Penn Elcom 1U Rack Shelf
Penn Elcom·Model R1194/1UK·rack-shelf-1u
About the Penn Elcom R1194/1UK
A standard 1UThe standard slice of rack height: 1U = 1.75″. A 3U box takes three slices; half-rack gear pairs two units side by side in one. vented rack shelf that lets you mount desktop audio interfaces, small network switches, and other non-rack gear in a standard 19-inch rack. The vented design allows airflow to keep devices cool, and the lip prevents gear from sliding off during transport. An essential accessory for integrating desktop devices into a professional rack build.
Not every piece of gear in a working rig ships with rack earsThe flanges that bolt gear to the rack rails. Desktop boxes without them need a shelf, tray, or drawer to live in the case., and the Penn Elcom R1194/1UK exists to solve exactly that problem. It's a 1UThe standard slice of rack height: 1U = 1.75″. A 3U box takes three slices; half-rack gear pairs two units side by side in one. vented steel shelf that drops into any standard 19-inch rack and gives you a stable, secured platform for desktop audio interfaces, small network switches, wireless receivers still in their desktop housings, or any other box that wasn't designed for rack integration. At $35 it's one of the cheapest decisions you'll make in a rack build, and one of the more consequential ones — a device sitting loose on a road case lid is a liability; the same device bolted into a shelf on rails is not.
The 300mm depth covers most compact desktop units without wasting space, and the front lip keeps gear from walking forward over a bumpy load-in. The vented surface matters more than it sounds: small interfaces and network switches generate modest heat, but seal them against a solid shelf inside a closed rack and you'll shorten their lives. The 1.5kg shelf weight is worth tracking in your build — it adds up fast when you're already heavy on processing and amp draws. Power draw is zero, so it won't affect your conditioner math at all. The catalog correctly lists this as occupying 0U in your rack plan, meaning the shelf itself consumes 1UThe standard slice of rack height: 1U = 1.75″. A 3U box takes three slices; half-rack gear pairs two units side by side in one. of physical space but the unit count attributed to it is zero — your rack planner accounts for the space through the gear sitting on it.
This shelf belongs in any rig where you're integrating a piece of desktop gear you can't or don't want to replace with a rackmount equivalent — a personal monitor mixer hub, a small Ethernet switch for a DanteThe most common audio-over-network standard: dozens of channels of uncompressed digital audio down one ordinary Ethernet cable between Dante boxes. network, a compact audio interface on a fly rig where the rackmount version costs three times as much. Where it doesn't make sense: if the device you're shelving is heavy, runs hot, or needs rear-panel access during a show, a shelf is the wrong answer and a proper rackmount version of that device is worth the investment. Also be honest about depth — if your rack is a shallow 12-inch tour case, 300mm won't fit.
In the rack
- Secure the device on the shelf with a strip of industrial hook-and-loop across the front face — the lip prevents forward slide but won't stop lateral shift in a van.
- Position the shelf so the device's ventilation ports aren't blocked by the rack's rear rail or adjacent gear; leave at least a 1UThe standard slice of rack height: 1U = 1.75″. A 3U box takes three slices; half-rack gear pairs two units side by side in one. gap above if the shelved unit runs warm.
- Route cables before you bolt the shelf in — rear-panel connections on a shelved device are far harder to reach once the unit is sitting on the surface and neighboring gear is populated.
- If you're shelving a network switch, place it near the top of the rack so Ethernet runs to stage boxesThe I/O endpoint on stage: mics plug in there and one digital line (AES50, Dante) carries everything to the console. The snake, digitized. and personal monitor mixers drop cleanly without looping back through the rack interior.
1UThe standard slice of rack height: 1U = 1.75″. A 3U box takes three slices; half-rack gear pairs two units side by side in one. vented rack shelf for mounting desktop gear in a standard rack.
I/O Ports (0)
No ports.
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