Multiple expansion card insertion and extraction tool
A device comprises a rail configured to span and detachably couple to a housing. The device includes a plate that engages the housing and a mechanism securing the tool to the housing. The housing contains a printed circuit board configured with at least one row of slots, each slot configured with a retainer mechanism. A jaw assembly slides along the rail over more than one card positioned in the row of slots. The assembly includes a pair of inserts that perform either seating or extracting more than one card positioned in more than one slot. The device includes a lever for biasing the jaw assembly, where the inserts engage a selected one of more than one card positioned in more than one slot and the retainer mechanism for performing either simultaneously seating more than one card into or simultaneously extracting more than one card from more than slot.
1. A device comprising:
a rail configured to span more than one slot coupled to a printed circuit board and detachably coupled to a housing, the printed circuit board retained in the housing, each slot provided with a retainer mechanism for retaining a card in the slot;
a jaw assembly slidable along the rail to position the jaw assembly over a selected slot of the printed circuit board, the jaw assembly including a spacer and a pair of inserts removably attached to opposing ends of the spacer and configured to perform seating and extracting a card in relation to the selected slot; and
a lever for biasing the jaw assembly downwards and perpendicular to the rail, moving the pair of inserts downwards towards the printed circuit board to perform seating and extracting the card in relation to the selected slot.
2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the rail further comprises:
a mounting plate attached to a front end of the rail and a mounting bracket attached to a rear end of the rail, the mounting plate and mounting bracket configured to engage the housing for detachably coupling the device to the housing.
3. The device of claim 2 , further comprising:
an engagement mechanism rotatably coupled to the mounting bracket and configured to slide along a length of the rail, wherein rotating the engagement mechanism in a first direction draws the mounting bracket towards the rail and rotating the engagement mechanism in a second direction moves the mounting bracket away from the rail.
4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the card comprises one of a memory module and an expansion card, and wherein the retainer mechanism comprises a locking clip configured for retaining one of a memory module and an expansion card in the slot.
5. The device of claim 4 , wherein each of the pair of inserts is formed with an end configured for engaging at least one of the memory module, expansion card, and locking clip.
6. A device comprising:
a rail configured to span and detachably couple to a housing, the rail including a mounting plate configured to engage the housing and a mechanism for securing the tool to the housing, the housing containing a printed circuit board configured with at least one row of slots comprising more than one slot, each slot configured with a retainer mechanism for retaining a card in the slot;
a jaw assembly slidable along the rail to position the jaw assembly over a selected slot of the printed circuit board, the jaw assembly including a spacer and a pair of inserts removably attached to opposing ends of the spacer and configured to perform seating and extracting a card in relation to the selected slot; and
a lever for biasing the jaw assembly downwards and perpendicular to the rail, moving the pair of inserts downwards towards the printed circuit board to perform seating and extracting the card in relation to the selected slot.
7. The device of claim 6 , wherein the rail further comprises:
the mounting plate attached to a front end of the rail, the mounting plate including an alignment member dimensioned to be received in notches along a first edge of the housing; and the mechanism for securing the tool to the housing comprises a mounting bracket attached to a rear end of the rail, the mounting bracket configured to engage a second edge and a side of the housing for detachably coupling the device to the housing.
8. The device of claim 7 , further comprising:
an engagement mechanism rotatably coupled to the mounting bracket and configured to slide along a length of the rail for sliding the mounting bracket along a length of the rail, wherein rotating the engagement mechanism in a first direction draws the mounting bracket towards the rail to engage the rail with the second edge and side of the housing to inhibit movement between the housing and rail, and rotating the engagement mechanism in a second direction moves the mounting bracket away from the rail to disengage the rail from the second edge and side of the housing to release the device from the housing.
9. The device of claim 1 , wherein a bottom of each insert is asymmetrically contoured from side-to-side, each insert having:
a first configuration corresponding to a first side of the insert being in direct contact with the spacer, the bottom of the insert having a first profile extending outwards from the spacer;
a second configuration corresponding to a second side of the insert opposite the first side being in direct contact with the spacer, the bottom of the insert having a second profile extending outwards from the spacer that is a mirror reverse of the first profile.
10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the first configuration is used to perform seating of the card into the selected slot, and the second configuration is used to perform extracting the card from the selected.
11. The device of claim 8 , wherein the mounting bracket is configured to slide along the length of the rail for detachably coupling the device to housings having different dimensions.