Patent Publication Number: US-2022225524-A1

Title: Rackmount Systems and Methods

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/135,957 filed on Jan. 11, 2021, and entitled “Rackmount Systems and Methods,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to rackmount systems and methods of using the same for organizing items within a frame. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In some instances, existing control systems connect a series of printed circuit boards by mounting them each onto on a cabinet back panel and connecting them with custom daisy-chained serial cables, off-the-shelf serial cables, ethernet cables, and/or coaxial cables. This arrangement requires a large amount of space to be used due to each board being laid flat within the cabinet. Additionally, multiple cables are required to connect each board within the cabinet. In order to remove a circuit board from the cabinet, the cables are first disconnected, and then the circuit board unsecured from the wall of the cabinet, which is a time-consuming process. Also, a technician having knowledge of the correct placement of the cables can typically be required to be present to ensure a replacement board is installed correctly since multiple cables can be present within the cabinet. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure provide circuit board removal systems and corresponding methods that provide a space-saving arrangement of circuit boards. 
     In an embodiment, a system is provided and can include a frame including a channel arranged in a plate of the frame. A disengagement slider can include a mounting surface and a first portion including a first cam surface, where the disengagement slider is arranged within the frame. A separator can include a second cam surface and can be arranged in the channel of the plate. The first cam surface and the second cam surface can be nested with each other when the disengagement slider is in an inserted position. The disengagement slider can be configured to slide the separator in the longitudinal direction when the disengagement slider is removed from the frame due to the interaction of the first cam surface with the second cam surface. 
     In some embodiments, the first cam surface can include a first protrusion and a second protrusion spaced apart from the first protrusion. In other embodiments, a first linear surface can be arranged between the first and second protrusions. In some embodiments, the second cam surface can include a first indentation and a second indentation spaced apart from the first indentation. In other embodiments, a second linear surface can be arranged between the first and second indentations. 
     In some embodiments, in an inserted position, the first projection of the disengagement slider can be arranged within the first indentation of the separator, the second projection of the disengagement slider can be arranged within the second indentation of the separator, and the second linear surface of the separator can be aligned with the first linear surface of the disengagement slider. In other embodiments, in a removed position, the first cam surface can be configured to slide along the second cam surface in a removal direction, and the first projection of the disengagement slider can be configured to contact the second linear surface of the separator. 
     In some embodiments, when the first projection of the disengagement slider contacts the second linear surface of the separator, the separator can be configured to contact and move a plurality of disengagement sliders and separators arranged on the opposite side of the separator from the disengagement slider in the longitudinal direction within the frame. 
     In some embodiments, the system can further comprise a printed circuit board including a first connector arranged on a first side of the printed circuit board and a second connector arranged on a second side of the printed circuit board, where the printed circuit board can be mounted to a baseplate, where the baseplate can be mounted to the mounting surface of the disengagement slider. In other embodiments, the baseplate can include a tab arranged within a slot of the disengagement slider, and the tab can abut the disengagement slider within the slot when the disengagement slider is pulled in a removal direction. 
     In some embodiments, a plurality of printed circuit boards can be each arranged on the plurality of disengagement sliders. In the inserted position, the plurality of printed circuit boards are communicatively connected to each other via the first connectors securing to adjacent second connectors of adjacent printed circuit boards. In the removed position, the printed circuit board can be arranged on the disengagement slider being slid in the removal direction disconnects from adjacent printed circuit boards while the remaining plurality of printed circuit boards remain communicatively connected with each other via the first and second connectors. 
     In some embodiments, a method of circuit board removal is provided. The method can include sliding a disengagement slider in a removal direction out of a frame, where the disengagement slider includes a first cam surface. The method can further include sliding a separator in a longitudinal direction within the frame, where the separator includes a second cam surface. The first cam surface and the second cam surface can be nested with each other when the disengagement slider is in an inserted position. The disengagement slider can be configured to slide the separator in the longitudinal direction when the disengagement slider is slid in the removal direction due to the interaction of the first cam surface with the second cam surface. 
     In some embodiments, the method can further comprise decoupling a connector of a printed circuit board arranged on the disengagement slider when the separator is slid in the longitudinal direction. 
     In some embodiments, the first cam surface can include a first protrusion, a second protrusion, and a first linear surface arranged between the first and second protrusions. In other embodiments, the second cam surface can include a first indentation, a second indentation, and a second linear surface arranged between the first and second indentations. 
     In some embodiments, in an inserted position, the first projection of the disengagement slider can be arranged within the first indentation of the separator, the second projection of the disengagement slider can be arranged within the second indentation of the separator, and the second linear surface of the separator can be aligned with the first linear surface of the disengagement slider. In other embodiments, in a removed position, the first cam surface can be configured to slide along the second cam surface in a removal direction, and the first projection of the disengagement slider can be configured to contact the second linear surface of the separator. 
     In some embodiments, when the first projection of the disengagement slider contacts the second linear surface of the separator, the separator can be configured to contact and move a plurality of disengagement sliders and separators arranged on the opposite side of the separator from the disengagement slider in the longitudinal direction within the frame. 
     In some embodiments, the baseplate can include a tab arranged within a slot of the disengagement slider. In other embodiments, the tab can abut the disengagement slider within the slot when the disengagement slider is pulled in a removal direction. 
     In some embodiments, the method can further include sliding the disengagement slider in an installation direction into the frame, where the installation direction is opposite the removal direction, pivoting a compression handle in order to abut an adjacent disengagement slider or an adjacent separator, and sliding the separator in a second longitudinal direction within the frame, where the second longitudinal direction is opposite the first longitudinal direction. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       These and other features will be more readily understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating one exemplary implementation of a rackmount system including printed circuit boards (PCBs); 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating one exemplary implementation of the PCBs of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating one exemplary implementation of a base plate of the rackmount system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4A  is a perspective view illustrating a base plate assembly of the rackmount system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4B  is a perspective view illustrating the base plate assembly of  FIG. 4A ; 
         FIG. 5A  is a perspective view illustrating one exemplary implementation of a disengagement slider of the rackmount system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5B  is a perspective view illustrating the disengagement slider of  FIG. 5A ; 
         FIG. 6A  is a perspective view illustrating one exemplary implementation of a disengagement slider assembly of the rackmount system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6B  is a perspective view illustrating the disengagement slider assembly of  FIG. 6A ; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view illustrating one exemplary implementation of a separator of the rackmount system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view illustrating the disengagement slider assembly of  FIG. 6A  interacting with the separator of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view illustrating one exemplary implementation of a stopper of the rackmount system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view illustrating one exemplary implementation of a compression handle of the rackmount system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a partial perspective view illustrating the rackmount system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 12A  is a partial top view illustrating the rackmount system of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 12B  is a partial top view illustrating the rackmount system of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a partial perspective view illustrating another exemplary implementation of a rackmount system; 
         FIG. 14A  is a perspective view illustrating a disengagement slider assembly removal from the rackmount system of  FIG. 13 ; 
         FIG. 14B  is a perspective view further illustrating the disengagement slider assembly removal of  FIG. 14A ; 
         FIG. 15A  is a front view illustrating the disengagement slider assembly removal from the rackmount system of  FIG. 13 ; 
         FIG. 15B  is a front view further illustrating the disengagement slider assembly removal of  FIG. 15A ; and 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view illustrating the disengagement slider assembly removal from the rackmount system of  FIG. 13 . 
     
    
    
     It is noted that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. The drawings are intended to depict only typical aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein, and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the disclosure. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Mounting systems for printed circuit boards (PCBs) can be used to arrange the PCBs in an organized arrangement, such as securing the PCBs to the wall of a cabinet so each PCB can be accessed. In general, the characteristics of a cabinet mounted PCB system will lead to wasted space and the complexity of having various cables within the cabinet to connect each of the PCBs to one another. Accordingly, improved rackmount systems and methods for removing a PCB from a rackmount system are provided. The improved rackmount system can include stacked PCBs each secured within individual disengagement sliders, which allow for ease of removal of a single PCB from the rackmount system. As a result, such systems and methods employ a slider system that when the disengagement slider, which has the PCB mounted to a base plate arranged within the disengagement slider, is pulled in a removal direction, a cam surface of the disengagement slider will interact with cam surfaces of the frame and adjacent disengagement slider assemblies in order to disconnect the PCB from adjacent PCBs while leaving the remaining PCBs within the system connected and operating. The advantage of having stacked PCBs within a system reduces the footprint of the system as a whole. Additionally, by having the PCBs stacked in such a way that allows for simple removal or replacement while allowing the other PCBs in the system to remain functional increases the maintenance efficiency of the system. 
     Implementations of the present disclosure are primarily discussed in the context of PCBs such as input/output cards (IO cards), but can be used for any type of PCB or electronic device. However, it can be understood that implementations of the present disclosure can also be employed in mounting systems which can include stacked, flat objects, which can be stored within a frame. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates one exemplary implementation of a rackmount system  100  containing a frame  102 . The single frame  102  can include all the components for a control system, or can be a subsystem of a larger system, where the frame is mounted in a larger mounting system. In an exemplary implementation, the frame  102  can be designed to hold various electrical components of a control system, such as a controller  104 , a power supply  106 , and a plurality of PCBs  110 . The frame  102  can also hold terminal blocks, circuit breakers, fuses, network switches, or other control system equipment. The frame  102  can further include a top plate  108  and a bottom plate (not shown), including channels  109 A and  109 B, which can be used to secure PCBs  110  within the frame  102 . In an exemplary implementation, the bottom plate can be identical to the top plate  108 . In order to keep the PCBs  110  secured within the frame, a compression handle  115  is pivotally secured to the frame in order to keep the PCBs in a stacked configuration and prevent movement in the longitudinal direction along the X-axis. In an exemplary implementation, the compression handle  115  can be secured in a compressed state via pins, clips, captive screws, press-fit connections, spring plungers, or the like. Additionally, front plates  112  can be secured to the frame  102  to hold circuit board terminal blocks. In an exemplary implementation, the PCBs  110  can include pluggable (removable) terminal blocks that are used to wire additional equipment to the control system. The front plates  112  can allow the removal and reinstallation of the pluggable terminal blocks and wiring for a single PCB  110  at the same time for easier maintenance. The front plates  112  can also support functional earth grounding. In an exemplary implementation, the frame is made from a metallic material, but can be made from various other rigid materials such as plastic. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates one exemplary implementation of the PCBs  110  of  FIG. 1 . In an exemplary implementation, the PCB  110  can be an IO card for a control system. However, any type of PCB can be used within the rackmount system  100 . The PCB  110  can include a board  113  having connectors  114  and connectors  116 , which are arranged on the opposite side of the board  113 . In an exemplary implementation, the connectors  114  and  116  can be different types of connectors. The arrangement of the connectors  114  and connectors  116  allows for the stacking configuration of the PCBs  110 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . The stacking configuration of the PCBs  110  can allow for communicatively connecting and powering the PCBs  110  without the need of additional cables between each PCB  110 . Additionally, the PCB  110  can include integrated circuits or microchips  118  arranged on the board  113 . In order to secure the PCB  110  to a mounting surface, holes  120  are formed within the board  113 . 
     A base plate  122  can allow for the PCBs  110  to each be mounted to a single base plate  122 . Due to the design of the base plate  122 , any type of PCB  110  can be mounted to the base plate  122  and used within the rackmount system  100 , regardless of the dimensions of the PCBs  110 .  FIG. 3  illustrates one exemplary implementation of a base plate  122  of the rackmount system  100  of  FIG. 1 . The base plate  122  can include a mounting surface  124  which a PCB  110  can be mounted to. In some implementations, the PCB  110  can be spaced away from the mounting surface  124  by spacers. The base plate  122  can also include slots  126 , which can allow the connectors  114 ,  116  to pass through the base plate  122  to connect to adjacent PCBs  110 . In order for the base plate  122  to interact with a disengagement slider assembly (described below), a bar  127  is secured to the base plate  122 . The bar  127  includes a proximal end  127 A and a distal end  127 B. A tab  128  extends from both the proximal and distal ends  127 A,  127 B further than the edge of the base plate  122 . A hole  133  is arranged on the proximal end  127 A, which is configured to receive a bolt  127  to secure the bar  127  to the base plate  122 . Additionally, a fork-end  129  is arranged at the distal end  127 B and include a gap  130 , which is configured to slid around the bolts  131  passing through the base plate  122  from the opposite side. The tabs  128  can extend further than the top surface of each side of the base plate  122  along the Y-axis. In an exemplary implementation, the base plate includes holes  130 , which are aligned with the holes  120  of the PCB  110  to allow mounting of the PCB  110  to the base plate  122 . In some embodiments, the base plate also includes an aperture  135  that is configured to allow access to terminals and connectors arranged on a PCB  110  secured to the base plate  122 . 
     The base plate assembly  132  is formed from mounting a PCB  110  to the base plate  122 .  FIGS. 4A-4B  illustrate a base plate assembly  132  of the rackmount system of  FIG. 1 . As depicted, the connectors  114 ,  116  are arranged within the slots  126  allowing for adjacent PCBs  110  to be connected to one another. The PCB  110  is secured to the base plate  122  by bolts  131 , which are arranged within the holes  120  and  130 . Additionally, in exemplary implementations, the PCB  110  can further include removable terminal blocks  117 , which can allow for multiple cable connections between the PCBs  110  and other external components outside of the rackmount system  100 . It should be appreciated that the PCBs  110  of the rackmount system  100  can be secured on either side of the base plates  122 . 
     In order to be able to remove the PCBs  110  of the rackmount system  100  with ease, the PCBs  110  themselves are not permanently secured within the frame  102 . The PCBs  110  are instead mounted within individual disengagement sliders  134 , which allow the PCBs  110  to be slid out of the frame  102  in along the Z-axis. However, due to the stacked configuration of the PCBs  110 , with adjacent connectors  114 ,  116  of each PCB  110  secured to each other, the sliding action of removing the PCB  110  from the frame  102  can also disconnect the connectors  114 ,  116  of the PCBs  110  adjacent to the PCB  110  being removed.  FIGS. 5A-5B  illustrates one exemplary implementation of a disengagement slider  134  of the rackmount system  100  of  FIG. 1 . The disengagement slider  134  can include a body  136 , a top portion  138 , and a bottom portion  140 . In some implementations, the top portion  138  and the bottom portion  140  have a substantially similar shape, which is designed to disconnect connectors  114 ,  116  of adjacent PCBs  110  during removal of a PCB  110 . The body  136  can extend between the top portion  138  and the bottom portion  140 , and can include a slot  142  and a handle  145 . The slot  142  can allow the connectors  114 ,  116  to pass through the disengagement slider  134  in order to connect with an adjacent PCB  110 . The handle  134  can aid in pulling the disengagement slider  134  from the frame  102  during a removal process. 
     Further depicted in  FIGS. 5A-5B , the top portion  138  can include a cam surface  143  and is generally of an hourglass shape. The cam surface  143  can include projections  144  and projections  148 , which can be separated along the Z-axis. In-between the projections  144 ,  148  can be linear surfaces  146 , which extend along the Z-axis. A distance of D 1  is formed between the projections  144 , a distance of D 2  is formed between the surfaces  146 , and a distance of D 3  is formed between the projections  148 . In an exemplary implementation, the distances D 1  and D 3  are larger than the distance D 2 . Additionally, the distances D 1  and D 3  can be substantially similar or identical. Similar to the top portion  138 , the bottom portion  140  can include a cam surface  154  having projections  156  and  160 , with liner surfaces  158  arranged in-between the projections  156 ,  158 . In exemplary implementations, the projections  144  of the top portion  138  are aligned with the projections  156  of the bottom portion  140  along the Y-axis, the projections  148  of the top portion  138  are aligned with the projections  160  of the bottom portion  140  along the Y-axis, and the linear surfaces  146  of the top portions  138  are aligned with the linear surfaces  158  of the bottom portions  140  in the Y-axis. The location of the projections  144 ,  148 ,  156 ,  158  and surfaces  146 ,  158  allow for the disengagement slider to nest with adjacent separators (described below) when in an installed position, but allow cam surfaces  142 ,  154  to slide along a separator along the Z-axis in order to arrange the projections  144 ,  156  to disconnect the connectors  114 ,  116  of adjacent PCBs  110  during removal of a PCB  110 . In addition to the projections and surfaces on the top portion  138 , the top portion  138  also includes a slot  152  and a channel (not shown) arranged in the top portion  138  along the Z-axis. Additionally, the bottom portion  140  also includes a slot  162  and a channel  164  arranged in the bottom portion  140  along the Z-axis. 
     The slots  152 ,  162  and the channel  164  allow for the base plate assembly  132  to be arranged within the disengagement slider  134  and slide along the Z-axis.  FIGS. 6A-6B  are perspective views illustrating one exemplary implementation of a disengagement slider assembly  170  of the rackmount system  100  of  FIG. 1 . The base plate assembly  132  can be arranged within the disengagement slider  134  in order to form the disengagement slider assembly  170 . The top and bottom edges of the base plate  122  can be arranged within the channel of the top portion  138  and the channel  164  of the bottom portion  140 . The tabs  128  of the base plate  122  can be arranged in the slot  152  of the top portion  138  and the slot  162  of the bottom portion  140 . The tabs  128  can allow the base plate  122 , with the PCB  110  attached, to be caught by the disengagement slider  134  when the disengagement slider is slid along the Z-axis in a removal direction. In an installed position, the tabs  128  are not abutting the ends of the slots  152 ,  162 . However, during a removal of the disengagement slider assembly  170 , the disengagement slider  134  is pulled along the Z-axis in the removal direction RD, which allows the disengagement slider  134  to move relative to the PCB  110  and the base plate  122  along the Z-axis. As the disengagement slider  134  moves relative to the base plate  122 , the slots  152 ,  162  move along the tabs  122  until the tabs  122  reach the ends of the slots  152 ,  162 . As the tabs  122  abut the ends of the slots  152 ,  162 , the base plate  122  will then also begin to slide in the removal direction RD along the Z-axis, with the PCB  110  attached to the base plate  122 . 
     In addition to allowing easy removal of a PCB  110  from the frame  102  via the disengagement slider  134 , the rackmount system  100  can also disconnect the PCB  110  being removed from the adjacent PCBs  110  on either side of the removed PCB  110 . The removal of the PCB  110  and the disconnecting of the PCB  110  can be accomplished through one sliding motion along the Z-axis.  FIG. 7  illustrates one exemplary implementation of a separator  172  of the rackmount system  100  of  FIG. 1 . The separator  172  can be arranged between adjacent disengagement slider assemblies  170  within the frame  102  of the rackmount system  100 . The separator  172  can include tabs  176 , which can be arranged within the channels  109 A,  109 B of the top plate  108  of the frame  102 , to allow the separator  172  to slide within the channels  109 A,  109 B. The separator  172  can also include a cam surface  174 , which can interact with the cam surfaces  143 ,  154  of the disengagement slider  134 . The cam surface  174  can include indentations  178 , linear surfaces  180 , and indentations  182 . The linear surfaces  180  can be arranged between the indentations  178  and the indentations  182  along the Z-axis. 
     In exemplary implementations, the separator  172  can be designed to nest with the top portion  138  and the bottom portion  140  of the disengagement slider  134 .  FIG. 8  illustrates the disengagement slider assembly  170  of  FIG. 6A  interacting with the separator  172  of  FIG. 7 . As depicted in  FIG. 7 , the projections  144 ,  148 ,  156 ,  160  nest within the indentations  178 ,  182  of the separators  172  in an installed position. Additionally, the linear surfaces  146 ,  158  abut the linear surfaces  180  in an installed position. Due to the location of the projections  144 ,  148 ,  156 ,  160  and indentations  178 ,  182 , the connectors  114 ,  116  of adjacent PCBs  110  are connected to one another since adjacent PCBs  110  are the closest to each other along the X-axis in an installed position. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates one exemplary implementation of a stopper  186  of the rackmount system  100  of  FIG. 1 . The stopper  186  is substantially similar to only half of a separator  172 , and is arranged at the end of the frame  102 . The stopper  186  does not move linearly within the channels  109 A,  109 B during a removal of a PCB  110 , unlike the disengagement slider assemblies  170  and separators  172  which can slide within the channels  109 A,  109 B. The stopper  186  can include tabs  190 , which can allow the stopper  186  to be secured within the channels  109 A,  109 B. The stopper  186  can also include a cam surface  192 , including an indentation  194 , a linear surface  196 , and an indentation  198 . The projections  144 ,  148 ,  156 ,  160  nest within the indentations  194 ,  196 , and the linear surfaces  146 ,  148  abut the linear surface  196  in an installed position. The cam surface  192  can be used to produce the same interactions as the separators  172  on disengagement slider assemblies  170  during removal and reinstallation. In an exemplary implementation, the stopper  186  can also include mounting holes  197  and/or other fastening mechanisms to secure the stopper  186  to the frame  102 . The stopper  186  can be used to modify the number of PCBs  110  in a system by extending or limiting the channel lengths and available footprint within the frame  102 . The tabs  190  can be used to plug the end of the channels  109 A,  109 B. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates one exemplary implementation of a compression handle  214  of the rackmount system  100 . The compression handle  214 , similar to the compression handle  115 , is used to compress the plurality of disengagement slider assemblies  170  and separators  172  along the X-axis within the frame  102 . The compression handle  214  can include portions  216  connected by a handle  218 . Tabs  220  are arranged on the portions  216  and extend inward along the Y-axis in order to contact the first disengagement slider assembly  170  and/or the tabs  176  arranged within the frame  102 . The screws  222  secure the compression handle  214  to the frame  102  and allow the compression handle  214  to pivot at the screws  222 . As depicted in  FIG. 11 , in order to increase compression of the disengagement slider assemblies  170 , the compression handle can be pivoted towards the disengagement slider assemblies  170  to compress them all together within the frame. In order to remove a PCB  110  from the frame, the compression handle  214  can be pivoted away from the disengagement slider assemblies  170  to allow the disengagement slider assemblies  170  and separators  172  to slide within the channels  109 A,  109 B. 
       FIGS. 12A-12B  illustrate a plurality of disengagement slider assemblies  170  and separators  172  in an installed position within the frame  102 . The top plate  108  has been removed in  FIG. 12A  for clarity. As depicted in the  FIGS. 12A-12B , the top portions  138  of the disengagement sliders  134  nest within adjacent separators  172  in order to minimize the distance between adjacent disengagement slider assemblies  170  so that the PCBs  110  of the adjacent disengagement slider assemblies  170  can communicatively connect to one another via connectors  114 ,  116 . Additionally, as depicted in the figure, the tabs  128  of the baseplate assemblies  132  are arranged within the slots  152  of the disengagement sliders  134 . 
     Instead of a base plate  108 , the frame can include other structures to form channels to allow the separators  172  to slide within the frame during a removal procedure. For example, in an exemplary implementation, instead of including channels directly in the frame  102 , the channels can be formed in separate plastic parts that are then mounted to the frame  102 . Even further,  FIG. 13  illustrates another embodiment of a rackmount system  200 . The rackmount system  200  includes a frame  202 , which is substantially similar to the frame  102 . However, the frame  202  includes top rail  204 A having channel  206 A, and top rail  204 B, having top rail  206 B. The top rail  204 A can be spaced apart from the top rail  204 B along the Z-axis. As depicted in the figure, in order to begin a removal process of a PCB  110  from the frame  202 , the compression handle  115  can be pivoted away from the first disengagement slider  134  in the frame  202 . 
     With the compression handle  115  pivoted to reduce the compression on the disengagement slider assemblies  170  and separators  172 , the separators  172  can slide within channels  206 A,  206 B.  FIGS. 14A-14B  illustrates the removal of a disengagement slider assembly  170  from the rackmount system  200 . To begin, the disengagement slider  134  can be slid in a removal direction RD along the Z-axis. As the disengagement slider  134  begins to move in the removal direction RD the cam surfaces  143 ,  154  of the disengagement slider  134  begin to slide along and relative to the cam surfaces  174  of the separators  172 . As depicted in  FIG. 14B , the projections  144  begin to abut against the linear surface  180  of the separator  172 . This contact of the projections  144  with the linear surface  180  cause a gap G 1  to form between separators arranged in the channels  206 A,  206 B. The gap G 1  is representative of the separators  172  sliding along the channels  206 A,  206 B in order to create enough space between disengagement slider assemblies  170  to disconnect adjacent PCBs  110  and to slide the PCB  110  from the frame  202 . 
       FIGS. 15A-15B  illustrate front views of frame  202  during the removal procedure of a disengagement slider assembly  170 . As the disengagement slider is pulled further in the removal direction RD, a gap G 2  between adjacent disengagement slider assemblies  170  will continue to increase. The gap G 2  will increase until the maximum projection of the projection  144  is contacting the linear surfaces  180  of the separator  172 . As depicted in  FIG. 15B , a gap G 3  can form on one side of the PCB  110 , and a gap G 4  can from on the opposite side of the PCB  110 . In an exemplary implementation, the gaps G 3  and G 4  can be identical due to the symmetrical design of the disengagement slider  134 . Once the projections  144  are fully in contact with the linear surfaces  180 , the gaps G 3  and G 4  are at their maximum length. 
     At the maximum length, the connectors  114 ,  116  of adjacent PCBs  110  are disconnected from one another, allowing the disengagement slider assembly  170  to be pulled out of the frame  202  without disrupting the adjacent PCBs  110 .  FIG. 16  illustrates the disengagement slider assembly  170  being fully removed from the frame  202 . With the disengagement slider assembly  170  fully removed from the frame  202 , the PCB  110  can be replaced or repaired before being reinstalled within the frame  102 , and then the compression handle  115  can be pivoted to push the disengagement slider assemblies  170  back together. In an exemplary embodiment, after a disengagement slider assembly  170  is removed from the frame  202 , the remaining disengagement slider assemblies  170  can be slid back along the channels  206 A,  206 B in order to connect the PCBs  110  which were adjacent to the removed PCB  110  without reinstalling the removed disengagement slider assembly  170 . The disengagement slider assemblies  170  and the separators  172  are slid into contact with each other by pivoting the compression handle  115  to contact the first disengagement slider assembly  170 . 
     It is important to note that this removal procedure can be accomplished without turning off or deactivating the other PCBs  110  within the rackmount system  200 . Each stacked PCB  110  receives power and data through the connectors  114 ,  116 , starting with the PCB  110  adjacent to the power supply  106 . Additionally, the PCB  110  furthest away from the power supply  106  is connected back to the controller  104  and power supply  106  through a cable connected to the open connector  114 ,  116  on the last PCB  110 . Additionally, the process can be reversed to reinsert a PCB  110  into the frame  202 , with a disengagement slider assembly  170  creating the gaps required between adjacent separators  172  to create enough space to insert the disengagement slider assembly  170 . Once inserted, the compression handle  115  can be pivoted to connect the stacked PCBs  110 . 
     Certain exemplary implementations have been described to provide an overall understanding of the principles of the structure, function, manufacture, and use of the systems, devices, and methods disclosed herein. One or more examples of these implementations have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will understand that the systems, devices, and methods specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting exemplary implementations and that the scope of the present invention is defined solely by the claims. The features illustrated or described in connection with one exemplary implementation may be combined with the features of other implementations. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention. Further, in the present disclosure, like-named components of the implementations generally have similar features, and thus within a particular implementation each feature of each like-named component is not necessarily fully elaborated upon. 
     Approximating language, as used herein throughout the specification and claims, may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term or terms, such as “about,” “approximately,” and “substantially,” are not to be limited to the precise value specified. In at least some instances, the approximating language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the value. Here and throughout the specification and claims, range limitations may be combined and/or interchanged, such ranges are identified and include all the sub-ranges contained therein unless context or language indicates otherwise. 
     One skilled in the art will appreciate further features and advantages of the invention based on the above-described implementations. Accordingly, the present application is not to be limited by what has been particularly shown and described, except as indicated by the appended claims. All publications and references cited herein are expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety.