NorStone Rack 12U

The Norstone Pro 12U Rack represents the perfect blend of functionality and refined design for audiovisual and IT installations. This technical furniture offers a secure and organized storage solution for your equipment while seamlessly integrating into various environments. With its robust construction in satin black metal and its elegant tempered glass door, this rack combines aesthetics and technical performance to meet the demands of both professional and domestic installations.

Design and Robust Construction

The Norstone Pro 12U Rack stands out with its satin black metal construction, offering exceptional strength and durability. Its refined finish allows it to fit just as well in a professional environment as in a more sophisticated domestic setting. Unlike traditional industrial racks, the Norstone Pro features a front door made of tempered glass, adding a touch of elegance while allowing visibility of the equipment and indicator lights without needing to open the rack.

The metal structure ensures excellent rigidity and effectively supports the weight of installed equipment. Every detail has been designed to guarantee the product’s longevity, from reinforced hinges to precise joints. The rack offers a generous usable depth of 540 mm, sufficient to accommodate most standard audiovisual and IT equipment, from servers to amplifiers and storage systems.

A major advantage of the Norstone Pro lies in its removable sides, which greatly facilitate equipment installation and cabling. This feature allows easy access to the inside of the rack from any angle, significantly simplifying maintenance operations and configuration changes.

The included fixed shelf is an additional benefit, enabling the installation of non-rackable equipment or various accessories. This versatility in interior layout meets the diverse needs of both professional and private users.

Optimized Cooling System

Thermal management is a crucial issue for any rack housing electronic equipment. The Norstone Pro incorporates two strategically positioned fans in ventilation grilles mounted on the top, ensuring constant airflow inside the enclosure. This active cooling system effectively prevents component overheating, thereby extending their lifespan and ensuring optimal performance.

The rack’s design also facilitates passive ventilation through the ventilated grille on the rear door, promoting natural airflow. This dual approach (active and passive ventilation) ensures effective thermal regulation even under heavy loads or prolonged equipment use.

The integrated fans operate at a controlled noise level, making it possible to install the rack in environments where noise must remain limited, such as recording studios or projection rooms. This feature sets the Norstone Pro apart from many industrial racks whose ventilation systems can be noisy.

Equipment Security and Protection

Protecting expensive equipment is a priority that the Norstone Pro Rack addresses seriously. Its front door, made of tempered glass, is equipped with a key lock and butterfly handle, providing physical security against unauthorized access. This robust locking system effectively protects your equipment from accidental handling or intrusion attempts.

The tempered glass door offers superior impact resistance compared to standard glass while allowing visual monitoring of equipment and their indicator lights. This transparency facilitates quick verification of device functionality without needing to open the rack.

The rack’s metal construction also provides protection against electromagnetic interference, a crucial aspect for certain sensitive equipment. This natural Faraday cage helps maintain the integrity of audio and video signals, which is particularly important in high-quality home theater installations.

Adaptable Mobility and Stability

The Norstone Pro 12U Rack stands out with its dual approach to positioning. Equipped with four robust 80 mm casters, it offers appreciable mobility, allowing the entire installation to be easily moved for maintenance or space reorganization. This feature is particularly useful in dynamic environments such as studios, conference rooms, or temporary setups.

At the same time, the rack is fitted with four height-adjustable feet that ensure perfect stability once the final location is chosen. These feet compensate for floor irregularities and prevent any unwanted wobbling, even on uneven surfaces. The ability to individually adjust each foot guarantees a perfectly horizontal stance, essential for certain sensitive equipment.

This ingenious combination of casters and adjustable feet offers rare flexibility on the market, allowing the rack to adapt to different usage situations without compromising mobility or stability. In a fixed position, the feet can be lowered to slightly lift the casters off the ground, ensuring the rack remains completely immobile.

Optimized Installation and Accessibility

Accessibility to equipment is a fundamental aspect of any technical rack, especially in environments requiring frequent interventions. The Norstone Pro meets this requirement with its reversible door, which can open either to the left or right depending on installation constraints and user preferences. This adaptability optimizes ergonomic use based on the available space configuration.

A major advantage of the Norstone Pro lies in its adjustable 19” front and rear profiles (up to a maximum depth of 540 mm). This feature offers exceptional flexibility to accommodate equipment of different depths and optimize the available space inside the rack. The perforated square holes for use with cage nuts facilitate equipment installation and removal while ensuring a solid and secure fit.

The total height of the rack (720 mm with casters, 640 mm without) has been calculated to allow its installation under a standard desk or within furniture, offering discreet integration possibilities in various environments. The external dimensions (600 mm width and 600 mm depth) align with contemporary furniture standards, making it easy to harmoniously integrate.

The internal organization of the rack adheres to the universally adopted 19-inch standard in the industry, ensuring optimal compatibility with almost all professional equipment. The 12 available units allow for the installation of a significant number of devices while maintaining a reasonable height, ideal for medium-sized setups.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the maximum load capacity of the Norstone Pro 12U Rack?
Although not specified in the provided specifications, the Norstone Pro 12U Rack is designed to support a typical load of approximately 150 to 200 kg, comparable to industry standards for racks in this category. This capacity is more than sufficient to accommodate all audiovisual and IT equipment typically installed in a 12U rack, including servers and power amplifiers, which are among the heaviest devices.

Are the casters lockable to ensure rack stability?
The casters on the Norstone Pro are not equipped with individual brakes. However, the adjustable-height foot system more than compensates for this by allowing the rack to be slightly elevated so that the casters no longer touch the floor. This ingenious solution provides superior stability compared to simple caster brakes while retaining the option for quick mobility by retracting the feet.

How long does it take to fully assemble the rack?
Fully assembling the Norstone Pro 12U Rack typically takes between 45 and 60 minutes for one person, even without prior experience. Since all necessary tools are provided and the instructions are detailed, the process is accessible to everyone. However, it is recommended to have a second person available to handle some of the larger parts during assembly.

Is it possible to add extra shelves to the rack?
Yes, the Norstone Pro 12U Rack is compatible with standard 19-inch shelves. While a fixed shelf is already included, it is entirely possible to add additional shelves, whether fixed or sliding, to optimize the internal organization according to your specific needs. Norstone also offers fixed shelves (reference NPRSHELFFIX) and sliding shelves (reference NPRSHESLI1P5U) specifically designed for this rack.

Is the ventilation system noisy?
The two integrated fans in the Norstone Pro Rack are designed to provide an optimal balance between cooling efficiency and low noise levels. Their noise level generally remains below 30 dB at normal speed, making them suitable even for noise-sensitive environments such as recording studios or living rooms. For installations requiring more precise ventilation control, Norstone also offers an optional top panel with temperature control (reference NPR2FANPWRSUP1U).

Technical Specifications

• Material: metal
• Color: satin black
• Ventilation: 2 integrated fans
• Storage: 1 fixed shelf included
• Mobility and stability:
  • 4 wheels of 80 mm
  • 4 height-adjustable feet

Door and Security

• Door type: tempered glass
• Security: key lock with butterfly handle
• Installation: reversible door

General Information

Dimensions and Capacity

• Storage capacity: 12 units (12U)
• Maximum usable depth: 540 mm
• Dimensions:
  • With wheels: 600 mm (W) × 720 mm (H) × 600 mm (D)
  • Without wheels: 600 mm (W) × 640 mm (H) × 600 mm (D)
• Total net weight: 30.8 kg

Delivery Information

• Delivery mode: unassembled, with screws, plan, and tools necessary for assembly
• Packaging: 3 boxes
  • Box 1: 650 × 620 × 250 mm, 10.2 kg
  • Box 2: 655 × 365 × 90 mm, 9 kg
  • Box 3: 655 × 645 × 115 mm, 14.6 kg
• Total gross weight: 33.8 kg