Heavy Duty Technical Manual

Equipto Electronics Heavy Duty product line is designed to meet the most demanding applications for electronic enclosures. This page lists specifications for the construction and fabrications of Vertical Rack and Sloped Front Cabinet Frames and components in the Heavy Duty product line.

Links to drawings with detailed dimensions in both English and Metric units follow the descriptions. Drawings are provided in two formats: Adobe Acrobat PDF and Autodesk Whip DWF. The Acrobat viewer provides more options such as zooming and scaling and is recommended. However, Acrobat files are significantly larger (five or six times) than Whip files.

Frames

Heavy Duty Frames feature arc welded construction, using the tungsten inert gas shielded process. The use of this type of arc welding was pioneered by Equipto Electronics engineers for electronic cabinet frame fabrication to obtain clean welds with the deep penetration that insures maximum strength and rigidity. This imparts the ruggedness that is characteristic of the Vertical Rack and Sloped Front Cabinet design found in the Heavy Duty product line.

All Vertical Rack and Sloped Front frame side sub-assemblies are made of 14 gauge cold rolled steel, formed channels having six mutually perpendicular bends to form ¾” deep recesses at the front, rear, top, bottom, and sides of the sub-assembly. The front, rear, top and bottom recesses are ¾” wide with 5/8″ flanges turned inward, perpendicular to the ¾” wide dimension. The frame sides have 1 1/8″ wide flanges in which ¼” diameter holes are located on 3 ½” centers vertically, for the attachment of Panel Mounting Angle Support Channels and Side Closure Panels. The faces of the frame channel members measure 1 ¾” in width. The frame-side sub-assemblies are arc welded at the corners and ground smooth.

The frame transverse members are formed from 14 gauge cold rolled sheet steel with seven mutually perpendicular bends, to form ¾” deep ledges to match the frame sides. The ends of the transverse members are formed to match the formed ledges, or recesses, in the frame sides. The transverse members are arc welded to the frame-side sub-assembly at the inside ends of the transverse members on two planes. This forms the double-ledge, double-plane corner, at the intersection of the transverse members with the frame sides, covered by Enclosure Structure U.S. Patent 3,075,818. This corner construction minimizes torsional twist, side sway, and deflection of the cabinet frame assembly under load.

There are four Panel Mounting Angles in each Vertical Rack Cabinet and six in each Sloped Front Cabinet. They are bolted to vertically adjustable Angle Support Channels with ¼-20 hexagon head screws engaging ¼-20 cage nuts in the support channel. In Sloped Front Frames the Panel Mounting Angles are bolted to fixed support brackets in the sloped areas. The Panel Mounting Angles are made of hot rolled steel, formed into a rugged structural shape, 1 ½” x 1 ½” x 3/16″, and edge rolled to eliminate sharp edges. They have a series of 9/32″ diameter holes, in both legs, on ½”, 5/8″,5/8″, ½”, 5/8″, 5/8’, etc., centers per Universal E.I.A. Standard RS-310 (Rev. SE-102), for use with spring type fasteners. A separate series of 5/16″ diameter holes are provided for bolting the angles to the support channels or fixed brackets. All angles and angles support channels are plated zinc per fed spec QQ-Z-325 type II, class 3.

Four to eight Panel Mounting Angle Support Channels are used in each Vertical Rack Cabinet, depending on frame height; four in the bottom section of all Sloped Front Cabinets. These channels are formed of 16 gauge cold rolled steel and are attached to the frame-side weldments by means of four 10BA x 23/32″ Phillips hexagon head sheet metal screws and four spring type fasteners for each channel. Angle Support Channels are capable of being adjusted vertically in 3 ½” increments along the 1 1/8″ frame side flanges or may be removed entirely when necessary. The have 11/32″ square holes along their horizontal center line, on 1 ¾” centers, to accept the snap-in ¼-20 cage nuts for the attachment of the panel mounting angles. This makes it possible to position panel mounting angles in a recessed position.

Frame Drawings

Doors and Panels

Flush Cabinet Doors are formed of 16 gauge cold rolled sheet steel with return flanges, and are provided with 20 gauge cold rolled sheet steel hat-section reinforcements. They are mounted in the frame recesses, flush with the frame surface. All doors are available hinged right or left, with extruded separable aluminum hinges and secured with a lift-type extruded aluminum handle operating a 2-point latching mechanism. They are furnished plain, louvered, or grilled. Gasketing may be used with all doors without modifications to the door or the cabinet frame.

Flush Closure Panels such as Side Panels, Rear Panels, Top Panels, and Front Panels are formed of 16 gauge cold rolled sheet steel with return flanges. They are mounted in the frame recesses, flush with the frame surface. Side Panels and Top Panels are screw fastened from the inside; Rear Panels and Front Panels are screw fastened from the outside; all closure panels are available latch fastened as an optional feature. They may be gasketed, without modifications to the panels or to the cabinet frames. They are furnished plain, louvered or grilled.

Door and Panel Drawings

MAJOR ACCESSORIES

Accessories for the Heavy Duty product line are functionally designed and ruggedly built. Arc welding, using inert gas shielded processes, or electronically controlled spot welding is used in the fabrication of the various accessory assemblies and sub-assemblies.

Bases, Dollies and Trucks

Bases made of 12 gauge cold rolled steel, formed to a channel section 3 ½” high with 1″ flanges; bolted to the cabinet frame weldment. Triangular, flanged, 12 gauge anchor plates with 5/8″ diameter mounting holes are spot welded in the bottom corners of the base for added stability.

Caster Bases are made of 16 gauge cold rolled steel, formed into a channel section 2 ½” high with 1″ flanges. The full length hat-section-shaped caster mountings are made of 14 gauge cold rolled steel.

Caster Dollies have a 3″ skirt with corner recesses to accommodate locking wheel casters. The Dolly platform and the full length hat-section-shaped caster mountings are made of 11 gauge cold rolled steel.

Cabinet Trucks have a 2 ¼” skirt to accommodate floor locks. The truck platform and the hat-section-shaped caster mountings are formed of 12 gauge cold rolled steel.

Trouble deciding which base to pick? See this document.

Base, Dolly and Truck Drawings

Panels

Instrument Panels are are formed 5/8″ thick of 16 gauge cold rolled steel with ½” return flanges. They mount directly to the panel mounting angles and rest flush with the ledge of the cabinet frame recess. Flush Filler Panels are formed 5/8″ thick of 16 gauge cold rolled steel with ½” return flanges. The mount flush with the face of the cabinet.

Drawers

Equipment Drawers have 16 gauge cold rolled steel fronts and 20 gauge steel bodies and are mounted on ball bearing slides. They can be mounted flush with the cabinet face or recessed. Storage Drawers feature 20 gauge steel throughout and are mounted recessed.

Shelves

Sliding Chassis Shelves are made of 16 gauge cold rolled steel and have a load bearing capacity of 125 pounds (56.8 kg). Hinged Drawer Shelves are used to convert a drawer to a usable work area by attaching to the rear of the drawer. They are made of laminated particle board and feature a steel rear support and continuous hinge.

Work Writing Shelves

Invertible Work/Writing Shelves are of frame-type construction, formed of 16 gauge cold rolled steel. They are attached to the cabinet frame with 14 gauge steel support arms and a 16 gauge cold rolled steel mounting panel, bolted directly to the 3/16″ thick panel mounting angles. The work/writing surface can be either a laminated plastic panel, or one formed of 16 gauge cold rolled steel.

Turrets

Turrets feature an all welded 16 gauge formed cold rolled steel frame construction with integral 16 gauge cold rolled steel side panels and panel mounting angles. Turrets are attached to the cabinet frame with 14 gauge steel joining channels.

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