USB case with dual USB-C and dual USB-A

[Hardcore Games]

Sniffing around for a new USB box for hard disks I ran across a new model that has power, dual USB-C and dual USB-C on the back.

Immediately this looks like it can handle 3 piled up or maybe 4. The pair of USB-A look like I can attach old USB disk boxes to the pile. I bought one to start with and the vendor suggested it can handle 20TB disks so it should be good with the server class disks I own.

The hub feature should be fine with a USB stick as well as the brick has enough power for them.

 

[LabRat 891]

Neat. Kinda restores the function/capability FireWire HDD enclosures offered. -a sort of daisy chaining.

Note on the integral hub, though:
Over the years, I've come to distrust USB hubs' power stability/reliability. Long-time friend of mine, has gone through several hubs over the last few years.
Devices that already pull >500ma and/or can transiently draw >900ma, are 'rough' on USB bus/ports not USB-PD ready.

If it were me though, I'd use only low-power (USB flash drive) and/or separately-powered USB devices (like another matching enclosure) off the enclosure's hub.
In other words, just don't plug one's smartphone, gamerRGB KeyBoard*, or single-cable portable HDD into it.
*I have 2 diff mechanical keyboards with especially bright default lighting, that can crash over front ports or 10+ft cables.

 

[A Computer Guy]

Sniffing around for a new USB box for hard disks I ran across a new model that has power, dual USB-C and dual USB-C on the back.

Immediately this looks like it can handle 3 piled up or maybe 4. The pair of USB-A look like I can attach old USB disk boxes to the pile. I bought one to start with and the vendor suggested it can handle 20TB disks so it should be good with the server class disks I own.

The hub feature should be fine with a USB stick as well as the brick has enough power for them.

View attachment 393907

How are your server class disks going to cool at 10K rpm in that box?

 

[Hardcore Games]

Heat is always an issue which is why I put feet on USB enclosures to allow more air to circulate.

Some enclosures have no feet so they are prone to sliding around which is not a good idea at all.

Thought this model would be handy as it has some advantages but I wanted it mostly for copying disks etc.

 

[LabRat 891]

How are your server class disks going to cool at 10K rpm in that box?

Good question.
In years-past, I have seen some of these kinds of (3.5" HDD) enclosures, that are well ventilated on the bottom with a 40mm fan inside.

Also, those kinds of high-power drives might need a little better power supply.
AFAIK, a lot of these enclosures pass-through the 12VDC w/ minimal filtering. -and IIRC, cheap SMPS like to get noisier under heavier loads.
Meanwell GST* (IT/Electronics Market) and GSM* (Medical Device Market) are some of the lowest noise and most-stable AC->DC power bricks.

 

[A Computer Guy]

Good question.
In years-past, I have seen some of these kinds of (3.5" HDD) enclosures, that are well ventilated on the bottom with a 40mm fan inside.

Also, those kinds of drives might need a little better power supply.
AFAIK, a lot of these enclosures pass-through the 12VDC w/ minimal filtering. -and IIRC, cheap SMPS like to get noisier under heavier loads.

Way back before CompUSA folded and moved to Mexico I got a pair of these external units. The only thing that keeps them barely useful is the 150MB/s eSATA which works surprisingly well with SATA HotPlug and Windows drive disconnect icon. It had a fan inside as well as vibration mounting. They were even stackable too. At the time it was pretty cool they were USB2 and eSata dual interface units.
I had both a laptop and PC that had eSata built-in at that time so it was handy for fast backups.

Antec MX-1: Actively Cooled External HDD Enclosure

The MX-1 is Antec’s first external hard drive enclosure. They pointedly call it an Actively Cooled Hard Drive Enclosure. It includes a fan, one quiet enough that Antec says it measures less than 22 dBA@1m. That’s quieter than most hard drives. It’s made mostly of plastic, but Antec also claims...

silentpcreview.com

 

[Hardcore Games]

My 5 disk Orico box is top loading and it has a 60mm fan in it to move air around. I have not run across actively cooled single disk enclosures recently.

 

[SL2]

You could even question the need for every drive case model to be completely enclosed.

For anyone who wants a drive on the go there are hunderds of models to choose from, but for 3.5" models that just sits there it would be enough to protect the PCB and add bumpers to the sides.

Sealing them off and then having to add a cheap fan is perhaps not for everyone, and sometimes even counterintuitive, depending on how they're used, especially how much they're accessed. Just a thought.

 

[bobbybluz]

I bought one of these two months ago to replace a vertical one my cat knocked over and ripped the USB connector off the printed circuit board inside. This one has feet, can't be knocked over and has no problem with 20TB hard drives. The fan works well and makes a noticeable difference difference with huge file transfers (Over 1TB of data at a time including an 8TB HDD I dumped to a 20TB HDD). It also has on off and on switch plus a power indicator light. I chose this over a similar Sabrent unit because of better reviews on Amazon and the design on this has far better ventilation for the fan along with a lower price: Amazon.com: FIDECO Hard Drive Enclosure, USB 3.0 to SATA Hard Drive Docking Station for 3.5 or 2.5 inch SATA HDD SSD with Cooling Fan, 12V Power Adapter Included, Support UASP : Electronics

I was going to buy one of these last week when they were $39 before the price jumped by $30 overnight after the tariffs went into effect. I had it in my cart and fell asleep, when I woke up the next morning I was shocked to see the huge price increase and didn't get it: Amazon.com: SABRENT USB Type-C Lay Flat Docking Station for M.2 PCIe NVMe + SATA 2.5'"/3.5" SSD & HDD with Offline Clone Function [DS-UFNC] : Electronics

 

[LabRat 891]

I was going to buy one of these last week when they were $39 before the price jumped by $30 overnight after the tariffs went into effect. I had it in my cart and fell asleep, when I woke up the next morning I was shocked to see the huge price increase and didn't get it: Amazon.com: SABRENT USB Type-C Lay Flat Docking Station for M.2 PCIe NVMe + SATA 2.5'"/3.5" SSD & HDD with Offline Clone Function [DS-UFNC] : Electronics

@ ~$40, that was a deal.
Whether truly affected or not, the entire commercial-consumer electronics industry is LARPing as the HDD industry on a stormy day

 

[Hardcore Games]

I spent $31.12 on this USB-C box which is reasonable given the abilities. I hope it delivers reasonable performance.

 

[Hardcore Games]

The new enclosure came in yesterday. The model is Blueendless BS-MR35T HUB. Searching this finds alibaba has been flogging this for a while. I found this on fleabay cheap and came with tracking so I was able to be sure it was not lost in the snail. This box has a USB hub so it can daisy chain 3 disks but the hub can connect laterally to have a large selection of storage units. This box can handle both 2.5" and 3.5" SATA devices. IT comes with a 12V 2A charger and it also comes with a USB-C to USB-A cable but I have a wide selection of USB cables and y-cables etc so connecting everything is easy. I like that this model also has rubber feet so it is far less likely to slip. There are three LED lamps on top to show the PSU is good and that connections are good.

Only thing I suggest for an improvement. USB power delivery given world-plus dog all have tons of 65W chargers in the junk box. USB PD supports 12V easily. I also have many 130W class chargers on hand so USB PD is not a big problem. 35W dual USB chargers are under $10 and even one of these can power a laptop. I tried my defunt T14 and it powered up.

 

[Hardcore Games]

Blueendless BS-MR35T is the model so if anyone comes here at least the model is known.

I have no idea as to what chip is on the logic board.

 

[bonehead123]

I have no idea as to what chip is on the logic board.

Perhaps you should have researched that BEFORE purchasing it, yes ?

 

[R-T-B]

Perhaps you should have researched that BEFORE purchasing it, yes ?

That assumes you can even find that data. You probably can't.

 

[Hardcore Games]

I found extreme levels of detail are impossible without extreme levels of analysis. That is because the device stack in Windows is complex in the extreme to handle the plethora of USB storage chips and misc other logic.

ASM2362, JMS583 , RTL9210, JMS567, JMS580 are some logic noticed, thanks. Fideco is known for more expensive USB NVMe toys. Orico is in my shop so they are known. Now I have Blueendless so that is a new entity to consider.