Looking for a few measurements on a Supermicro chassis.

[StarkJohan]

I started a project I thought was an awfully smart and fun idea at the time. It has been quite some time since and I hardly remember any of the reasons but I'm in it and intend to pull it together... someday.

I am building my own "supermicro" chassis. I know all the reasons not to do this but repeating those won't do me any good now.

One of the main hurdles is making a proper reproduction of the metal grid holding the HDDs. I don't exactly have a proper metal shop in my garage but I think I'll manage as long as I have a descent plan and extra time at my hands.

I would truly appreciate if someone with access to a Supermicro chassis with 3.5" HDDs "lying down" would measure:

1. The thickness of the sheet metal used in the hdd grid.
2. WxH of the HDD "opening" in the grid.

... and perhaps also ...

3. Distance from the front of the grid to the front of the SATA connector.
4. Distance from the back of the notch where the HDD tray "catches" to the front of the SATA connector.

These measurements in addition to a few nice pictures of an empty grid would be awesome. I have only been able to find a few grainy ones from old bay listings which haven't been much help unfortunately.

Any help is appreciated!

I promise I'll post more info on my build when I have something to show...

 

[BigDave]

These measurements in addition to a few nice pictures of an empty grid would be awesome. I have only been able to find a few grainy ones from old bay listings which haven't been much help unfortunately.

My phone (5MP) is the only tool I have to provide pictures of this type of thing. If the quality of this shot is good enough, I can provide a few others.


I don't have the tools to provide the precise measurements you would require.
Have you considered buying a used chassis "skeleton" like this one.
I'm certain if you look hard enough you could find something pretty cheap.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-Micro...191858?hash=item2a7cd88832:g:GewAAOSwLF1X8~1m

 

[MatthewSteinhoff]

Supermicro chassis with 3.5" HDDs "lying down" would measure:

You might try going to the other direction. The Supermicro chassis is proprietary, not open. Instead of reverse engineering the case, why not look up the specs for 3.5 inch drives - which are published - and then design the case from the drive on out.

Backblaze released the full specs for their case including the 3D drawings which might also help you with your design.

You may also be able to find detailed hardware specifications from the Open Compute Project.

Obligatory: dude, just buy a cheap case off eBay, if only to use as a template for your own case.

Cheers,
Matt

 

[StarkJohan]

I'm not really trying to copy or reverse engineer anything to produce a "real super micro copy". I've got the drives, the original caddys, the fans and the backplanes. I just need something to house it all. I've even got a couple of PSUs and a matching docking board for those. I intend to migrate my existing system to this chassis once it is finished. Of course I can just measure the HDDs and caddys and do some trial and error but I feel like getting a few real measurements would spare me a lot of trouble as I've got very limited access to welding equipment. Actually, the thickness of the sheet metal would probably be all I need to make informed guesstimations regarding the grid. The distance to the backplane from the lock notch would be adjustable anyway by design but I wanted a real measurement to be able to replicate the pressure induced by the caddys locking mechanism to be on the safe side.

I'd love to buy one of those cheap used original chassis and be done with it but after actively looking months and months for something that isn't $400 shipping for a $200 chassis to me in Sweden I just gave up and bought a bunch of parts which ended up a lot cheaper in total. It sure would spare me a lot of trouble but like I said, that ship has sailed... gotta make the best of it. I also looked at a new chassis but they're like $1400 over here which I just can't bring myself to pay in this case.

 

[StarkJohan]

My phone (5MP) is the only tool I have to provide pictures of this type of thing. If the quality of this shot is good enough, I can provide a few others.

Thanks! The looks more than good enough quality wise. Do all slots have some kind of bracket to stop the disk in the back or is the backplane providing that funtion?
I'd love a few shots of the "lock notch" as well.

 

[BigDave]

Thanks! The looks more than good enough quality wise. Do all slots have some kind of bracket to stop the disk in the back or is the backplane providing that funtion?
I'd love a few shots of the "lock notch" as well.

I don't know if this piece in the circle provides a "stop" function, but it appears to...


this last one is from the PCB of the backplane to the front of the bay, again, not very accurate...


I would think that the physical measurements of the drives installed in the tray caddies would provide much of what you need.
The challenge as I see it would be the proper placement of the backplane, it would seem to leave very little room for error.