Blas Kisic Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Since JW asked me to post these pics here, I will oblige… It's my first upright cart (having used a Magliner Junior until now) so I decided to go very deliberately and avoid, if possible, any mistakes. Didn't win on that front, but am happy with my efforts so far. The cart is based on a StarCase rack unit, which had previously been housed in my studio (R.I.P.) to which I added 20" wheels donated from a wheelchair I bought for $60, and a pair of 6" casters I got at Home Despot. Oscar Crispin (known to Agamemnon Andrianos, Chris Howland and Travis Cote and others) fabricated the base for the wheels and the rear handle - and I'm quite pleased with his work. The rest was mostly trial and error (though I was convinced I knew where everything would go…) and now it's pretty much ready to go - I'm just waiting for an articulating arm to arrive for my laptop, which will be running Boom Recorder. So here are the pics - feel free to comment the good, the bad and the fugly (the latter of which there's plenty, I assure you) and, if you care to suggest any improvements, by all means. Cheers, BK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moesound Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Very nice work. What I like especially is that it is yours, and it suits your needs. That's the key to a cart, rather than what others think. Good job! Moe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 A few questions, Blas: 1. I am very familiar with the StarCase racks, thought about using one once but declined, and I'm wondering about your rack being black. I believe the aluminum rack was available only in clear anodized but the steel rack is black. Is yours steel or aluminum? 2. Did you consider NOT having the rack enclosed on the sides (with the panels you have installed) or do you like the closed box/case concept? Thinking about this, I imagine the panels provide some shear and strength to the rack which might otherwise bend and become tweaked more easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blas Kisic Posted February 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 A few questions, Blas: 1. I am very familiar with the StarCase racks, thought about using one once but declined, and I'm wondering about your rack being black. I believe the aluminum rack was available only in clear anodized but the steel rack is black. Is yours steel or aluminum? 2. Did you consider NOT having the rack enclosed on the sides (with the panels you have installed) or do you like the closed box/case concept? Thinking about this, I imagine the panels provide some shear and strength to the rack which might otherwise bend and become tweaked more easily. Hi, Jeff. 1) I used an existing steel rack. If I were buying a new one, I think I would have gone with aluminum. 2) The top and bottom surfaces are steel plates, screwed into place, and they do add structural integrity. The only addition to the bottom, which Oscar insisted in adding –seeing the massive weight of the gel battery– is a steel bar underneath the plate, just to make the area under the battery more rigid. The side panels, though, are made of chip board, basically a highly compressed cardboard-like material. So, AFAIK, they don't add much to the structural integrity - i.e.: they're mostly for tidiness. Indeed, I like the closed-wall concept, and I like the fact that I can remove them for maintenance and/or reach a certain piece of equipment. The rear is still wide open, though, and I've asked my wife to make a curtain of sorts from some Duvatyne we have. The idea is to have Velcro patches on the rear and on the Duvatyne and, once all the gear is patched and ready to go, it can be stuck into place. Maybe it would be smart to do the same for the sides, as well… But now you got me thinking that maybe those panels do contribute to the structural rigidity, because I don't remember that rack ever getting tweaked, and neither in the last couple of days, when I've rolled it around and pushed it up the ramps into the van. I think I'll call StarCase in the morning. Incidentally, I need something to stop the mixer drawer from sliding out. Does any of you know what they call those knobs/levers they use in airplanes to stop food carts from wheeling out of theyr recesses? I need something like that, but don't know what they're called… TIA, BK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Very cool wheels! Looks good so far! philp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkautzsch Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 I was wondering if the grey plastic tube was for booms, and was reminded of my own cart where a similar setup turned out to be impractical with lower ceilings - until I swapped it for Toolflex clamps. Then, I saw that it's for the antenna mast, and I think this is a brilliant (robust, lightweight, *and* cheap) solution. Curious for some real-world usage reports of this! What kind of boom holder do you have? No pics from that side so far... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blas Kisic Posted February 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Peter, The antenna mast works great. I have the same setup on my Magliner Jr cart, and it's always been rock-solid. As far as the boom holder, I have a setup that Backstage Equipment sells. Here's a couple of pics. I made that bracket from an alumimum rail that I bought at Home Depot. I'm sure it can be made to look tidier and maybe painted black, but right now it's basically one step beyond "proof of concept"… I've already resigned myself to the fact that this project will never be "done" - I just hope I'll have the energy to keep tweaking it to suit my needs. I got the articulating arm last night, and am planning on installing it today. After searching for three weeks, I finally pulled the trigger on a monitor arm (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQ3679Q) not knowing for sure whether it was going to work. From what I've seen, I got lucky: it's well built, you can adjust the friction in the joints and, most importantly, the mounting surface can be set up hrizontally. I'll be happy to report once it's in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 The rubber bobber/clamp for the fishpole needs to have the bolt protected so that it doesn't scratch and damage the fishpole. I did a bobber once on one of my carts and recessed the bolt so that the pole only touches rubber. In your case, you could just put a band of rubber or fluffy Velcro padding that covers the bolt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blas Kisic Posted February 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Jeff, you can't see it in that picture, but that bolt is recessed. It's nowhere near the pole. Thanks for your concern, BK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ze Frias Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 It's looking good Blas! Let us know how she purrs, I mean, how she performs on the field! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blas Kisic Posted February 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Thanks, brother (and thanks to Phil, as well!) I've done a couple of tests, but am now waiting for additional Venue modules to give it a good, long session with all the channels going, to see if I spot any problems - hopefully it'll pass with flying colors… Cheers, BK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blas Kisic Posted February 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 OK, here's some more pics of the laptop stand. I must say, I'm very pleased with how it turned out… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkautzsch Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Blas, that boom holder looks good. I love the velcro on the outside to protect the boom from falling out when moving in rough terrain. Will copy that to mine. Is that laptop holder arm completely removeable by a quick-lock mechanism? Looks a bit like it was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blas Kisic Posted February 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Thanks, Peter. I'm very pleased with the articulating arm. I'm sure it can be better, but given my skills and resources it's better than I expected. Every joint in the arm (except for the ball joint on the platform) can be pulled out in a second with a flick of your thumb. For travel, I would take off the whole thing, leaving only the socket that's permanently connected to the cart. As far as the boom holder, to be honest, it's so tight that I never use the velcro strap. I have k-tek CF booms; I don't know if other brands are thinner, but for mine it's quite sturdy. Tchuß, BK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Cameron Posted August 17, 2015 Report Share Posted August 17, 2015 It's always fun to look over a purpose-built sound cart. Very nice work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blas Kisic Posted September 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2015 Thanks! I should post some more recent pictures. It's already seen duty on quite a few sets. There are a few improvements I'd like to make, all in due time, but for right now it's serving me well. The main complaint is that it's quite heavy, and having hard caster wheels doesn't work - so in the next couple of months I'll be installing pneumatic wheels. Cheers, BK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Davies Amps CAS Posted September 4, 2015 Report Share Posted September 4, 2015 Blas, Would you have a link to the folding arm and bracket please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blas Kisic Posted September 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2015 I purchased it via Amazon, for about $80. It's called "Mount-it!": http://www.amazon.com/Mount-It-Single-Joint-Articulating-Monitor/dp/B00DQ3679Q Its best feature, IMO, is the fact that you can take the arm apart for storage and transportation. I built a bracket out of aluminum, to bolt it to the cart, and a sheet of plywood as a base for the laptop. Cheers, BK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Davies Amps CAS Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 Thanks for the link Blas. I went onto the Amazon UK site and sure enough the arms were there but at a staggering price of the equivalent of $200. M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blas Kisic Posted September 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 Thanks for the link Blas. I went onto the Amazon UK site and sure enough the arms were there but at a staggering price of the equivalent of $200. M. Wow… Sorry to hear. If it helps, I'll be happy to order one for you here, if you can make an arrangement to have it flown to the UK. BK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Davies Amps CAS Posted September 11, 2015 Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 Wow… Sorry to hear. If it helps, I'll be happy to order one for you here, if you can make an arrangement to have it flown to the UK. BK Thanks for the offer Blas but I think I have found a US company prepared to ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.