Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

LackRack: IKEA's cheapest table is perfectly sized to rackmount computers (2020)

wiki.eth0.nl

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 250 posts

Re: LackRack: IKEA's cheapest table is perfectly sized to rackmount computers (2020)

#51

Post by qbasic_forever »

silicon2401 wrote: post #23

can somebody with more server/home server experience explain to me the benefit of going with a rackmount setup vs let's say, just building a second PC to use as a home server? I recently bought a house and am excited to get into home networking/home server work, but don't know anything about rack mount. Is rackmount equipment cheaper than regular consumer PC hardware?

Rackmount stuff is usually more expensive because it's more niche or professional grade stuff. If you just need a pc for a router it's overkill. If you need space for a pc router, nas and dozens of hard drives, multiple switches, A/V distribution gear, wifi and wireless hardware, home automation hubs, backup power battery, etc. it starts to make more sense to consolidate it all in a rack instead of strewn all over shelves and tables.

Re: LackRack: IKEA's cheapest table is perfectly sized to rackmount computers (2020)

#52

Post by Jtsummers »

pdntspa wrote: post #47

> and you can put your bottle of Club-Mate Damn it, now you're really making me pine! Why must this stuff be so hard to get in the US? Last I checked there were two different companies handling distribution in the US and NEITHER of them seem to stock it anywhere! Except for one shop in LA that half the time carries expired bottles! The caffeine high from Club-Mate is such a pleasantly sublime feeling. And you used to…

Try other maté-based drinks, variations of yerba mate beverages can be found in most US grocery stores (with increasing availability over the past several years). I can't stand any of the carbonated ones I've tried in the US, but they are out there.

Re: LackRack: IKEA's cheapest table is perfectly sized to rackmount computers (2020)

#53

Post by thinkling »

toxik wrote: post #46

LACK is not a sturdy piece of furniture. I broke a leg off of one when I snubbed my foot on it; it came apart /at the table/, the whole corner section just came off.

Clearly it should be reinforced with a few 1U cross braces!

Re: LackRack: IKEA's cheapest table is perfectly sized to rackmount computers (2020)

#54

Post by Teever »

buffet_overflow wrote: post #15
bmitc wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lack is made out of super cheap particle board. Is it stable enough to sit the 3D printer on? I would assume it would add some errors to the printing process.

It’s perfectly adequate for stability. People have suspended printers in midair with elastic cables, or printed upside down, and prints have come out fine. The printer frame is providing most of the rigidity in this case. Don’t get me wrong, people that place their printers on spring like things tend to get lower quality prints so there is a limit there. The downside about the IKEA particleboard over hollow cardboard…

Oh boy is this thread relevant to me.

I just bought a concrete paver and neoprene mat to put on top of my lack and I'm printing pieces for my lack enclosure on my ender 3 as I type this message.

One thing I'm not sure about is whether or not I should attach the printer directly to the concrete paver, and/or if I should take the rubber feet off of the printer as well.

If so how do I best attach it?

Re: LackRack: IKEA's cheapest table is perfectly sized to rackmount computers (2020)

#55

Post by some_random »

I feel like everyone else is using a different Lack than I've seen at IKEA, they're made of flimsy fiberboard that feels like it's going to fall apart at any moment. I tried making a printer enclosure and gave up because it felt like it would collapse from a strong breeze. If you're going to put in all this work, you should probably use better materials from the beginning.

Re: LackRack: IKEA's cheapest table is perfectly sized to rackmount computers (2020)

#56

Post by q-big »

In the article linked at the end

> https://spuder.wordpress.com/2013/03/23/lack-rack/

you can read (emphasis by me):

"If you decide to make your own, pay attention to which size lack rack you get. IKEA strangely offers 2 slightly different sizes

22 inch

and

21 5/8 inch."

In my opinion the explanation for this is clear: 22 is a round number in inches and 21 5/8 inch is nearly a round number in centimeters (21,625 inch = 54,9275 cm ≈ 55 cm).

Re: LackRack: IKEA's cheapest table is perfectly sized to rackmount computers (2020)

#57

Post by some_random »

bmitc wrote: post #5
redhal wrote: post #2

Also works great as a 3D printer enclosure https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2864118

Lack is made out of super cheap particle board. Is it stable enough to sit the 3D printer on? I would assume it would add some errors to the printing process.

Not at all in my experience but apparently it's fine for everyone else

Re: LackRack: IKEA's cheapest table is perfectly sized to rackmount computers (2020)

#58

Post by mbreese »

haunter wrote: post #34
jakeinspace wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can find incredibly cheap (nearly free) used servers for pickup if you’re patient. If you have cheap electricity (or better yet, provided with your lease), a 2013-era dual Xeon server is pretty compelling at $50.

Wish I can find an Xserve for that much!

Apple didn’t make that many, so they would be tough to find. And they were a really pain to actually use. I didn’t find them very friendly at all to work with physically. Very polished, but had a feel of being over engineered.

Re: LackRack: IKEA's cheapest table is perfectly sized to rackmount computers (2020)

#59

Post by agloeregrets »

some_random wrote: post #55

I feel like everyone else is using a different Lack than I've seen at IKEA, they're made of flimsy fiberboard that feels like it's going to fall apart at any moment. I tried making a printer enclosure and gave up because it felt like it would collapse from a strong breeze. If you're going to put in all this work, you should probably use better materials from the beginning.

They are stronger than they look. keep in mind that all joints in a lack have no cross brace so the leg-surface joint is actually pretty strong.

The big thing is that a tight install of the legs and adding tension and mounting the hardware helps cross re-enforce them. The examples where people use a second lack top as the bottom are WAY more reenforced than one would expect, you probably could use it as a chair.

Re: LackRack: IKEA's cheapest table is perfectly sized to rackmount computers (2020)

#60

Post by [deleted] »

lastofthemojito wrote: post #21
jiggywiggy wrote: post #14

The ads on this site are bonkers, is this the original article? edit: appeareantly it's a legit site: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boing_Boing . Buzzword seems legit compared to this.

Boing Boing used to be one of the coolest sites on the internet! I think a lot of people still have it bookmarked/RSSed/whatever, so they still keep publishing, but it doesn't feel like a work of love anymore (IMHO). It feels more like someone said "hey, we've got this site that gets a bunch of traffic, it'd be a shame not to monetize it".

[deleted]
Post reply on HN