PDP-11/44 gas struts - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

31 Dec 2021

Chris Zach <cz at alembic.crystel.com> wrote:

...
  Jesus. How much does the 11/44 chassis weigh?

 On 12/30/2021 3:39 PM, Alan Frisbie via cctalk wrote:

> 2. 30-pound struts are not strong enough.? They improved things a bit,
> but it still takes a lot of effort to raise the box.? I have ordered a
> pair of 50-pound struts and will post an update when they arrive (next
> week). 
The box itself weighs about 75 pounds, plus the weight of the cards.

Remember, however, that the struts are not doing a simple lift of
the box.  The box is acting as a lever.  The box is 24" long, and the
struts are only about 5" from the pivot.  Also, the struts are not
doing a straight lift from directly below their attachment to the box,
but at a point about 11" forward from where they are attached to the
box.  All of this greatly magnifies the force required to tilt the box
up.  Anyone care to do the math on this?

Alan Frisbie