Rackmount Computer System withstands harsh environments.

Press Release Summary:




Intended for high shock and vibration environments, Model R4U-20A is equipped with three 5¼ in. drives and 2 internal 3½ in. drives, all shock-mounted. COTS Plus unit features .090 in. 5052-H32 aluminum chassis, .250 in. milled solid aluminum front panel, and shock-isolated Unibody front sub panel that provides mounting for all drives. Designed for transit case portable applications and to be flight qualified, system meets Mil-Stds 901D, 810F, and 167.



Original Press Release:



Chassis Plans Debuts R4U-20A Ultra Rugged COTS Plus Rackmount Computer System



San Diego, Calif. - September 14, 2009 - Chassis Plans, The Original Industrial Computer Source®, releases the R4U-20A rugged COTS Plus rackmount computer system. The R4U-20A is designed specifically for high shock and vibration environments and includes unique features to assure survival in the harshest environments.

The R4U-20A is intended for rugged military and industrial applications where a short depth, light weight and incredibly sturdy rackmount system is required. The system is optimized for installation in transit cases or for mobile installations such as aircraft or vehicular. The R4U-20A is designed to meet 901D in a shock isolated rack and Mil-Std-810F for survival in high-G applications.

"The R4U family was originally designed for installation into track side vaults for the Long Island Rail Road." said Steve Travis, VP Sales for Chassis Plans. "We found this environment to be as hostile as anything we've run into with fairly high constant vibration and high and low temperature extremes. Shock mounting the drives as a structure and assuring good cooling flow was instrumental in assuring long term reliable operation. Of the 101 units shipped in 2007, only 1 has been returned for repair and that was due to customer damage. We've extended this heritage into a general purpose rugged family of systems."

System features include:

  • 5052-H32 high strength aluminum construction

  • Milled solid .250-inch aluminum front panel

  • Unique shock isolated Unibody front sub panel assembly to support the drives

  • Card hold downs tailored to installed add-in cards

  • Three 5-1/4 inch and two internal 3-1/2 inch drives - all shock mounted

  • All self locking stainlesss steel hardware

  • Full width formed and welded front door with air filter

  • EMI / Environmental gasket to seal front door and lid

  • Ample captive self locking screws in lid to create solid box structure for torsional strength

  • Two high speed Sanyo-Denki High Reliability Aluminum Frame 60mm fans >100K hrs MTBF

  • Multiple mounting points for motherboard and processor heat sinks

  • Single or dual redundant power supplies, options for AC, DC, and Mil-Std 704 / 1275

  • Designed for transit case portable applications and to be flight qualified

  • Designed to meet Mil-Stds 901D, 810F, 167

  • Long life components and revision controlled build for long program availability

  • Customer defined features to enhance mission applicability

    A unique shock isolated Unibody front sub panel provides for mounting all the drives. Three front accessible 5-1/4 inch drive bays offer a wide variety of options including hot swap drive carriers. Two internal positions for 3-1/2 inch drives allow for large capacity drives to be installed. Shock mounting the entire Unibody structure with drives provides much better protection for the drives as compared to shock mounting individual devices.

    Chassis construction is of high strength .090-inch 5052-H32 aluminum with a chem film per Mil-C-5541E. The front panel is milled from a solid piece of .250-inch aluminum and is finished in black powder coat. The lid is secured with 14 captive screws into self locking nuts and is provided with an EMI/environmental gasket. Alternative finishes and customer specified logo are available.

    The R4U-20A is designed to be flight qualifiable and to meet all appropriate Mil Standards for shock, vibration, and environmental specifications.

    Chassis Plans offers a wide variety of integrated systems configured exactly to customer requirements. Long life and road map components are used throughtout for assured long term program availability. Attention to detail from component selection through wire harness routing and securing to "Build Books" integration instruction sets provide our customers consistent and reliable systems shipment to shipment and program to program.

    The R4U-20A is currently shipping in production quantites. For pricing and availability, contact Chassis Plans at 858-571-4330 or email Saleseng@ChassisPlans.com. Product details can be found at www.chassis-plans.com/rackmount-military-systems/R4U-20A-rackmount-computer.html.

    About Chassis Plans

    Chassis Plans is a recognized leader in manufacturing fully configured turn-key military grade rackmount computer solutions for the industrial, rugged, and military markets. They manufacture 1U to 6U ATX and Single Board Computer systems tailored exactly to customer application requirements. They also manufacture a full line of industrial rack mount and panel mount LCD monitors and keyboard drawers.

    Chassis Plans specializes in long-life product support offering unmatched in-house custom chassis design, long-life industrial motherboards and SBC's with strict revision control and material obsolescence management for trouble free program deployment. Key military customers include companies such as L3, Lockheed, and Northrop Grumman. Notable commercial customers include Siemens, Nikon, & General Electric. Chassis Plans' Systems are Engineered to Perform!® Please visit www.chassis-plans.com for more information or e-mail at saleseng@chassisplans.com.
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