Make-shift 19″ rack: Easy to build, even easier to overload

For quite some time I was looking for a rack to mount my 19″ HP/Agilent gear in. I haven’t found a single rack that meets all my requirements. Most are too big, too small, too flimsy, too heavy, poorly made, too expensive, lack cooling … or are simply made for a different purpose. Since I already used IKEA LACK tables to put some of my 19″ gear on – as a dodgy temporary solution – I thought: Why not build a little rack with those tables? A few screws later, two tables are combined into one ~45 EUR rack on four castors (IKEA RILL, 75mm).

The rack provides enough space for 8, maybe 9 height units and cooling should be plentiful for my needs. However, depending on the use case a limiting factor might be the maximum weight this structure, the castors and their mounting points can handle safely: IKEA rates the LACK table in its intended form at 25 kg only – you have been warned. It makes sense because the tabletop seems to be hollow, except for the corners and a honeycomb structure. This is also why the mounting points of the castors might be a week point – only one of the four screws per castor screws into the more rigid corner part of the table top, the others have to make do with the rather thin (probably HDF-like) panel that is the surface of the tabletop. Maybe it’s a good idea to support the mounting points in some shape or form, but I haven’t done this yet…

If I interprete the pictogram on the packaging correctly the four castors are rated for about 110 kg combined. Therefore these might pose less of an issue despite them carrying the weight of the whole rack.

The table’s feet seem too weak to be used with the usual rack mounting hardware for equipment as heavy as some of the HP instruments. That is why in my case (no pun intended) I use the regular HP feet to stack the instruments nicely. With that approach I lose one unit or so. Oh well.

For my specific purpose, I’m happy with this solution, albeit I don’t know the maximum weight it supports safely. I’ll warn you one more time to not overload the structure like I might be doing in these pictures – those larger HP/Agilent 19″ units can reach a weight of 25 kg or more each. In fact, the 6811B shown in the pictures alone comes in at 28.2 kg net weight. Use this idea carefully and at your own risk!


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