5.25" bay covers

[frogonastring]

So I've got a pair of 5.25" bays that have been recently vacated by a watercooling reservoir that decided it didn't want to play any more (long story) and which I've now  replaced with an air cooler. Or I will, when they ship the thing.

Anyway.

It turns out that it's very hard to buy the plastic bay covers from anywhere? I've got two optical drives fitted and the case has a built-in fan speed controller so I'm not bothered about putting one of those in. Any ideas for filling two empty drive bays? 

Coolermaster official spares (I have a CM Storm Sniper) will sell me the covers but it'd be about £16 total which is madness for two bits of plastic. Other than that they seem to be for sale for crazy money like £5 each - it's just a piece of plastic!

Any tips for where I can get some from for really cheap and/or fashion myself? I'm a bit stuck for ideas.

[Kickflapper]

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_12?url=search-alias%3Dcomputers&field-keywords=5.25+bay+accessory&sprefix=5.25%22+BAY+AC%2Caps%2C202&rh=n%3A541966%2Ck%3A5.25+bay+accessory

[frogonastring]

Ye-ess...I mean, thanks and all ;-)
I should have said really - I've discarded all the usual gadgets that go in because of the following...
a) I've got a fan controller
b) I've got a card reader
c) I sort of don't really want to spend much money on this. I've already shelled out for a Noctua NH-D15 that I really didn't want to! 

[Naeaes]

4 minutes ago, frogonastring said:

So I've got a pair of 5.25" bays that have been recently vacated by a watercooling reservoir that decided it didn't want to play any more (long story) and which I've now  replaced with an air cooler. Or I will, when they ship the thing.

Anyway.

It turns out that it's very hard to buy the plastic bay covers from anywhere? I've got two optical drives fitted and the case has a built-in fan speed controller so I'm not bothered about putting one of those in. Any ideas for filling two empty drive bays? 

Coolermaster official spares (I have a CM Storm Sniper) will sell me the covers but it'd be about £16 total which is madness for two bits of plastic. Other than that they seem to be for sale for crazy money like £5 each - it's just a piece of plastic!

Any tips for where I can get some from for really cheap and/or fashion myself? I'm a bit stuck for ideas.

Those covers are pretty much model-specific only the case manufacturer makes compatible parts and there are no third party options. Hence the price. Some local modder/system builder might have some to spare. At least the company I worked for, kept some of the leftovers from assembly.

[soup]

Everyone and their cousin (<slight hyperbole there) goes on about how bay covers (and expansion slot covers ) should be put in a safe place if removed as it is very difficult (if not impossible) to get exact replacements (virtually every case has slight design differences from every other case and so covers from brand X may not fit in cases from brand Y). None of this is a help now but in the future...

  For now maybe someone is dumping a case you could get the covers from or you could try contacting the manufacturers .

[frogonastring]

4 minutes ago, Naeaes said:

Those covers are pretty much model-specific only the case manufacturer makes compatible parts and there are no third party options. Hence the price. Some local modder/system builder might have some to spare. At least the company I worked for, kept some of the leftovers from assembly.

Aye, I think that's the issue - the spare covers were never given to me when I received the system (bizarrely, I got all the rest of the spare parts)

I toyed with sticking a fan in there, but it takes up three bays! I'm not sure that I can move the lowest (smaller width) bay out.

I might ask in the workshop at work if they've got any disposal systems. 

[soup]

Saying you have a smaller width bay makes me think it's for a floppy if the case is that old it wont have USB3.  Does your MoBo have USB3 headers ? Can you fit a USB3 port(s) in at least one of the bays?

 

 

[frogonastring]

The motherboard is an MSI P55-GD65 so sadly it firmly predates USB3 and I don't have any headers! I could just stick in a USB hub, but then I sort of don't really have a requirement for any more USB ports either, there's plenty on the case.

See the struggle?! It feels like all of the accessory devices are for needs I've already got covered and I'm not going to spend £20 on a USB hub for no good reason

[soup]

Sorry, but there is a saying.

"You can only piss with the cock you've got"

 

The only solutions I can see are:-

Either bung in more USBs (that you don't really need), bite the bullet and pay the £16 for two bits of plastic, find someone(maybe the manufacture) who has the same case who doesn't want/need the covers or live with two gaps in the case (mind and filter them in some way)

 

But then I am particularly myopic in these situations, there is quite possibly some 'fix' I can't see.