Want to connect 3.5" HDD via USB or 1394 cable without enclosure

  • Thread starter Thread starter Fred Finisterre
  • Start date Start date
F

Fred Finisterre

Anyone sell a cable that'll let me plug 3.5" IDE hard disks into a USB2 or
Firewire scoket without having to muck about putting them in an enclosure.

I have a cupboard full of old hard disks that I sometimes need to grab the
odd file from, so it'd be useful to be able to plug 'em in and out quickly.

Cheers,

Fred.
 
Fred said:
Anyone sell a cable that'll let me plug 3.5" IDE hard disks into a USB2 or
Firewire scoket without having to muck about putting them in an enclosure.

I have a cupboard full of old hard disks that I sometimes need to grab the
odd file from, so it'd be useful to be able to plug 'em in and out quickly.

Cheers,

Fred.
Click to expand...
you may as well just get the enclosure...
as in addition to the ide leads...you will need the power leads as well
just leave the top off the enclosure and you can get at the ide cables
easily

btw: those cables have very fine leads and can easily break...
you might be better offf with a removable drive kit and caddies
 
Fred said:
Anyone sell a cable that'll let me plug 3.5" IDE hard disks into a USB2 or
Firewire scoket without having to muck about putting them in an enclosure.
Click to expand...

Loads on Ebay - watch the postage though :)

The usual online dealers do them as well.

Lee
 
philo wrote:

you may as well just get the enclosure...
as in addition to the ide leads...you will need the power leads as well
just leave the top off the enclosure and you can get at the ide cables
easily
Click to expand...

The leads come with the power adapter now.
btw: those cables have very fine leads and can easily break...
you might be better offf with a removable drive kit and caddies
Click to expand...

Good point. Not sure about suggesting a caddy either though, since the
OP wants to swap loads of disks and buying umpteen caddies is probably
not what they wanted to do :)

Lee
 
Fred Finisterre said:
Anyone sell a cable that'll let me plug 3.5" IDE hard disks into a USB2 or
Firewire scoket without having to muck about putting them in an enclosure.

I have a cupboard full of old hard disks that I sometimes need to grab the
odd file from, so it'd be useful to be able to plug 'em in and out
quickly.

Cheers,

Fred.
Click to expand...

Maplin http://www.maplin.co.uk/
do a USB 2.0 to IDE Adaptor (£40 but I've seen them cheaper elsewhere)
http://www.maplin.co.uk/products/module.asp?CartID=040918002128642&moduleno=35057
or paste "USB 2.0 to IDE Adaptor" (without quotes) into their product
search
 
in message ...
Maplin http://www.maplin.co.uk/
do a USB 2.0 to IDE Adaptor (£40 but I've seen them cheaper elsewhere)
http://www.maplin.co.uk/products/module.asp?CartID=040918002128642&modul
eno=35057
or paste "USB 2.0 to IDE Adaptor" (without quotes) into their product
search
Click to expand...

Damn! You beat me to it. I was about to suggest the same thing.

I was also going to suggest their replacement Molex plugs too (part no.
A81BY). It'd be easy enough to wire up a power extension cable, and
these plugs will take the agro out of unplugging the power to the
drives.

STM
 
Lee said:
philo wrote:



The leads come with the power adapter now.


Good point. Not sure about suggesting a caddy either though, since the
OP wants to swap loads of disks and buying umpteen caddies is probably
not what they wanted to do :)

Lee
Click to expand...


well those 80 wire cables are very frail...
if possible use an ide connector with "pull tabs" on it
the 40 wire cables hold up much better
 
Fred Finisterre said:
Anyone sell a cable that'll let me plug 3.5" IDE hard disks into a USB2 or
Firewire scoket without having to muck about putting them in an enclosure.
Click to expand...
I have a cupboard full of old hard disks that I sometimes need to grab the
odd file from, so it'd be useful to be able to plug 'em in and out quickly.
Click to expand...

You can buy the adapters separately but they tend not to include power
supplies and the ones I've seen are more costly than cheap enclosures.

I do the same as 'philo' suggested and have a cheap enclosure from SVP
Communications. The one I use has a "clam shell" type case so I can
rest the drive in the bottom half, protecting the delicate electronics
on the underside of the drive, without having to faff around
assembling it properly.

--
 
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