Nick's Homebrew Bar and Entertainment Area - Page 4

Thanks Geordon. I hadn't thought about using a cat5 run for an IR repeater. It sounds like there are several things that I could use cat5 for. There are so many different wires that are used in a theater, so I have started a list so that I don't forget anything. I can just imagine what it would be like to get everything all sealed up and remember that you forgot to run a wire.

My Super Bowl party is over, so it is time to get back to work on the theater. My neighbor (who has been finishing his basement for over a year) was warning me that taking short breaks from the project never works. They always end up being much longer than intended. He hasn't worked on his basement in a couple of months.

I received my gigabit switch yesterday. It seems to work fine, but I was surprised at how much noise the internal fan makes. It doesn't sound like a bearing noise - just the noise of a very small fan moving a lot of air. I am going to try to look into this to see if this is normal for this model. I also purchased some F connectors and RJ45 connectors so that I can finish cleaning up my wiring.

I am trying to finish up the final details for the last of the framing. One question I have is about isolating the wall under the metal beam. I am trying to figure out the best way to attach the wall that will run under the beam, yet keep it isolated using clips. Below are some pictures of both sides of the beam. The ceiling height is lower on one side than the other. I was thinking of attaching some 1x1 pieces to the joists on either side, forming a "U" around the beam. and then attaching the clips to those. Does anyone have any pictures of what they did for a similar situation? I am open to suggestions.

BllDo, Does the fan on your switch run all the time? Does it make much noise? Mine seems really loud. I'm not sure if it is normal or not. Also, the fan is always running on mine. I wasn't sure if that is normal. I have a rack mount switch that has an internal fan, but it isn't nearly as loud and doesn't run all the time.

It looks like the newer version of this model (same model number) doesn't have a fan. The older version does. They have the exact same features and specs with the exception that they eliminated the fan. I need to figure out if I can get a quieter fan for it. If not, I may have to spend the money to get the newer one. It is going in a closet that is not in the theater, so it may not be an issue.

Thanks for the tip on the fan aackthpt. I hadn't really thought about finding a replacement, but that would probably do the trick. Unfortunately, it may not matter at this point. When I was testing out the switch tonight I discovered that they sent me the wrong model. I hadn't noticed it at first, but after taking a closer look, I realized that they didn't send what was pictured in the auction. I sent them a note, but I haven't heard back yet. Their auction says they have a 30 day return policy. I have a feeling I will end up eating the shipping cost in both directions. Hopefully they will take care of it since it was their error.

I view it as a small delay in finishing the wiring. I have the older switch still in place, so I will focus on something else until I can work this out. I think I will go downstairs and tear out the framing from the old wiring closet I originally had in my plan. That will be a good way to blow off some steam

Well, as promised, I started tearing out the original wiring "closet" (it was never really finished). I installed the closet a few years ago as a way to contain wires for my whole house audio and home automation. In addition, I mounted some outlets and a sub panel in there. I couldn't completely remove it because I still have to remove the electrical "stuff" and the automation panel. Even though the closet wasn't very wide, it makes the room feel much wider without it there. I should be able to pull all of the electrical this weekend. I also hope to get the automation panel moved as well.

Well, it looks like everything will work out fine with the switch. The seller offered me a full refund including shipping and will send me a prepaid return label. They used the wrong photo when posting the ad, so they don't have the switch I wanted any longer.

I'm going to look around a bit more, but if I don't find anything I will probably just order one from Newegg.

Made some more progress this weekend. I decided not to post the boring pictures of an empty wall . I finished removing the framing from the old closet. This included removing the subpanel and automation panel along with some outlets and a light. I also completely removed all of the wiring from the subpanel.

I also spent some time cleaning up more wiring near my main electric panel (where my phone, network and coax all terminate). All that remains as far as cleanup is cleaning up the cat5 cables. I am going to wait until I get a new switch before I complete this. I mounted the automation panel in its new location, but I still need to shorten all of the cables that feed the panel. I hope to get this finished over the next couple of evenings.

Once I wrap up these last few items, I am going to put together my materials list to complete my framing. I should be ready to complete the framing in the next couple of weeks.

I got my new network switch today. I ended up ordering the newer version of the D-Link DGS-1024D. What a huge difference!! It is completely silent. The fan on the old one was just way too loud. I am going to modify the rack mount tabs so that they turn towards the bottom of the switch. I will use them to mount the switch to the board I installed next to my electric panel.

I need to finish up the rewiring of my automation panel. It is mounted and the wring is moved to the new location, but I need to trim the wiring and connect it. I was hoping to work on it tonight for a couple of hours, but my wife has a terrible cold, so I need to pick up my son from hockey and take my other son to basketball. Hopefully everything will be back to normal in the next couple of days so that I can make some more progress in the basement.

Well, things are somewhat back to normal around our house. I was able to get into the basement and do some work today. I finally was able to get the HAI panel rewired. I forgot how time consuming it was when I originally installed it. I had 10 cat5 cables to move and strip which meant 80 wires to install. Several of them required the addition of a resistor, so it took a while, but it is finally done. It's nice having everything in one location.

I wasn't happy with the way I mounted my new switch, so I think I am going to build a small custom shelf to mount it on so that it is easier to access the ports and see the lights.

If all goes as planned tomorrow, I will have some time to do some cleanup in the basement. Then I can measure for my materials list (to complete the framing). I am trying to focus on the framing now because my friend has offered to help me finish it up, but he is a contractor and business is starting to pick up again. I want to take advantage of his help while he still has the time.

I did have one quick question. How wide does the rough opening need to be for a solid core door?

Thanks for the replies on the door. I know - I should have searched it myself. I was typing my reply and the question popped into my head. I guess the better question (which I will google myself ) would have been "do I need to do anything differently when framing a solid core door"? I am planning to buy a pre-hung door, but I haven't looked at sizes yet. I need to get that figured out before I finish my framing.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I wasn't real happy with how I originally planned to mount the network switch. The switch came with a pair of tabs mounted to the sides so that it could be mounted to a rack (only one shown in this picture).



My original plan was to turn these so that they faced down and screw them to the equipment board, but after trying it out, I didn't like the fact that the ports and lights were difficult to see. I was planning to fabricate some new brackets or even a small shelf to mount the switch. While at the hardware store today, I happened to pass by a bin with some small metal brackets that looked perfect for the job. They were only $1.29, so I figure it was worth a try.

I mounted them to the board and will use a velcro or double-sided tape to mount the switch to the bracket.






The switch is only 7 inches deep, so it doesn't stick out very far. The only thing left to do before trimming and attaching the network cables is to find a new cord for the switch. It uses a standard computer power supply cord, but it sticks straight out of the back. That causes it to stick out about 3 inches further. I have a large bin filled with a bunch of spare cables. I am sure I have a 90 degree cord that will work perfectly. It will only stick out about 3/4". Now I will be able to easily see the status of a port or connect/disconnect a cable.

I was hoping to post that I had picked up all of the wood to finish the framing, but the snow keeps piling up. I have never minded the Michigan winters, but this year it is really starting to get to me since it is preventing me from working on the basement. I don't have a walk out basement and the hallway that leads to the basement stairs won't allow for anything longer than 8 feet, so I am forced to unload my lumber through a small window in the basement. The problem is that this window is on the opposite side of the house from the driveway. With over twelve inches of snow on the ground, there is no way of driving to the other side of the house and I don't want to walk each board through the snow to the other side. All of the snow had melted a week ago, but 2 more snow falls this week piled it back up. Now I have to wait for it to melt again.

I am running out of things to keep me busy in the basement, so I tinkered with the low voltage wiring a bit more. Mostly just bundling the wires together with zip ties. I still need to figure out what to do about a power strip for this area. I can either find a power strip that has spacing between outlets and will mount to the board, or I can run some conduit and a box with 4 -6 outlets.



I also mentioned to my wife that I wanted to haul the 2 1980s couches out of the basement. She seemed surprised. She thought we could use them down there until we buy new furniture. I would rather haul them out now before they become walled in and covered in dust. Plus, they are in the way. She said I could do what I wanted, but she wasn't going to help. Looks like I will need to recruit some help to get that done.

There is some rain in the forecast next week. With any luck, it will wash away a bunch of the snow so I can pick up my lumber.

Thanks. I will check out the mono price extension cords. Unfortunately, the power strip I was using has the outlets very close together and they are back-to-back which makes plugging in transformers more difficult. I found a great power strip that was very thin and was made to mount on the back of a workbench at Home Depot, but they wanted $50 for it. It didn't offer any kind of surge protection or anything. Just a plane power strip. I'm going to keep looking. I'm sure someone makes what I am looking for at a reasonable price. I will try to post a picture so that you can see what I am talking about.

This is what what I am looking for. I like the fact that the outlets are spaced apart from each other and are turned sideways so that a transformer will fit without covering the plug next to it. This particular one is made by Stanley and is $25, but 3 people out of 9 who reviewed it said one of the outlets had a short. I don't want to take a chance on this particular brand.

I found this power strip which appears to be perfect for my application.

• The outlets are well spaced.
• It is rated at 20 amps, which is more than adequate for running networking equipment such as a modem, router, switch, etc.
• It is designed to be hard wired. It has a knock out at each end for conduit. This will be perfect for a custom install.

It is only $32.99 with shipping, so I think I will order it and try it out.

My build got a some help from two people last night:

1. Mother Nature - It was above freezing yesterday and rained last night, so a lot of the snow is starting to melt. It is supposed to be above freezing several days this week. If enough snow melts, I will be able to drive through the lawn so I can unload my lumber.
2. My contractor friend called and said he has a couple days with nothing scheduled if I wanted some help finishing up the framing. It won't last long with people starting to get tax rebate checks and annual bonuses, so I'm thinking of having him come out next Monday.

With that said, I need to button up a couple of decisions on my plans. I still haven't decided what size door to use going into the theater. I know I am going to use a solid core door, but I wasn't sure if smaller is better. My first thought was to go 36" so that it would be easier to move furniture in and out without tearing it up, but then I thought a smaller door would improve sound isolation. I'm not buying the door right now, but I need to know the size so I can frame the opening. Does anyone have a recommendation on door size?

Slightly off topic, but if anyone is interested, I have a full size Compaq server rack with front and back doors that I am going to sell for $150. It is in excellent condition. It has cooling fans built into the top. I will also throw in a APC UPS controller unit that allows one UPS to control up to 8 servers.

I also have two HP dual core servers with 8GB of memory that I want to get rid of. I would be willing to sell them for $65 each or $100 for the pair. Let me know if you are interested.

If anyone wants all of it, I would sell everything for $200. I am trying to clear up some space in the basement. I will try to get some photos later tonight if anyone is interested.

Nick

For a second I thought I had posted on the CB forum .

I am located in Southeast Michigan (Clarkston).