a manufacturing video isn't an ad roll, it's a tasty treat imo

@JoelHaasnoot

4 ай бұрын

Could've been an episode by itself!

@Lachlan.Wright

4 ай бұрын

lol, yep - I watched it twice!

@KniferFTW

4 ай бұрын

i use sponsorblock and i went back to watch it after reading your comment lol

@groowy

4 ай бұрын

yeah, gamers nexus would be proud

@boringusername792

4 ай бұрын

If all ads were like this the world would be a better place.

I would watch every ad / sponsor on KZread if they were factory tours. Also +1 for the minivan appreciation.

@KameraShy

4 ай бұрын

Factory tours are informative. Most ads are just hyped-up garbage.

25 years ago I was an AV integrator, and we exclusively used Lowell cabinets. They're a wonderful company.

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

From talking to my Dad and a few other people who do more audio / production work, it sounds like that's Lowell's bread and butter. This rack came at the right time, because from my conversations, it sounds like they've been transitioning over to being full service for the mini datacenter type deployments a lot of business (and even *very* high end homes) are doing, integrating AV in with all the other stuff.

Love seeing family owned business being supported. Before this video I never knew about them. I honestly only thought APC made racks really. I'll definitely be sending some business their way.

Your attention to audio is impressive. Amazing how it can make or break a content in a video but some channels don't give it the attention it requires.

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

Audio is often more important than video, especially for longer videos. It's easier to see potato quality but understand the sound than to have to strain to hear the audio with 8K HDR video!

@kodywillnauer9422

4 ай бұрын

@@JeffGeerling agreed. It's makes the storytelling or explanation (and in an informative way, not pejorative). I'm listening to a local gov channel on their weekly meeting and the audio is just frustrating. I see the 5 at the dais and they won't move. Their verbal communication matters more.

@kodywillnauer9422

4 ай бұрын

I've also noticed a bit of a hearing loss in an ear that has some frequencies clearly inaudible (upper mid tones). As a musician it's a bit of a bummer but likely self induced. Thanks for keeping on the good (audio) fight!

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

@@kodywillnauer9422 - Yeah, sadly my Dad has a little of the same, after years working in loud environments and testing audio equipment. They didn't always push people to protect their ears the same way as other parts of the body!

@thethufir

4 ай бұрын

As a person with limited hearing i really love when people makes sure their sound is spot on. I can't count the amount of times i've had to rewind a video to properly hear what is said in videos.

Love the Explaining Computers reference. It would be nice if you and Chris could work on a joint project one day.

Fun fact, that scanner can measure cable length without the other end. So you can simply put an RJ45 on your box of cable to see how much cable you have left.

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

Never thought of using it that way!

@mjc0961

4 ай бұрын

Minivans yes SUVs/crossovers no I will never understand how SUVs are so huge on the outside but have no room in the back for adults to sit comfortably on the inside.

@raybr1727

4 ай бұрын

Good trick that eliminates waste. I usually attach a jack or plug before putting the partial box on a shelf. You really only need 1 pair to measure the roll.

I’m glad things worked out with Lowell, it was really awesome to see inside their factory. Getting a shout-out in a Jeff Geerling video means I’m internet famous now, right? 🤣 Great video as always!

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

Quite ;)

Thanks for supporting a local business, especially one that does not source a majority of their stuff from overseas. Nice job on the setup! And I look forward to more collaboration with your father.

Nice rack, Jeff. 🙂

Need the moving videos to branch off so we can see what you and your wife do with the new space in the basement.

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

Ha! Geerling arts n' crafts

@beartastic-ftw

4 ай бұрын

@@JeffGeerling would that be, uhm, mainly, for the fans?

@windowsrefundday

4 ай бұрын

@@beartastic-ftwit’s only for fans!

@brioshoveit

4 ай бұрын

@@JeffGeerling Dungeons and spa... dragons time?

@KameraShy

4 ай бұрын

@@JeffGeerlingThe Missus with her own YT channel?

Love your mini-van take, I've hauled lumber and tons of equipment in my mini van with no problems.

8:26 100%!!! A truck is almost always going to be carrying less in both payload or what you're able to carry anyways, fun hearing about how older Aussie utes can carry double of thise imported American trucks. Mini-van/stationwagon ftw! 😊

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

It's too bad there are so few station-wagon-size cars nowadays... I would totally go for that, might try for a hatchback for my next car (my wife drives the minivan, I drive my too-big with too-little-storage-space old Camry.

@TrebleSketch

4 ай бұрын

@@JeffGeerling Yeah, really hope to see more variety in the vehicle market again. (wonder if SUV/trucking shift is just the car version of the tech space's enshitification :P) Camry's are still good! :D

Being able to bypass the UPS is quite important for a professional environment. And light in the rack is also nice. Not only in the front, but in the back as well.

@JohnR31415

4 ай бұрын

Even better in the rack rather than the door 🤪

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only person who mounted LED strip lights around the server frame!

As an IT person who has filtered out most ads on my LAN, I definitely didn’t skip a sponsored section from a local non-hyper-enterprise family business… If every creator could do this (instead of, you know…), maybe our “local economies” would work for local people of every kind. Great, Jeff - and all the best with the studio!

@hme850

4 ай бұрын

and now a segue to our sponsor!

Hey Ben and Lowell, thanks from all the viewers of Jeff Geerling and Geerling engineering channels!

Thanks to Ben and Lowell for helping Jeff out with the new server rack. The new work space is awesome, I'll bet that you can't wait to start using a "dedicated work space" and being able to better differentiate between "work time" and "home time". I used to also base my business out of my home, and the temptation to work later, quickly do something work related was always there (and often utilised 😕). Congratulations on getting the move completed! 🎉🕺

It's so funny seeing the rack factory I very recently was in a VERY similar factory in my town for a school project. It was a family run business too and they had very similar looking machines. So awesome to see. Keep up your vids 👍

I have a very old Lowell rack. Still working after many moves and years in a data center.

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

They are certainly capable of taking a beating! More solid than the 'assemble yourself' racks that are often a bit cheaper too.

@meatbyproducts

4 ай бұрын

@JeffGeerling I was working at a data center the rented rack space to small companies and this rack had tons of random stuff in it over the years. Microsoft rented basically the whole place and everything was updated. They were going to throw away all the old racks and I saved a few among nerd friends lol. It is the third full rack I have owned and will be my last as it is so well built. Hats off to Lowell and it was cool to see their factory, also glad they are a real US based company.

I am studying cinema, and absolutely *love* the attention you place on details of that nature, such as the soundproofing, illumination, etc. I'm 100% here for it. Also, I agree with the rim light. Helps separate you from the background and adds dimension to the shot. I would just add a lav to the recording area in addition to the boom you already have just to have a backup sound track if anything were to fail. Otherwise, it all looks amazing

16:27 RJ11 is, since decades and still today, the main source of Internet connection in Italy. We don't use coax at all, for example. RJ11 or FTTH! P.S. we usually use only 2 wires in the RJ11 with a max Internet speed of 200Mbps download and few Mbps upload

Always nice to see father and son working together

Minivan supremacy! And thanks Ben and Lowell!

Lowell seem like good people. That was really interesting to see.

somehow found this!

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

Heh... oops! Not quite live yet, but you get a nice sneak peek ;)

@sigkilled

4 ай бұрын

Nice

I think I like the "straight-on" shot; very clean. The room is a bit dark (wall colour), making the room look like it is being filled with sunlight may improve the shot, but I also don't know what I am talking about, so take that as you will! Awesome work (rack looks amazing!)

As someone who spent a chunck of my career working in manufacturing, that segment was awesome! +1 for more factory tours

Happy New Year. I actually enjoyed your sponsor piece on Lowell. As one of those wierdos who enjoys moving vlogs this is a great start to the year. Your exertions on installing the Storinator were alarming: please save your back and get yourself a scissor lift trolley. BTW one of the other KZreadrs I watch, @JayzTwoCents, is going through some serious health issues and could probably benefit from your advice on managing his channel while undergoing treatment.

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

Yeah, I saw Jay's video yesterday :( I would definitely be happy to talk to him if he needs any help he can't get from his family/friends/doctors, but I'd rather let him figure things out with them first! Sometimes especially when you're in the fog of things, its nice to not have so much distraction.

@QuentinStephens

4 ай бұрын

@@JeffGeerling I was thinking of professional issues with his channel like dealing with KZread rather than personal ones.

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

@@QuentinStephens Ah true-in his case, with employees and such, it is a bit different than my situation was last year. But we'll see!

If you have trouble with deep rumble-sounds, you could enable a low-cut filter. Many microphones have this build-in. You can also silence the deep tones in post-production. Try to cut the frequencies below 80Hz. This eleminates humm-sounds from the main-power. Human voice is above this all the time.

". . . And I hope to see you again, very soon." Strange hearing that in a day that's not Sunday. This was a great video. Server rack organization always gets me. And those zigbee outlets are now on my wishlist/shopping list, hahaha.

*me trying to hear the hvac in jeff's studio, through laptop speakers, over the sound of my own furnace and road noise from the main street outside*

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

Hehe all about perspective!

I really love how you're not condescending in your videos. It's comforting to listen to, and greatly appreciated.

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

Can't be condescending when you know half (maybe more) of the viewers know more about any given subject than I do :D

Oh no! The ol’ record button flip-flop. It’s the most frustrating thing to find in post 😂 Also, that was the most interesting ad I’ve ever watched.

One year later... Good to see you decorating your own workshop instead of your hospital room!

“I AM YOUR SOLDIER!!” Love the Dalek poster!

Also I love the recognition of film workers ❤️ as one it makes me love your content more! Let me know if you ever need help with lighting and so forth. There’s a lot of fun networking in film now!

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

Truly! Ethernet eats everything nowadays... and I'm just sad there aren't more people who know film / video in St. Louis. There are some, but mostly for corporate video shooting type stuff.

I am having a blast with this video and all the comments! 🙂 If I ever intend to get a rack, I will consider importing a Lowell, because this was the most "not annoying" sponsored segment in my youtube watch history

When I moved shop, I decided to put everything on wheels. That is ... everything except wall cabinets and tables. Being able to move around stuff comes in handy from time to time. The 3 minute Lowell tour was great. It made me subscribe - well... that and the fact that I have been watching and enjoying your videos for some time already 😁

I **do** like watching machines cut metal like butter...

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

🧈

You can never skip the blood sacrifice when dealing with the metal computer gods. Either you do willingly or by force.

Oh, I agree. My uncle had a truck and a minivan. The minivan is much more useful than the truck for moving stuff around. He still has the Toyota sienna minivan even though the market value for that early 2000's model is just $900. That thing is still worth thousands whenever anyone in our family or his friends wants to haul or move stuff.

"you had me at robots and giant lasers!" 🤣

Thanks Ben and Lowell!

that feel when you realize that there's a really cool business down the road but you just never found them, it's like finding your super hero in a walmart y'know.

Good balance on adverts. :)

Great update. We just completed a project to replace out 2 data-center UPS's with a pair of refrigerator sized (not counting the batteries) XPC 480v UPS's. They seem to be well built, but you'll find the management interfaces lacking compared to the major players (APC, Eaton, Cyberpower, etc.) Regarding the HVAC noise, is it coming from the ductwork or through the roof? You might be able to install an electric damper for the studio space and tie into your home assistant routines so that you don't lose all of your heating and cooling while recording.

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

It's transmitted through the ceiling, unfortunately. The vent is pretty quiet, but the entire ceiling has a bit of vibration from the structure... these rooftop units are not made to be quiet :( Hopefully I can figure out a way to get a mini split in here sometime, that will let me run just that and leave the rooftop unit off for any milder days.

Well done and already functional. Congratulations. Smiled at the Chris Barnatt impression,

Definitely Genius.👍 Nice Rack and Office Space! AC sounds fine on camera. I'm using Zigbee a little heavily. Have several of those Aqara buttons around the house and some door sensors. Yeah, my experience with Harbor Freight is very much the same...Gems and Junk, all for cheap.

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

The one constant with HF, is everything's cheap!

the reference to explaining computers just made my day.

I’m very happy for you that you have such a nice professional space to do all the things you bring us here! Much success and you have my audience forever!

You know it’s the old Jeff, with bad lighting etc etc that all of us loved and watched that got you to this new Jeff set up and look. Never change, but congrats on the massive upgrade!

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

I wouldn't trade any of that experience, either! A poor carpenter blames his tools and all that jazz...

Thanks Ben! I had to move my APC Netshelter all by myself, Looks great Jeff!

Your dad is an O.G, love him. Hope your health improved the past year!

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

It did!

I am SOOO HAPPY for you!!! CONGRATS on "finishing" the new studio (it's never REALLY finished lol) Maybe you could start another sticker board that viewers could fill up... Start a P.O. Box and tell people to send in their stickers (and any other things you feel comfortable with people sending in) That always one of my FAVORITE videos on the channels that I follow (well, the few channels that do it) Paul from 'Paul's Hardware' does a Fan Mail... umm.. thing... lol and it's always a great time to see what other fans send in, and then he used to put some of them on a shelf in on the back of his set... until he moved it again... Those videos are always awesome because people actually go out of their way to make stuff just for the channel, or like in your case, when they come across a sticker they think would be good for YOUR collection... It's a simple way to 'give back' to the people that make it possible (having the stickers/gifts shown off on a shelf in the background) I think YOUR fans would send in some of the best nerdy stuff... I even have a few stickers I woudl want to send in one day :) - Think it over, it might be a cool quarterly or even monthly segment :)

As you say, Nice Rack(s). Great to see the new studio nearing completion but as we all know it's never finished! Great video Jeff and I can't wait to see more content. I will be moving house this year (hopefully) and will be setting up my new micro data center with two new racks for my 8 servers and other kit.

Hey Jeff, be sure to ground that rack, and your other rack as well, especially since your IDF has carpet. Get a grounding plate put in, have that tied to the building steel, or panel, and run a green 12 gauge cable to reach rack. For the MDF / IDF I have installed, we never use carpet in the room, and still ground the racks.

I saw this video in my feed a couple of days earlier, and i was excited about it, and then it disappeard! Glad if finally is back ;D

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

Heh, sometimes KZread does weird things with unlisted videos! I had it in my moving vlogs playlist, so I think that pops it in some people's feeds if they've browsed the playlist before.

You make my OCD cry with joy. Great series

Thanks Ben and thanks Lowell!

In my desk recording setup, I use a mic preamp which has a balanced output, and then a passive direct injection (DI) box in reverse to convert back to unbalanced and then a converter cable to go into the camera’s mic input. The DI has an option for ground lift so that can break a ground loop. It has to be a passive DI to go from balanced to unbalanced because active ones only work one way. Mine’s a Radial Pro D2 which is a premium option, it’s also stereo but I only use one side in this setup.

Thank you Ben and Lowell! I’ve been to St Louis but have never heard of this company until this video, very cool tour aswell 👍

Wow, the space looks great, and it's wonderful to see production ready. Well done, Jeff.

On to bigger and better things! Can't wait to see the new content - and for sure, please do some more radio- and engineering-stuff with your dad - those are great!

Awesome Video Jeff !! The new studio is looking sweet too !!

This is great! Love seeing it all come together. A couple minor bits of feedback of the new studio recording space. My eye was immediately drawn to the color banding on the grey wall as it seems to move quite a bit when you move. Also, I'm hearing a little bit of echo in that space too.

I use magnetic sheets for stickers. Then you can move them around when you like to change thing up or lose them when you move.

The only reason I got a Ford Maverick truck over a van was all the vans got worse gas milage or cost $20k more. After I bought it ford has given the Maverick 2 price hikes, so I think it's closer price wise. 40mpg is nice for a little pickup though

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

A small truck is nice, too. I just don't see as much value (for most people) in those monster F150-size trucks with 6' beds.

@viewer-of-content

4 ай бұрын

@@JeffGeerling A van makes way more cents for a family anyway. It's not like I have a third row in the truck for the kid's friends. I only have enough bed to have good strapping down points for the overhang/stick out above loads. Still suits what I use it for well though. I'd have to get something else if I needed more seats.

Cool rack build. I should use Microtik more. I wish we had neatpatch in Australia at decent pricing. Shipping fees are dearer than the actual kit! Try moving audio racks - they are twice as heavy and harder to route cabling though all the baffling that keeps them quiet. I actually install these myself along with 2 to 4RU video servers and UPS. It’s quite a challenge without an extra set of hands.

My suggestion for Lowell: continue making racks, but also look into the specialty PC sector. One under-served area of the market is the small NAS enclosure, like Synology. Very few mini-ITX cases accommodate more than (2) 3.5" drives. It would also be cool to see a 2.5" NAS mini-ITX case, like with 8 or 10 SSDs. Bonus: it may be possible to use some of those recycled cuttings to make mini-ITX cases which would (likely) have a greater return than selling them for scrap.

This has been quite the journey with this move into the studio. Appreciate you bringing us along!

always a pleasure, Jeff. i hope the New Year finds your loved ones and yourself happy and healthy.

loved the explaining computers ref Jeff. Fabulous video, your setup is tip top. Thanks

Awesome to see your journey. This is exciting!

Awesome video! I love the move in effort and the Lowell tour was very cool as well

Nice work in the studio. And thanks for the Lowell’s info! I like supporting US manufacturers.

Loved the imitation of Explaining Computers. It was really spot on 😂

Born and raised in Missouri but hadn't heard much about Lowell, so this is great timing. I'm building out my home lab and home music studio. The audio in the new studio sounds great -- had some worries at first but zero echoes. Happy New Year! Wishing the Geerling family lots of good health and joy.

Thank you, Ben!

Loved the shout out for Explaining Computers :D

Glad to see you moving up. I am hoping this year will be better. I didn't know we had a company that made racks here in state. I will look them up when I hopefully upgrade this one/need another one soon. Can probably save on shipping by picking them up. I run an Xtreme 1500 and 2000 in my rack. They are older units I upcycled with new batteries and MOVs but have been running solid for over 2 years and counting. I am thinking about adding the extra battery modules they sell for them.

I wish all sponsor segments were like this.

love the explaning computers joke xxxx

I'm really pleased for you Jeff. What a journey you've had so far. I'm looking forward to what's to come!

Looking forward to seeing more of your dad, Jeff. Hope you are balancing out with the medical problems. Happy New Year, from a small channel who likes being small.

Your new lab looks great! Nice work.

Love the new space!! Thank you for the content

1:43 - Hahaha I need one of those "DO NOT DUMB HERE, NO DUMB AREA" stickers

@mjc0961

4 ай бұрын

8:24 - Based. A mini-van is way better than a modern truck. Imagine having to lift the server rack up into the very high off the ground bed of a modern truck, and then having said rack hang half out the back of the bed because the bed is so short to make room for the crew cab. Modern trucks are stupid.

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

I believe that was in a set from AvE!

Great new office setup and tour!

Thanks Ben!

It has been a joy to watch your channel & see it grow so much over the years. So great to see the amazing studio coming to together so well.

Thanks Ben!!

It might be the first time I've sat thru an entire sponsor bit without a bit of fast forward - that was really interesting in its own right - could be a separate video !

There are WLED libraries for the Raspberry Pi Pico as well as libraries for the Pico W which allow you to set up Home Assistant integration (intended for making custom sensors). Might be worth looking into making a custom WLED controller if you want Home Assistant integration.

@JeffGeerling

4 ай бұрын

Might end up doing something like that. I think there's also a Govee integration that requires Internet, might at least give that a try first and see how annoying it is.

Thank Ben and Lowell. 👍😁

studio looks awesome; thanks for the vid 😌

Looking great Jeff! NEW STUDIO LET'S GOOOOO

Originally i thought "No! Now is the best time to reimagine your workspace and organization!" But it makes sense though if you need it to be up and running as fast as possible to do real work.

All looking great

I have seen lowell stuff for years, but i never saw anything about the factory or the people behind it. Cool to see it on this channel !