Posted by: Rushian
So I Hacked my 11 Rack this Weekend!!! - 02/23/15 05:40 PM
As the title says I hacked my 11 rack and I mean I literally hacked it old school!!! 
No one zero zero one, one zero zero one's involved
So to business, I have always been annoyed by placement of the Output to Amp 1 (Left) on the front panel of the 11 rack. I know it may make it easier if you are playing live and want to connect to an amp, but if you have it set up in a rack at home or in a studio it just looks plain messy! It wasn't that big a deal until recently, as I used the XLR main outs at the back to feed the power amp with a balanced output.
Then I got an EPSi followed by a G-major 2. Since the G-major 2 works best in the FX Loop, I had to move the EPSi out of that chain and place in between the 11 rack and the power amp. Since the EPSi needs a instrument level signal, I now had to use the amp outs and then convert the signal back to line level using an EB Line Level Shifter (Strewth!
). So now my set up looked like this:
Since I have the G-Major mounted below my 11 rack (11 is always #1 and at the top and that ain't changing anytime soon! ). Other then looking ugly and messy the cable was also now interfering with controls of the G-major 
To quote the spinach toting man himself "That's all I can stands, cuz I can't stands n'more!" Drastic measures had to be taken!!!
So, first I popped the lid on the 11 rack (warning those screws are made from very soft metal, do not use an electric screw driver like numbnutz here did!
I stripped the head on one, thankfully I had a spare in my parts bin). Next I picked a clear spot on the back panel of the 11 rack for the hacking! My intent being to install a TS socket at that point. Since I did not want any shrapnel from my hacking to end up in the guts of my eleven rack and cause a short, I found a tube (in my case a plastic shot glass I cut the bottom off!) and I attached it into place using double sided tape.
I then covered the top of the tube with tape.
Then I took a drill to it !! BWAAHHHAHHAHAHAHA!!!
So my precautions to prevent the shrapnel getting into the internals of the 11 rack paid off, because despite my very carefull drilling, as I broke through the drill bit pulled into the casing and pushed off my 'containment measures'. Thankfully the double sided tape and the tape I covered the tube with caught and held the shrapnel. I should have probably started drilling with a smaller bit and worked my way up, but this man does not do things by half!!
Having drilled the hole, I cleaned up the rough edges and just to be on the safe side I blew out inside of the rack using compressed air (just to be sure to be sure!).
Now to wire it all in, I just piggy backed off the existing connector.
This was tricky because I did not want to take the board apart (that would have made it to easy! ) and using tweezers and a very steady hand I soldered the wires into place without burning anything in the process!!
Having done the tough part of the job it was just a simple matter of running the wire to the TS socket, soldering it into place and adding some graffiti to the back of the 11 rack!.
Job done and it works perfectly and I have no cables in my way, that should not be there!!
WARNING WILL ROBINSON, WARNING WILL ROBINSON - Do not attempt unless you are very comfortable using power tools and a soldering iron, I will not be responsible for you frying your 11 rack. I did this because I am a master hacker and a crazy Mofo!!!
No one zero zero one, one zero zero one's involved
So to business, I have always been annoyed by placement of the Output to Amp 1 (Left) on the front panel of the 11 rack. I know it may make it easier if you are playing live and want to connect to an amp, but if you have it set up in a rack at home or in a studio it just looks plain messy! It wasn't that big a deal until recently, as I used the XLR main outs at the back to feed the power amp with a balanced output.
Then I got an EPSi followed by a G-major 2. Since the G-major 2 works best in the FX Loop, I had to move the EPSi out of that chain and place in between the 11 rack and the power amp. Since the EPSi needs a instrument level signal, I now had to use the amp outs and then convert the signal back to line level using an EB Line Level Shifter (Strewth!
). So now my set up looked like this: Since I have the G-Major mounted below my 11 rack (11 is always #1 and at the top and that ain't changing anytime soon!
). Other then looking ugly and messy the cable was also now interfering with controls of the G-major To quote the spinach toting man himself "That's all I can stands, cuz I can't stands n'more!"
Drastic measures had to be taken!!!So, first I popped the lid on the 11 rack (warning those screws are made from very soft metal, do not use an electric screw driver like numbnutz here did!
I stripped the head on one, thankfully I had a spare in my parts bin). Next I picked a clear spot on the back panel of the 11 rack for the hacking! My intent being to install a TS socket at that point. Since I did not want any shrapnel from my hacking to end up in the guts of my eleven rack and cause a short, I found a tube (in my case a plastic shot glass I cut the bottom off!) and I attached it into place using double sided tape. I then covered the top of the tube with tape.
Then I took a drill to it !! BWAAHHHAHHAHAHAHA!!!
So my precautions to prevent the shrapnel getting into the internals of the 11 rack paid off, because despite my very carefull drilling, as I broke through the drill bit pulled into the casing and pushed off my 'containment measures'. Thankfully the double sided tape and the tape I covered the tube with caught and held the shrapnel. I should have probably started drilling with a smaller bit and worked my way up, but this man does not do things by half!!
Having drilled the hole, I cleaned up the rough edges and just to be on the safe side I blew out inside of the rack using compressed air (just to be sure to be sure!). Now to wire it all in, I just piggy backed off the existing connector.
This was tricky because I did not want to take the board apart (that would have made it to easy!
) and using tweezers and a very steady hand I soldered the wires into place without burning anything in the process!! Having done the tough part of the job it was just a simple matter of running the wire to the TS socket, soldering it into place and adding some graffiti to the back of the 11 rack!.
Job done and it works perfectly and I have no cables in my way, that should not be there!!
WARNING WILL ROBINSON, WARNING WILL ROBINSON - Do not attempt unless you are very comfortable using power tools and a soldering iron, I will not be responsible for you frying your 11 rack. I did this because I am a master hacker and a crazy Mofo!!!
