Drive cages

[Peter Blanchard]

I have an old Dell Poweredge T605. It's totally obsolete and very loud. I could re-use case, PSU, fans and SAS controller. With mobo and plastic shrouds gone, there should be plenty of room for more HDDs etc.

I don't have access to a machine shop. I've a dremel type tool, drill press etc.

I've been wondering about getting extra drive cages in the thing. Any advice?

 

[CyklonDX]

I would recommend getting icy dock / disk docks for 5.25 to 3.5" or 2.5".

*with single 5.25" you can fit up to 8x 2.5" disks
*with 2x 5.25" you can fit 3-4x 3.5" disks.


additionally you can get disk cages
as such

3.5-inch Desktop External Multi-layer Mechanical Hard Disk Rack Cage For Chia | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 3.5-inch Desktop External Multi-layer Mechanical Hard Disk Rack Cage For Chia at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

and just bolt them in... (tap the holes, add 90' metal pieces, and screw them in... whatever way you do it...) you can prob find an easier option - where you can use velcro to stick the new cage inside your case.

Just make sure they do get some airflow.

 

[finno]

This one might work too. Cheap and stackable.
Phanteks - Stackable 3.5" HDD Bracket Duo Pack Cases PH-HDDKT_03,Black https://a.co/d/awmBDqx

 

[JediAcolyte]

Athena Power products have been good to me.

 

[Peter Blanchard]

I would recommend getting icy dock / disk docks for 5.25 to 3.5" or 2.5".

*with single 5.25" you can fit up to 8x 2.5" disks
*with 2x 5.25" you can fit 3-4x 3.5" disks.


additionally you can get disk cages
as such

3.5-inch Desktop External Multi-layer Mechanical Hard Disk Rack Cage For Chia | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 3.5-inch Desktop External Multi-layer Mechanical Hard Disk Rack Cage For Chia at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

and just bolt them in... (tap the holes, add 90' metal pieces, and screw them in... whatever way you do it...) you can prob find an easier option - where you can use velcro to stick the new cage inside your case.
View attachment 28622
Just make sure they do get some airflow.

I've been using metal bracket 2.5" to 3.5"adapters to stick drives into 3.5" bays. They have holes for 4 drives but they will only take two 15mm thick drives. Which is probably better for airflow.

3.5" bays seem to vary in height slightly. Adapters don't want to fit in some bays. Others are fine.

 

[edisondotme]

I have an old Dell Poweredge T605. It's totally obsolete and very loud. I could re-use case, PSU, fans and SAS controller. With mobo and plastic shrouds gone, there should be plenty of room for more HDDs etc.

I don't have access to a machine shop. I've a dremel type tool, drill press etc.

I've been wondering about getting extra drive cages in the thing. Any advice?

Can you 3D print some? I did that for my TS440.

 

[Peter Blanchard]

Can you 3D print some? I did that for my TS440.

Very cool.

"If I had a 3D printer" crops up a lot here but I can't afford a decent one at the moment and my 3D CAD skills are pretty much zero.

I managed to find another case for free that is better suited to my purposes - Chieftec Scorpio TX-10BLD Entry Level Server Chassis.



What you can't see are the two additional internal 3.5" bays.

I've a 3 x 5.25" drive bay adaptor with 120mm fan that takes 5 x 3.5" drives.

Which leaves a spare 5.25" bay.

The case needs some work to improve airflow.

I wish I had a 3D printer or access to CNC shop.

I'm tempted to spray/paint it matte very black.

 

[CyklonDX]

there are online sites that allow you to upload 3d model for printing - selecting material, and they will ship end-product back to you.

btw. that's a lovely case.

 

[Peter Blanchard]

there are online sites that allow you to upload 3d model for printing - selecting material, and they will ship end-product back to you.

btw. that's a lovely case.

The front door was lost before I got hold of it.

This review is helpful.

Wood is under rated as a DIY case material.

 

[nexox]

I used the full tower version of that case for many, many years, pretty good stuff, and I had also lost the drive bay door by the time I sold it. I feel like it's a little low on ventilation with just those two 80mm rear fan mounts, I cut a hole in the case side of mine for a 120mm fan over the PCI slots probably almost 20 years ago, these days I would likely add a couple top exhaust fans too.

 

[CyklonDX]

it looks better without the front door in my opinion.

 

[itronin]

I used the full tower version of that case for many, many years, pretty good stuff,

me too. Chieftec Dragon. Mine are in my basement - mis and full - unused for the time being.

 

[nabsltd]

I've a 3 x 5.25" drive bay adaptor with 120mm fan that takes 5 x 3.5" drives.

What's the manufacturer and model number of this item?

All the 5-in-3 that I have seen use an 80mm fan.

 

[Peter Blanchard]

Can't upload image for some reason.

5.25'' Cage Rack Hard Drive Tray Caddy Bay to 5x 3.5'' SATA SAS HDD Expansion | eBay is an example but you can find them in various places.

It's not hot swap. Nor does it have a backplane.