[rescue] WTF was I thinking?

[Greg A. Woods]

[ On Friday, December 28, 2001 at 07:05:21 (-0800), Fogg, James wrote: ]
> Subject: [rescue] WTF was I thinking?
>
> While unloading it from the truck. I made a ramp from 6 2X4's. I swear I
> though it would hold. It didn't even try, and now I am picking splinters out
> of my foot from where the ramp peices and a 11/23 rack landed on it. This
> thing weighs much more than I thought. I've moved lotsa rack stuff in my
> life, but this puppy, though only 4ft tall, is a beast. The rack appears to
> be still square, and nothing fell off.

Glad to hear your injuries are not too bad.

Your report is a good reminder to everyone though that if you're moving
racks of equipment you should always either use capable moving
equipment, like a forklift, or de-rack everything and move it separately.
(even if they are only 4-footers!)

I moved some UPS units a couple of weeks ago.  Seven, 256lbs each, in a
GMC Yukon truck.  Just barely under the GVWR!  :-)  We had three guys
for loading, which wasn't too bad, but for unloading there was really
just one of us.  In that case though a 2x12-10' worked very well as a
ramp, carrying the weight with ample room to spare.

A ramp can be tested by jumping on it, BTW.  I don't remember the
formulas exactly but IIRC you can easily double the force of your weight
by jumping only about one foot.  If you can bend a 2x4 ramp like that
significantly by doing that then it will not safely support anything
even twice your weight.

I bet your rack of PDP-11 weighs in at over 500lbs.  The CPU chassis
alone, if it's a 3-U model (5.25in high) will weigh 60lbs, the cabinet
will weigh 200lbs empty, and an RK02 probably weighs close to 100lbs, if
not more.

I've got an RP03.  It's almost twice as bulky as your rack, but due to
being half void on the inside weighs in, IIRC, at only 350lbs.  Even
with all the side panels removed (which besides ligtening it
significantly coincidentally also gives it lots more handholds), it
still takes two really big guys to heft it over even just a door sill.

> If anyone would be willing to clue me, I could use some powerup/checkout
> help and some RK02 clues (like how to remove a diskpack, etc.). Also, is
> there a specific console port, or will any RS232 port work? It has been 15
> years since I worked with PDP-11's.

I don't know about the RK02 but RL02's can only be removed (easily) with
the power on.  I've got a pair of RK05's, and they're similar, needing
power to remove them too.

-- 
								Greg A. Woods

+1 416 218-0098;  <gwoods at acm.org>;  <g.a.woods at ieee.org>;  <woods at robohack.ca>
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