102 lines
6.5 KiB
HTML
Executable File
102 lines
6.5 KiB
HTML
Executable File
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<title>Using a DIN Rail to mount a Raspberry Pi (HPR Show 2724)</title>
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<h1 class="title">Using a DIN Rail to mount a Raspberry Pi (HPR Show 2724)</h1>
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<h2 class="subtitle">I created DIN rail fittings for attaching my RPi 3B+ and an SSD disk</h2>
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<h2 class="author">Dave Morriss</h2>
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<h1>Table of Contents</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#overview">Overview</a></li>
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<li><a href="#din-rail">DIN Rail</a></li>
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<li><a href="#accessories">Accessories</a><ul>
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<li><a href="#stand">Stand</a></li>
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<li><a href="#mounting-plates">Mounting plates</a></li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><a href="#final-result">Final result</a></li>
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<li><a href="#links">Links</a></li>
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<h2 id="overview">Overview</h2>
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<p>A <em>DIN Rail</em> is a metal rail for mounting pieces of electrical equipment inside an equipment rack which is used for performing tasks in a building, in a machine, and so forth. It’s common to see DIN rails holding circuit breakers for example.</p>
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<p>See the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIN_rail" title="Wikipedia article on the DIN Rail">Wikipedia article</a> on the subject for full details.</p>
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<p>A number of people in the Maker Community have made use of these rails, and there are a number of freely available designs for stands, that can be 3D printed, on which you can mount these rails. There are also designs for mounts onto which devices like Raspberry Pis and disks can be fitted and attached to a DIN rail.</p>
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<p>This show will recount my experiences with creating a compact mounting system for one of my Raspberry Pi systems. I had the help of my son and his girlfriend in 3D printing the parts for this project.</p>
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<h2 id="din-rail">DIN Rail</h2>
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<p>There are three different designs of DIN Rail but perhaps the commonest is called the <em>top hat</em>. Of these there are two different sizes: one has a depth of 7.5mm and the other 15mm.</p>
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<p>I found the 7.5mm type easily available on eBay and Amazon and bought a set of short lengths.</p>
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<p><img src="hpr2724_img_01.png" alt="“Top Hat” DIN Rail (1)" /><br />
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<em>1. “Top Hat” DIN Rail</em></p>
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<p><img src="hpr2724_img_02.png" alt="“Top Hat” DIN Rail (2)" /><br />
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<em>2. “Top Hat” DIN Rail, end view</em></p>
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<h2 id="accessories">Accessories</h2>
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<h3 id="stand">Stand</h3>
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<p>In the first instance I tried using a stand that turned out to be entirely too fragile and unstable. We printed a pair of these then wondered why we’d done it! The design came from <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2610621" title="DIN Mounts: Pi, Arduino and disks">Thingiverse</a>.</p>
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<p>The design is triangular and can accept DIN rails on both sides, which would make it more rigid. However, the thickness of the stand seems inadequate for multiple devices to be mounted on it.</p>
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<p><img src="hpr2724_img_03.png" alt="The first stand design we tried" /><br />
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<em>3. The first stand design was unstable and seemed too weak</em></p>
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<p>Later I found what looked like a better design and used that, again from <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2068383" title="DIN Rail Stand">Thingiverse</a>. This design is for the 15mm <em>Top Hat</em> rail, which we didn’t fully appreciate when printing it. Afterwards, as we realised the mistake the solution was to make a 7.5mm shim based on the stand geometry to make the space between the back of the rail and the stand smaller.</p>
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<p><img src="hpr2724_img_04.png" alt="The second stand design we tried" /><br />
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<em>4. The second stand design was much more robust but needed a shim for the 7.5mm rail</em></p>
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<h3 id="mounting-plates">Mounting plates</h3>
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<p>I used the same <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2610621" title="DIN Mounts: Pi, Arduino and disks">source</a> as the first stand for my mounting plates. I printed a plate for a Raspberry Pi 3B+ and another for an SSD disk.</p>
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<p>The designs attach to the DIN rail with a hook at the top. The base of each mount is secured by a removable locking tab which is held in place by friction. See image 9 for a view of this.</p>
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<p><img src="hpr2724_img_05.png" alt="Mounting plate for RPi (1)" /><br />
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<em>5. Mounting plate for RPi (1)</em></p>
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<p><img src="hpr2724_img_06.png" alt="Mounting plate for RPi (2)" /><br />
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<em>6. Mounting plate for RPi (2)</em></p>
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<p><img src="hpr2724_img_07.png" alt="Mounting plate for SSD (1)" /><br />
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<em>7. Mounting plate for SSD (1)</em></p>
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<p><img src="hpr2724_img_08.png" alt="Mounting plate for SSD (2)" /><br />
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<em>8. Mounting plate for SSD (2)</em></p>
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<p><img src="hpr2724_img_09.png" alt="A locking tab fixes the mounting plate on the rail" /><br />
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<em>9. A locking tab fixes the mounting plate on the rail</em></p>
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<h2 id="final-result">Final result</h2>
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<p>The rail on its stands is very solid and stable, even with the equipment mounted. There is room for more devices on the rail, though perhaps if I load it up it will become less stable and might need to be fixed down to the shelf it will be installed on.</p>
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<p><img src="hpr2724_img_10.png" alt="The mounted equipment" /><br />
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<em>10. The mounted equipment</em></p>
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<h2 id="links">Links</h2>
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<ul>
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<li><p>Wikipedia article <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIN_rail"><em>DIN Rail</em></a></p></li>
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<li>Thingiverse designs used:
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<ul>
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<li><a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2610621">DIN Mounts: Pi, Arduino and disks</a> by <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/imstrng"><em>imstrng</em></a></li>
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<li><a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2068383">DIN Rail Stand</a> by <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/RedWraith"><em>RedWraith</em></a></li>
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</ul></li>
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</ul>
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<!--- -->
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<ul>
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<li>Other Thingiverse DIN Rail-related items:
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<ul>
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<li><a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2144527">DIN Rail Stand v2</a> by <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/philklaus"><em>philklaus</em></a></li>
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<li><a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2415721">Raspberry Pi Zero Vertical Edge-Mounted DIN Mount</a> by <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/coffeenut"><em>coffeenut</em></a></li>
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</ul></li>
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</ul>
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</article>
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