Application – communication rack with a requirement to mount a 1U rackmount monitor that is only accessed on a limited bases. The server rack is primarily housing a large amount of cables with switches. The cables and switch technology take up a significant amount of space in the rack so housing a 1U rackmount monitor in the middle of the rack that is not going to be accessed very often is not an ideal set up for the racks. The preference is to store the 1U console drawer in the rack without it blocking the vertical space in the rack that is generally populated with dense cables. When the monitor is needed, it needs to be easily accessible. The suggested solution is the build a vertical hinge onto the 1U LCD drawer so when it is not in use, it can be stored in the rack vertically, not taking up space. The design proposed a solution that takes 10 seconds to deploy by storing the 1U LCD in a vertical position and anchoring it in place with a simple bracket that attaches to the right hand front rail of a 19” EIA rack rail. To mount the monitor properly, a request was made to get the .dwg drawings for the rack so the custom brackets could be designed to specifically mount in the customers rack. Once the monitor is mounted, it can easily be pivoted into a horizontal position for normal access as a traditional, pull out the LCD drawer, flip up the monitor, and begin typing as if it were a traditionally mounted 1U rackmount monitor. When done accessing the monitor, the same motion is used to store it back in the home vertical position – close the LCD Panel, push the 1U LCD Drawer back into the seated position in the rack, and then pivot the drawer from right to left to store it back in its vertical position.

Vertical Rackmount Monitor Video 

The cable management arm stays with the drawer so the LCD VGA and USB ports as well as the power supply are out of the way when stored. This is a sample of the custom solutions Crystal Image Technologies can provide for our customers. Once we know the application and specific project needs, we have the flexibility to design to a specific requirement. In this case, the customer monitor solution was based off an minimum order requirement of 4 units with a forecast of 10 to 20 units in the future. There was a NRE (non-recurring engineering fee) to complete the initial engineering work. Once the design was signed off, the manufacturing lead time was four weeks. Installation instructions were provided with the shipment as well as the video showing the end results. Crystal Image Technologies provides custom solutions for small and large applications.