Peli BlackBox 5U Rack Mount Case

Some equipment doesn't have the luxury of staying in a server room. Broadcast routers travel to stadiums, encryption hardware deploys to field sites, signal processors ride in vans between gig venues. When rack-mounted gear has to move, it needs a case that can handle the journey — and that's exactly what the Peli BlackBox 5U was built for. Five rack units of sensitive electronics, locked in a shell that shrugs off drops, humidity, and a full day of rough transit.

Five Rack Units, One Indestructible Shell

The outer case is moulded from Black-463 blended resin — the same high-impact polymer found across the Peli professional range. It's designed to absorb blows and keep its shape under the kind of stress that would crack or warp a lesser case. The moulded-in rib pattern along the exterior does double duty: it reinforces the walls and locks cases together when stacked, preventing dangerous shifting during transport. Spring-loaded stainless steel hardware with a nickel black finish secures both lids with a satisfying snap, and the closed-loop gasket with integrated pressure relief valve delivers a watertight, airtight seal that handles altitude changes and condensation without complaint.

Shock Isolation Engineering

Eight cylindrical elastomeric shock mounts are positioned directly at the case shoulders — not retrofit bolt-ons, but engineered into the structure. They give the internal rack frame 2 inches (5.1 cm) of sway space in every direction, physically decoupling the equipment from the case walls. That means vibrations from road surfaces, loading bay impacts, and aircraft turbulence are absorbed before they reach anything sensitive. The 24-inch (61 cm) deep steel rack frame carries ANSI/EIA 310-C certification and supports payloads up to 45 kg at a typical fragility rating of 40–80G — enough headroom for a dense broadcast server stack or a full complement of signal processing equipment.

Dual Lids: Fast Access in the Field

Both lids are fully removable — front and rear — giving you simultaneous access from either side of the rack. That matters when you're racking a broadcast router into the back while patching signal on the front at the same time, or when two engineers need to work together on a tight setup window. The front lid is 2.2 inches (5.6 cm) deep; the rear lid extends to 5.2 inches (13.2 cm), giving cables, connectors, and cooling airflow the clearance they need. Each lid corner rides on 3.25-inch (82.6 mm) moulded-in edge casters — so when you pull the lids off, they stay where you put them rather than rolling across the stage.

Designed to Move With You

Four plastic comfort-grip side handles distribute weight evenly across your hands for extended carry distances — useful at 3 a.m. when you're loading a broadcast van and everything feels heavier than it did at noon. The casters on each lid corner also act as levelling feet when the case is laid flat on an uneven surface. Multiple BlackBox units stack securely together via the interlocking rib design without needing tie-down straps, and the overall footprint fits standard transport pallets.

Where the BlackBox 5U Works Hardest

This case is built for wherever sensitive rack equipment has to leave the building:

• Broadcast and live production — router frames, audio summing matrices, intercom frames, distribution amplifiers
• Military and government field communications — encryption hardware, signal processing, command-and-control nodes
• Satellite uplink and DSNG vehicles — modulation equipment, IP encoders, RF conditioning units
• Scientific fieldwork — data loggers, spectrum analysers, environmental monitoring stations
• Events and touring — DSP processors, managed switches, show control hardware, network cores

Technical Specifications

• SKU: BLACKBOX-5U-M6
• Rack capacity: 5U (19-inch, ANSI/EIA 310-C)
• Rack depth: 24 in / 61 cm — light-duty steel frame, zinc black finish
• Case material: Black-463 blended resin
• Shock mounts: 8 × cylindrical elastomeric; 2 in / 5.1 cm sway space
• Maximum payload: 45 kg (fragility rating 40–80G)
• Front lid depth: 2.2 in / 5.6 cm
• Rear lid depth: 5.2 in / 13.2 cm
• Casters: 3.25 in / 82.6 mm moulded-in edge casters
• Handles: 4 × plastic comfort-grip
• Hardware: spring-loaded stainless steel, nickel black finish
• Seal: closed-loop gasket + integrated pressure relief valve
• Colour: Black