Bit confused with APC UPS rails?

Joined
Apr 29, 2012
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I cannot for the life of me picture/figure out how you're meant to mount APC UPS rails in a rack with square holes....?

These are the kind I mean, I've got a 2U unit. Not got a pair in hand to try them out yet.

SU032A_lg.jpg


Do the ears go on the inside of the rack rails? Either way, surely you then have bolts on the front side that stop the UPS sliding all the way in and sitting flush? Pictures of the rails fitted alone would be great if anyone has some.

Probably sounds like a silly question, but all my kit so far either doesn't require rails, or like the UPS is sat at the bottom of the rack :D
 
you use the nuts that clip into the square holes and then the ups slides onto the rail.
 
lol... yup its stupid

I think you should just put the rail in place, screw through the square hole into the rack rail directly without a nut, I put the nut on the inside then the rail on the back of the nut and screwed through. You aren't supposed to do it like that but the simply wouldn't sit right without the nut in place.

I remember scratching my head for a while as well.

go to about 2:20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOHbJbgHfAA
 
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Thinking I might abandon the idea of getting them; instead I'll just attach the UPS to the front rails with the ears on the unit itself, and put a support under the rear.

Cabinet sits on a strong wooden base with castors I built - so there is something solid a few inches below the underside of the UPS :) I just want to get my big rackmount shelf back to use elsewhere.
 
rack nuts on the inside of the rack (square holes).

Then have the rails go on the outside of the square holes and screw into the rack nuts.

Then slide the UPS onto the rails, there should be 1-2 holes left to screw the UPS into the rails themselves so it can't be pulled out... granted most UPS's are so heavy it would take a lot to move them out.
 
I dropped a 8000va APC when these rails bowed. Took me a good hour to figure out how to un-wedge it. Hate them.
 
Ouch.

Thanks for enlightening me a bit though guys, the video espicially helped. Have found the rails would have originally come with some flat screws with washers that lined them up in the square hole. I'm going with my other idea though of mounting via the ears and a custom (read: small block) support at the rear. Will stick a pic up if anyone is interested when I get around to it :)
 
I will also concur that the rails suck. I get a brand new APC rack and brand new APC UPS and the rails don't fit right. I did what Jay said, just screw through the square holes in the back. All your force is down anyhow so it doesn't really matter.
 
guys what are you talking about? APC UPS rails are the easiest idiot proof things to install.
The rails come with screws and a "washer" of sorts that looks like a bowl. You put the round screw head through the bowl washer then slip it into the square hole in the rack. It couldn't be easier.
 
Yes, if you know about said washer arrangement, and if you are able to acquire a set of rails with said flat screw/washer.

On eBay in the UK, the majority of rails up for sale don't come with fittings (I've seen one with screws, hard to make out if they're even right) and given the pair of 1500VA units cost me £40, I'm not spending a lot on rails :D

*apologies if you mean the fitting is easy, I've yet to find an APC doc that mentions these washers, even the video doesn't actually mention them.
 
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Yes you can mount them that way but that is not what the instructions dictate. Also because it is a square peg in a round hole the front and back mounting positions can be off by a slight amount. In the case of my Symmetra it is tilted noticeably.
 
Yes you can mount them that way but that is not what the instructions dictate. Also because it is a square peg in a round hole the front and back mounting positions can be off by a slight amount. In the case of my Symmetra it is tilted noticeably.
then you mounted the rails incorrectly. Bust out a level to make sure when you mount things they are straight. The holes in the rear skip 1 square hole from the alignment in the front.
Thus the specific holes the screws mount to in the front will not match up in the rear. Usually you can get it right just by eying it and seeing they aren't level, but an actual level will tell you 100%.
 
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