21 Mar
2011
21 Mar
'11
2:22 p.m.
Thanks Tony. I plan to put a rocker switch between
ground and
ground-for-on and use that to power up my entire "corporate" rack.
FWIW, that's exactly what DEC did on the RL01 version of the MINC.
There's a power controller (I forget which one) in the bottom of the rack
with the RL01s in it, and a rocker switch on the front lip of the top
panel. This is wired to the power control bus socket on the controller.
Flipping it turns on the drives (and MINC processor box which is also
plugged into the controller).
There will eb a little toggle switch on the controller. In the centre-off
positoon, the controller will never power up, no matter what you do to
the control bus connectors. In the 'local on' position, the ground-for-on
line inside the controller is groudned (so the outlets on that controller
are powered), but the connection on the power bus socket is isolated so
that other controllers are not also turned on. In the 'remote on'
position, the controlelr works as I described. Youwant 'remote on', of
coruse. I think the ground-for-off signal works as an emergency shutdown
even in the 'local on' position, but I would have to check.
Someone has already cut a square hole in the bottom front kick plate
of this rack and so I was looking for something to fill that hole--
plastic plugs, body putty, and then a nice rocker switch came to mind.
With that I won't have to crawl behind the rack to power it all up...
and so this will connect nicely to one of the Power Control Bus connectors
with just two wires and fill the void (so to speak) that someone put in
this panel.
Should be fine. Any rocker switch will handle the votlages and currents
used on the power control bus (it's <<1A at under 24V). And all you need
is an SPST contact.
-tony