ICY DOCK is researching and thinking to have a Build-in Power Adapter into the External single-bay or four-bay Enclosure. Of course by having Power supply build-into the External single bay or four bay enclosure will make it much more heavier, but you will NOT need to carry the power adapter.For the opposite argument, some people would prefer to have Power supply NOT build-in, by doing so it will make the external enclosure much lighter in weight and not as travel friendly.
What do you think about having a build-in Power adapter onto ICY DOCK External single bay/four bay Enclosures?
Personally, I say there is no need for a built-in adapter. Using a built-in means there is one less part to lose, but it is better to have a light, smaller device than to use an adapter inside the device and make is heavier and larger than it needs to be. A built-it SHOULD be used on larger devices, but on something smaller, where portability is important, it is better to keep the product as small as possible.
ReplyDeleteFor the larger enclosures, I don't think it makes that much difference. I don't think they would be moved around that much. That said, it is more convenient to have the power brick built-in, however, would that make the drives run hot? And would it be easier for you to manufacture the devices for use in more countries, with the brick on the outside?
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of an internal power supply. Although it would be heavier - not having an external power adapter is one less thing to carry - and I think more convenient.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of having an internal power supply. One less part to lose and get mixed up with all of the other external power bricks that I have laying around. I would like to see you use the same kind of cord you are using now rather than a standard power cord. You could also use a power cord like what apple uses on it's power bricks. See http://www.shentech.com/aprepog4ib65.html for a picture of what I mean. It would be a good way to "lock" the cord to the drive so it doesn't inadvertantly get unplugged. On a side note, I'd love to see you offer a replacement tray for the MB559UEA-1S that will accept 2.5" SATA notebook drives.
ReplyDeleteI will cast my vote for an internal power supply of course I am not looking to travel with my setup . Perhaps you could give the customers a choice. Make them both available.
ReplyDeleteThank you, M. Evans
I say build it in for sure. The extra weight won't that that huge at all, the things are light enough to begin with.
ReplyDeleteI am trying to get away from having four large power cords I would like an internal power supply in my Icy dock.
ReplyDeleteInternal power would be the best for me as well. The idea when I bought the enclosure was not to be traveling with it...
ReplyDeleteFor larger devices I really do not think that I matters because they will not be moved around as much, but for smaller 1 bay devices I could be a good think to have it built in because a lot of people use the smaller devices for traveling with laptops etc. I really do not think an internal power adapter would cause to much of a heat problem.
ReplyDeletethis is a toughie. I can see pros and cons on either one. How much added weigh are we talking bout, what about the size of the drive? I think for small 1 unit esta storage, it's a great idea as it may reduce the need for carrying the cables. NOw, if we have internal power supply, does that mean that it won't need a socket to power the unit at all? it draws the power from the usb only? If that's the case, then we really don't need to carry the cable. If we need to carry the cord to power the drive, then I guess might as well just leave the power supply outside (but see if we can reduce it's size) as i think there's no real benefit of having it internally except maybe easier to carrry around.
ReplyDeleteThere are a couple of reasons I would recommend using an internal power supply as opposed to an external.
ReplyDelete1. It is more travel friendly. While it may be lighter not to have it built in, you're still going to be carrying the weight of the PS one way or the other.
2. Less items to have to remember to take with you when traveling.
3. Less (proprietary) items to lose or misplace. If and when you do lose these things, you will have to purchase replacements from Cremax. If Cremax suddenly disappears or goes out of business, you're kinda sorta outta luck.
4. Replacement power supplies tend to cost an arm and a leg. Anybody who doubts that should go and look at how much it is online for a replacement power supply for a notebook computer. While this may be favorable for Cremax, it is not something that most consumers consider a perk.
5. The power connectors on these external supplies tend to be more fragile and more prone to accidental unpluggings, leading to possible product replacement and/or data loss.
6. More cable mess. Instead of just having one small power cable, the user suddenly has two separate cables with a large heavy box in the middle of them. Not good for anybody with an already cluttered area behind their computer.
I say use built in power connectors and here's why: Over the last several years, I have owned many of these external drive enclosures and all have failed at some point primarily due to the power supply plug in the rear. They come loose and slip out easily or the weight of the adapter itself over time has caused the connection in the rear to be at such a point that even when plugged in, it is not making full connection. On a 2.5" it is fine to have it detachable, but on a 3.5", I say attach the power to the case OR change the connector type on the power and the case to something more reliable.
ReplyDeleteBuild it in, make it as small as possible, and use a standard AC cord, one with the smaller size plug (used on stereos?) rather then the larger computer model.
ReplyDeleteAs long as it is designed to be compact, this will help with travel, less pieces to pack/carry. Not power brick to try to find a plug for. And no power brick to leave behind in a hotel room.
TIA.
The question I would ask; How much additional space (dimensions) does an internal power adapter take-up? I would guess that an internal adapter would actually take up slightly less space, since it would not require a separate enclosure for the brick or clear space required around the electrical components and less cord or material needed to connect the power adapter to the other components. Given those assumptions and the other comments I've read I would go with an internal adapter, it's a cleaner and more efficient design.
ReplyDeleteAnother vote for internal. It's becoming more and more difficult to find ANY single enclosures with built-in power, making swapping usage in multiple edit rooms a real pain. I fully support a larger, heavier enclosure with internal power supply.
ReplyDeleteAnother vote for internal.
ReplyDeleteIt's becoming more and more difficult to find ANY single enclosures with built-in power, making it much harder to move drives around multiple edit rooms.
I'd fully support a larger, heavier enclosure with internal power supply.
Modularity. Power adapters are often a source of probles:
ReplyDelete1) Quality varies and they need servicing/replacement more often. Replacement is time and requires expertise - none if it is external.
2) Heat: keep the heat away from drives. Reliability and life span depends on it.
3) Have you heard of battery recalls on laptops? All the problems of identifying the bad/from them goods. Again modularity takes care of the issue. Easy to identify and replace.
4) Inconvenience? If it bothers you carrying the extra adapter, think of the data of in your drives. You should not to move these drives very often anyway.
Good luck to all.
Ariel
If external power is required, and it is on a drive of this size, then the question of portability is moot. It's either bigger and heavier built-in or you carry the seperate adadter. I would think the matter of increased internal heat and the probable inclusion of a fan would be the real question.
ReplyDeleteBuilt-in adapter> you can easily connect the enclosure to UPS using another cheap cable with right terminal...
ReplyDeletePower? Yes or No?
ReplyDeleteWhy not have the best of BOTH worlds! Take power from the donor PC using the new PC Backplate. This was the external drives will shut pown when the PC is turned OFF. The "PS2 Style" connector (is there a STANDARD for these with the 12v & 5v supply?) will work fine, and the technology of the INTERNAL MB453 with the heat sensitive fan will be OK. IF there MUST be separate power, then INCLUDE the PSU into the unit, but ensure it uses a standard "kettle" plug as then there is no need to carry a special lead
my vote is for internal power supply. i use my for travelling, almost every day. while this is probably not normal, the whole point of an external drive is for the possibility of using it other places, when you might need to copy data.
ReplyDeleteless wires, less things to lose. an all in one solution hasnt been done before, if anything it would boost sales because there is no product such as this on the market.
This is not an opinion, it is begging- PLEASE provide external enclosures without power bricks!
ReplyDeleteI am still using a handful of IDE combo enclosures (IDE internal, USB/1394 external) from 'byteCC' that have built in power bricks and I love them. They have inbuilt power supplies, which are cooled by the enclosure's fan. Who cares if it weighs more, because you have to carry the (heavy) cable anyway!
I can take one to a friend's house and plug it in, no worries if I brought the right power cord because EVERYbody has a standard 120v PC power cord.
I assure you, there is demand for this. Make one, put it on newegg and make sure it shows up in a power search for 'power supply included=no' and I will buy at least 5-10...
Whatever happened to this? "Slimline" enclosures are a fraud when they require power bricks. The whole point is portability, so why on earth do people find it acceptable to crawl under their desks to gather up a power brick and bundle of wire whenever they want to take the drive somewhere?
ReplyDeleteWere these units ever made.
ReplyDeleteByteeCC is still making enclosures with Power supplies built in and they are excellent.
http://www.byteccusa.com/product/enclosure/ME-535/ME-535.htm
I would love to see a 3 1/2" version with the power supply built in. These are 5 1/4" units so they are as large as Micro PCs.
We ship them all around the country and external power supplies are lost constantly when we went that route plus they are not as reliable. For us the small passports are no good as people will steal them too easily.
I'd like to know where I can find a replacement adapter for the MB559 - or specs on the DC output, etc.
ReplyDelete