I'm not very happy with the way this looks, but at least it is much quieter than it was before I did this.

Here is what I did with three hard drives. This took me around an hour to drill out the drive cage and then around an hour and a half to actually mount the drives. It's a lot of trial and error, especially with the zip ties because the cords stretch and the backs of the drives are heavier than the front.







I'm probably going to rotate the direction of the bottom cords by 90 degrees in order to prevent the drives from hitting the sides of the case. The case is an Antec Super Lanboy by the way.

I need some suggestions!

I have the antec case shown in the above post, however mine is currently sideways (so it fits in the media cupboard)

Now as its on its side I cant quite figure out how I can suspend some 3.5" drives in it!

I have on 3.5" drive currently on some foam at the bottom of the case, and a 2.5" drive suspended in the 3.5" drive bays, as its light it seems to hold OK on its side.

I need to expand the storage, and although one option is to replace the current 250GB drive on the foam with a 1TB drive, I'd rathe not waste the 250GB drive!

So if so0meone can figure out a way to suspend a couple of 3.5" drives in this case (on its side) then that would be great!

A very compact suspended drive setup with only 5mm clearance on either side that fits in the drive tray of a Silverstone SG03:





Not quite as good as an external bed of foam but much better than plastic clips.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/vi ... 283#428283

Thats quite interesting that you have managed to suspend a 3.5" drive in a 3.5" bay.

Have you done anythign to prevent it from hitting the sides?

Id love to be able to suspend a load of 3.5" drives, rather than get expensive/smaller capacity 2.5" drives

The tension is the setup is great enough that it won't be able to move that far under it's own weight. The fact that the elastic goes through the holes and underneath allows this balance.

Thanks to everyone for all the inspiration in this thread!

I rigged up a suspended drive in an Antec 300 case. The drive bays aren’t wide enough to keep the drive horizontal, so I oriented it vertically. I only expect to ever need one drive anyway. I used good old StretchMagic.

It was difficult to tie the knots under tension, i.e. after feeding the cord through the slots. So instead I borrowed an idea from a few pages back. I cut off a double length of StretchMagic and tied it up before installing it, then fed the doubled cord through the slots and holes. To prevent the ends from slipping back through again, they loop around some short lengths of aluminum rod. Wooden dowels or bits of a pencil would work just as well.



(bigger pic here)

As expected, an amazing difference in sound. While transferring data to the new system, I had a second drive mounted in the traditional manner. It was sooo much louder.

My servers new hd suspension.... stretch magic FTW!

Thanks for the inspiration, fellas. I have stolen with pride and made a cartridge with rubber straps and incorporated fan suspension.











The plates are 12 * 15 cm and 12 * 8 cm, 2 mm thick. The edge angles are 16 cm long, 2 mm thick. Thus, the outer dimensions are 16 * 8,4 * 12,8 cm, which fits into a dual 5,25" bay. The bottom is lined with 8 mm thick sealing foam.

The result is very good. No vibration gets transferred to the case and the potential cooling problem is averted. It also stacks nicely on top of the computer, even though I should be able to fit a total of five cartridges in this midtower case if I'd disassemble the floppy bay.

Cheers

/Niclas (with understanding and secretly admiring girlfriend Monica)

I used stretch magic 2mm? I think. Also strapped 2 heat sinks to the sides of the HDD from a WD external drive,
and for extra cooling for the motor I salvaged a Pentium 2 heatsink.

Click for large.

thats brilliant, Elijah86, is that passively cooled with low/no airflow? and does it still stay cool?

It is passive, not much air gets up in the front drive bay area once the front of the case is on. I know it stays cool I just don't remember what it is at most of the time. If I remember I will check temps and post back.

Hey guys when suspending your hard drive, is it better to have the elastics tight or loose?

Silversone SG02

Are those adapters part of the SS drive cage, or are they something you added?

They're stock. They are basically sliders for what the HDD's mount to.

What a neat thread, a classic. I wish SPCR would host the pics so that they don't disappear over time. Here's mine, from my recent post here: http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/vi ... hp?t=51531

Quick question... Would using those rubber O-rings that hoovers (old ones) use be good to use? I used to have one on hand, but couldnt remember if it was too "hard".

Might try a local hardware or DIY store.

Don't see why not, as long as they weren't old and perished already. Basically any rubber that will perish quickly (like elastic bands) is out, everything else is game, with soft and springy being the best.

I would think the hoover o-rings should be quite durable, though they are prone to snapping, but that may be due it being very stretched and worn from turning at high speeds.

Maybe a plain hair band would be ok too? Im just looking for something that you dont have to tie a knot in. Looks a bit unsightly (and me being pedantic!)

Yep, hair bands are good

Just have to try not to look a perv in the shop choosing one!

And another one, a temporary suspension in my Lian-Li A17 from my recent post here: http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/vi ... hp?t=52626

Had a visit to town. Couldnt find what I wanted.

The o-rings that places had were too small and didnt seem that flexible.

One thing else that might be usable, is tent bands like these Tent Pegging Bands.

I know rubber bands werent recommended but I would think tent ones would be non-perishable?

Let me repeat the same advise I've been dishing out for 7 years: Clothing elastic is the cheapest suspension material, extremely durable and highly effective. A meter is usually a buck or so -- at any fabric store. Comes in many diameters, colors and shapes.

Hey MikeC,

I realise bungee cord is best, but Im just looking at possible alternatives that dont involve knotting and tying!

If there was a bungee o-ring then that would be perfick. Alas, have never seen one.

What do you guys think of mine? I am using rubber bands (regardless of them being colored they are rubber bands) and I just got 4 screws, and cut the rubber bands, so now they aren't in circles but in long strips, and just tied one end of each to a screw and the other end to the other band after going through my case. I don't know if it works so well because I can still hear the hard drive, I guess it is just a loud one. Just sitting there doing nothing I can here the disk spinning and when it starts accessing data it's decently bad. I bought the hard drive in 04 or 05 I believe so it's decently old. It's a 80GB WD SATA drive.

thepwner --

How long have those rubber bands been there? They are guaranteed break, in a relatively short time, especially under any kind of tension or heat. I use them under low tension as string vibration dampers in my tennis rackets and have to replace them every few months due to wear or breakage.

They've only been in there a couple of days really. So when they break I'll replace them, but if I were to upgrade to some other type of material that was better would it decrease noise any better or give me any other upsides besides the fact that it won't break?