How big a cabinet should we install?

One thing we didn’t do when we planned out our installation, was allow room for expansion in the cabinets we bought. I had no appreciation of the number of terminal blocks and additional power supplies we’d be installing and the space they would require.

Currently we have no space in the cabinets for any additional modules we may want to  install in the future.

With the aid of my electrician, we’ve now planned a new cabinet to be wall mounted in the loft, and this one is a big one! 100cm x 60cm, which should give 3 rows of DIN rail, and plenty of room for new modules.

My initial plan is to install the mini-server, DMX and 1-wire modules from the Loxone demo case I bought when I first started learning about Loxone. I don’t really need an additional mini-server, and I’m sure it’ll cause me no end of hurt on the configuration in the short term, but I also don’t want to spend any more money than I need to.

I planned out enough capacity in the modules we originally bought to allow control of the hot water and heating, but after looking at the current cabinets adding additional cables will be incredibly tight with the layout as it is.

I am sure in the long run the additional inputs and outputs available on the mini-server will come in handy, and it will have saved me having to purchase a new extension module.

I’ve not ordered my power supplies from Loxone this time round, as they do seem particularly expensive. Instead i’ve used SimplyPowerSupplies.com and have ordered a 24volt 4.2 amp Meanwell unit, and a 12 Volt 2 amp Meanwell unit, which came in at £56 for the pair with 3 year warranty, the equivalent 24 volt 4.2 amp from Loxone was £57 on its own (admittedly the Loxone supplied unit is a TDK branded device), how much difference can there be in a power supply?