Mounting hard drive on base of 5.25" bay

[Ravz]

Hello,
I have a spare 3.5" hard drive that I am planning to mount directly to the base of the 5.25" bay and secure it using wire ties(I know there's an adapter for 3.5" to 5.25" but it takes more than 45 days to get it delivered to my place). The PCB of the drive and the screws that hold the PCB are touching the base of the bay, so is it safe to mount like that or does it harm the drive or create some kind of short in the system?

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I would go ahead and order the adapter, then, in the meantime, put a piece of plastic beneath the HDD to prevent possible shorts until the adapter arrives.

 

If you cannot (or do not want to) spring for the adapter, you could use hook and loop (Velcro) tape to secure the HDD and insulate it.

[Ravz]

28 minutes ago, Lady Fitzgerald said:

I would go ahead and order the adapter, then, in the meantime, put a piece of plastic beneath the HDD to prevent possible shorts until the adapter arrives.

 

If you cannot (or do not want to) spring for the adapter, you could use hook and loop (Velcro) tape to secure the HDD and insulate it.

Ah that's a good idea about velcro tape. Also I was thinking about placing a strip of thick foam under the horizontal edge of the hard drive, would that be safe for the hard drive from the clearance issue and also work out as insulation ??

[Lady Fitzgerald]

7 hours ago, Ravz said:

Ah that's a good idea about velcro tape. Also I was thinking about placing a strip of thick foam under the horizontal edge of the hard drive, would that be safe for the hard drive from the clearance issue and also work out as insulation ??

As long as there was room and the foam was non-conductive, yes, it would be safe. I just would feel more comfortable if the drive was secured some way, such as in an adapter or with Velcro tape. There would be less chance it could vibrate out or get knocked out of the bay somehow (yes, I'm a coward).

[RayLeech]

Make sure you don't end up creating a heat problem with the foam/metal. I've hung an extra drive by using a spacer and hanging the drive under the metal cage. That way it can expel heat on each side. Obviously depends on the config of the drive cage.

[Ravz]

On 2/11/2020 at 6:33 PM, Lady Fitzgerald said:

As long as there was room and the foam was non-conductive, yes, it would be safe. I just would feel more comfortable if the drive was secured some way, such as in an adapter or with Velcro tape. There would be less chance it could vibrate out or get knocked out of the bay somehow (yes, I'm a coward).

 

2 hours ago, RayLeech said:

Make sure you don't end up creating a heat problem with the foam/metal. I've hung an extra drive by using a spacer and hanging the drive under the metal cage. That way it can expel heat on each side. Obviously depends on the config of the drive cage.

 

I took your ideas and made 4 spacers from nylon(each of 6mm length) and screwed it to the base of the HDD to have that space under the hard drive where I no longer have to worry about it touching to the bay. And secured one side of the HDD to the 5.25 bay firmly. Now there's almost no vibrations, ample airflow under the HDD, doesn't sag (since its held to case from only one side of HDD).

Thank you for your responses and sharing your ideas. I really appreciate it

[Lady Fitzgerald]

10 minutes ago, Ravz said:

 

 

I took your ideas and made 4 spacers from nylon(each of 6mm length) and screwed it to the base of the HDD to have that space under the hard drive where I no longer have to worry about it touching to the bay. And secured one side of the HDD to the 5.25 bay firmly. Now there's almost no vibrations, ample airflow under the HDD, doesn't sag (since its held to case from only one side of HDD).

Thank you for your responses and sharing your ideas. I really appreciate it

Clever!

[Ravz]

On 2/12/2020 at 9:36 PM, Lady Fitzgerald said:

Clever!

Thank you