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AcoustiRACK® ACTIVE Range of Soundproof 19" Rackmount Cabinets incorporating ANC Technology

Models: 22U & 34U (Useable Rackmount Height)

The AcoustiRACK® ACTIVE quiet server cabinet uniquely combines unrivalled noise reduction, high thermal dissipation and dust-filtered protection for 19 inch rackmount equipment.

This sound-proof rackmount cabinet represents a breakthrough in noise reduction performance by being the first hardware enclosure to incorporate proprietary Active Noise Control (ANC) technology.

AcoustiRACK® ACTIVE 22U (ARA-22U) Image shows 6 LED's positioned at the top left of the door, show that the intake and exhaust fans are functioning. AcoustiRACK® ACTIVE 22U (ARA-22U) The dust filter can be seen at the top of the cabinet, towards the rear. This promotes a dust-free environment to help protect the installed equipment.

With the launch of the AcoustiRACK® ACTIVE (ARA) enclosure, Silentium have introduced a breakthrough in noise reduction and thermal dissipation performance with a truly near-silent rackmount cabinet designed to reduce noise generated by high-powered rackmount computers, servers and networking equipment.

The AcoustiRACK® ACTIVE quiet rack mount case reduces equipment noise by 20dB(A) whilst allowing airflow for thermal dissipation of up to 5KW. This rackmount cabinet is the most advanced solution for the growing IT noise problems faced by today's workforce.

Silentium's proprietary noise-cancelling technology is highly effective in reducing low-frequency noise. When combined with dual-layered acoustic materials this rackmount cabinet achieves unprecedented spatial broadband noise reduction. Spatial noise reduction is reduction everywhere around the cabinet, and broadband noise control is a sound level reduction over the entire frequency bandwidth of the audible spectrum.

The AcoustiRACK® ACTIVE quiet rackmount case has variable power and noise control. The airflow in both the upper and lower rackmounted cooling units is adjustable, ensuring that the optimal ambient noise and thermal power setting can be reached. See table below. Contact Us for simple instructions on changing the fan (airflow) speed.

Features - AcoustiRACK® ACTIVE Rackmount Cases

• 20 dB(A) Broadband Noise Reduction
• Up to 5KW Thermal Load Dissipation
• Filtered Air Inlets - helps protect rack equipment from dust ingress
• Full Safety Certification (CE & FCC)
• Full Range of 19-inch Rackmount Accessories Available

Prices* - AcoustiRACK® ACTIVE Cabinet Range

*Prices exclude VAT and delivery.

Cabinet Thermal Dissipation & Ambient Noise Levels at Variable Power Settings

All assisted-airflow quiet cabinets contain one of more cooling fans and these fans generate a low level of 'background' noise. The AcoustiRACK ACTIVE cabinet contains 6 cooling fans (3 top, and 3 bottom) and additional electronic equipment for regulating the cooling fan speed and producing the ANC technology. The fan speed can be varied (therefore allowing the airflow through the enclosure to be varied), which gives the rack installer greater flexibility and control over the required thermal dissipation level and the level of 'ambient' background noise the cabinet itself generates.

The table below shows the various Fan Module voltage settings, and corresponding cabinet thermal dissipation capacity and ambient noise levels:

†The Ambient Noise Level is the noise the rack cabinet itself generates. SPL measurements where taken in an acoustic room at a distance of 1m from the front door of the rackmount case.

Technical Specifications - AcoustiRACK® ACTIVE Rackmount Cases

FAQs - AcoustiRACK® ACTIVE

How is the Cooling Designed to work in the ARA Cabinet?

The ARA (in common with all the quiet 19" cabinets stocked by Acousti Products) is designed to cool installed rackmount equipment with front-to-back cooling. This encompasses is the vast majority of 19" IT hardware, particularly rackmount servers. Equipment with side-to-side cooling may also be suitable, given the high through-flow of cool air in the ARA cabinet, but we recommend specification checks are made before purchase and installation.

Cold air enters the rackmount cabinet at the top rear via the external dust filter, located on the roof of the enclosure. From the rear, it is fed forward, through the roof 'Fan Tray' unit to the front of the cabinet. During this journey, the Active Noise Control (ANC) technology significantly reduces sound on it's passage from inside the cabinet to the outside (the sound is travelling in the opposite direction to the airflow in).

The cool air in the upper Fan Tray unit is forced in to a 'mixing' air space immediately in front of installed 19" equipment by powerful circulation fans blowing downwards from above the equipment. The cold air forced in by the circulation fans effectively creates a 'cold wall' of clean (low dust) air immediately in front of installed rackmount equipment (such as 19" servers, data storage equipment, UPS, and network/comms equipment).

Air passes through the installed equipment, and is warmed by various components such as CPU heat sinks, GPU heat sinks, memory modules, HDDs and optical data storage devices, and by heat sinks from power transformers. The warmed air that is exhausted from the rear of installed 19" equipment forms a corresponding 'warm wall' air space at the rear of the cabinet, between the equipment and the rear door.

This air is expelled from the cabinet by powerful circulation fans located at the back of the lower Fan Tray unit. ANC technology is similarly built into the lower Fan Tray unit, so that expelled air is purged of unwanted noise from the 19" equipment and the powerful air circulation fans. Unlike the roof Fan Tray, air leaving the bottom of the enclosure is not dust filtered. Air is expelled towards the floor at the front of the cabinet, and leaves via the front and sides, flowing out in the gap between the floor and the base of the cabinet created by the raised feet.

Can the Cooling Potential of the ARA be Enhanced?

In short, yes. If there are vertical gaps (spaces) between installed 19" equipment, then the use of blanking plates to 'blank off' any spaces between equipment will enhance airflow through the installed equipment. The blanking plates also improve the look of the cabinet if aesthetics are an important consideration.

Acousti Products have developed unique soundproofed blanking plates, that also help to reduce sound levels, by reflecting and absorbing sound travelling from the rear of the cabinet towards the front. The soundproof rack blanking plates effectively add a barrier, and increase the surface area inside the cabinet that is lined with acoustic materials, therefore reducing unwanted noise. Please contact us if you wish to order sound-proof blanking plates.

Where do I most Effectively Position Equipment?

Given that the ARA cabinet is a forced airflow cabinet, with a front 'cold wall' (cool air mixing zone) and opposite rear 'warm wall', any location vertically inside the cabinet is going to suitable for the vast majority of air-cooled 19" rackmount equipment. Because the ARA is a forced-air enclosure, it is suitable for 19" equipment that normally runs a little hot in a standard rackmount cabinet (one without forced air circulation).

We recommend that installed 19" equipment is spaced vertically, rather than 'bunched up' and located either all at the top or bottom of the enclosure. We strongly recommend the use of rackmount blanking plates (or 'blank plates') to cover any vertical 'gaps' between equipment. (If you would like to further reduce noise emissions, then use soundproofed blanking plates available from Acousti Products.)

Only if you have extreme differences in the thermal specifications and airflow requirements between your equipment does it become necessary to consider the internal thermal profile more carefully, and plan vertical location accordingly. In short, if most equipment is similar in terms of thermal load and airflow requirements/specification, then it doesn't matter where you locate it.

Where inside the cabinet you choose to vertically locate a particular server or similar unit will depend on several factors, but principally: (i) the thermal load and airflow requirements when compared with the rest of the equipment, and (ii) the amount of airflow the equipment requires compared to the capacity of the built-in internal fans inside that piece of equipment.

We shall use a few examples to help highlight good practice:

Example 1. One or Two Rack Units with High Thermal Load
If you have one or a few 19" units with high thermal loads, and the rest of the installed rack equipment has a significantly lower or 'normal' thermal requirement, then it may be best to locate the hottest equipment vertically in the centre of the cabinet. This position is the best balance between air in (positive air pressure, or 'push') from the front 'cold wall', and air out (negative pressure, or 'pull') from the rear 'warm wall'. At the top of the cabinet you get plenty of positive cold air pressure at the front, but the smallest negative air pressure at the rear. At the bottom of the cabinet the opposite will be true. Use blanking plates, to prevent airflow passing over and above installed equipment, and to maximise airflow through the rackmount units with particularly high thermal load.

Example 2. High Airflow, Cool Equipment
If you have a piece of equipment with abnormally powerful internal fans (i.e. it has a high throughflow of air when operating in free space), and higher airflow than is required for that unit, then it may be best to locate it at the bottom of the cabinet. If you locate it at the top it may 'steal' cold air from other installed 19" equipment below itself.

Example 3. Weak Airflow, Warm Equipment
If you have a piece of rackmount equipment with abnormally weak internal fans (low airflow when compared to thermal requirement), then put it apart (at distance away) from equipment with abnormally powerful internal fans - then it is not 'competing for air' right next to high airflow equipment. Use blanking plates to cover any gaps between installed equipment - this will serve to maximise the air pressure differential across equipment inside the cabinet. Try to locate this equipment vertically in the centre of the rack, where the airflow through this unit will be best augmented by positive air pressure at the front and negative air pressure at the rear.

How much Power does the ARA Cabinet Itself Require?

The 19" AcoustiRACK ACTIVE (ARA) cabinet draws relatively little current itself, so it does not significantly add to the electrical power load once populated with rackmount equipment. For example, with the cooling fan units running at 7.5V (that is, with a thermal dissipation of approximately 4KW), the cabinet draws 60W or 205 BTU/hr (as measured by Acousti Products). The ARA cabinet contains two ActiveSilencer™ Fan Trays, one top drawing in cool air, and one bottom expelling warmed air - the 60W is the energy required for both units. The Active Noise Control (ANC) technology itself does require a small amount of electrical energy to power several PCBs and loud speakers used to create the 'anti-noise'. However, the amount of energy involved is very low in comparison to the energy required to power the cooling fans. Therefore, in terms of overall energy demands, the ARA does not require significantly more energy than a standard rackmount cabinet containing a tray of 6 rack cooling fans (for example). The increased reliability and longevity gained from a constant assisted supply of cool low-dust airflow to 19-inch equipment mounted inside the cabinet may out-weigh the very small increased energy consumption required over the lifetime of the enclosure.

Can't see Technical Information you require for AcoustiRACK® ACTIVE Enclosures?

Please contact us on +44 (0)870 190 4092 and we will be happy to help with any technical questions on this range of quiet rack cabinets. Our staff have many years experience in the IT sector, and in particular with 19" rackmount cases - we have compared and tested every 19inch quiet rack that we supply - so it's highly likely that we can help quickly and efficiently.

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More Quiet Rackmount Cabinets...

AcoustiRACK® ACTIVE Features & Benefits Highest level of Noise Reduction - up to 20dBA Very high Thermal Dissipation - up to 5kW Flexible Airflow - for regulating Thermal Dissipation and Ambient Noise Levels Incorporates unique 'anti-noise' ANC Technology by Silentium High Cabinet Build Quality Washable Dust Filter on the Enclosure Air Intake - helps protect rackmounted servers and other 19" equipment. Lined with Dual-Layered Soundproofing Materials

Contact Us Quick Telephone Consultation Further Information Comparative Demo Facilities End Users can Buy Direct - All Major Credit Cards Accepted IT Resellers Welcome

AcoustiRACK® ACTIVE Quick Links  Printable product flyer

Our Comparative Demonstration Room A unique opportunity to compare the industry's top quiet rackmount cabinets side-by-side. Hear for yourself! Contact Us

Our Verdict "Unrivalled noise reduction with highest level thermal cooling capacity - suitable for Blade enclosures and high-power dense 19" rackmount servers and equipment. Variable airflow and ambient noise level control adds to the cabinet versatility. Dust filtering is a feature that server administrators, hardware technicians and systems managers will appreciate - it will cut cleaning bills, reduce down time, and help increase stability and longevity of installed rackmount equipment. Silentium's proprietary 'anti-noise' Active Noise Control technology in this sound-proofed rackmount cabinet needs to be heard to be believed."

Articles & Links   'Is There Too Much Noise in Your Office?' - "office productivity would increase if workspaces were less noisy." "Prolonged exposure to loud noise can contribute to high blood pressure levels, as well as everyday aggravation, annoyance, and loss of tranquility." [full article]     "Not only can noise be a health problem, it can affect employee effectiveness too." [full article]

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