A new construction site will soon start just next to the Exactum building where the CS Department resides. A bunch of shielding experts visited the Dept on January 12th, 2011 in order to mitigate the effects of vibrations caused by the site’s demolition work.
It is somewhat uncertain how much nearby explosions can harm mechanical hard drives or other components. Sharp shocks can cause the drive heads to touch the platters, but the low rumble caused by a demolition is less understood. (Please leave a comment if you have better info.)
However, due to insurance reasons, the construction company must provide adequate shielding for nearby buildings and their [IT] equipment. For desktop workstations, the shielding in comes in the form of small rubber feet that are inserted between the floor or table and the PC cases. For racks and custom setups, like our Helsinki Chamber (HC), one needs… Bigger feet.
A small amount of snow did not hinder the quick work of our visiting consultants. After some initial head-scratching, we shoveled the snow away from the front and inserted a handy pneumatic lift under the pallets. The men left four rubber squares under each corner of the HC, and this researcher can now sleep a bit better while the nearby site blasts away.
Tilting the HC with a pneumatic lift. Click picture for the complete picture album.
