# FITS: sdd hard drive rack build



## Fitseries3 (Mar 15, 2009)

so i need some nice way to mount my SSDs.

i dont use a case so thats out of the question.

i thought of an idea but i want some feedback on it.

if you have any suggestions let me know. i DO NOT want to use anything prebuilt that you can buy.

this is made of acrylic tube. black represents ssd location. 














it will have a base and possibly a top. maybe a fan in there somehow.

im open to other ideas.


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## DrPepper (Mar 15, 2009)

Can I ask why its curved is that for design yes ?


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## Fitseries3 (Mar 15, 2009)

it will be made out of a 2.25" acrylic tube cut in half


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## Solaris17 (Mar 15, 2009)

you should add a braser to the back that way its a solid no break away design and you can just slip the drives in and out as needed so incase you dont have any drives in it wont be in two diffirent peices.


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## Fitseries3 (Mar 15, 2009)

Solaris17 said:


> you should add a braser to the back that way its a solid no break away design and you can just slip the drives in and out as needed so incase you dont have any drives in it wont be in two diffirent peices.



explain


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## DrPepper (Mar 15, 2009)

Fitseries3 said:


> it will be made out of a 2.25" acrylic tube cut in half



doh

I'd add a bottom and top like you suggested and maybe a backplate like solaris suggested just to keep it stable and sturdy. Also a fan blowing on them would keep them nice and cool but I don't know if SSD's get warm.


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## WarEagleAU (Mar 15, 2009)

Yeah, you will need a bracket or something to keep the two halves from sliding out. A bracer like Sol said or DP said would work.


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## Fitseries3 (Mar 15, 2009)

would the top and bottom not hold it together well enough?


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## Solaris17 (Mar 15, 2009)

Fitseries3 said:


> explain



for example


you have 2 half cylinder peices of acrylic....if their are no drives in it you esentially have 2 peices. 2 seperate peices even with drives in it can be flimsy but the real problem comes from when their are no drives in the bay and you have one peice here the other on the other side of the room and what if one gets stepped on or scratched? you only have one pretty/non broken half.
    A solution would be to have 2-3 little aluminium shafts to secure the back end. myou can do this by taking some aluminium and a lathe and making like small 2-4" shafts and drilling a hole in both ends to put a screw into. then on the back you could just screw them into the acrylic this will make it one whole unit and you wouldnt need to worry about peices unloess you dissassembled it. also if you bumped the table this would stop the swaying of the unit. AND with bracer bars you wouldnt need to screw in the drives to keep it ridgid you can swap them in and out as you please


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## Fitseries3 (Mar 15, 2009)

Fitseries3 said:


> it will have a base and possibly a top. maybe a fan in there somehow.





Solaris17 said:


> for example
> 
> 
> you have 2 half cylinder peices of acrylic....if their are no drives in it you esentially have 2 peices. 2 seperate peices even with drives in it can be flimsy but the real problem comes from when their are no drives in the bay and you have one peice here the other on the other side of the room and what if one gets stepped on or scratched? you only have one pretty/non broken half.
> A solution would be to have 2-3 little aluminium shafts to secure the back end. myou can do this by taking some aluminium and a lathe and making like small 2-4" shafts and drilling a hole in both ends to put a screw into. then on the back you could just screw them into the acrylic this will make it one whole unit and you wouldnt need to worry about peices unloess you dissassembled it. also if you bumped the table this would stop the swaying of the unit. AND with bracer bars you wouldnt need to screw in the drives to keep it ridgid you can swap them in and out as you please



i clearly said there would be a top and bottom to hold it together. did you miss that?


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## Fitseries3 (Mar 15, 2009)

any other ideas? besides mine.


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## sneekypeet (Mar 15, 2009)

Why not go simple and just use one half of the circle and lay it on the table as an arch, then just stand the drives in it on edge.(assuming you are cutting grooves for the SSD's to rest in the half circles)


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## Fitseries3 (Mar 15, 2009)

how about use the whole tube and run the power and data cable through it?


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## Fitseries3 (Mar 15, 2009)

hows that?

the top thing is for a fan. i'd probably cut the fan out of the frame.

like i said... run the power and data through the tube.


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## dark2099 (Mar 15, 2009)

Fitseries3 said:


> http://img.techpowerup.org/090315/Capture103.jpg
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/090315/Capture104.jpg
> 
> ...



I don't know how light/heavy those drives are, but might you want to cut the mounts into the acrylic a bit further, if not for weight then just for better balance possibly?


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## sneekypeet (Mar 15, 2009)

Agreed, I like the second concept but I think you will need counter balance material or a bigger extention of the base forward.

Could use a greater angle of the HDD grooves (tipped up) to get the center of gravity more centered too.


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## Fitseries3 (Mar 15, 2009)




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## sneekypeet (Mar 15, 2009)

That should work alot better. if you scooted the tube back past the bases edge would it be easier to wire? Is that what the cutaway on the base plate is for?


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## Gerelt (Mar 15, 2009)

What if you take the first design and flip it so the half circle is setting on the ground and then add sides(drives would be vertical but I dont think it would matter).
when I look at the second all I see is it tipping over >_>


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## Fitseries3 (Mar 15, 2009)

yes. i'd probably make that notch bigger.


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## niko084 (Mar 15, 2009)

I'm guessing you are trying to be pretty about this.. 

Personally I would just make a drive enclosure with a fan mount and a air filter, nice box with a screw down cover, maybe even mount some LED's in it to make it flashy


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## Fitseries3 (Mar 15, 2009)

sorry but i hate LEDs.

i dont want to enclose them. nothing in my whole PC is enclosed.


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## niko084 (Mar 15, 2009)

Fitseries3 said:


> sorry but i hate LEDs.
> 
> i dont want to enclose them. nothing in my whole PC is enclosed.



The LED's were just a flashy thing, I wouldn't do that part myself.


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## MoonPig (Mar 15, 2009)

niko084 said:


> I'm guessing you are trying to be pretty about this..
> 
> Personally I would just make a drive enclosure with a fan mount and a air filter, nice box with a screw down cover, maybe even mount some LED's in it to make it flashy



You've given me an idea... Just need some Acrylic...


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## niko084 (Mar 16, 2009)

MoonPig said:


> You've given me an idea... Just need some Acrylic...



Sounds good, just post pics when its done


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## MoonPig (Mar 16, 2009)

will do, i just have absolutely no idea where to get acrylic. And i don't have a CNC machine..


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## Fitseries3 (Mar 17, 2009)

interstateplastics.com
usplastics.com


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## MoonPig (Mar 17, 2009)

Well, i found a place in the UK. 

I'm not to keen on shipping a sheet of £7 plastic from the US... lol

Thanks anyways.


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## Fitseries3 (Mar 17, 2009)




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## MoonPig (Mar 17, 2009)

haha, cool. Is that cut half way in?


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## Fitseries3 (Mar 17, 2009)

almost. just a tad less than half


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## MoonPig (Mar 17, 2009)

well, it does look good. Suppose it's hard to tell until a full prototype is done. 

Is it going to be clear acrylic?


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## ktr (Mar 17, 2009)

I wonder if you can use a SATA Backplane with your SSD Rack?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Chenbro-3-in-2-...ewItemQQptZAU_Servers?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

^^^ Something like that. You have power for fans, and the ability to hot swap.


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## Chryonn (Mar 17, 2009)

MoonPig said:


> You've given me an idea... Just need some Acrylic...




is that your new cage?


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## MoonPig (Mar 17, 2009)

yep, sure is.


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## newtekie1 (Mar 17, 2009)

Fits, you need a right angle SATA plug on that bad boy!


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## Chryonn (Mar 17, 2009)

cracking!


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## Fitseries3 (Mar 18, 2009)

newtekie1 said:


> Fits, you need a right angle SATA plug on that bad boy!



have any?

i think my new DFI may come with some sweet green ones to match my rig.


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## CyberDruid (Mar 18, 2009)

Well they are G resistant so if youtip the thing over and scatter them across your desk it won't hurt them

Whaddayoo a Modern Ahhtist now? You gonna start wearing berets?

Actually that's a neat design and except for being a little tricky connecting all the cables it's feasible. I can NOT think of anything artier or Fartier at the moment so I guess it's even cooler than I think


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## ktr (Mar 18, 2009)

I found a power cable for you:

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8...ower_Adapter_Cable_SATA-PW3.html?tl=g2c38s261


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## Fitseries3 (Mar 18, 2009)

i have these modular enermax cables that are already setup like that but thanks.


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## Chryonn (Mar 18, 2009)

ktr said:


> I found a power cable for you:
> 
> http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8...ower_Adapter_Cable_SATA-PW3.html?tl=g2c38s261



regarding that power cable: can it be 4 SATAs to one Molex, or is the maximum 3 SATAs to one Molex?
i'm looking to make up a custom cable with 4 right angle SATA power connectors to one Molex


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## ktr (Mar 18, 2009)

Chryonn said:


> regarding that power cable: can it be 4 SATAs to one Molex, or is the maximum 3 SATAs to one Molex?
> i'm looking to make up a custom cable with 4 right angle SATA power connectors to one Molex



You can go higher, as long as you don't exceed your PSU's amps for 12v(for desktop HDD) or 5v (for laptop HDD/SSD).


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## Chryonn (Mar 18, 2009)

Thanks. i've had a look at one HDD and it says under 12V it's 0.55A. my PSU has 4 x 12V rails, each with a max. of 20A, so i should be fine with one rail?


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## Fitseries3 (Mar 18, 2009)

most psu's can power more hdd's than they have connectors for. in other words... you dont have anything to worry about.


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## ktr (Mar 19, 2009)

Chryonn said:


> Thanks. i've had a look at one HDD and it says under 12V it's 0.55A. my PSU has 4 x 12V rails, each with a max. of 20A, so i should be fine with one rail?



In that case, you can put ~36 hard drives on one rail!


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## CyberDruid (Mar 19, 2009)

So Fit did you come up with any new ideers?


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## Fitseries3 (Mar 19, 2009)

CyberDruid said:


> So Fit did you come up with any new ideers?



i just got my 3rd drive in a few mins ago.

im liking the idea you had about cutting a diagonal at the top to finish it off.

i got some different colors of acrylic on the way that im thinking about using for the base. just not sure which color will look best yet.

i found out that the angled sata data cables wont work. the drives are going to be too close together. not a big deal to me though.


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## Fitseries3 (Mar 19, 2009)




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## MoonPig (Mar 19, 2009)

haha, nice. How much they set you back?


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## CyberDruid (Mar 19, 2009)

Sweet. I have a pair of Core 2 coming.

I like the look of the tube tower SSD Slot thinger but it seems like the only thing securing them are data and power plugs.

I know it would be a lot more work cutting but how about angling the slots for the SSDs so gravity helps


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## Fitseries3 (Apr 2, 2009)

an update....

just need the slots and a base now...


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## newtekie1 (Apr 2, 2009)

Looking good Fits.


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## CyberDruid (Apr 2, 2009)

There ya go...no wouldn't a UV green res look great right beside that? Hint hint...


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## Fitseries3 (Apr 2, 2009)

ma pockets is empty or i totally would man.  i need a new way to make some money.


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## CyberDruid (Apr 2, 2009)

You and me both. I just listed $2000 worth of gear on OverClock where they know and love me and don't give me shit 

http://www.overclock.net/sale/486354-lost-my-mind-sale-cpu-mobo.html#post5933422


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## Fitseries3 (Apr 3, 2009)

had a new idea after a few suggestions


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## Fitseries3 (Apr 3, 2009)

well this one aint going to work. milled it wrong but it shows my idea.

i think i need a steeper angle, the drives still make the tube fall over. 

i'll start on another revision here in a minute.


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## CyberDruid (Apr 3, 2009)

I've seen modern tables with that design using a single tube at a 45 degree angle with a slot cut into it...it'll work.


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## Fitseries3 (Apr 3, 2009)

gah... looks like ima have to make a base for it.


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## Fitseries3 (Apr 3, 2009)

hows this...


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## CyberDruid (Apr 3, 2009)

Did you make the base wedge shaped somehow? or is it the camera?

If you make the base an ellipse or egg shape instead of round it would probably look cooler and work a little better to get the base under the drives...


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## Fitseries3 (Apr 3, 2009)

its the plastic. the edges are rough still.

i was actually thinking of the ellipse when i made these but im not too sure on how to form the ellipse.

any tricks?


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## Fitseries3 (Apr 3, 2009)

should i keep the stacked like above or like one of these...


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## Binge (Apr 3, 2009)

CyberDruid said:


> Did you make the base wedge shaped somehow? or is it the camera?
> 
> If you make the base an ellipse or egg shape instead of round it would probably look cooler and work a little better to get the base under the drives...



+1 add more curves. White and black space = plexi


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## pantherx12 (Apr 3, 2009)

Would it be possible to heat up the tube slightly and squash it a small amount, that could help add a bit more stability to it.

well at least in terms of counter balancing the SSD.


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## Binge (Apr 3, 2009)

There's no problem with stability.  It's not like they'll fall out of the slots unless you were to pull them out.  My idea is simply for looks.


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## Fitseries3 (Apr 3, 2009)

binge... i cant do your idea in the middle there... there is almost no room at all. there is only 8mm in between the drives.

i'll cut a scrap and see how it looks though


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## CyberDruid (Apr 3, 2009)

I like the stack...man that's a lotta laminating. How about this. I assume you are cutting slots in them and then gluing them together...if you put them staggered like that you could then sand those faces with a beltsander or whatever you have and have smooth faces...but at that cool angle.


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## dark2099 (Apr 3, 2009)

Fitseries3 said:


> should i keep the stacked like above or like one of these...
> 
> http://forums.techpowerup.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24447&stc=1&d=1238787857
> 
> http://forums.techpowerup.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24448&stc=1&d=1238787864



I think this way is better, looks better and might offer better balance having the drives tapered like they are.


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## CyberDruid (Apr 3, 2009)

I like that one best


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## Fitseries3 (Apr 3, 2009)

CyberDruid said:


> [url]http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/5694/attachmenth.jpg[/URL]
> I like that one best



then sand the edges like you said?

i was thinking of taking one of the clear rounds and spraying the underside black and putting it up on top of the red one. 

clear
black
red
clear
clear
clear
clear

then i'll mill out the slot for the cables from the underside before adjoining it to the tube.


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## Cold Storm (Apr 4, 2009)

looking good Fits. I like the ideal of different color rounds. Could do Black on top, and red at the bottom... Or

C,B,C,C,R,C,C


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## pantherx12 (Apr 4, 2009)

Binge said:


> There's no problem with stability.  It's not like they'll fall out of the slots unless you were to pull them out.  My idea is simply for looks.



I was just posting a general idea, not a direct reply to your suggestion


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## DaMulta (Apr 4, 2009)

CyberDruid said:


> [url]http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/5694/attachmenth.jpg[/URL]
> I like that one best



+2


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## CyberDruid (Apr 4, 2009)

paint will mess up the acrylic cement. If you want some black acrylic I got it. LMK. I could send you enough to make some circles


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## Fitseries3 (Apr 6, 2009)

a little progress...


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