any good sources for the rubber bits for Supermicro 846 chassis?

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BLinux

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I'm rebuilding a Supermicro 846 chassis. Noticed most of the rubber bits are dried up and falling apart. I'm talking about the rubber bits like the 2.5" drive cage damping mounts/grommets, the wire pass-thru grommets underneath the fan-wall, etc. I don't have to have the exact part that supermicro uses, just something that would work/function well as a substitute.
 

frogtech

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Jan 4, 2016
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At a minimum I suggest calling Supermicro when they are open and press the number for technical support. If you give them the model number of your chassis like CSE-SC846-R1200B and just describe that you're looking for the part number for the rubber grommets so you can order some from RMA they should be able to help you out. The people who answer the phone are actually rather decent at getting the info. For example the top cover part number isn't listed for the tower chassis but all I had to do is describe it as "the thing you remove when you convert a tower for rackmount" and they knew exactly what I meant. Next thing I had an order in with the RMA dept for the parts, very cheap too.
 

BLinux

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Jul 7, 2016
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At a minimum I suggest calling Supermicro when they are open and press the number for technical support. If you give them the model number of your chassis like CSE-SC846-R1200B and just describe that you're looking for the part number for the rubber grommets so you can order some from RMA they should be able to help you out. The people who answer the phone are actually rather decent at getting the info. For example the top cover part number isn't listed for the tower chassis but all I had to do is describe it as "the thing you remove when you convert a tower for rackmount" and they knew exactly what I meant. Next thing I had an order in with the RMA dept for the parts, very cheap too.
thanks.. i did send an email to Supermicro support but haven't heard back. I'll give them a call next week too and see what options they can offer.
 

Patrick

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I am bad. I usually look at the part list. If I cannot find it I usually just use it as an opportunity to upgrade
 
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BLinux

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I am bad. I usually look at the part list. If I cannot find it I usually just use it as an opportunity to upgrade
LOL... i guess it depends on one's objective... the virtue of this project is the restoration and re-use of old stuff to make something nice and functional on a small budget. "upgrading" would defeat that point for me.
 

BLinux

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At a minimum I suggest calling Supermicro when they are open and press the number for technical support. If you give them the model number of your chassis like CSE-SC846-R1200B and just describe that you're looking for the part number for the rubber grommets so you can order some from RMA they should be able to help you out. The people who answer the phone are actually rather decent at getting the info. For example the top cover part number isn't listed for the tower chassis but all I had to do is describe it as "the thing you remove when you convert a tower for rackmount" and they knew exactly what I meant. Next thing I had an order in with the RMA dept for the parts, very cheap too.
i guess either you were lucky or i'm particularly unlucky today. Supermicro basically said I should just buy a new chassis.... LOL. I may try again another day and hope to get someone else who might be more helpful...
 

Rand__

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Lol, my ashtray is full so I'm gonna buy a new car...
Had the same question - will try to ask Europe support, they usually are helpful:)
 
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Rand__

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They said to drop an email to RMA team with pics of what I need. Will do that and update:)
 
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BLinux

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just wanted to follow up with this....

first, i gave up trying to find a replacement for the wire pass-thru hole grommets below the fan wall. the shape is a bit unusual and the sheet metal is folded over to make a smooth edge there anyway. the only disadvantage, albeit i think a small one, is that it allows air to back flow if there's enough pressure in the rear; but that's unlikely with the rear fans pulling air out the back.

I was however, seriously needing the rubber mounts around the screws with shoulders that hold the dual 2.5" HDD/SSD mounting bracket once I was shown a solution to use it with my extra-wide X9DR3-LN4F+ (Supermicro 846 chassis boot drive options with X9 motherboard) and the fan wall. I took some measurements and then went hunting for something that might work. After some trial and errors, I think I found something that worked:

IMG_20170618_133930.jpg

Here they are installed on the bracket:

IMG_20170618_133849.jpg

I'm actually very happy with this. The tiny grommets for the bottom of the bracket fit better than the original ones. I measured the size of the studs on the floor of the chassis and tried to find something that fit well and these were just that. The original rubber piece seemed a little too large, but still worked. I'm really happy with the rubber piece for the shoulder screws at the top of the bracket; that one was hard to find as it required a square shoulder and since that is the same screw that holds the fan carrier bracket to the fan wall, I'm pretty sure (haven't tested yet) I can use the same part for that too.

Here are the dimensions:

lower grommet:

Diameter=1/4"
Inner Diameter=0.100"
Outer Diameter=21/64"
Thickness=0.061"

upper grommet for shoulder screws:

Diameter=1/4"
Inner Diameter=3/16"
Outer Diameter=0.386"
Thickness=0.2"
Square shoulder

In the end, I may have spent just as much as buying a new bracket that would have come with new rubber mounts since i had to buy some of these things in bulk. But, at least now I'm not held hostage to buying the entire dual 2.5" HDD/SDD mounting kit whenever these mounts go bad, and I also can use them for the fan wall (which Supermicro suggested I get a new chassis!) as well! I've also got a life-time supply of these things now!LOL
 
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Rand__

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Great:)
I am still pursuing my quest :)
SM Europe support told me to go to RMA. RMA first told me that my chassis' are out of warranty and that I am out of luck. I o/c said "I'll pay" and then they said "Oh, we don't even know whether these are for sale individually". They started inquiring ... time passed ... and they contacted *their* vendor to get me a few :O Have no pricing nor actual confirmation but looking pretty good.

Totally happy with them so far for being so helpful !
 

BLinux

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well, as i suspected, the same grommets i used for the dual 2.5" mounting bracket also work for the fan wall. It takes 6 of the smaller ones and 2 of the larger ones for the shoulder screws. the fit is fantastic, even better than the original ones. the fan carrier bracket fits so snug on to the fan wall base bracket that you almost feel like the screws are unnecessary!
 

Rand__

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So just got an email and inbound delivery notice that Supermicro will send me the parts free of charge as special RMA.
Not sure how transferable that is to other requests but really excellent customer service in my case !
 
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BLinux

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Jul 7, 2016
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So just got an email and inbound delivery notice that Supermicro will send me the parts free of charge as special RMA.
Not sure how transferable that is to other requests but really excellent customer service in my case !
LOL!! I'm envious... wish that was the case for me!
 

Rand__

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Yeah , really weird they don't have a consistent strategy there. Surly we can't be the first to ask for replacement parts for these...