IcyBox Internal Caddy

ubern00b said:
That would be awesome, thanks :) Not sure if I want to get the IB-168SK-B or the IB-169SK-B but a mini review would certainly help me decide.
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What made me decide was the fan! Fans = noise. I read somewhere and I can't find the link that the noise wasn't the best. So made me go for the IB-168SK-B.

EDIT: Just confirmed that it will be delivered tomorro (That's if someone is in to collect it as I am at work) so if I do get them I will review them tomorro night while I have a few tinnies.
 
Cant remember the exact model number, although it did sound similar to that. Its fanless, trayless, and works like a charm.
 
Well, I got mine and just put it in.

Great device, can just open door, slide in the drive , close door and it gets detected in windows like any other HDD. Fan is quiet although it can just be heard above my 120mm fans which I have running at 1600rpm.

The fan runs as soon as you close the door with a drive inside, without a drive the fan does not run.

The caddy I had with the tray needed to be switched on with the 'lock - open' key on the front, however this one is just a door lock and 'unlocking' it simply alows the door to be opened. You dont need to lock it to operate the drive.

Have noticed than when pulling the drive, its still spinning down after it has been removed, dont know if this is a concern? You can be using the drive and still pull it out, whereas the tray caddy needed to be switched off before pulling.

Hope this helps, feel free to ask any questions.
 
There was a pretty decent application posted on here some time ago that I cannot for the life of me remember the name of, that allowed you to "Safely Remove Hardware" on any sata device in your system. RPStewart suggested it, maybe he will read this post :P I assume that will power down the drive, worth trying anyway.

Edit: Found it! http://mysite.verizon.net/kaakoon/hotswap/index_enu.htm

Can you not just disconnect the fan on your unit? Doubt it will have any serious side effects, hard drives like running warm! :D
 
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Thanks, will look at that software as Im sure just pulling the drive out cant be too good in the long run.

As for the fan, its powered by an adapter that fits on the SATA power connecter at the back. You can either leave the adapter off (if you have a spare SATA power connecter from the PSU) or disconnect the small plug wich powers the fan and 'on' LED. I will try to read the temp of the drive with and without the fan to see what effect it has.
 
Would this be a good solution for what im after below?

I want a second harddrive to store music and photo's on, etc. Pref one that i can carry around and attach to the outside of my PC. I only really want my PC to access it at home so i dont need a network enabled HDD enclosure.

So how does the Icy Box one above work? You push the HDD inside (IDE or Sata) then just plug the box in by USB to your PC?
 
DampCat said:
So how does the Icy Box one above work? You push the HDD inside (IDE or Sata) then just plug the box in by USB to your PC?
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The caddy being discussed is a hot swap internal one which allows different HDDs to be attached (one at a time) to the one PC, not a portable enclosure like you're describing.

Sounds like your after something like this or if you already have the HDD itself, one of these.
 
Heres some pics of the caddy installed.

This is the back of the caddy showing the power adapter and the connector for the fan/pwr light which is just on the edge of the pic. This connector can be pulled out to stop the fan, it does not stop the drive when pulled out, so running the fan is optional.
The SATA power connector which includes the fan power has a molex at the other end. So if you want to use a SATA power plug from the PSU, you can not have the power to the fan, uless you use a second supply for the fan.

computer002ei2.jpg



Here the depth of the caddy can be seen. It is quite long ! The caddy is at the top, below is a 120mm fan then two DVD drives. Athe the bottom is 3 HDD drives which have a 120mm fan in front of them. The case is an Antec 900.



computer007yl2.jpg



Front of the caddy with door open

computer010ik1.jpg



Inserting the drive

computer012wj1.jpg



Door closed with drive in

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The door lock seems pointless unless you are worried that someone might steal the drive !! Its unlikely that the door will be opened by accident.

Pros
Does exactly what it says
Windows detects drive as any other HDD in the system, no overheads
Easy to use

Cons
Fan is a little noisy, I can hear it above my other fans (although they are 120mm at 1600 rpm)
Unit is all plastic, apart from internals, and feels a bit 'cheap'
Door feels like it would be easy to 'snap off'
Drive is not locked in when in use, so you can pull the drive while it is being accessed and spinning at full speed! Im now using the software recomended by ubern00b (Many Thanks!) which works brilliantly.

Im going to see what effect running the drive without the fan has on temps. Suspect the fan is not a critical component and therfore the caddy without the fan may be a better option.
If you are unsure about the need for a fan, then you can get the one with the fan as you have the option of unplugging it.

Overall highly recommended if you have a few spare SATA drives knocking about that you want to get some use out of.
 
IcyBox Trayless IB-168SK-B Review - Andr3w1984

DESCIPTION
I bought 2 IcyBox Caddy's for my Sata drives to allow me to hotswap them for when I build systems or repair systems.

IMAGES






PROS
  • Good Packaging - Retail Solution.
  • Solid Feel/Build.
  • Cheap Enough.
  • Silant Operation (No Noise At All).
  • Lockable Front.
  • 4 Pin Molex or Sata Adaptor can be used because it comes with a Sata power converter.
  • Hot Swapable HotSwap application. If XP/Vista does not hotswap.
  • Supports Sata II aswell as SataI.
CONS
  • Drive's Get Alittle Hot To The Touch.
CONCLUSION
Everything is fine and dandy after a fresh install of 'Windows XP SP2 + Updates + Drivers'. Drives do get hot hot hot to the touch.
EDIT: I did have problems with the Hot Swapable but all has been resolved with a fresh install of XP.

OVERALL RATING
I would say 9.5/10. Well done IcyBox.
 
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andr3w1984 said:
Hotswapable not working (Drives don't dissapear) (I have to use the HotSwap application.
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It's a bit unfair putting that in the 'Cons' part of a review of the caddy as it's a problem with the controller on the motherboard (and the driver of it).

I have the same problem with the SiI3132 controller (which provides one SATA and one eSATA port) on my A8N32-SLi on Windows XP (even after installing the latest driver). In my case there's a Silicon Image knowledgebase article that describes how to do it (also linked on HotSwap's page) :

Silicon Image said:
This feature is not explicitly highlighted in our current drivers, but all SATA controllers from Silicon Image do support hot plug capability. To remove a drive from a powered up system, do the following:

  • Enter the Windows Device Manager (through Control Panel or right clicking on My Computer and going to Properties)
  • Go to Disk Drives and find the disk you want to remove
  • Right click on the desired disk drive and select Remove/Disable
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HotSwap is an infinitely better solution ;)

I don't know of any other controllers that have this problem, but it's certainly a possibility.

Edit: And now the KB10744 link does work. Corrected above.
 
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Why is it unfair that I put my own opinion in my own review down? I currently have problems and stated that but all will be fixed once I format.
 
I suppose it could be a 'con' as some systems may need a fresh install.

Not the fault of the hardware just a overall 'con'

I've bought two of these which I won't have time to fit until next weekend.
 
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