Mystery Electronics, LLC
6438 Morton Road
Greenbrier, TN 37073
800 798 2256 sales
615 643 8460 voice
615 643 8464 fax
www.mysteryelectronics.com
TechNote TN13
Rev: 2
RE: FMCA 1000/2000 series Installation Instructions
Important Note:
Mystery Electronics backboxes are UL listed and conform to all applicable N. E.M.A. Standards. While locally available boxes may
seem acceptable as substitutes, there are differences in certain critical di mensions. For a fast and easy installation and to avoid
costly onsite rework, the user is strongly cautioned to use o nly Mystery Electronics backbox es. They are proven to be the low est
cost alternative.
Door/Cover
Door/Cover
Gasket
Gasket
Insert
Basket
Basket
Insert
Insert
General:
These instructions are provided to assist in the in stalla tio n of all FMC A1000 and FMCA2000 se rie s uni ts, and are precise fo r mo st
routine applications. Further technical support or applicat ion-specif ic instru ctions are available from our Technica l Support
Department. The FMCA series includes a variety of Insert Panel types to accommodate most applica tion s w ith li ttle or no
modification. The purpose of this variety is to reduce installation labor and preparation work as much as possible. Laser cut custom
inserts are also available or use the cost saving MultiPunch feature to attain custom results as detailed below.
Careful consideration and pre-planning sho uld be given to both the immed ia te and long -term co ndition s of the proposed
installation. FMCA units are typically located where they migh t be walked on, ro lled over, and gene rally abused . Eve ry effo rt shou ld
be made to keep the FMCA units out of the path of hea vy tra ffic.
The Mystery Electronics FMCA satin black series 1000 or FMCA satin black series 2000 are not recommended for unprotected
outdoor or indoor wet, damp or severe weather locations. The FMC A1100 and FMC A2100 se ries w ith sol id bra ss Door/Cove rs,
along with our All Weather Enclosures (AW series) are re commended for outd oo r applica tions.
Backbox:
The backbox is an optional item and not fu rnished w ith the FMCA kit. Consult TechNo te TN12 for backbox installa tion de tails. A
backbox is required for all conduit system installations. The backbox is optional when a conduit system is not installed but is
recommended to maintain secure integrity and ease of the installation. For applications where moderate to heavy traffic or
movement of equipment or materials (pianos, scenery, props, “road case s”, etc.) is expected, a backb ox is strongly reco mmended .
AAA003JA22 p.1/2
Run all wiring lines into the backbox befo re pro ceedin g to mount the Ba sket. Conne cto r In sert Panel open ings in the Basket o f all
models are large enough to a llow most connectors to be mounte d on the panel, have connections wired and still be fed thru the
Basket. This allows off-si te prefabrication. It also effectively prevents inadvertently “gettin g ahead of oneself”.
Basket installation with backbox:
For backbox applications, align the countersunk holes in the flan ge of the Basket with the corresponding holes in the top flange of
the backbox and install the 1¼” flat phillips head self-tapping screws. The self-tapping screws furnished with the FMCA are
designed to thread these holes readily. Make major adjustments fo r variations in site conditions (i.e. backbox depth below floor,
carpet thickness, hardwood floors routed to flush moun t the Door/Cover, e tc.) by raisin g or low ering the 1¼” Basket moun ti ng
screws. Further adjustment may be required before attaching the Door/Cover to the Basket. CAUTION: The self-tapping screws
furnished with the FMCA hardware kit may not provide secure mounting of the FMCA if a backbox other than the appropriate
Mystery Electronics backbox is used.
Basket installation without backbox:
Use the Basket as a template and cut the opening 1/8” larger than bottom of the FMCA Basket. Substrate failure can occur in
particleboard, plywood and even hardwood floors due to the location of the Basket mounting ho les at the edge of the cut
opening. To prevent this, solid wood blocking strips (1x2 is adequate) must be fastened beneath each si de of the cut opening
below each Basket mounting flange (two sides only). The wood backing strips should be cut 2” long er than the Basket flange.
Place each strip thru the cut opening and pull it up against the underside of the floor. Center the strip along the edge of the
opening and fasten it in place with long wood screws from above. TwinFast type screws, having aggressive threads, work very
well here. This provides a ledger / backing strip for the Basket to be fastened to. Mount the Basket with four (4) wood screws
(not furnished) thru the floor decking and into the backing strip. This effectively clamps the floor between the FMCA Basket
flange(s) and the backing strip. Install wiring as required and route wiring lines thru the insert panel ope ning(s) of the Basket.
Door/Cover:
Place open side of U-shaped Ga sket under the hinge side of the Door/Cover, lining up notch on gasket with finger notch on
Door/Cover. Secure the Door/Cover to the Basket with four (4) flathead socket screws, passing thru holes in Gasket. All FMCA
units mount to the respective backbox similar to the way a duplex power receptacle mounts in a single gang box. When properly
installed, the Door/Cover should compress the Gasket and “seat” directly onto the Basket without any gap between the
Door/Cover and the Basket or the Door/Cover and the floor. For carpet installations, further minor adjustment should be made
by raising or lowering the Basket until Door/Cover “seats” properly as per above. The integral carpet trim flange should pull down
into carpet snugly witho ut causing any visible deflection of the Door/Cover. If the Door/C ove r exhibi ts any defle ctio n, raise t he
Basket until deflection no longer occurs with no gap showing and
sufficiently far enough into the carpet so that the FMCA does not move when walked on. Patience in performing this step ensures
that the installation w ill be able to withstand heavy traffic. Only with certain extre mely th ick carpe t and pad combi na tions wi ll cu tting
the pad or shaving the carpet be required.
On hard floor surfaces, the integral trim ring edge must be firmly in contact with the hard floor surface. The floor can be routed so
that the Door/Cover provides an absolutely flush installation if this is desired.
Connector Insert Panel:
Install the required number of connectors. Unused spaces may be filled with ou r H FP series H ole Fill er Plug s. This allow s futu re
addition of connectors in these space s w hile giving a pro fessional, fi ni shed loo k to the installa ti on. We re commend tha t the
connectors be mounted to the In sert Panel with 1/8” stainless steel bli nd rivets (“Pop Rivet” brand or similar). Ex pe rience has
shown that aluminum blind rivets o f te n become loose after a shor t time , causi ng connectors to wiggle when microp hone cables are
inserted or removed.
Terminate all connections and secure the Inse rt Panel(s) to the Ba sket with three (3) 8/32 bu tton head Insert Panel mounting
screws.
MultiPunch Feature:
The MultiPunch feature lends itself to accommodating unusual configurations of connectors. The Type
9 Insert Panel has four of these positions. The MultiPunch position is laid out to accept 1/4" audio, 'F'
type video, phono jack, BNC, etc. and similar connectors with little or no modification. By punching out
the center hole to the required diameter, it will accept either Switchcraft female D*F or male D*M
connectors with the connector mounting holes already punched. The center hole is the same size as a
"Greenlee" or similar radio chassis punch drive screw to make such modification easier. Some
deformation may occur when punching out the center hole of a MultiPunch position close to the edge
of the Insert Panel to accommodate a D*F connector. To minimize this deformation use a sharp punch
with the points of the punch oriented to align with an imaginary line from 1/8" belo w the upper l eft
most D*F mounting hole to 1/8" above the lower right mounting hole. This moves the last part of the
cutting edge of the punch (the last area to contact the metal before the punched out metal separates)
away from the narrow edge of the Insert Panel. Any remaining deformation will be covered when the connector is installed.
the edge of the integ ral D oor/Cover carpet trim ring is pulled
AAA003JA22 p.2/2
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