What do you have in your datacenters' toolbox?

Fri Mar 15 13:58:17 UTC 2013

On Fri, Mar 15, 2013 at 08:46:59AM -0400, George, Wes wrote:
> > >
> > > But really: a power screwdriver, a bag of #2 bits, and a 12" extender
> > > are 85% of it. ;-)
> >
> > I mostly get by with just a screwdriver. Powered screwdrivers annoy the
> > hell out of me in almost all cases.
> 
> [WEG] The rule of thumb for most places I've worked has been that power screwdrivers are only acceptable for *removing* screws, at least where the electronic contents of a datacenter are concerned. Using a power screwdriver to install/tighten machine screws carries a nasty risk of cross-threading, or stripping, or snapping the heads off of the screws on something important, leading to unrecoverable problems with expensive modules that you can no longer easily remove to replace when the need arises. And Mr. Murphy says that the one with the damaged screw will be the first to fail.
> 
> But then, most decent power screwdrivers have a torque clutch with settings to prevent such things, and everyone always uses them properly, right? ;-)

Maybe it is just me, but a lot of the time when I hear people say 
"power screwdriver", they mean "cordless 18V drill in screwdriver
mode" (often in the hands of someone not old enough to drink alcohol), 
which is a recipe for screw tightening disaster, and I certainly
understand the resulting reluctance.

We have a bunch of Milwaukee 6547-22's around here, they're a 2.4V
two speed screwdriver with a torque clutch that's designed to be
an assembly line worker's or electrician's screwdriver.  While it
is possible to generate damaging forces with this unit, generally
the torque on high speed is fairly low, and it takes just a little
training to show someone how to use a medium clutch setting and
high speed (and a flick of the wrist at the end for just a little
extra tightness if needed) as a way to handle most data center 
screw tasks.

Once you replace all the drives in a 24-drive chassis (96 screws)
you come to appreciate the perfect screw job every time.  Once you
multiply that times 9 servers per rack times however many racks,
you'll never want to do it any other way.

We combine the Milwaukee with a Senco Phillips #2 bit.  The 9 inch
long bit seems awkward until you've used it a few hours, when you
suddenly figure out that you can actually SEE what you're working
on and/or reach into ridiculously tight spots.  Lightly magnetizing
the tip creates an even more useful tool.

... JG
-- 
Joe Greco - sol.net Network Services - Milwaukee, WI - http://www.sol.net
"We call it the 'one bite at the apple' rule. Give me one chance [and] then I
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