4-tier 60HP Moog setup (with pictures!)

Mother-32, DFAM, Subharmonicon, Grandmother, Matriarch
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rplktr
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4-tier 60HP Moog setup (with pictures!)

Post by rplktr » Sun Sep 11, 2016 7:36 pm

You build a three-tier Mother-32 setup. You're happy with what you got but one day you discover the joys of DIY. Suddenly you're faced with insufficient rack space. It feels silly to repack everything for an additional 60HP or so. It feels wasteful and not elegant to get another skiff or case for the new modules, especially if you're space constrained. What do you do?

You add a fourth tier. You buy another 60HP Moog skiff, and a $5 punched flat bar from HomeDepot. You cut it to length, remove the side walls from the Moog skiffs. You connect an additional flying board bus to uZeus, you pass it through the side of the skiffs. Now you only need to screw it all back together. You put the metal side walls on, which helps with module alignment. You put the flat bars next and finish with the gorgeous wooden plates. Here's how it looks all screwed together:

Image

Note how I screwed the flying bus boards to the skiff for a little extra tidiness inside. Note how I put the uZeus on the left to leave more space on the right for patch cable connections (more elegant with the Mother-32's patch bay). Speaking of the Mothers, you need to secure the new double-skiff to the 3-tier frame! To do this, unscrew just one screw on each side, attach to the frame and screw back in. Then unscrew the remaining two screws (the hole is big enough for them to go through), insert the washers and screw back in. Here's how it looks like:

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The final setup is fully operational, requires the least desk space and is the least costly, as it reuses a single uZeus and your existing skiffs. Here's how it looks like as of today (note the silver bars between the wood and the black side walls of the case):

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So, if anybody is wondering if it's possible to power two skiffs from one uZeus: it is. If anybody is wondering if you can attach an extra skiff to the three-tier setup in a way that looks nice and doesn't require drilling, welding or gluing: it is. If anybody is wondering if the resulting setup is stable on the desktop: it is. Arguably, the trickiest bit for me was just cutting the flat bars to length. The rest is pretty easy if you're careful with alignment. This setup adds a little width to the skiffs but fortunately the metal frame has enough tolerance for it not to cause any issues.
Last edited by rplktr on Sun Jun 11, 2017 10:53 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Stevie Ray
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Re: 4-tier 60HP Moog setup (with pictures!)

Post by Stevie Ray » Tue Sep 13, 2016 2:55 pm

Cool! :D

I couldn't get the flimsy Moog rack frames to align with the holes in the end cheeks of the M32s. I ordered a 3-tier rack but could only fit two M32s in it at any time. The wooden end cheeks varied in dimensions so much that I couldn't fit three of them in the rack at the same time.

I considered trimming the end-cheeks with a belt sander but instead ditched the M32 cases and fitted the modules into a Eurorack case instead.

More problems ensued as the M32 draws a transient start-up current much greater than the rated nominal current (they draw about 1.5A on power-up) - thus overloading my Eurorack power supply. This is due to the M32s internal switching power supply. The M32 is not a typical Eurorack module.

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rplktr
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Re: 4-tier 60HP Moog setup (with pictures!)

Post by rplktr » Wed Oct 05, 2016 1:23 pm

...and it's complete!

Image
Last edited by rplktr on Sun Jun 11, 2017 10:53 pm, edited 2 times in total.

dualtrx
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Re: 4-tier 60HP Moog setup (with pictures!)

Post by dualtrx » Mon Oct 17, 2016 9:22 am

How did you pass the uZeus board ? ...

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DonutDude
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Re: 4-tier 60HP Moog setup (with pictures!)

Post by DonutDude » Tue Oct 18, 2016 3:09 pm

Nice work, thanks for posting.

rove
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Re: 4-tier 60HP Moog setup (with pictures!)

Post by rove » Fri Mar 10, 2017 3:19 am

dualtrx wrote:How did you pass the uZeus board ? ...
Also wondering this, can't quite tell from the pic.
thx

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DrSteve
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Re: 4-tier 60HP Moog setup (with pictures!)

Post by DrSteve » Mon May 22, 2017 8:45 am

any way you can repost the pics from this? They're showing as broken links here.

thanks!
"Credo che tutti gli uomini siano fratelli"

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rplktr
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Re: 4-tier 60HP Moog setup (with pictures!)

Post by rplktr » Sun Jun 11, 2017 10:53 pm

DrSteve wrote:any way you can repost the pics from this? They're showing as broken links here.
Fixed!

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rplktr
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Re: 4-tier 60HP Moog setup (with pictures!)

Post by rplktr » Sun Jun 11, 2017 11:02 pm

dualtrx wrote:How did you pass the uZeus board ? ...
I don't have good pictures. To pass the flying bus board, you unscrew one wall from both 60HP skiffs, you pass the flying bus between them and screw everything back up. You can tighten it pretty well, the flying bus adds maybe 1mm, well within the flexibility margin of the 3-tier rack.

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DrSteve
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Re: 4-tier 60HP Moog setup (with pictures!)

Post by DrSteve » Sun Jun 18, 2017 11:16 pm

Beautiful, thanks!
"Credo che tutti gli uomini siano fratelli"

bmckeen
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Re: 4-tier 60HP Moog setup (with pictures!)

Post by bmckeen » Wed Sep 27, 2017 7:22 pm

hi, can you inventory the modules you have in the setup? thanks

Kandavu
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Re: 4-tier 60HP Moog setup (with pictures!)

Post by Kandavu » Tue Oct 24, 2017 4:46 am

I like this 4-tier setup for the economy of desktop space, proportions & esthetics. I am working towards a multi-tiered set-up and could use some advise. I'd like to begin with a two-tiered setup that would integrate a mother-32 and Reaktor Blocks. So the second tier would comprise of a 60HP Moog skiff, an uZeus and an Expert Sleepers Es-8, to start. What recommendations would anyone suggest to add to this 2nd tier to complete the remaining space of this skiff?

ForAiur
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Re: 4-tier 60HP Moog setup (with pictures!)

Post by ForAiur » Sun Oct 13, 2019 3:11 pm

rplktr wrote: Sun Jun 11, 2017 11:02 pm
dualtrx wrote:How did you pass the uZeus board ? ...
I don't have good pictures. To pass the flying bus board, you unscrew one wall from both 60HP skiffs, you pass the flying bus between them and screw everything back up. You can tighten it pretty well, the flying bus adds maybe 1mm, well within the flexibility margin of the 3-tier rack.
I registered just to ask the following question: Doesn't that damage the board? The metal edges of the Mother-32 case are pretty ... well ... metal and edgy .... did you ever have parts of the bus board getting rubbed of or otherwise damaged?

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