Maxine said:
Hi. I'm looking for a USB/Firewire enclosure for a 3.5" 300gb Ultra ATA
drive to work with my new Dell Dimension 5150 computer.
Can anyone recommend a specific model? I see that there are concerns about
heat dissipation, so I want to make sure to get a decent one.
Try the external HD enclosure thread at FatWallet.com:
http://tinyurl.com/zmy7b
Whatever you get, be sure that its power supply is UL listed because
you don't want something that can destroy your hard drive's data,
electrocute you, or make your house catch on fire. Almost all external
power supplies are UL listed, but many internal ones are not, a prime
example being the one in this Neo enclosure:
http://static.flickr.com/92/232555031_7768d6e20e.jpg
This power supply was covered with nothing but a sheet of plastic to
electrically insulated it from the USB-IDE controller (on the left
side, but normally sits on top). This power supply apparently contains
no protection against overloads or excessive voltage, nor does it have
a line filter to prevent it from radiating electrical noise and causing
radio/TV interference. One person reported that his hard drive was
destroyed in this model enclosure and a hole burned through the case
beneath it. Neo claimed that the plastic was polycarbonate, which is
fairly fire resistant, but it seemed to be acrylic, which burns much
more easily. Also this enclosure was so badly designed that it was
louder with its lid removed than installed because the air holes were
too small or few.
In comparison, here's a Bytec ME-320 enclosure, made by Welland, with
an internal power supply that is UL listed:
http://static.flickr.com/49/170756085_2d0fb1c01f.jpg
Notice that the power supply is housed in metal.
If the enclosure is plastic, you want it to be made of fire-resistant
plastic, something rated by UL as meeting V-0. This is what TV and
monitor cabinets meet, and supposedly they're very hard to set on fire.
A cooling fan is virtually a must with any enclosure that has an
internal power supply, but even with an external one I'd want the
enclosure to still have plenty of vent holes to keep the drive cool.
You may also want to improve the HD cooling by raising it off the
bottom of the case slightly (about 1/8") with some washers or spacers
(electronics supplies and real hardware stores have them, including
nylon spacers) and longer than normal screws. But don't raise it too
much or there may not be enough clearance on the top side of the drive.
Lots of people prefer that the USB-IDE adapter have a Cypress or NEC
controller chip, at least for USB, but Firewire may be a different
matter (I've never used Firewire).
If you find that your drive doesn't work, try setting its selection
jumper to Master (or Master, sole drive with Western Digitals) because
apparently Cable Select (CS) doesn't work with most enclosures.
