What is a DATACOVER ? A Datacover is a shield or cover that goes over one or more critical switches or controls to prevent accidental activation. Very similar to a thermostat cover. It keeps people from touching the critical switch, which if bumped or tampered with would have serious consequences to the operation, like shutting off all power to a Datacenter or computer room. Datacovers can be made to cover switches and controls, not only on walls, but on machine panels or computer equipment. They come in all sizes and shapes, including hinged, lift up, see through, and open bottom. See our Design Your Own page for more information on possible Datacover configurations. What are they made of ? Datacovers are normally made out of 3 mm thick clear acrylic plastic. On request they can be made out of a smoke or tinted acrylic plastic, or out of an unbreakable type plastic that looks like clear acrylic. The unbreakable option is a little more expensive than the standard material. Are they expensive ? Relative to the accident that they can prevent, the cost is nothing. A typical Datacover of medium size (4x6x6) is approximately $30 US. Because most Datacovers are custom made, ask for a quotation before assuming what the price may be. You can view our Power Switch, Mainframe and Midrange pages to get an idea of price. The prices shown are for clear acrylic covers. The unbreakable covers cost about 50% more. What if I can't find the one I need ? No problem, we will custom make it for you to your specifications. You can email us (sales@datacover.com), call us for design assistance (800-445-8296) or fax (248-717-0898) us a sketch of the cover you need. If, it is not complex and is like one of our standard styles, just tell us the A, B, C dimensions. Can I design my own ? Yes, of course. Select one of the styles on our Design Your Own page, and tell us the A, B, C dimensions. Do you have hinged covers ? Yes. The covers can be hinged on top or bottom or right or left, depending on the design of course. All hinged covers must have at least a one inch height (B dimension). This is required for attachment of the hinge. Several of our standard design styles are hinged. We have Flat Hinged, Raised Hinged, Enclosed Hinged, and Enclosed-Open Bottom Hinged covers. How do they attach ? Most of the Datacovers attach to your equipment or facility using Velcro strips. Half of the Velcro is on the cover, and half stays on the equipment. Always make sure you have room for the 3/8" Velcro strips on your equipment when specifying a Datacover. The Hinged covers attach using a strip of double sided mounting tape. Because they are hinged, they do not need to be removed, just flipped up or opened. Can I get more Velcro ? Any time your Velcro needs to be replaced on a Datacover, just give us a call (800-445-8296) or email us, and we will send you replacement Velcro. Unless the volume of Velcro is very large, there will not be any charge other than the postage or UPS/FedEx shipping fee. Does it cost more for a custom designed cover ? Yes and No. If you are ordering just one, the cost will be slightly higher than if you order 10 or more. This is because we have to make a drawing for your cover and build a set up fixture to manufacture it. These costs will be included in the price of the cover. Orders for more than 10 pieces will cover these expenses, so the cost per cover will be slightly less. Are they durable and how long do they last ? Normally the Datacover, once installed will last a lifetime. The roughest period of time for a Datacover is the shipping journey. UPS and most other carries are brutal towards small packages. We do our best to pack them so they will not break during shipment. If they do arrive broken, we will replace them at no charge. If you think your Datacover is going to get a lot of abuse in its environment, then specify that you want them made of the unbreakable plastic. The cost is about 50% more. When made of the unbreakable plastic, they are able to withstand great amounts of punishment. Is there a limit to the size ? Yes. We have found that if a Datacover is larger than 24 inches in any one dimension, the chance of it surviving the shipping journey is slim. We will not take an order for covers larger than 24 inches. Are the covers listed in stock ? We have hundreds of stock designs, but all Datacovers are made to order. You can see a sketch of the covers we have made by using our Product List page or the drop down menus for Datacover at the top of the page. It normally takes about a week for us to finish the design of your cover and to produce them. In some cases, for the more popular covers, we occasionally will have some finished stock available, but not as a general rule. What if I do not like them? We use a number of tools to help with design and ensure proper fitment before production ever starts. However, these are custom pieces and if an error is made with design type or dimensions after all has been confirmed we would not be able to accept a return. So please be sure to ask questions or state concerns before we start production of your parts.