Newer Technology USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter

gearboy · Post by **gearboy** » Tue Jan 01, 2008 10:14 pm

https://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%2 ... NVSPATARH/

Is anyone using this thing yet? I have 200GB, soon to be over 300GB of older drives laying around. This nifty device will prevent me from having to purchase enclosures for each drive. I plan on making these drives my "3rd and 4th Backup" of audio projects, archived software backups, iTunes Library, etc. they'll live in my desk at work, just in case something bad happens to the backups at home (there are two). I figure that for $29.99 it's an excuse to make a few safety copies of things just in case with drives that I no longer use. For instance, I can backup my 93GB of iTunes from home and keep it at work just in case.

Jeff

Phil O · Post by **Phil O** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 7:23 am

Looks too good to be true. Even has a power supply and all the cables. Only $30. Wow. What's the speed of USB2 vs. firewire anyway? This just might be a good investment.

Phil

gearboy · Post by **gearboy** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 9:02 am

I just dropped $29.99 on it, plus another $16 for OSC's USB2.0 hub for other stuff.

I figure that I can now remove the 4.5 yr old 120GB IDE drive in my Glyph Net Drive firewire case that has been so great for me for so long and replace it with an updated drive upwards of 500GB, partitioned. That'll give me an 80GB SATA drive, 120GB SATA drive, and a 120GB IDE drive that still work and can be used for extra precautionary 4th backups. $29.99 is much cheaper than purchasing three firewire or USB2.0 cases for those three older drives, and allows me to continue using them in case of doomsday scenarios. I'll basically keep them in my desk at work, in a box, each sealed in sandwich bags with gel packs to prevent moisture issues. iTunes, software disk images, gear serial numbers, etc.

Jeff

Phil O · Post by **Phil O** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 9:46 am

Sounds like a plan.

mhschmieder · Post by **mhschmieder** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 4:35 pm

I say caveat emptor, but let us know if it works.

I recently bought their v3 ministack external drive, and misinterpreted the specs (even after several re-reads) to think it would simultaneously act as a bridge and a powered hub.

Turns out that since I connected it to my computer via firewire, the USB ports are useless as anything attached to them is not seen by the host computer.

It makes sense when you think about it, except in the context of how they write up the product

.

HCMarkus · Post by **HCMarkus** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 3:20 pm

It is essentially an external hard drive case without the shell. You'll love it for backups, but I would not use it for regular disc access due to drive heat issues.

OldTimey · Post by **OldTimey** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 3:30 pm

HCMarkus wrote:It is essentially an external hard drive case without the shell. You'll love it for backups, but I would not use it for regular disc access due to drive heat issues.

wouldn't a drive be cooler with no shell at all?

i wouldn't use it for regular access cause a naked HD can be noisy. But a nice tool to have!

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 6:27 pm

HCMarkus wrote:You'll love it for backups, but I would not use it for regular disc access due to drive heat issues.

I was thinking the same thing. Also, USB saves in "bursts" whereas fw and sata have more sustained transfer rates.

ie: good for archiving, but not for streaming.

robstudio · Post by **robstudio** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 6:58 pm

wouldn't a drive be cooler with no shell at all?

Mmm, not necessarily. Those shells (if they're designed properly) will act like a big honking heat sink. It's all about airspace/cooling area/airflow... if you create a larger area of metal to dissipate heat, then it will be more efficient. Shouldn't be an issue though, provided your giving it a reasonable amount of airflow.
Regards, Rob

emulatorloo · Post by **emulatorloo** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 2:06 pm

I know it is too late but you can get decent external firewire enclosures for less than $30.00 if you look around.

Example:

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid ... OS&cat=CSE

I have my sample library in one of those cases.

I have my iTunes library in another one.

-

HCMarkus · Post by **HCMarkus** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 2:50 pm

robstudio wrote:
wouldn't a drive be cooler with no shell at all?
Mmm, not necessarily. Those shells (if they're designed properly) will act like a big honking heat sink. It's all about airspace/cooling area/airflow... if you create a larger area of metal to dissipate heat, then it will be more efficient. Shouldn't be an issue though, provided your giving it a reasonable amount of airflow.
Regards, Rob

Yeah... my experience is in line with Rob's comment. When I ran my 74gb Raptors with the case cover removed, they got quite a bit hotter than when they are enclosed with the fan pulling air around them constantly.

And Fry's has a "Free" USB 2.0 Case in its ad today... $15.00 with a $15.00 rebate.

gearboy · Post by **gearboy** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 5:27 pm

Like I said, this thing is simply for me to use the extra drives that I have around as backups that will not be used daily. I received the Universal Drive Adapter last week, brought it home from work, immediately hooked up my two spare drives to the G5 and ran backups, boxed the drives up, and now they live at work. Worked flawlessly. One drive has my iTunes Library backed up on it, the other my recording projects. Both of these drives are the third or fourth backup of this material, and I'm simply keeping them at work.

Jeff