Building A Sound Proof Server Cabinet - Electrics, Cabling and Networking

Now that the cabinet was complete structurally, it was time to outfit the interior with all of my networking hardware. Since I had now built a full blown server cabinet, it made sense to add some additional hardware alongside the sever to increase functionality and enable easy scalability whenever I wish to add more devices to the network (more future servers!). Specifically, I added a 24 port patch panel at the top, to make wiring and routing easier, and a 24 port network switch below that to enable many more devices to link to the network (such as the router, Raspberry Pi's and Ethernet compatible Arduino's).

Since I wanted plenty of flexibility with my network and allow hardware to be added and removed as easily as possible, I opted to design my system in a slightly unusual way. The ports on the patch panel run to cables that come out the back of the cabinet and rest at the side. Whenever I want to add a new device, I simply plug it up to one of these spare cables using an Ethernet coupler. Labels on the cables match up with the patch panel and switch numbers preventing cable mix up. This also means devices can quickly be disconnected from the cabinet so that it can be rolled out for maintenance. I got together some assorted Cat 5e cables and cut them down to size. Using spare RJ-45 jacks and my trusty Ethernet repair kit, I whipped up some cables ready to be punched down into the patch panel.

Then came the tedious task of punching down all the Cat 5e tails to the patch panel according to the standard colour guide. Luckily my punch down tool and RJ-45 tester kit made the job a lot easier and flagged up any errors I accidently induced along the way.

You can see the cable ends, labels and couplers that stick out the back where devices can be linked to the network.

The next job was to make a bunch of small patch cables to link the ports on the patch panel to the Ethernet switch. Once again, my Ethernet repair kit was indispensable.

The cabinet was really starting to take shape. Before putting the server in, I decided to clean the dust from the inside of it using a can of compressed air. The rack was then loaded in, bolted to the rails using cage nuts and wired up to the switch.

And there we have it, a fully functioning sound proof home made server cabinet!

At the side you can see the Ethernet coupler cables that pass device connection to the patch panel. There is also plenty of space at the back when the door is off for cable maintenance. Additionally, there is ample space below the cabinet for cool air to enter and ample space at the top for hot air to escape.

But the real test was to quantitatively measure how much quieter the server was now that it was inside the cabinet. This was done by placing the server where the cabinet was planning to go and measuring the noise level at the desk with a decibel meter. This was measured to be 69 dBa. The server was then put back in the cabinet and the noise level was read again in the same position. This was measured to be around 53 dBa. This was a 16 dBa improvement, and remembering that decibels is a log scale, this meant a hug reduction in noise. Finally, I also measured the temperatures and verified that the CPU cores inside the server did not heat up as a result of being inside the cabinet. This evaluation proves the project was a total success!

With that, the server cabinet project that started in 2019 was finally finished at the end of summer 2020. It took much longer than expected, but I'm very happy with the result as I can now work in the lab without having to listen to the deafening sound of fans. There's still plenty of room for future projects now that I have the cabinet. I am planning on adding more hardware, more servers, firewalls, multiple networks, perhaps even speed control of the PSU fans, lighting and maybe even a lick of paint. There is also a whole new realm of software exploration to dig into now that I have CentOS installed. I plan on setting up media, file and web servers, and even make the server hub for a custom written lab IoT project that I have been planning for years. Either way, the cabinet is just the beginning for my networking and software plans I have for the lab.

I strongly recommend you watch the construction video log I have made showcasing this project. It show a lot more on how I put this together and provides a more detail on the projects justification and evaluation.

That's all for now. Sorry again for not getting around to posting project blog posts after I complete them, it's been a very busy past few years at uni. Keep a look out for more project blog posts and videos soon.