OT: SATA Drive Enclosures?

Just discovered that my four "MyBook" drives run *hot*.... like
high fifties C.

These are 500-gig drives that I use for rotating backups.

Put up a post in the XP group about maybe just stripping off the
"book cover" part of the enclosure and running them naked -
slipping the cover back on for storage.

Failing that, has anybody got a scheme for managing a series of
backup drives?

Looks like the obvious path is somewhere between $50 and $80 per
housing.

But it seems like the SATA power and cable interfaces lend
themselves well to maybe a single housing that is designed for a
raw drive to just slide in and out of. That being the case, the
raw drive could be stored/transported in a static bag or maybe
some folded/taped bubble wrap.

The basic requirement is multiple backups that can be stored
offsite. There is too much data for my bandwidth to use a
cloud solution.

Anybody got some out-of-the-box thinking on this subject?



--
PeteCresswell

Per (PeteCresswell):

>But it seems like the SATA power and cable interfaces lend
>themselves well to maybe a single housing that is designed for a
>raw drive to just slide in and out of. That being the case, the
>raw drive could be stored/transported in a static bag or maybe
>some folded/taped bubble wrap.

Here's one that I'd probably buy if:

- It kept the temp below 42 C

- Removing the drive didn't involve digging it
out with one's fingers - i.e. that little door
somehow extracted the drive an inch or so.
--
PeteCresswell

(PeteCresswell) wrote:
> Just discovered that my four "MyBook" drives run *hot*.... like
> high fifties C.
>
> These are 500-gig drives that I use for rotating backups.
>
> Put up a post in the XP group about maybe just stripping off the
> "book cover" part of the enclosure and running them naked -
> slipping the cover back on for storage.
>
> Failing that, has anybody got a scheme for managing a series of
> backup drives?
>
> Looks like the obvious path is somewhere between $50 and $80 per
> housing.
>
> But it seems like the SATA power and cable interfaces lend
> themselves well to maybe a single housing that is designed for a
> raw drive to just slide in and out of. That being the case, the
> raw drive could be stored/transported in a static bag or maybe
> some folded/taped bubble wrap.
>
> The basic requirement is multiple backups that can be stored
> offsite. There is too much data for my bandwidth to use a
> cloud solution.
>
> Anybody got some out-of-the-box thinking on this subject?
>

$30 will get you an enclosure with a fan on it.

AMS DS-309SU 3.5" Black USB 2.0 External Enclosure

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...tem=17-332-022

That one, has an 80mm fan integrated into the lid. Which is
both a plus and a minus. Unlike disk enclosures that come with a
40mm on the back, an 80mm spins slower (less obvious noise).
But, if the 80mm wears out, you can't replace it as easily as
the cases that come with the tiny whiney 40mm in it. The
ones with a 40mm, the 40mm unbolts for easy replacement.
In fact, I change out the 40mm on enclosures, as soon as
I take delivery :-) I put a quality ball bearing fan in
its place (purchased from a local electronics store).
I've had 40mm fans on enclosures wear out, in as little
as one day of usage. One 40mm fan, had a pool of oil sitting
below it, as proof the manufacturer tried to keep it quiet
with liberal doses of oil.

http://www.neowin.net/forum/uploads/...1102044453.jpg

You can always just cut a hole in the current enclosure, and add a fan to
it. For example, right now, as I type, a four wire cable snakes
from my computer, to an 80mm fan. The 80mm fan blows over my
ADSL modem (has inadequate cooling). I only run the ADSL modem,
while the computer is powered up, and that's how I keep it cool.
The four wire cable, comes from a disk drive power connector.

You could also get power (+12V) from inside the disk enclosure, if
the drive type is 3.5". A 3.5" drive needs 12V, which is also the
voltage a brushless DC cooling fan would use. As long as the
fan has modest power requirements, it shouldn't overload the
wall adapter.

I used a Vantec Stealth 80mm for my cooling project. But you should
also have a pile of adapter cables and the like lying around, to
connect things like that up. You can see in the picture here,
this one comes with a "daisy chain" power connector, which
works for some situations where you need cooling. But you won't
know what power connections are available inside the WD enclosure,
until you open it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811999602

(That one uses 80ma of current from +12V, which is pretty low.)

http://www.vantecusa.com/en/product/view_detail/113

If you just remove the casing, and leave the raw drive sitting
in the room air, you might see 35 to 40C or so temperatures. Which
is fine, if the room air is dry (below 60% R.H.). Air above
60% R.H. causes the carpets to mildew, and that's how you'll get
a rough idea of the humidity. Using the fan will drop you below
35C.

Paul

On Tue, 14 Sep 2010 20:53:55 -0400, "(PeteCresswell)" <>
wrote:

>Just discovered that my four "MyBook" drives run *hot*.... like
>high fifties C.
>
>These are 500-gig drives that I use for rotating backups.
>
>Put up a post in the XP group about maybe just stripping off the
>"book cover" part of the enclosure and running them naked -
>slipping the cover back on for storage.
>
>Failing that, has anybody got a scheme for managing a series of
>backup drives?
>
>Looks like the obvious path is somewhere between $50 and $80 per
>housing.
>
>But it seems like the SATA power and cable interfaces lend
>themselves well to maybe a single housing that is designed for a
>raw drive to just slide in and out of. That being the case, the
>raw drive could be stored/transported in a static bag or maybe
>some folded/taped bubble wrap.
>
>The basic requirement is multiple backups that can be stored
>offsite. There is too much data for my bandwidth to use a
>cloud solution.
>
>Anybody got some out-of-the-box thinking on this subject?

Have you considered a dock, not an enclosure, that plugs into the USB.

Thermaltake makes one for one drive, and a similar one for two at the
same time. You can iiuc copy one to the other, even.

Both 2.5 and 3.5 iirc.

I'm thinking about getting an enclosure or a dock, so I'd be
interested in what you (all) think are the advantages and
disadvantages of each.

Also, is that thermal tah kee, or does it rhyme with cake?

Per mm:
>Have you considered a dock, not an enclosure, that plugs into the USB.
>
>Thermaltake makes one for one drive, and a similar one for two at the
>same time. You can iiuc copy one to the other, even.
>
>Both 2.5 and 3.5 iirc.
>
>I'm thinking about getting an enclosure or a dock, so I'd be
>interested in what you (all) think are the advantages and
>disadvantages of each.

I did not know the term "Dock" until you mentioned it.

Googling, I see that a dock is what I had in mind.

The first one I saw - before I knew from "Dock" was at
http://www.cooldrives.com/qwsaiitofian1.html Although it has the
itty-bitty 40 mil fan that Paul refers to, the noise would not be
an issue bc it would live in a server closet.

Now that I know the term of art, Googling "SATA dock" returns
some interesting hits.

This one is interesting just on the basis of looks - although I
don't see how the drive would be cooled sufficiently:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/usb-gadgets/a7ea/

I think "Dock" is the deal. Just gotta look some more now that
I know what I am looking for.

Paul's comments about 40 vs 80 mm fans ring true to me.
--
PeteCresswell

Per (PeteCresswell):
>I think "Dock" is the deal. Just gotta look some more now that
>I know what I am looking for.
>
>Paul's comments about 40 vs 80 mm fans ring true to me.

I think this is going to be the one:
http://www.overclockers.com/vantec-n...ta-drive-dock/

If there is a temperature issue (and I expect there will be) I
will place a free-standing Dollar-store-special fan next to it.

If that works, then it works.... If it does not work, then I'll
use that dock on my regular PC for brief uses of drives and get
something with a built-in fan for the server closet.
--
PeteCresswell

On Tue, 14 Sep 2010 20:53:55 -0400, "(PeteCresswell)" <> wrote:

>Just discovered that my four "MyBook" drives run *hot*.... like
>high fifties C.
>
>These are 500-gig drives that I use for rotating backups.
>
>Put up a post in the XP group about maybe just stripping off the
>"book cover" part of the enclosure and running them naked -
>slipping the cover back on for storage.
>
>Failing that, has anybody got a scheme for managing a series of
>backup drives?
>
>Looks like the obvious path is somewhere between $50 and $80 per
>housing.
>
>But it seems like the SATA power and cable interfaces lend
>themselves well to maybe a single housing that is designed for a
>raw drive to just slide in and out of. That being the case, the
>raw drive could be stored/transported in a static bag or maybe
>some folded/taped bubble wrap.
>
>The basic requirement is multiple backups that can be stored
>offsite. There is too much data for my bandwidth to use a
>cloud solution.
>
>Anybody got some out-of-the-box thinking on this subject?

I have a few of those too and have been using them for backups for years.
Don't worry about the heat. They're engineered to handle it.

On 9/14/2010 8:53 PM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
> Just discovered that my four "MyBook" drives run *hot*.... like
> high fifties C.
>
> These are 500-gig drives that I use for rotating backups.
>
> Put up a post in the XP group about maybe just stripping off the
> "book cover" part of the enclosure and running them naked -
> slipping the cover back on for storage.
>
> Failing that, has anybody got a scheme for managing a series of
> backup drives?
>
> Looks like the obvious path is somewhere between $50 and $80 per
> housing.
>
> But it seems like the SATA power and cable interfaces lend
> themselves well to maybe a single housing that is designed for a
> raw drive to just slide in and out of. That being the case, the
> raw drive could be stored/transported in a static bag or maybe
> some folded/taped bubble wrap.
>
> The basic requirement is multiple backups that can be stored
> offsite. There is too much data for my bandwidth to use a
> cloud solution.
>
> Anybody got some out-of-the-box thinking on this subject?
>
>
>

How about a Thermatake external USB swapping enclosure.
http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Produc...S=1268&ID=1731

That's open to the air, easy swappable.


--
Jethro[AGHL] aka Phat_Jethro
Reply Email: jethro86 (at) gmail (dot) com

On Wed, 15 Sep 2010 11:41:08 -0400, "(PeteCresswell)" <>
wrote:

>Per (PeteCresswell):
>>I think "Dock" is the deal. Just gotta look some more now that
>>I know what I am looking for.
>>
>>Paul's comments about 40 vs 80 mm fans ring true to me.
>
>I think this is going to be the one:
>http://www.overclockers.com/vantec-n...ta-drive-dock/
>
>If there is a temperature issue (and I expect there will be) I
>will place a free-standing Dollar-store-special fan next to it.
>
>If that works, then it works.... If it does not work, then I'll
>use that dock on my regular PC for brief uses of drives and get
>something with a built-in fan for the server closet.

Pete,

I have a few questions that I'd like for you to respond to after you
try out the NexStar dock.

I've tried some "external" drives, with and without cases with mixed
results. Basically, I've found that Sata drives are *not*
hot-swapable, at least not on my computer. I mention this because I
had thought that they would be.... and the fact that they aren't makes
the use of the "dock" much less useful.... so, I'd like to know what
your experience is.

Of course, the dock you're looking at is also USB connectable, which
of course is hot-swapable.... but USB performance is quite a bit less
than Sata. I finally decided to go with chained Firewire drives, which
give me the hot-swap capability, but I don't think I'm getting the
performance I'd get with Sata.

So, if you don't mind posting back later whether you are able to
hot-swap, and if so, connected as Sata or USB... and what your overall
performance is vs an internal Sata drive.
--
Charlie Hoffpauir

Everything is what it is because it got that way....D'Arcy Thompson

Per Charlie Hoffpauir:
>So, if you don't mind posting back later whether you are able to
>hot-swap, and if so, connected as Sata or USB... and what your overall
>performance is vs an internal Sata drive.

Ping me on this thread in a couple days. I'm about 23 miles west
of Philly and the thing shipped from Edison NJ this evening.
--
PeteCresswell