Help me pick an enclosure(s) for 80 drives

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void09

New Member
Feb 19, 2017
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So I got some Seagate 12TB drives quite a while ago in a good trade for me, but have not been able to decide on how to put them to use yet.
There's about 80 of them, most of them still unused. I think my budget is around $2k tops. I am from Europe.

I was dreaming of something like this: *NEW* HGST/Western Digital 1EX0509 4U 102Bay JBOD - NO HDD ( 220V only) | eBay - unfortunately I think this does not accept any other drives except HGST/WD ? Please correct me if I'm wrong. Is there any firmware hack that does that I wonder ?

I found this also : DELL POWERVAULT MD3060E DENSE STORAGE ENCLOSURE 2X CTRL 2X PSU | eBay
but it's awfully expensive and not sure how it works, too complicated for me.

www.ebay.co.uk

120TB 60x 2TB HD 4U 60 Bay Top Load JBOD Expander Server Direct Attach LSI 9207 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 120TB 60x 2TB HD 4U 60 Bay Top Load JBOD Expander Server Direct Attach LSI 9207 at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!
www.ebay.co.uk
This looks like a killer deal but does not ship to Europe (shipping would $500-$700 anyway) + ~20% VAT + import fees

I was also thinking to just stack a bunch of 9201-16e in a mobo with many full length PCIe slots, and print a bunch of these:
Not sure what PSUs would be best, as in having the most SATA connector potential (including molex to sata adapters).
Maybe also use some SAS expanders

Need suggestions on how to do this the smart way. Max speed I'd need for the array is probably 10gbps, but more would be nice.
I haven't looked into this stuff for more than half a year and could use expert opinion.
P.S. Would also like to learn what other controllers are a best buy except the 9201-16e/i which I heard about and used myself.
 
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void09

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Feb 19, 2017
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Well, in the meantime I have decided against enclosures, as they're a hassle to find, expensive, noisy without mods, risk of needing troubleshooting, firmware updates, and other unforeseeable issues.

I've decided to instead go the 3d printed/diy hdd enclosures + LSI 9201-16e or equivalent external hdd controller, maybe with some expanders to make more than 16 hdds available from a single such controller.
I've decided to not use the design in the video youtube above but instead try to find or make my own, for 4hdds per "box"/120mm fan. I think fans that have a good static pressure rating are best for this purpose, as the space between the hdds will be small (8-12mm or so).

Can you recommend me a good place to get about 25 pieces of LSI 9201-16e for cheap ? Or maybe a similar but better performing adapter, even if a bit more expensive. Also a SAS expander to go with it please ? Something that doesn't take a PCIE slot or can be otherwise powered by a PCIE riser without being connected physically to a PCIE slot.

Hope I get more replies than for my first post :p
 
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void09

New Member
Feb 19, 2017
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Are you kidding ? I said budget is $2k not $10k. As for diy, I'd need to invest a big amount of time to get something like that through the end, and risk not being succesful. I can 3d print or order stuff cut at a CNC, but that seems way too complex to achieve. I'll just go with 4 bay modular 3d printed or otherwise built bays.
 
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am45931472

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Feb 26, 2019
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does anyone know where to get a 3d printer template for some hard drive caddies that would with this chassis
 
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