Crazy idea -- drawer-mounted equipment?

samwise801

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Okay, I have another (crazy) idea brewin'. Has anyone ever mounted a piece of equipment like a drawer?

Here's my dilemma: I have a Conrad Johnson PV-12 preamp that, for now, is serving mainly as a phono section. I've shoe-horned it into my system because it's my only piece of tube-based hardware, and, of course, I wanna play around with different tubes to see what happens.

The catch is my audio setup is a little...constrained, so I don't have a nice, wide-open cabinet top for both my turntable and this preamp. So, it has to live in an equipment stack.

That means that whenever I want to swap out the tubes, I need to reach back into that rat's nest, unplug the pre-amp, and pull it out in order to access the top. Then repeat, hoping I've plugged the right wires into the right plugs on the back.

But!! What if I used, say, some hanging drawer runners? I could mount them to the bottom of the top "shelf" in my stack, then somehow affix the PV-12 to the runners. Then the unit could pull straight out from the equipment stack, still secured to the runners, so I could futz with the tubes. Then I just push 'er back in and I'm good to go.

Anyone ever done anything like this? Seen anything like this? I'm of course loathe to drill holes in the side of the CJ, but maybe there are some drawer pulls out there that are both hanging / top-mounted and can securely grip the sides and / or bottom of the PV-12, without using any screws.

Thoughts? Ideas? C'mon mad scientists out there, let's see whatcha got!
 
In the 50's and 60's companies mounted turntables on drawer-slides frequently. There are lots of types of drawer slides here: Hint: Undermount slides or keyboard mount slides can be used to avoid modifying your preamp.
Don't be scared by the prices. There are more generic slides that can be found in these types, once you have the basic design worked out. Simplest would be to mount under-mount slides to a shelf and then screw a board to them and set the preamp on it.

https://www.cabinetparts.com/m/accu...Tm29Edki4Q4JMGwITsHBbpZAMRfMSoEEaAvynEALw_wcB
 
Yeah, that's helpful -- thank you!

But the other catch here is my equipment "rack" isn't really what it sounds like. It's a DIY-job using IKEA LACK tables, so there are no sides to the "cabinet." Hence, it's easiest for me if the unit is hanging, or top-mounted somehow. (Ideally I'd hang the pre-amp from the bottom of the wall-mounted shelf holding my turntable, which is of course the "top" of the rack.)

There's also not a lot of spare vertical space in my unit, so I don't have the extra room to add a drawer and just put the pre-amp on that. (If that's what it'll come down to, I'll do it -- I'll just have to take the TT's wall mount higher on the wall. But if I can avoid having to do that, all the better!)

Hence, my desire to just make the unit itself drawer-mounted, and hang it directly... :crazy:
 
Google "bottom mount drawer slides" ...

Substitute a flat shelf for the drawer shown ...

drawer-slides-undermount.jpg


I'd add short sides to the top of the moving shelf to stiffen it up some, as well as a piece along the back to catch the pre and position it correctly. Make sure you leave enough cable on the back for full extension.
 
Attach 1 1/2” aluminum angle to full extension side mounted slides. Run a wood mounting rail fore to aft between the legs. Make the rails thick enough so that the preamp sits on the angle. Add non-skid pads or Velcro to keep the angles attached to the preamp. I repurposed my turntable drawer for my music server and DAC/Amp & Stax adapter. Works well.

5515B709-1369-4A3F-B486-2BB5A73CA5AC.jpeg 9A2BE9D0-A49B-4CDF-8BF6-CA8BDFC3961D.jpeg
 
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A sketch to illustrate my suggestion
View attachment 1189784

I like the sketch, thank you! Nice job!!

The only issue is my "rack" doesn't have side legs to which I could attach the rails. But in their stead I don't see why I couldn't use a set of hanging, or top-mounted, rails attached to the shelf above. Otherwise I think this will work, and your idea to use the aluminum angles may have been the breakthrough I was looking for.

I even have a bunch of Sorbothane on hand. If I put a layer of that between the preamp and the alum. angles, it should both dampen against vibrations (and scratching) and provide some nice sticky-ness to hold it all in place...
 
I like the sketch, thank you! Nice job!!

The only issue is my "rack" doesn't have side legs to which I could attach the rails. But in their stead I don't see why I couldn't use a set of hanging, or top-mounted, rails attached to the shelf above. Otherwise I think this will work, and your idea to use the aluminum angles may have been the breakthrough I was looking for.

I even have a bunch of Sorbothane on hand. If I put a layer of that between the preamp and the alum. angles, it should both dampen against vibrations (and scratching) and provide some nice sticky-ness to hold it all in place...
I thought you were using stacked Lac tables with shortened legs. Glad to help.
 
I am, that's correct. Sort of. I'll post a pic when I get home tonight, but the long and short of it is the preamp "section" of my setup does not have legs on the sides of it...or any other sides for that matter...

But again, I think your alum. angle idea is the key that I was missing to make this work. So cheers to you!!

Now my only concern is properly securing the preamp within the angles / sliding rails so the weight of it doesn't tip it forward and out when I have the assembly extended. Especially when I'm trying to cram a new tube in the socket...
 
I am, that's correct. Sort of. I'll post a pic when I get home tonight, but the long and short of it is the preamp "section" of my setup does not have legs on the sides of it...or any other sides for that matter...

But again, I think your alum. angle idea is the key that I was missing to make this work. So cheers to you!!

Now my only concern is properly securing the preamp within the angles / sliding rails so the weight of it doesn't tip it forward and out when I have the assembly extended. Especially when I'm trying to cram a new tube in the socket...
As long it doesn’t slide on the angle there should be no tipping with full extension slides. HD Velcro will do it and it’s reversible.
 
Okay, I have another (crazy) idea brewin'. Has anyone ever mounted a piece of equipment like a drawer?
That's the approach I use in the office. An Emotiva A100 amplifier is located on a drawer inside a cabinet under the built in bookshelves. Is has a fan, but rarely needs to run. :)

emo100.jpg
 
33E8E1BD-D34B-4B92-85A3-42694C19BCCE.jpeg EFCDC372-37A5-4323-9B00-8331B4405DE4.jpeg 8E1DAE74-7EB7-4789-BA7A-665E0B825031.jpeg

Okay, there’s my setup.

As you can see, not currently ideal - the AV8801 is sitting right on top of the CJ. And it’ll be extra-hard to get the CJ out when I want to futz with its tubes.
 
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Always though of doing this myself for my TT, sure make it easier put one on and doing adjustments when needed.

My System2.JPG
 
Unfortunately, I don't see much/enough room to suspend any type of slide out platform with the Marantz there. Any way to first raise your TT shelf to create more space to work with?

Yeah, that’s certianly possible. I’d like to avoid having to do so if I can, but it is an option...

If I end up raising the TT shelf tho I might just put another LACK table there, around / above the Marantz, and then set the PV-12 on that.

But if I can remove the PV-12’s feet, and suspend it directly from the TT shelf (as opposed to putting a platform in there for it to rest on), I think it might work...
 
Yeah, that’s certianly possible. I’d like to avoid having to do so if I can, but it is an option...

If I end up raising the TT shelf tho I might just put another LACK table there, around / above the Marantz, and then set the PV-12 on that.

But if I can remove the PV-12’s feet, and suspend it directly from the TT shelf (as opposed to putting a platform in there for it to rest on), I think it might work...
Suspending it direcly from the TT shelf, but not on a slide out shelf, won't really help with accessing it to swap tubes and such. Could that short table at the bottom fit overtop of the PV-12? Maybe a flat piece of plywood/finished shelf placed under the bottom amplifier? May give you the clearence needed without raising the TT shelf. But, still doesn't get you the slide out accessibility. Just brainstorming...
 
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