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I'm looking for a USB connected case for HDD. The goal is to have a (cheap)
external HDD that I could use as a mobile storage solution.
QUESTION:I'm looking for a USB connected case for HDD. The goal is to have a (cheap)
external HDD that I could use as a mobile storage solution.
What are the existing cases? Would it be plug'n play (I need easy
configuration on the host computer if I want to use it as a flexible file
sharing system).
If you know such cases or use one, please let me know.
ANSWER: I can't come up with an exact match to your request; however, I have
found some options.
External ZIP drives exist that can be connected by USB ports, or parallel
ports, or SCSI. Of course their storage is limited to that capacity of a
single cartridge, and they do not operate at the speed of today's
harddrives.
There are both 100Meg and 250Meg models. There are other portable
drives available also, such as the Jaz drive which can handle 2Gig.
There are drive rack/frame combination that permit turning a normal
harddrive
into portable media. With this option you install a docking bay, called a
rack
into a drive bay of your computer. The rack connects to your computer as
though its a harddrive. The harddrive is installed into a box called a
frame.
The framed harddrive can then be slipped into and out of your computer like
a cd in a caddy. I suspect that a restriction here would be that would have
to power down your computer before inserting or removing the framed drive
from the rack. There are models of racks and frames to support either
IDE or SCSI.
There are external disk bays that you can mount you harddrives into. These
boxes do need to be connected to an electrical outlet and may require you
to install a special controller card in your computers. There are IDE and
various SCSI modules available. There are models that can handle one drive
all the way to eight drives. Some of these external bays support RAID,
other
do not. I once saw one that could handle as many as 128 full height 5-1/4"
drives and through RAID made them seem to be one huge drive one third
as large as the total storage of the 128 individual harddrives. This
solution
was NOT very portable.
I have seen all these devices in various local dealers at various times. I
am
sure you could find them in the local dealers in your area. One widely
available
source that I know of that carries all these options, except the 128 drive
RAID
unit, is JDR Microdevices. They can be contacted at 1-800-538-5000 or
http://www.jdr.com
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