Emu XL-7 & MP-7 User's Group

Hey, you can even use these with less cutting, filing and drilling....these are a little longer than needed....the command station unit is 6U in height (10.5"), so you can find rack ears that size and just drill the command station mount holes...

http://cgi.ebay.com/RACK-EARS-11-5-8-INCH-METAL-NEW-OLD-STOCK_W0QQitemZ110518291823QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item19bb674d6f

Bob
El Segundo, CA


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Nathaniel 
  To: xl7@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 11:27 AM
  Subject: Re: [xl7] DIY Rack Ears


    

  Thank you buddy!


  That is the best thing I heard so far out of this ongoing rant ;)


  I just talked to my friend who is currently in college taking a welding class and we were discussing relatively the same thing.


  Thanks for the info.


  The project begins!


  -Nate


  Brevis esse laboro, obscuris fio.
  www.myspace.com/pulkrabek 
  http://pulkrabek.tumblr.com/

  On Apr 13, 2010, at 4:47 AM, "Dumeril" <dumeril7@...> wrote:


      
    With all the talk about how rare and expensive the Command Station rack ears are, I figured I'd share this...

    I made my own rack ears out of 1" by 1" aluminum extrusion, that I got from Home Depot or Lowe's (can't remember which). Its just an L-shaped length of aluminum (1/8" thick) that you can cut with a hacksaw and drill out.

    I cut it to the same length as the original plastic ears of the Command Station, then rounded the corners a little with a file. I drilled all the holes with a regular hand drill. If like me, you don't have a drill press, then the drill bit can slip around on the aluminum which will put the holes off-the-mark. So I used a centerpunch to make a little dimple in the aluminum at the proper location, set the bit into the dimple and then I was able to drill the holes perfectly by hand. A centerpunch is basically like a heavier metal ice pick that you strike with a hammer to put a sharp dent in the aluminum. You can get a centerpunch for less than $10 at Lowe's/Home Depot as well. I elongated the rack mounting holes using a rat-tail file.

    Total investment was about $20. The only downside is that the extrusion won't cover some gaps in the Command Station chassis (you'll see what I mean if you remove the plastic ears). For those I just covered them with small pieces of tape to keep dust out. Not the prettiest solution, but it doesn't cost $50 - $60 like the Emu rack ears either. ;)

    D7