# An Average Guy’s Home Theater Upgrade Adventure



## ndyvidual (Jan 20, 2016)

New member here. I decided to contribute the work on my modest home theater as some of it may be of use to others. There will be no dedicated theater room additions or new home build journal so set your expectations accordingly, haha.
Quick background about me... I’m an electrical engineer in New England and the goal of my project was to upgrade my equipment to address an issue I was having with my previous receiver (Harman Kardon AVR-254) and to enhance my audio quality performance (via both room correction and a better designed audio section). And I’ve wanted to move to separates so that I could more easily upgrade in the future.
So after weighing all my needs and options, I decided on the Emotiva XMC-1 A/V Processor and XPA-5 5 channel amplifier pairing.










So before actually installing my new components, I had to install two pair of Accuride 100lb slides. My plan was to allow for easier access to the rear of the components. And since the amp weight about 90lbs, it’ll be especially convenient for that component.
To put them in, I had to first make some vertical ‘mounting blocks.’ Then spray paint them black. I made them out of two layers of ¾” MDF, glued together. 










After cutting the existing shelf shorter and then making and staining a new panel, I was ready mate the slides together. After that, I cleaned the space out and started to reconnect everything.[/SIZE]












For balanced new cables that installed, I used Gotham Audio GAC4/1 cable and Nuetrik XLR’s.
So with all the cables in, the amp’s shelf wouldn’t close!:foottap:










So my solutions were either remove the back panel completely or move a component out. So I moved the amplifier out. But before I had to do that, I had to make MORE cables to extend the balanced cables, sigh. Going back to the ‘this thing is a bit heavy to move around’ issue, I decided to price amp stands. When I need to get to the back for plugging or unplugging things, I wanted a stand with wheels. Not seeing one available, I decided to make my own. Total material cost came to about $45 USD using ½” finished Pine and some casters.




















I had to also extend the included trigger wire. It’s a 1/8” mono jack, but I extended it using a stereo extension. Worked just fine.
So with everything in place, I wanted to address my issue with the lack of a switched outlet so my fans could turn on. Emotiva replied to my inquiry and told me that the trigger outputs wouldn't be ideal to power a fan directly, so I decided to find a way to control them using my Harmony Ultimate Elite remote and not have fan operation tied to the other components. This way I could have them to turn only during an activity or sequence that warranted their use (like my hot headed PlayStation 3) to extend their service life and the keep the room as quiet as possible (no one has ever mentioned that they hear a fan when all four are running). Oh and speaking of fan life, I used to have ‘gamer PC’ fans. I found they died after about 8-10 months of use and were noisier than I wanted in a media room. I decided to graduate to a higher quality fan that drew a reasonable amount of current (80mA), had a very low noise rating (17dBa), great service life (40,000hrs) and move a huge amount of air. I’m using four Sanyo Denki 9S1212L401 120mm units in a push-pull configuration. The right fans push and the left pair pulls. I bought six back in March 2013 (two extra in case of device failure) and still am on the original four. Highly recommended
So back to the switch… I used an IR controlled fan switch design (item # 840556000402) that I got from Cooler Guys and a power supply. Sometimes it’s easier to just buy an existing solution rather than design and build one from scratch. I’m feeding its power supply with the output of a Radio Shack 120v->12v (1.5a) power supply. The fans are tied in parallel.


















I mounted the external IR receiver against the glass door using hot glue, but didn’t mount it to the glass so I can easily remove it for cleaning.



















The learning remote learned the switch remote with no trouble and its now part of the power up/down sequence for the PS3. The red and green LED confirm its status since the fan blades are not visible the room light is low.


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

Works on my phone...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## willis7469 (Jan 31, 2014)

this is what I see via Tapatalk. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## robbo266317 (Sep 22, 2008)

I don't see them either. However I do use Firefox with AdBlockPlus, NoScript and Ghostery... :smile:

Unfortunately we do not have fast internet here yet!


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## ndyvidual (Jan 20, 2016)

With the system up and running. I want to hold off before tuning since I'm starting to build enclosures for these gems...










I'll start another thread on the build process here.


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