Thermaltake Muse 3.5" HDD Enclosure

Power for the harddisk is delivered by an external PSU. This is neccessary, because USB is specified to max. 500mA. However, integrating the PSU into the case should be no problem and would significantly reduce the cable mess.


On one side of the aluminum case are two connectors for power, USB and the power switch.


Opening the case is accomplished by pressing a small button on one side, then opening the top. Inside you will find some empty space for your 3.5" HDD and a small PCB which has a USB to ATA converter chip on-board. The cable is a standard IDE cable, if you lose or break the cable you can just use any regular HDD cable.


The converter chip comes from Cypress and is a CY7C68300A. It is USB 2.0 compatible with support for 480 Mbps high-speed transfers.


When the unit is powered on, the analog VU meter is lit up in a nice blue. The meter's needle moves with harddisk activity.


For mounting, Thermaltake has come up with a clever solution. The HDD just rests on the marked posts without any screws. Since the lid on top makes sure that the harddisk can not move, this is a safe method of installation, while still making it easy to remove the disk.