Introduction: Enclosure for Internal Storage Drive 3.5" and 2.5"
I created this Instructable because I wanted a simple, but safe cover for my internal HDD. I store all my extra files I have on it and I want to easily use it just like a USB, to move files from Desktop to laptop or even TV.
Buying a large USB or a nice external HDD is a better option, but for the people that just have a large capacity HDD lying around and want to use it externally this is also an option :)
Parts
A HDD drive
- 17 x 12 cm of Acrylic plastic to cover the HDD itself (color is up to you) - 2 x for both sides
For the adapter you could also get something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-SATA-Drive-Adapter-...
The adapter could be bought for as low as $5 from another site, but that's up to you.
Tools
- 3D printer
- Laser cutter
Measurements
A 3.5" HDD is 14.7 x 10.6 x 2.6 cm in size.
A 2.5" Drive is 10.1 x 69,9 x 10 cm in size.
The hole for the SATA Power And Data cable is 4.5 cm long and 0,7 cm high, the width is just the thickness of the cover!
When making the cover I made everything ~0.4 cm bigger just in case, as can be seen in my Tinkercad design.
I will be using the MoSCoW method for this project.
Must have:
- 3D printed side-cover
- Laser cut acrylic cover for the top and bottom
- A Laser engraved image on the top of the acrylic cover
Should have:
- Make a 3D printed inner-wall for the 2.5" drive to sit in.
Could have:
Won't have/Would like:
Step 1: Make the 3D Design
For the first step I started with the 3D design for the cover.
Things I considered were:
- It shouldn't be much larger and bulkier then the drive itself
- It should be "coffee spill" proof
- It should be easily swap-able
My design is on Tinkercad:
- Raw: https://tinkercad.com/things/fCecs0tVT3d
- Print Ready: https://tinkercad.com/things/czCsx3RJgyx
- Separators: https://tinkercad.com/things/iqyBvzj378Q --> This makes it possible to place a 2.5" SSD in the cover.
I also made a design for smaller 3D printers: (with small modifications)
Step 2: Make the Top and Bottom Cover
The top and bottom cover are acrylic. The measurements are: 16.1 x 10.5 x 0.5 cm.
The top acrylic cover has a extra piece for the screw to go in.
This is the design top:
- Added
The design for the bottom is the same.
Logo:
- Added
A more complicated and full cover logo could be added, but I chose something simple.
It is up to you what you want to do tho.
Step 3: Put Parts Together
If the design for a smaller printers was used, the pieces could be glued together.
A shrew or something similar is also necessary to hold the top acrylic cover on the base.
The bottom acrylic cover can be glued to the base. Screw the top and the base together, it should slide on and off.
After that, add the HDD, connect the SATA cables from the drive adapter to the HDD through the hole, and that's it!
Here is a video demonstration of a pre-final version (with waterproof test!) :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJI0W-g_otE
This is a very basic design, and a good introduction into 3D printing and laser cutting.
Hope it was useful to someone.
Good luck!
