New way of rack mount equipment?

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BTR

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# 132298 16-Oct-2013 13:39

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Hi I received an email last week about "Rack Studs" so I ordered some and they have arrived. Not sure if anyone else has seen or used these but in short they work the opposite way to cage nuts, instead of the nut being mounted in the rack frame the thread is mounted on the frame instead.

I am going to give them a go with some lighter equipment to begin with as they are only plastic however they do look and feel very strong. They are also designed and made in NZ!. Would be interested to see if anyone has been using these.

www.rackstuds.com for more info if my description doesn't make sense.

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# 916349 16-Oct-2013 22:38

You sir, have just rocked my world.

I am interested to know how much weight they will handle though.

Ray Taylor
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# 916393 17-Oct-2013 00:15

OMG so awesome. I kid you not I chipped my front tooth trying to bend a cage nut to fit. I will be ordering some ASAP.

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insane

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# 916395 17-Oct-2013 00:26

That's quite neat, APC AR3100 racks come with a sack of nuts and a tool. If you use the provided tool you can get your nuts into the holes with little effort at all.

xpd

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# 916431 17-Oct-2013 07:53

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raytaylor: You sir, have just rocked my world.

I am interested to know how much weight they will handle though.

"We wanted to ensure that mounting equipment up to 20kg (44lbs) was possible. With a safety factor of three, 60kgs (132lbs) was our target shear strength for one stud."

http://rackstuds.com/features/

XPD / Gavin / DemiseNZ

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kiwifidget

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# 916438 17-Oct-2013 08:11

How simple! I wish they had been around when I had to work in data cabinets, as a female IT engineer I was forever breaking fingernails on cage nuts.
These are so brilliant I wouldn't be surprised if in time "rackstuds" replaced "No 8 wire" in our local vernacular.

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qyiet

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# 916444 17-Oct-2013 08:26

xpd: ... 20kg (44lbs) was possible. With a safety factor of three, 60kgs (132lbs) was our target shear strength for one stud."

So in theory (above their quote, but below their safety factor) a single stud should be able to hold a full beer keg. So 4 of them will easily hold any server I've messed with.

Warning: reality may differ from above post

ubergeeknz

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Vocus

# 916446 17-Oct-2013 08:33

WOW... Why didn't anyone think of this sooner? It's brilliant! Thinking of all the time spent with someone crouching awkwardly supporting heavy gear while the other guy reaches over awkwardly trying to do up the top two bolts while trying to get it all to line up... no more with these suckers.

mrdrifter

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# 916448 17-Oct-2013 08:36

Just came across these yesterday also, and have ordered some, hopefully they will make some jobs far easier.

GregV

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# 916452 17-Oct-2013 08:46

Must try these - thanks for the heads-up

trig42

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# 916453 17-Oct-2013 08:49

Awesome, designed in NZ too.

If each stud has a shear strength of 60kg, then should be no problem with anything you might want to put in a rack. UPS included.

ubergeeknz

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# 916461 17-Oct-2013 09:01

trig42: Awesome, designed in NZ too.

If each stud has a shear strength of 60kg, then should be no problem with anything you might want to put in a rack. UPS included.

In a quake though? Wouldn't go so far, those RM UPS are damn heavy.

trig42

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# 916464 17-Oct-2013 09:07

I know, I just installed a 3U UPS - 44KG. It came with it's own rails and snap in rail studs (so didn't need cage bolts) but if I were to use these Rack Studs, 2 or 3 at each end of each rail should be plenty.

xpd

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# 916466 17-Oct-2013 09:21

If you read the site FAQ, they do mention that vibration will eventually wear the clip down... so earthquake, short one would probably be ok..... anyone want to test it ? ;)

XPD / Gavin / DemiseNZ

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# 916467 17-Oct-2013 09:22

insane: ... comes with a sack of nuts and a tool.

wasabi2k

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# 916484 17-Oct-2013 09:41

If you are trying to bend cage nuts with teeth/nails etc you are insane.

You can find (most APC racks come with them) installation tools - they are basically a flexible metal strip with a hook that is cage nut width. They look like a slot backing plate from a pci slot.

Insert through cage nut hole - hook one end of cage nut in, hook other bit onto tool - pull. I have used pliers and screwdrivers in a pinch and nearly impaled my hand - use the right tools.

While an interesting product I will have to see how long they last. Being in datacentres where gear has been in the same place for a decade I don't have a lot of faith in plastic. I don't know why most vendors can't standardise on no tools installs for their stuff. Every HP Server since G6 has rails that slot in and screw in without cage nuts.

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