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A Mini Rack for Your Home!

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By Techno Tim 8 min read

I decided to go with another rack in my home but this time much smaller! Thanks to Rackstuds for sending a few packs of Rackstuds!

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My New Rack

Over the years I’ve gone from machines on a shelf, to racking machines in an open rack, to centralizing everything and racking it in an enclosed 36u rack, to what I am building now, and that’s this new 12u closed rack. It’s a smaller version of my 36u rack with a few changes that make this the perfect rack for a small office, home office, or even just at home. But is it right for you? Let’s check it out and see.

Hardware

Sysracks 12u Introducing my 12u Sysracks Server Rack

This is the Sysracks 12u 24” Wall mount 19” enclosure server rack. It measures almost 24” wide, almost 24” deep, and almost 25” tall. It’s a standard 19” rack and if you’re wondering why they call it a 19” in rack, 19” refers to the mountable width of servers and equipment. It’s made of steel and has a powder paint finish in either gray or black. It has 2 brush panels with cable managers at the top and bottom to help with cable management and block dust from coming in. All around the case you are going to see lots of perforated edges, especially around the front doors. This is to help passively cool the entire enclosure. It also includes active cooling with this top 120mm fan module that connects to any standard outlet. There are models, especially the larger units like my 36u rack that come with temperature control units, but I opted to keep this one simple and will probably add temp sensors and smart switches to control this fan if it ever gets to that point. Wait, I thought I said I was keeping it simple??? Speaking of power it also comes with a PDU where you can plug in up to 8 devices and has a a secure on/off switch covered in a detachable cap.

19 in rack I finally realized why they call these 19” racks

In the back we can see wall mounting hooks which makes this easy to wall mount if you choose to do so but I am choosing to attach some casters so I can move it around freely in my office if needed. The back panel is attached with screws but can be easily removed if needed.

On each side we have locking removable panels that can help you secure your enclosure and prevent anyone from getting in while still giving you access to get inside and make adjustments to your equipment.

Coming around to the front we have this nice glass door that has perforated edges on the side and a handle that can also be locked if needed. I like having a glass panel door because it lets me easily see inside to check on my equipment plus it looks cool with all the blinky lights.

Inside the rack has 4 posts to rack up to 12u of equipment making it great for small servers, networking equipment, DVRs, AV equipment, and anything else that can fit in a 19” short depth rack. It also comes with this shelf for equipment however I am not sure if I am going to use it or not yet.

Assembling

Putting it together was so much easier than my 36u rack. You can do it alone but it might help to have someone for the very first step and that’s putting together the frame. Don’t worry though, I was able to manage it alone. After securing the fame, you’ll then need to mount all of the posts so you can rack your equipment. Before you go too far like I did, if you’re going to use the supplied shelf be sure you adjust the posts so that you can mount the shelf later if needed.

The back panel can be attached with a few screws. While I would have loved to see a door like on the 36u model, it makes sense for this to be a panel since it’s also wall mountable.

The sides are removable and can easily pop in and out with these clips. It also comes with a lock and key to secure it if you like.

Assembling the rack Assembling the rack was pretty easy, you can do it with one person

This model supports both legs and casters however it only ships with the legs. If you’re going to use casters too you’ll need to pick some up or buy them separately. I did choose to go with casters because I want to move it around the room when needed. The casters lock in place and are very secure, so secure that I didn’t worry one bit about assembling this on my workbench.

Attaching the front door is pretty easy, but is a little challenging using the shims to get the door to hang just right. I love the look of the rack and I think the perforated edges and glass give it that premium feel. The door has a handle to keep the door shut and can also be locked with the included keys.

Assembled

As I mentioned the back is removable via screws, I do wish it was a door but it’s easy enough to take off and most people are going to wall mount this anyway. Once it’s all put together, It’s pretty easy to work on and get inside of the rack when it’s empty, plenty of room to work on everything I plan on installing.

You can see the vents on the top for cables as well as the fan for cooling. I am glad I have a fan however it doesn’t have a switch to easily toggle on and off so I will end up wiring this up to a smart switch and put a temperature control inside if I ever really need to turn this fan on.

Installing Things

I started out by installing my UniFi 24 port POE switch. This was a switch that I replaced in my other rack but decided to hang on to it for this rack. I don’t think I will be using all 24 ports here in my office but it’s better than buying another switch.

Rackstuds

As you can see I am using RackStuds for this install. RackStuds reached out and sent me a few packs of studs including their new 1ru rack studs. These are awesome and so simple to use. You just squeeze them, pop them in, and then hook up your devices. These new 1ru RackStuds are great for 1u devices like my switch and PDU I put in back. Simple solution. But then I decided to put them to the test. I wanted to rack mount my UPS and that thing weighs 22 lbs and only has rack ears in the front rather than the front and back. I tightened all 4 using their combo pack studs and so far so good. RackStuds are able to hold them without issue and without sagging. Oh, and I wasn’t paying attention when racking my UPS and I racked it upside down, which I then quickly flipped around after noticing, but it was super simple with RackStuds. If you’re interested in the ones I used I’ll have some links below.

Rackstuds This was my first time using Rackstuds, they were really easy to use.

My Thoughts

After installing the UPS, the network switch, and my PDU I took a look at the rack. It’s a really nice rack for short depth items, not to mention that you can use shelves for anything that can’t be rack mounted natively. I am really impressed by the build quality and attention to detail, glass door, and all of the other features - especially for the price. At just 210 dollars I was expecting a lot less but what I got was a perfect rack for my office. This is going to house a few projects coming up so be sure you’re subscribed to see what else I am going to put in it. Well I learned a ton about racking smaller components, building a mini rack, and I hope you learned something too. And remember if you found anything in this post helpful, don’t forget share!

Sysracks 12u close up All in all, I am super happy with this new rack!

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