New electronics cabinet

[Dick Friedman]

I just put up about four pix in the Gallery.  They are under my name or Denver and Pacific Falls or D&PF.

[smcgill]

I reused on of these!

Still seams small!

Nice job Ray!

[Mt Beenak]

Dick,

Of course we want to see them.

[Dick Friedman]

I built my own train shed last winter (October  2009 to March 2010)  I sheathed the outside with a cement board designed for sheathing.  I put two coats of paint on it to keep the weather out.  The inside is insulated and finished off with wall board and three coats of paint.

 

I've got pix if you want to see them.

[ttrigg]

Quick thought here: for the new shed, replicate the new depot over at Poway Midland. It might still block the view, but at least it will blend in very well. You do so well at 1:24 doing it again in 1:4 might not be much of a stretch for you.

[Ray Dunakin]

Thanks! This is the first of several planned construction projects peripheral to the layout, and a good bit of practice before attempting the rest.

The biggest project will be replacing the ugly metal shed which currently blocks the view of the layout from the patio. I'm still trying to figure out the best method of construction, and what material to sheathe it with. The Kydex is too expensive, and I was lucky to find enough for the cabinet without having to pay full price. Maybe I can find some aluminum sheet that will work.

 

I also want to build some decent stairs up to the layout from the patio. Currently I'm using a stack of concrete blocks, as can be seen in some of the photos above.

 

And I need to have a new gate put into the wrought iron fence, to reduce congestion when we have a lot of people here to see the RR. But that will require welding and other skills I lack, so I'll have to hire someone to do it.

 

 

[two tone]

Hi Ray,   A nice bit of DIY you have covered all the bases it should give years of service.    I have much the same idea but mine is just indoors with all cables for switches lights ect going to a metal cabinet out doors

[ttrigg]

Execelent job, my friend. I see you also incorperated rule #1: "Always leave room for expansion".

[Ray Dunakin]

Until recently, the only electronics associated with my layout was the MRC power pack. I've been keeping it inside a plastic Rubbermaid container. A few months ago I bought a new 12vdc regulated power supply, and temporarily stuck it under another plastic container -- but I knew I'd have to find a better storage solution before we get our wet weather this winter. Now I have an Aristocraft "Revolution" control system on the way, and really needed to get serious...

 

So I finally built a special cabinet to store these electronics! It's made of (nominally) 3/4" plywood. I laminated the exterior with sheets of 1/8" thick plastic that I bought from the cutoff bin at a local plastics supplier. I used paintable silicone sealant and stainless steel screws to secure it to the cabinet and prevent any moisture from seeping in through the joints. The stuff I got cost me $60, which seemed a little steep, but it turns out I got a really good bargain. It's something called Kydex and is made for exterior use -- very tough, abrasion resistant, fire resistant, weatherproof, etc. 

 

I've never built anything like this before but I think it turned out nice. Here's some pics...

 

In this shot you can see my original haphazard arrangement:

 

 

 

Here's the new cabinet with the doors closed:

 

 

 

And with the doors open:

 

 

 

The roof extends out over the retaining wall behind the cabinet, so runoff will drain into the gravel:

 

 

 

There is a vent in the rear, just below the overhang of the roof:

 

 

 

Cosmetically, it's not perfect but it gets the job done. 

 

I used half inch ply for the doors, because I was concerned about making them too heavy. Probably should have stuck with the 3/4" though. The half inch is not as stiff as I would have liked.

 

The cabinet sets on a pad of concrete blocks to keep it out of the water when it rains. I didn't want legs on the cabinet because the space underneath would just be a haven for spiders, rodents, etc.