14 Aug
2007
14 Aug
'07
1:45 p.m.
I need to mount some full-height and half-height 5.25" floppy drives
as well as a few 3.5" units on a standard EIA rack. Does anyone have
any ideas about the best way to go about this would be?
Thanks,
Chuck
14 Aug
14 Aug
2:11 p.m.
--- Chuck Guzis <cclist at sydex.com> wrote:
I need to mount some full-height and half-height
5.25" floppy drives
as well as a few 3.5" units on a standard EIA rack.
Does anyone have
any ideas about the best way to go about this would
be?
Well, if you want the cheap-and-dirty way to do it (my
favorite way!) you could use a piece of 1/4" plywood
as a faceplate, cut square holes in it the size of a
full height 5 1/4" drive, and scavenge some drive
frames from junked PC mid-tower cabinets. Screw the
drive frames to the back of the plywood, and paint the
plywood to match the cabinet. The weight of the floppy
drives shouldn't be enough so that it needs any more
support than a few rack screws drilled through the
edges of the plywood.
Or, if you want a more professional look, hunt around
for some old CD-library rackmount things, you know,
the ones with many SCSI CD-ROM players in a rackmount
box with power supply? Pull out the CD drives, and put
in floppy drives.
Remember - when making things to mount drives in -
junked PC cases are your friend. You can drill out
those rivets and have nice, pre-made drive frames. And
don't overlook that metal pipe-hanger strapping - the
metal strips with holes in them. Erector set pieces
work too.
Good luck.
-Ian
2:29 p.m.
Remember - when making things to mount drives in -
junked PC cases are your friend. You can drill out
those rivets and have nice, pre-made drive frames. And
don't overlook that metal pipe-hanger strapping - the
metal strips with holes in them. Erector set pieces
work too.
I have quite a lot of blank, undrilled, aluminum rack panels in
various sizes and thicknesses.
--
Will
3:59 p.m.
On 14 Aug 2007 at 11:11, Mr Ian Primus wrote:
Well, if you want the cheap-and-dirty way to do it
(my
favorite way!) you could use a piece of 1/4" plywood
as a faceplate, cut square holes in it the size of a
full height 5 1/4" drive, and scavenge some drive
frames from junked PC mid-tower cabinets. Screw the
drive frames to the back of the plywood, and paint the
plywood to match the cabinet. The weight of the floppy
drives shouldn't be enough so that it needs any more
support than a few rack screws drilled through the
edges of the plywood.
Reminds me of the old-time custom of making rack panels out of 1/4"
masonite. I was thinking about 1/4" polycarbonate and a router (the
machine tool, not the network gear). I could make the side rails
from the same, just solvent-cemented to the front.
I'm not sure how, using the tools I have to carve big holes in a
thick aluminum blank panel plate. Would a 3 HP router and a carbide
bit do it? Ideally, I suppose a vertical mill would be the "right"
tool, but I don't have access to one.
Cheers,
Chuck
4:14 p.m.
At 03:59 PM 8/14/2007, you wrote:
I'm not sure how, using the tools I have to carve
big holes in a
thick aluminum blank panel plate. Would a 3 HP router and a carbide
bit do it? Ideally, I suppose a vertical mill would be the "right"
tool, but I don't have access to one.
Cheers,
Chuck
I have often cut 1/8" aluminum panels with a portable
jigsaw. It's hard on the blade but it works, drill holes in the
corners of the area and away you go.
Cheers
Charlie Fox
Charles E. Fox Video Productions
793 Argyle Rd. Windsor, Ontario
519-254-4991 N8Y 3J8
www.chasfoxvideo.com
10:49 p.m.
Charles Fox wrote:
I have often cut 1/8" aluminum panels
with a portable jigsaw.
It's hard on the blade but it works, drill holes in the corners of the
area and away you go.
All this talk has inspired me to get a rack. But do such things exist
as "personal" racks and/or half-height racks? Or should I be resigned
to just finding a full-height rack somewhere for $400 and find a place
to put it? (I have only about 10us of stuff to rack -- two scan
converters, two computers, that's it...)
--
Jim Leonard (trixter at oldskool.org) http://www.oldskool.org/
Help our electronic games project: http://www.mobygames.com/
Or check out some trippy MindCandy at http://www.mindcandydvd.com/
A child borne of the home computer wars: http://trixter.wordpress.com/
11:04 p.m.
Jim Leonard wrote:
All this talk has inspired me to get a rack. But do
such things exist
as "personal" racks and/or half-height racks?
Umm all the personal racks
went out some time after the middle ages.
How about a nice IRON MAIDEN instead? :)
Or should I be resigned
to just finding a full-height rack somewhere for $400 and find a place
to put it? (I have only about 10us of stuff to rack -- two scan
converters, two computers, that's it...)
I am not sure where to get a cheap rack, but for a custom enclosure
you may want to look here. "Chassis Kits & Custom Enclosures"
http://home.flash.net/~k3iwk/
Ben alias Woodelf
11:09 p.m.
Jim Leonard wrote:
Charles Fox wrote:
http://bhlpower.com/miniraq/html/about.html
something like that?
Doc
I have often cut 1/8" aluminum
panels with a portable jigsaw.
It's hard on the blade but it works, drill holes in the corners of the
area and away you go.
All this talk has inspired me to get a rack. But do such things exist
as "personal" racks and/or half-height racks? Or should I be resigned
to just finding a full-height rack somewhere for $400 and find a place
to put it? (I have only about 10us of stuff to rack -- two scan
converters, two computers, that's it...)
16 Aug
16 Aug
1:02 a.m.
Doc Shipley wrote:
http://bhlpower.com/miniraq/html/about.html
something like that?
While intriguing, I need to get at the front of the controls (it's video
gear).
--
Jim Leonard (trixter at oldskool.org) http://www.oldskool.org/
Help our electronic games project: http://www.mobygames.com/
Or check out some trippy MindCandy at http://www.mindcandydvd.com/
A child borne of the home computer wars: http://trixter.wordpress.com/
14 Aug
14 Aug
10:19 p.m.
I'm not sure how, using the tools I have to carve
big holes in a
thick aluminum blank panel plate. Would a 3 HP
router and a carbide
bit do it? Ideally, I suppose a vertical mill would
be the "right"
tool, but I don't have access to one.
It's better than a Dremel tool. Or a drill and a
hacksaw blade with one end wrapped in duct tape. (both
methods do work, however)
-Ian
10:44 p.m.
I'm not sure how, using the tools I have, to carve
big holes in a
thick aluminum blank panel plate. Would a 3 HP router and a carbide
bit do it?
Get an engraving bit - that is more or less what they are designed
for. If you get one perhaps 1/8 inch diameter, you would only need to
file out the corners a little bit. With an 1/8 inch thick panel, you
might need to make the cut five or six times, but it will go fast.
--
Will
11:03 p.m.
William Donzelli wrote:
Mr. Low-tech sez:
I don't like doing aluminum with power tools unless I can set up a
jig. A hand saw is a lot more work, but for me it's more likely to
leave a good-looking product.
A decent 6" scroll saw will cost you $14 or so, and blades a couple
of bucks. The saw frame will let you set the blade at right angles to
the frame itself, and the 6" is the depth of the frame, not the length
of the blade.
Having said that, if you use the drive cages from scrap PCs, as
somebody mentioned, if they're bolted in first they'll make a fine
router guide for smoothing up the rough cut.
Doc
I'm not
sure how, using the tools I have, to carve big holes in a
thick aluminum blank panel plate. Would a 3 HP router and a carbide
bit do it?
Get an engraving bit - that is more or less what they are designed
for. If you get one perhaps 1/8 inch diameter, you would only need to
file out the corners a little bit. With an 1/8 inch thick panel, you
might need to make the cut five or six times, but it will go fast. 
10:56 p.m.
From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at
sydex.com>
I need to mount some full-height and half-height 5.25" floppy drives
as well as a few 3.5" units on a standard EIA rack. Does anyone have
any ideas about the best way to go about this would be?
Thanks,
Chuck
Hi Chuck
Things like SawsAll come to mind or as another suggested, a jigsaw.
The one thing to remember, you need to keep what ever tool you
use, lubricated. Cutting oil is best but kerosine works fine as well.
There are two problems with aluminum. One is that it tends to
gall and clog the blade. The other is that the surface tends to
oxidize quickly when exposed to air. The oxide is really hard and will
dull the blade quickly. Keeping it covered with something that block
air from getting to the fresh surface will significantly improve
cutting speed and blade life.
Dwight
_________________________________________________________________
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Visit now. http://cafemessenger.com?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_AugHMtagline
15 Aug
15 Aug
2:35 a.m.
Hi Dwight,
I've got both Sawzall (varaible speed) and jigsaw (variable speed,
variable orbit), but Claude suggested I simply use a cheap steel
spiral-cut drywall bit. He says that I'll pretty much destroy it in
the process, but the result done on a router table will be hard to
beat.
I've also got some very high-speed air-powered rotary cutting tools
that I use to cut cast iron, but I suspect aluminum will just gum
those up in nothing flat.
Cheers,
Chuck
On 14 Aug 2007 at 19:56, dwight elvey wrote:
From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at
sydex.com>
I need to mount some full-height and half-height 5.25" floppy drives
as well as a few 3.5" units on a standard EIA rack. Does anyone have
any ideas about the best way to go about this would be?
Thanks,
Chuck
Hi Chuck
Things like SawsAll come to mind or as another suggested, a jigsaw.
The one thing to remember, you need to keep what ever tool you
use, lubricated. Cutting oil is best but kerosine works fine as well.
There are two problems with aluminum. One is that it tends to
gall and clog the blade. The other is that the surface tends to
oxidize quickly when exposed to air. The oxide is really hard and will
dull the blade quickly. Keeping it covered with something that block
air from getting to the fresh surface will significantly improve
cutting speed and blade life.
Dwight
_________________________________________________________________
Messenger Caf? - open for fun 24/7. Hot games, cool activities served daily.
Visit now. http://cafemessenger.com?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_AugHMtagline
6186
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13 comments
8 participants
participants (8)
-
bfranchuk＠jetnet.ab.ca -
cclist＠sydex.com -
cfox1＠cogeco.ca -
dkelvey＠hotmail.com -
doc＠mdrconsult.com -
ian_primus＠yahoo.com -
trixter＠oldskool.org -
wdonzelli＠gmail.com