anyone rack mount a MC250?

[cripeowner]

anyone have suggestions or pics of how you mounted a MC250 in a rack cab or box? Also anyone ever send your amp to Mac labs in NY for repair? Any other trusted quality repair shops for Macs? Thanks

[waldo041]

Terry Dewick

http://www.mcintoshaudio.com/dewick_repairs.htm

peace,
waldo

[JonnyBoy]

If you have a rolling rack kinda like Jerry's, (which would be about the only thing I would mount those beasts in), you can attach the entire amp itself to the bottom on the inside. There are air holes in the bottom a screw(s) can be bolted to with a locking nut. Stu's rig (JGB) is like that.

I thought of the same thing, but that rack will still be HEAVY if it lacks wheels. I am sure with a big enough chassis it will work but those transformers and cans on top are tall and probably just too big to fit in a common chassis. It may be a 4u space? Probably need a chassis the size of a MC2505 or the like which are huge relative to the 250. That is why I wound up sticking with the package it was born with. The next idea was to build a rack tray or a jig to bolt it to the rack that could support the weight.

Temporarily, I opted to build a wood box lined with foam to house the amp, but it needs air to breathe too, so it is not that snug. I am gonna bolt it in soon. My MC100 has fallen off a 3 foot stage and survived in its "egg drop" box, but don't wanna test that theory again!

[redeyedjim]

Not a MC250, but I did rack mount a MC50, using a 3U shelf:



http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005GP ... acleint-20

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the finished mount on this computer, but I could take some if anyone was interested. To get the MC50 to fit in a 3U space, it was necessary to remove its feet. I replaced the sheet metal screws in the base with Nut Serts (for strength), and bolted it directly to the shelf. I also added a piece of 3/16" aluminum to the underside of the shelf as a stiffening plate. All things considered, I think it's mounted pretty solidly. It now shares a 4U Gator case with my CTP.

Dimensionally, the MC250 is about 1-5/8" taller than the MC50 and almost twice as heavy:

MC 50: Size 5-1/2"H, 8"W and 12-1/2"D. Weight 20 lb.
MC 250: Size 7-1/16"H, 10-5/8"W and 15-5/8"D. Weight 35 lb.
(cite)

So yeah, as JonnyBoy said, you could do it but you'd probably need a 4U space or rolling cabinet to pull this off, and it will be pretty heavy when it's all said and done.

[tapestry]

Mounted my 2100 in a 8 space rolling rack. Enough room underneath it to put a small black gear tub that slides in and out for cab els and whatnot. Ill prob put it in a smaller shock case when i get around to it.

I attached the 2100 to a piece of plywood and then used metal pipe hangers wrapped doubled and completely under the plywood to the rack rails in the case. It works pretty good.

[unnbrokenchain]

I just set my MC250 on the bottom of my 8u rack. My top 4 units are (from top to bottom) power conditioner > Tuner > Lexicon reverb unit > sarno preamp, and the 4 empty spaces that make just enough room for the amp. You can always set it on top of the rack if you don't have room...

[MichaelCarolina]

Andrew Olson at aoguitars is working on rack mounting an MC250 probably in the next few weeks. I am sure he would be glad to share the solution he cooks up or to have me post the details/pics.

To get Andrew a bit of preliminary advice, I spoke with Tom Manley at McIntosh Home Audio in Tennessee where I found the MC250. Tom has some definite ideas about how to rack mount the unit with maximum shielding/isolation and minimal or no alteration of the box and minimal fabrication of custom parts.

Will revert with details once the project is done. Michael

[cripeowner]

here's how I did mine. 4 sp SKB plastic rack. 1/4" plywood on the bottom with 6 bolts with washers in the MC250 chassis. Then 1/4" plywood across the inside top of rack supported by 3/4" by 4" so I can stack the rack without it pushing down on the MC250. Leaving about a 1/4" gap on top for ventilation, not that these put off much heat anyway. Then 4 screws on top and bottom into the 3/4" supports to hold all in place.

[Pete B.]

I'm going with a more Retro method...
I'm keeping an eye out for something like this for easy transport:

[modz]

anyone have suggestions or pics of how you mounted a MC250 in a rack cab or box? Also anyone ever send your amp to Mac labs in NY for repair? Any other trusted quality repair shops for Macs? Thanks

Here is how we did it. Very simple and has a 1" high density piece of foam under amp for shock absorption.
viewtopic.php?f=419&t=7383&start=60

[ccw3432]

Thought I'd see if I could get this thread going again. There's got to be more photos out there. I'm looking to get some ideas about how to transport my MC250. I'm waiting on an SMS preamp and trying to get some ideas of how to make a custom head. I'd rather not go the wheeled route but it's not out of the question. I'm thinking somehting more compact with just the SMS and 250. I'm considering a custom wood box with the 250 on the bottom and the SMS just above it. I have a wood 2X12 speaker cab so maybe somehting to match it that would sit on top of it. I'd love to see some photos of what others have come up with.

[rugger]

Here is a rack box I just completed. Today I'm going to oil up a second identical box for my mc250. They are going to look suhweet stacked together! Haven't figured out exactly how I'm going to mount the Mac, but I'm not overly concerned as it doesn't need to be "road ready." Although my preliminary thought is to find longer screws for the feet and screw it to the bottom.







Have a good weekend everybody!

john in san diego

[Phil Lesh101]

Jerry did it, I'm sure you can!

[ccw3432]

Nice rack John.

[rugger]

Nice rack John.

Thanks! You should see my wife's!