Interchangeable Hard Drive Mounting Cages

[UrbanVoyeur]

Can you build your cases with a single style of 3.5" drive mounting cages?

Instead of making slightly different, incompatible drive cages for almost every case and bay converter, how about using the same cage mount points and consistent dimensions for everything from a 2x to an 10x cage.

Most of your newer cages are compatible with the hot swap back-planes so you are already halfway there.

• Sized from 1-10 3.5 drives AND 1-10 2.5 drives.
• Make the cages stack-able so that they have the same mounting holes at the top and bottom
• Consistent mounting holes on bottom of the cage and in each new case.
• Use the smaller cages (2-4 drives) in the 5.25" bay devices
• Make an adjustable stabilizer plate that attaches to the side of top of the cage so it can be tied into to the case or upper fixed bays
• Drill the bottom of the 5.25 fixed bays so that drive cages could be hung from their bottoms.

Advantages:

• User can add and subtract drives bays as much as they want without have to choose between model lines.
• Fewer part types to manufacture and universal spares.
• Never having to hear us whine about "too few" or "too many" drive cages.

[Lian Li Tech]

Eli Whitney would be proud. This is a very interesting idea, and would also make it easier for everyone to find replacement add-on parts. This is an idea that would have to flesh out.

[UrbanVoyeur]

Eli Whitney would be proud.

I think that it would require very little modification of the existing cases and bay adapters. Mostly drilling the 4-6 cage mounting holes in a different layout perhaps an adapter plate for the bottom of some of the older cases.

Another advantage: users could mix and match 2.5 and 3.5 cages in the same stack without additional adapters.