Dell Server 2950 Hard Drive Rails

thingiverse

I added a second version which has flat ends to the guides so those with less experience or less than ideal printers will be able to get a better grip on the print bed. This hasn't been tested yet, as I'm currently printing that version now to test it out, so I'm unsure if this will have any impact on actual usability... These are rails that let you use any 3.5" SATA or SAS hard drive in a Dell 2950 Server. I was searching everywhere for anyone who made one, but all I found were trays for the R600-700 series, which use a completely different rail system... (a lot easier and simpler). After trying for days to get some that claimed to fit a 2950 to work, I said "screw it." I have one drive caddy specifically for it, so I just took the drive caddy out and modeled it up in Fusion 360. After several more days of testing each iteration, nothing seemed to really work... Either the screws kept getting in the way or the tray was too flimsy and would snap once inserted... or were just too difficult to print reliably. Then, today, FINALLY a version worked! This iteration utilizes small studs to lock the pieces to the drive. If your printer's tolerances are good enough, they should fit pretty snugly in there and will not simply fall out. There are two guides at the top and middle which rest on the inner rails of the server housing. You simply align the guides with the appropriate inner rail, and it just slides right in. If you ever need to remove the hard drive, you can just use the printed rails to pull it out. Or, better yet, just tug on the hard drive itself and it comes right out. Needless to say, these will not lock the hard drive inside the server... So if you have to move your server for whatever reason, it's best to remove each drive and then move your server... My prints were made at 0.32mm Layer height with 3D Solutech Translucent Red PETG at 217C starting layer, and the rest at 215C. Yes, I used supports, and printed them with the pins facing up! You can try to print them with the pins facing down and the guide facing up, but I fear that the finish on the bottom layer which touches the hard drive might not be as even as some will need with their printers after removing the support... and cause the pieces to not fit against the hard drive flush enough to allow it to slide easily into the server. So, if I were all of you, I'd print it with the pins facing up, use support, and if you have a fan, use it. My fan currently doesn't work as it got broken off, and I haven't gotten around to fixing it quite yet...