make the leap from rack mounting to beautiful wood
cabinets. However, Synthesis Technology does not offer wood cabinets at this time.
While I am working on new cabinet designs, I am not certain I will be getting in that
market. If I do it will be next year. So, for the benefit of those who are ready now for
wood cabinets and cannot make their own, I show here how to use Stooge product
flat rails (cut to size), existing rack end caps, and a new special end cap to make your
MOTM modules feel at home and look sharp in a Synthesizers.com cabinet.

New! See also Richard Brewster’s Synthesizers.com cabinet conversion page.

Here are photos showing the process of making a 22U Synthesizers.com cabinet
MOTM - friendly. When complete, it holds 26U of MOTM modules. I do not have
a 44U Synthesizers.com cabinet to test, but it should work in a very similar way. Click
on the thumbnails below for full size photos.


Here’s the top of the dot com cabinet. They look really nice.


The back is permanently attached except for the metal panels. You get space for 4U of dot com blank panels for making your external connections.


Here’s a view from the front looking at the inside. While the sides are about 5/8" thick, they are cut to present a thin top and bottom edge like the old Moog cabinets.

 
Looking at the front, we can see rails top & bottom for mounting modules. Synthesizer.com users screw directly to the wood. However, Synth com modules use only a 3/8" mounting rail height. MOTM uses ½ inch. The 3/8" wood rail is sufficient. But, care must be exercised when installing the flat rails.


The first rail is installed leaving a ¾’ gap at the left end. Your Stooge products end cap will go here. I use front panels for spacing the rails so I know that everything will fit when I am complete.

 
Dot com panels are 15/1000" taller than MOTM. So, I found the flat rails needed to be spaced off the inside of the wood very slightly. Stick some-thing in the gap to hold it while you attach your screws.


When installing flat rail 4 at the top and bottom, they must be cut from 6U to 5U in length. Here I am making certain cut end still fits next to flat rail 3. Lookin’ good.
J


The last flat rail is only 3U long. I took a standard 6U flat rail and cut it in half. It works perfectly.


When the 2 short flat rails are installed, a gap of about ½ inch is left at the end for the new end cap.


While not overly deep, the Synthesizers.com cabinet is plenty deep enough for modules built on Stooge deep brackets. About 5/8" remains behind the bracket end.

 
While I do not have any painted yet to show you, here is the unpainted end cap that is sized especially to fill the gap left at the end. 26U of MOTM modules are not as wide by 1¼" compared to 22 Synthesizer.com modules. A standard ¾" end cap goes on the left with a new sized ½" end cap on this end. Yes, your modules are offset to one side by 1/8". I don’t think anyone will notice. J


A standard end cap fills the gap on the left side. You simply attach them with attractive pan head screws of your choice. You can opt for standard black or Synthesis Technology logo caps from Stooge Products, Inc. Plain caps are always in stock. Logo caps are usually special order.


Of course, the logo end cap looks MUCH better. The big holes in this one are for rack mounting. I will also have logo caps without holes so that smaller ones can be drilled for mounting on wood.

I would like to thank Frank Capobianco for letting is 22U Synthesizers.com cabinet
take a detour through my place for flat rail fitting for the benefit of others. It takes 9 flat
rails, 2 end caps, and about forty # 4 x ¾" wood screws for this project per row of
modules. Three of the flat rails must be cut. One is cut in half to make two 3U rails,
and two are trimmed from 6U to 5U so everything comes out even. I will be happy to
cut the flat rails prior to shipping for anyone wanting to purchase them for this purpose.
If there is sufficient interest, I will have some 8U flat rails made too so that no custom
cutting is required. The same is true for the ½" end caps. I made only enough for Frank
and maybe Paul. If there is interest, I will make them the next time I cut metal. I might
offer a "conversion kit" that has everything you need including the screws if there is
interest.

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