- Joined
- Oct 1, 2005
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- 797 (0.12/day)
| System Name | Current |
|---|---|
| Processor | Core i5 2500k |
| Motherboard | Z77MA-G45 |
| Cooling | Cooler Master Tx3 |
| Memory | 8gb DDR3 1600Mhz |
| Video Card(s) | Evga GTX 960 4GB GDDR5 |
| Storage | (1) SAMSUNG 850 EVO 500GB |
| Display(s) | ASUS PB278Q 27" WQHD 2560x1440 IPS |
| Case | Fractal Core 1000 |
| Audio Device(s) | Onboard |
| Power Supply | 430 Watt Corsair |
| Mouse | Logitech g602 |
| Keyboard | K70 LUX Mech LB, Red LED, Cherry MX Brown |
| Software | Windows 10 + Hackintosh |
I recently reclaimed 4 x crucial m4's (9.5mm) from my server. These drives have seen a few years in server usage, but are still relatively spritely in their current health and worth dropping into my pc. Where I began to run into problems was simply in terms of drive mounting options because I'm limited by my Fractal Core 1000's drive capacity. What frustrated me was I actually have plenty of volume available in the case (see image 1-1 below), however I only have (3) 2.5" vertical mounts on my case(image 1-2). And If I use (1) 3.5" drive I actually lose (2) 2.5" mounting positions of them.
Image 1-1: Plenty of Volume!
Image 1-2: Ouch only 3 locations viable!
Now most people would say why don't you simply a bigger case, welp, I don't WANT a bigger case. I like low profile, I don't miss the days of having a full tower behemoth, to each their own though.
Calculating Possibilities:
Drafting Specs:
So next I broke out my digital caliper and took some hand measurements to confirm all the spacing attributes of my brackets. I also verified this against formal 2.5" drive specifications. My end result looks something like a piece of an erector set, except the holes are formatted for 2.5" 9.5mm drive spec, without any space between the drives (not viable for mechanical drives).
Variants produced for first round of prototyping:
Materials Selected:
Derlin is a very obvious choice because of its low-friction properties and its strength. I was able to select 1.5mm thickness which still should leave 3.5mm of thread for stock 5mm drive screw threading to seat properly. Keep in mind we don't need tremendous strength because these are not built for heavy mechanical drives, just lightweight low heat SSD's. Derlin is also food safe and safe for usage in environments up to 200F (your drives shouldn't ever get that hot).
Prepped for Laser Cutting:
Well we shouldn't waste all this space, even if I only need (4) 4-drive brackets. Please PM me if your interested in testing some brackets, I can certainly spare a few.
Image 1-1: Plenty of Volume!
Image 1-2: Ouch only 3 locations viable!
Now most people would say why don't you simply a bigger case, welp, I don't WANT a bigger case. I like low profile, I don't miss the days of having a full tower behemoth, to each their own though.
Calculating Possibilities:
- Theoretical Max 36 Drives (unrealistic/unwieldy): 120mm space available / 9.5mm drives = 12 drives per stack, X 3 stacks of drives = 36 theoretical drives If I pursued stacks of twelve. However stacks of twelve seems a bit unwieldy, especially if were trying to keep these brackets light and thin (in order to prevent need for extended screws).
- Realistic Max 24 Drives (perfect!): 8 drivers per stack x 3 stacks = realistic max of 24 drives, perfect more than enough room for my 4 new drives.
Drafting Specs:
So next I broke out my digital caliper and took some hand measurements to confirm all the spacing attributes of my brackets. I also verified this against formal 2.5" drive specifications. My end result looks something like a piece of an erector set, except the holes are formatted for 2.5" 9.5mm drive spec, without any space between the drives (not viable for mechanical drives).
Variants produced for first round of prototyping:
- Prototype 1A - Stacks of (4) 2.5" SSD's
- Prototype 1b - Stacks of (8) 2.5" SSD's
Materials Selected:
Derlin is a very obvious choice because of its low-friction properties and its strength. I was able to select 1.5mm thickness which still should leave 3.5mm of thread for stock 5mm drive screw threading to seat properly. Keep in mind we don't need tremendous strength because these are not built for heavy mechanical drives, just lightweight low heat SSD's. Derlin is also food safe and safe for usage in environments up to 200F (your drives shouldn't ever get that hot).
Prepped for Laser Cutting:
Well we shouldn't waste all this space, even if I only need (4) 4-drive brackets. Please PM me if your interested in testing some brackets, I can certainly spare a few.
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