The
purpose of this page is not to tell you how
to do your job; I presume that you already know
what you are doing and I've seen some of your
work so I know that you have taste as well as
creativity. But I imagine that unless
you have worked with a-v companies before, you
might just have a few questions for folks like
me and you might wonder what you can do in order
to coordinate your designs with today's rapid
changes in home entertainment.
Simply
put, when I am dealing with a cabinet or an
"entertainment center", I have four
primary issues or concerns.
POWER
ACCESS
VENTILATION
DEPTH
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I
deal in electronic components. They all
require POWER in order to operate.
Televisions, DVD players, CD players, cable boxes,
DSS/Satellite Receivers, tape decks, VCR's, and
God only knows what might be coming down the road!
Not
only do these components require power, but
they are going to be placed into different
parts of your cabinet and we must be able
to get plenty of clean power to them.
We highly recommend running separate lines
for audio and video back to the circuit box
and it helps to allow space for a good surge
protector/power strip. The smart designer
thinks about outlet location and equipment
location when putting together the design
for the cabinet.
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That
leads us into ACCESS!
Power
cables and connections to each of the components
need to be accessible. Instead of having to
go through unnatural contortions, a little planning
can make installation and maintenance easier,
and at the same time allow the system to run
more efficiently. The solution depends on the
logistics and budget.
-
Removable
panels on side or rear of the cabinet
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Rear
or side access and groove the back of
the shelf.
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Slide-out
tray with a groove cut into the back for the
cables
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For
heavy big screen TV's, removable
platform that can be placed in front of the
cabinet for easy rollout.
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VENTILATION
| All
electronic components generate heat.
Some, like receivers, DVD players, and power
amplifiers generate a LOT of heat.
Throw a component into a wooden box and
turn it on and you have a fine convection
oven. Components react to overheating
pretty much the same way that we do.
They shut down. |
DEPTH
| Most
components are about fifteen inches in depth,
but some, such as carrousel cd changers,
can be as deep as twenty inches. Add
in some room to accommodate the usual assortment
of cabling protruding from the back of the
components and twenty-four inches of cabinet
depth works out to about right. Give
me plenty of depth (and don't forget to
figure the depth that cabinet doors might
take away) and room on the sides to move
stuff around and you have a friend for life!
AND someone who will be referring customers
to you as a designer/woodworker who understands
what makes a successful home entertainment
center! |
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