Inquiry: Looking for a frontal hotswap PC case
I'm hoping I might have some recommendations for a computer chassis. So far I've gotten away with using a couple of Fractal Designs, even got my hands on an old Cooler Master XB Evo recently that I never got to put into use.
Basically, I'm looking for a chassis with something like 6-10 hotswap 3.5 drive bays. Preferably horizontal, but vertical is begrudgingly acceptable. Are any of you aware of such a chassis, or am I forced to start looking at racks instead?
Alternatively, do any of you have experience with hacking together a case and installing drive bays?
Bit unrelated side-note: The front micro-jack in one of my cases has broken off (headset wire looped around the office chair) and Fractal Design wouldn't sell me a replacement. Any idea where I might find a female audio connector? I'll happily do a bit of soldering if necessary, I just don't know what the part called or where to look for it.
I was once in a similar spot as you, ending upgrading to a rack and I haven't looked back!
They are obviously more more expensive but being able to hold multiple computers in one spot (neatly) is a game changer.
I am currently using a SilverStone RM224 for my storage needs, but I think a SilverStone RM22-312 would fit your usecase.
If you can't find a used rack, you can build your own! I personally bought a small 12u off amazon, but a friend of mine built his loosely following this guide on reddit, by welding scrap sheet metal he had lying around instead of wood.
Silverstone is pricey but high-quality. I think the CS380, CS381, or DS380 might fit your requirements.
Thermaltake also has a rather pricey full-tower, fully modular case called the Core V71 which you can have up to 8 hot-swappable drive bays in. AFAIK you can't make them front-loading though, you always have to open the side panel to access them.
Azza Hurricans (Azza is the brand, Hurrican is the model) served me well in the past. I don't remember exactly how many hot swappable bays were in the front, but it had at least 4 or 5... Check them out. If they still make that model. There's a door with fans you can swing open and behind it are the hot swappable bays, and they are horizontal.
I’ve been on the lookout for a case for ~6 drive slots that can be changed out relatively easily (hotswap not strictly necessary) and even with that relaxed requirement the pickings are slim. Most cases either only make a couple drives easily accessible or go nuts and have 10+ hotswap slots, there’s almost nothing in the middle.
The best thing I can find is either of the Fractal Node cases (with the ITX model being modded for airflow). It’s enough of a frustration that I’ve been toying with the idea of designing a case built of metal panels cut, bent, and tapped by a service like SendCutSend even though I have little experience with that. It probably wouldn’t be hotswap due to the complexity that entails, but would at least put the drives in cages that ride on roller rails to create a “storage drawer”.
Like just a connector, to be soldered to a board? Electronics distributors (octopart is a meta-search engine across several of them), or Amazon has bags of small quantities of them which might be cheaper depending on shipping costs. Check their pin arrangements against the board first.
I would recommend looking for cases with lots of 5.25" bays in the front and then installing hotswap backplanes.
This is the sort of thing I'm referring to - just randomly picked the first one I saw on amazon, not vouching for this brand:
https://a.co/d/hXbF4tr
I'm actually getting rid of a 15u rack right now as well as a bunch of hotswap backplanes, if by any chance you're in the US mid-Atlantic region and are interested then DM me, I'll cut you a deal as a fellow Tildean 😊
Most of the hotswap cages I'm getting rid of are for 2.5" drives, but if you're curious what I have there then ask and I'll send photo. Those are small enough to ship.
The U-NAS NSC-810 might fit the bill?
There are also a good number of AliExpress clones (link chosen at random, I have no idea if that specific one is reputable!) of the same layout at around half the price - and probably even more favourable when you account for shipping to Denmark vs U-NAS. It’s obviously a crapshoot in terms of description accuracy and general quality at that point, but I will say I’ve personally had very good luck when it comes to niche computer and electronic parts on AliExpress - they’re all coming from Shenzhen one way or another anyway, and unlike, say, clothing or consumer goods the important points tend to be objective numbers in the description that’ll cause problems for the seller if it doesn’t match.
Mains voltage? No. Anything claiming to be a Western brand? Also no. But when it comes to specific computer parts that are sold on spec alone I’m actually sometimes more confident getting it directly from the source, and that’s assuming it also exists in the local market at all.
For context, the last few things I’ve bought on there have been a couple of little Celeron router/server/mini PC things, a USB enclosure that contained an extremely specific PCIe->USB4 chip which is the only one on the market with PCIe 4x4 support, and a set of keycaps.
The latter two weren’t available locally at all, and the mini PCs were the exact same product if I bought them here but they’d been pre-shipped to an Amazon warehouse and marked up 200%. Sadly, I don’t think Amazon seller FRZNIX or whoever is going to be doing stringent QA with a department of electronic engineering PhDs either!
If the worst case involves my house burning down, sure, I’ll make sure I can find a reputable, regulated supplier or I’ll go without. If it’s a bunch of low voltage DC chips on a board, my downside risk feels much lower, my options are much narrower, and my totally anecdotal experience is that AliExpress sellers are actually more likely to (a) know what specific chips they are, and (b) list them accurately in the description.
For what it’s worth I did make sure the case listing didn’t have a power supply included before linking it! Steel sheets and SATA backplanes I personally wouldn’t be worried about, but you’re well within your rights to disagree.
A very, very tangential side note but I literally just finished watching an old episode of DS9 and this made me smile!