[time-nuts] Z38xx rack mounts

GandalfG8 at aol.com GandalfG8 at aol.com
Thu Oct 23 06:02:15 EDT 2014


Hi Mike,
 
Many thanks for the information, but as I understood it the question  was 
asked with regards to the Z38xx Telecom styled units and not those  variants 
such as the HP58503 series that were indeed built into HP  desktop cases as 
you describe.
 
The HP Z3801A etc and similar units from other manufacturers, Trimble  for 
example, meet the Nortel GPSR specification, a copy of which is  available 
for download at Didier's web site, and do not have the physical frame  
structure that would accept the HP link lock kit.
 
However, the box itself of the Z3801A unit, although in this case just a  
bare aluminium enclosure, is very similar in size to the body of HP's  normal 
half rack test gear, it's really the front panel on the Z3801A that  flings 
a spanner into the works, so for anyone prepared to remove or modify that  
panel the rack mounting "problem" becomes much less of an issue.
 
On the question of similarities in size between the Z3801A chassis and a  
standard HP 1/2 rack unit, there seems to have been a number of 58503A 
desktop  units offered for sale, generally from China but not always, that the 
supplier  claims to have been "upgraded" from a Z3801A, or sometimes a Z3805A.
These units do have the rubber bumpers fitted, and what looks like an HP  
desktop style panel, but generally seem to retain the usual Z3801A aluminium  
enclosure so I imagine the bumpers would just be a push fit over that.
 
One current Ebay offering clearly shows the internals as looking very much  
like a standard Z3801A but makes the claim  "Z3801A has  been upgraded by 
us, which the feature is the same as 58503A".
A screenshot of SatStat also shows the unit identifying as 58503A but aside 
 from the cosmetics I've never seen any clear indication of what's actually 
 claimed for this "upgrade".
 
Are there any significant performance differences between a Z3801A and a  
58503A, and was any actual HP or Symmetricom firmware ever available to  make 
such an "upgrade", or is this more likely to be purely  a cosmetic exercise 
with someone hacking the standard Z3801A software  so it now identifies as 
a 58503A, or perhaps something somewhere in  between?
 
Regards
 
Nigel
GM8PZR
 
 
 
 
 
In a message dated 23/10/2014 02:52:29 GMT Daylight Time,  
mblazer at satx.rr.com writes:

Nigel,
These are standard HP 1/2 rack units.   The rubber bezel around the 
front and back peel off.  HP (Agilent,  now Keysight) makes a Link Lock 
Kit  
<http://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Agilent-Lock-Link-Kit-5061-5458-/291271152251?pt
=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43d11d127b>  
to connect the units. The finger piece mount in the slots in the side of  
the front bezel and lock together. The lock pieces strap the rear square  
frame posts together.  Add the 2U (each 'U' is 1-3/4") rack mount  
flanges and you're good to go.

Mike


On 10/22/2014 4:26  PM, GandalfG8--- via time-nuts wrote:
> Hi Dave
>    
> Many thanks for the MTI260 data, that's very useful and much   
appreciated.
>   
> As regards the the Z38xx modules, my  Z3801As actually measure 10 9/16
> between the front panel edges but  obviously still too much to fit two 
like that
> into a standard 19 inch  rack.
>   
> I've considered two options on this, one is  to keep the existing front
> panel and just cut it down closer to the  case itself and the other, 
prompted by
>   having one arrive  several years ago with a bent front anyway, is just 
to
> remove   the existing front panels entirely and make up another panel to
>  accommodate  two units side by side.
> The actual cases themselves  are 8 inches wide so two should sit side by
> side quite nicely in a  19inch rack.
>   
> Regards
>   
>  Nigel
> GM8PZR
>   
>   
> In a  message dated 22/10/2014 21:44:42 GMT Daylight Time,
>  dgminala at mediacombb.net writes:
>
> I have a  couple  questions regarding the Z38xx type units.  I have a
>  Z3801A,
> and a couple other modules that don't need a full 19" rack  space.   The
> Z38xx
> units are 11" wide (10-9/16"  mounting centers) , and obviously  are not
> suitable for a  standard 19" rack cabinet.
>
> Looking in the  Z3801A manual,  I see that the rack trays that these units
> are
> mounted  in  are 28.5" wide, with a dual mounting shelf so that two GPS
>  units
> can be  mounted side-by-side.  Were the racks for  these units custom 
built
> by
> Motorola and/or Symmetricom?   Where in the civilized world might  these
> cabinets and mounting  shelves be found and purchased (preferably  
surplus)?
> I've  searched Google until my eyes are crossed, but nothing  shows up.
>  Maybe
> I'm not using the right search terms?  Don't   know.
>
> I guess I could destroy an old rack cabinet and  fabricate  something that
> would fit the equipment, but I'd prefer  to buy one  (assuming that it
> doesn't
> approximate the  cost of a new  SUV).
>
> Cheers,
> Dave M
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