Custom Electronics Cabinet Design Ideas-Entertainment Center
I have had the privilege to build several custom electronics cupboards. While working on the cabinet design ideas for a very large entertainment center, I realized the importance of details. You need to have a well-designed plan before you cut anything.
While my focus for this article could be on many entertainment cabinetry plans that I have devised, I intend to examine some of the important details that surrounded the largest wall unit I have ever manufactured.
The cabinets that were under contract to be built were to have a flat Formica plastic laminate design. Within this floor to ceiling-wall to wall unit, there were several electronic components to be considered in the design.
Wall Unit Electronics to be Designed Around
Large screen TV
Stereo
Receiver
Amplifier
Surround sound speaker system
Wireless pyramid remote transmitter device
Wall Unit Sections
Right side to be book case
Center section to house electronic components
Left side of the wall unit was to be a bar area, hidden behind the retractable pocket doors.
Before any custom drawings could be made, our customer had to choose all of the electronics that were to be included in the final design. No ink was put on the drawing pad until they had made their final decisions. No change orders would be accepted once the wall unit went into production.
The challenge is always trying to make the wiring channels accessible and incorporating everything within limited spaces.
Wiring Channel-Behind the cabinets and between them, it was necessary for us to create voids for all of the wiring to be routed through. This entertainment center was eleven feet long and eight and a half feet tall. The over all depth of the final drawings finished at 30 ½” deep. The void area behind the boxes was six and one half inches.
Removable Backs-Many of the wall-unit’s backs were made so that they could be removed to access the wires behind.
Drilling Holes-Many holes had to be drilled prior to the installation of the unit to make connecting the electronics equipment and speaker system an easy task. We had to work closely with the company who was supplying all of the components.
Air Circulation-It was important to develop the design so that the electronics equipment had plenty of air space and circulation. We did this by drilling holes in some places and also by allowing plenty of space behind the equipment.
Built In Speaker Enclosures-Because the wall-unit was one hundred percent custom built the speaker openings were tailored in perfect proportion to the speakers. The subwoofer was placed directly underneath the TV and a cabinet door was designed so that had black speaker cloth embedded into its frame.
This custom electronics wall-unit was finished with great success because we had a workable plan to begin with. The customers never tried to change anything once the final cabinet design ideas were approved for the entertainment center.