On 2 Jan 2006 at 17:30, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Hmmm. I have a bunch of old IDE hard drives kicking around. But I thought > external hard drives had something additional. If cooling is a problem that > might > not be such a great idea. > > Thanks, though, maybe I'll find a use finally for my old hard drives.
That adaptor USB looks quite good as it uses an external PSU. I don't think that the drives would suffer thermal problems in normal ambient temperatures if properly supported. Drives often require airflow in a closed cabinet and at the very least need unrestricted airflow around the circuit board. So with this type of adaptor you could tip the drive on it's back so as to expose the drive electronics and help with conduction cooling but this exposes the electronics to susceptibility of short circuits. The best option is to screw some long screws into the vertical mounting holes so it sits elevated above the desk. Also you have to be aware that a hard drive device operating like this my be illegal due to the RF radiation that it generates. Given that it's not enclosed in a shielded enclosure you may impact on the radio or TV reception of sets in close proximity to the drive unit. Rob Studdert HURSTVILLE AUSTRALIA Tel +61-2-9554-4110 UTC(GMT) +10 Hours [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://members.ozemail.com.au/~distudio/publications/ Pentax user since 1986, PDMLer since 1998
