How to Vent Cabinet for Electronics

[Bart Goldberg]

Howdy Fellow Creekers,

I haven't posted in awhile. Been busy with many other projects.

I just completed the basic install of a Home Theater in my basement and am now planning to build some cabinetry to surround the screen and house the electronics, hide the wires, etc. I'm planning to build som e traditional face framed cabinets and need some advice on providing venting for the cabinet that will house the electronics. I was thinking of routing vent holes into the cabinet doors and in the top as well. I was also considering putting vent holes into the shelves themselves to aid in air flow from top to bottom, but perhaps that won't be needed if the cabinet door are vented. Do any of you have any experience with this sort of thing.


Thanks
Bart

[Lee Schierer]

I know you need to let the hot air out near the top and allow cooler air in below the electronics unless you are using a fan. The slots need to be fairly wide (1/4 or greater) or the air won't flow on its own accord. I would try to hide them in the back panel if I could, which won't help you if this is a built in type unit.

[Todd Burch]

Bart, if you could post a drawing or a picture of what the thing will look like, showing openings and doors, etc., I would be happy to give you my opinion on what might help. Also include the major dimensions too. Todd.

[Bart Goldberg]

Bart, if you could post a drawing or a picture of what the thing will look like, showing openings and doors, etc., I would be happy to give you my opinion on what might help. Also include the major dimensions too. Todd.


Todd - I'll have to put something together to show you what I'm building.

But in words- I'm making built-ins that will partially surround the screen.

The right most cabinet will be in a corner (up against a back and side wall) and will house the electroics. It will be 4 1/2 ft high, 32 inches wide and 24 inches deep. There will be 2 fixed shelves and 3 adjustable shelves. The first fixed shelf will be 4 /14 inches from the floor that will align with the top of the bottom rail. Then I'll have a fixed shelf at about 28" from the floor aligned with a middle rail. All the shelves will have a large opening routed out of the back edge to allow for cable maamngement.

The tops will be hardwood (oak). The side cabinets will have bookshelf speakers set on top of them.

There will be two sets of overlay doors: right and left on the top and bottom. I havent decided on the door style yet - that will be somewhat dicated by the solution to the venting issue.

Face frames and the doors and top will all be red oak. The rest of the carcass will be oak plywood. The sides and shelves will be 3/4" ply and the back will be 1/2" ply.

Adjoining the right side cabinet will be a 3, 24" height cabinets that will frame the bottom section of the screen and will have drawers for DVD storage.

On the left side of the screen will be a matching 4 1/2 ft cabinet that will be similar to the right side. It will not need to house any electronics -only the right side cabinet will contain the electronics.

Hope this helps

Bart

[Todd Burch]

Call me dense - but I need a picture. Sorry.

Todd (waiting on a picture).

[Dave Avery]

Bart,

Not that I'm an expert, but.....

With the cabinet hold the electronics against the side wall, I'd opt for more rather than less ventilation. The 1-2" you're planning to leave for cord management on the shelves will certainly help. Depending on design considerations, I'd ventilate the back, too, particularly near the top where heat will rise. I'd also put a vent at the bottom of the back to get some vertical cross ventilation. All that is much more than you typically see in store-bought AV systems. Also keep in mind that you can leave the door open or cracked while operating the equipment.

All that said, I have a high-power, high heat generating set-up. I built a contemporary style stand that's open all around. If you're careful bundling cables, most of them are out of site. I think an open stands is the best solution if heat is a big concern..

[John Miliunas]

Bart, not to downplay the ventilation needs, because they are indeed, a very high priority, I do have one other concern from the design I envision. That is, access. As I'm sure you have already found out, a full blown AV center setup involves a LOT of hookups. Are any of the cabinets going to be on wheels or such, so that one can get at these hookups easily? I've had numerous instances where AV and/or computer equipment were housed in LARGE equipment centers and you just about have to stand on your head to get stuff hooked up properly. Just another consideration, IMHO... :cool:

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

This morning I ordered four grille/vents from Rockler to put on the back wall of an entertainment center, along with four flexible grommet thingies for the wires. The customer specifically wanted the rear completely open for heat release, but I think a back will look a lot better...so we'll make it removable...if he still wants it wide open, I'll bring the back home with me and recycle it.

We're making the adjustable shelves a couple inches less than the total depth of the cabinet to allow for wiring (for whatever that's worth...I thought it was a good idea).

KC

[dave nichols]

I built an entertainment center for a 32" TV with a surround sound system. I left the back open in all the locations that the electronics were in. Haven't had any heat related problems with it and it's been in use for about 3 years. I'm just getting started on another center for a 51" HDTV and will also build that with no back but am using steel reinforcements on the back corners to keep it from racking, as far as access to the wiring the TV is on casters and I'll attach the front base of the cabinet with a sliding dovetail on each side so the TV can still be moved out for access or repair if needed.

[Bruce Page]

Bart, I installed an Orion button fan in the component section of my EC. I don’t remember what the decibel rating, but it was the quietest that I could find and still move a substantial amount of air through the cabinet. That said, it was still louder than I liked so I isolated it from the cabinet using a combination of soft grommets and nylon screws. It is now barely audible if nothing else is going on. I have several components in the same cabinet and didn’t think that convection alone would be enough.

[Michael Stadulis]

Bart,

FWIW, I have a big power amp and I rely on a small computer fan from radio shack. About $12 and I know its staying cool.

Mike

[James Mudler]

Bart,

Below is one of the quietest fans on the market. My recommendation is to pull the fresh cool air in from the bottom and push the hot air out the top. If there is a way to funnel the exhast into another room or into attic space I would research that option. In a theater room heat build very quicky, amps, projectors, people. etc. It is very easy to get to uncomfortable levels quickly. For example, I have (3) six channel amps in my rack in a seperate equipment room and it gets to 90 degrees very quickly.

Another option is to incorporate the A/C system into equipment rack. Cause I am in the South - I rarely turn on the heat in my theater room and I made a damper to close that run if I need to.

Jay St Peter is another woodworker and home theather nut. Maybe we will see your this thread and comment.

http://www.pcpowerandcooling.com/products/alarmandaccesories/silencerfan/index.htm

[Dan Stuewe]

using a pc fan seems like a good idea. But how do you get power to it since it has pin connections? Is there a redily available converter that plugs into an outlet?

[James Mudler]

The easiest way is to cut the pin off of the fan. You will have a red (+) and a black (-) wire. Then cut the plug off a 12v adaptor (aka wall wart) like the one below and connect the + wires and - wires. Then plug the adaptor into the switched ac outlet on your receiver/amp. Most receivers today, have switched AC outlets on the back. Buy an adaptor with the highest current capacity. This one could drive several of the 12v fans I linked too.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&User_ID=16546676&St=7117&St2=-87193880&St3=-43580153&DS_ID=3&Product_ID=3067&DID=7

If you hook the fan up backwards it simply will not spin. Reverse the leads and it will start spining. No damage will occur